Ascension from Dual Professions

Chapter 185: Chapter 180: The Silverbeard Clan Joins

After all the commotion, Jon finally understood the relationship between these Dwarves and Sutton.

They all belonged to the Silverbeard Clan and had been summoned by the Old Dwarf’s letter.

The boisterous woman, Grotta, who was as unrestrained as any man, was Sutton’s cousin. She ran an Alchemy business in the Southern Empire and had come to Heta County City on a business trip. It was there that she heard news of Sutton from other clan members and insisted on coming along. She was determined to see the cousin who hadn’t returned home in decades.

Sutton, on the other hand, felt guilty due to some past emotional entanglement, which was why he had lost his composure when they first met.

Jon certainly got his fill of the juicy gossip.

’The Old Dwarf always acts so focused on his craft, like nothing else matters,’ he thought. ’But it seems he wasn’t always so pure and detached in his youth.’

Then again, who doesn’t have a past?

After catching up on old times, the long-separated Dwarves turned their attention to Jon.

”Sutton, is this the young human lad you mentioned? The one Summoned by the Ancient God?”

A Dwarf who looked even older than Sutton stroked his beard, looked at Jon, and clicked his tongue thoughtfully.

”He’s sturdy enough, but he doesn’t seem to have that majestic aura I imagined...”

”What do you know? Am I, Sutton, the kind of person to spout nonsense?”

Hearing someone doubt him, the Old Dwarf’s beard bristled and his eyes went wide with indignation.

”Kid, show them what you’ve got!”

Faced with Sutton’s almost childish, petulant demand, Jon just gave a helpless smile.

The Old Dwarf’s face was flushed red, his small eyes were wide and round, and his beard twitched up and down. He looked just like a little old man showing off his prized possession to his family.

But Jon could understand the Dwarves’ devotion to tradition. These visiting Dwarves truly needed to witness it with their own eyes and feel it for themselves to be convinced.

”Alright, Sutton.”

The young man replied in a gentle voice, showing no trace of impatience.

He then focused his mind and activated the active effect of the [Blood of the Earth] on his chest.

WHOOM—!

An indescribable Power—heavy, warm, and seeming to carry the pulse of ancient mountain ranges—radiated out from his chest.

This wasn’t a frenzied burst of Energy, but a deep, restrained pulse, as if the sleeping earth had awakened for a moment before quickly returning to a state of tranquil nourishment.

A visible, earthy-yellow radiance flickered across Jon’s skin before vanishing. It had the primordial, solid luster of soil, ore, and molten lava. The fatigue from his recent battles and social obligations was swept away, instantly restoring him to peak condition. His ice-blue eyes deepened, and his entire being exuded an unshakeable, profound composure.

The moment this Power appeared, the expressions on the faces of the few Dwarves—who had been watching with scrutiny and even a hint of suspicion, including the boisterous Grotta—froze instantly.

They stood frozen in place, one by one, their eyes wider than saucers. Their breathing stopped for several seconds. The dazed look on their faces was identical to Sutton’s when he had first seen the Blood of the Earth.

Then, their expressions were replaced by a shock and awe that originated from the depths of their bloodline.

It was a natural response to the Power of their ancient origins, a devout resonance with their creator etched into the very soul of the Dwarves.

The air in the forge seemed to have been sucked out. All that remained was the CRACKLE of the furnace fire, heavy panting, and the powerful THUMPING of hearts in chests—as if the Dwarves’ own heartbeats were now rising and falling with that grand pulse.

Seeing his old companions in this state, Sutton was immensely pleased with himself.

He puffed out his chest and thumped his own, which was heaving with excitement.

”Well? Do you believe me now?! Who do you take me for? You think I’d lie to you?”

”Feel this aura, this Power! Heh, it’s the real deal!”

Grotta was the first to snap out of the shock.

She took a sharp breath, as if trying to suck every last remnant of that aura from the air deep into her lungs.

She ignored Sutton, strode right up to Jon, tilted her head back, and carefully sensed the weighty presence not yet fully dissipated from him. Then, she nodded forcefully.

”There’s no mistake! This is the aura! This... aura as heavy as a mountain range, as warm as the planet’s core, the aura that births all things!”

Her words echoed through the quiet forge, carrying a tone that left no room for doubt.

”In the High Mountain Temple at our clan’s ancestral home, I was fortunate enough to witness from afar an ancient rite presided over by the Supreme Priest!”

”The aura that filled the entire Divine Hall back then, the one that made the very mountains whisper... it was this exact aura! Identical! That fellow Sutton... he really wasn’t exaggerating this time!”

Grotta’s confirmation was like the fall of a smith’s hammer, completely shattering the last shred of doubt in every Dwarf’s heart.

The way they looked at Jon changed in an instant. They no longer saw him as a ”possibly special young man” or Sutton’s junior, but with a heartfelt reverence and the sense of belonging that comes from finding someone of great importance.

The older Dwarves were even more agitated, stroking their beards as their lips moved silently, as if reciting ancient prayers.

Seeing this, Sutton grew even more smug. He held his chin so high his beard nearly pointed to the heavens, pacing back and forth and savoring the shocked and envious expressions on his old friends’ faces.

But he quickly reined in his gloating, walked back to Jon, and his expression became unprecedentedly solemn.

He reached out a large, rough, powerful hand and clapped Jon firmly on his sturdy arm, his voice low and strong.

”Jon, my boy... no. Jon.”

He addressed him formally, a rare occurrence.

”Now, we have confirmed it. You are the one favored by our clan’s ancient Ancestral God!”

”According to the oldest creed and oath of the Silverbeard Clan—’When the Divine Favored is found, we shall be as the mountains that guard the earth, and aid them with all the might of our forges and hammers’!”

Sutton glanced around at his clansmen. Every single Dwarf stood up straighter, their gazes meeting his with unwavering resolve.

”Listen well! These old comrades here are just the beginning!”

”I, Sutton, declare in the name of Silverbeard that from this day forward, the forges of the Silverbeard Clan will burn for you!”

”We will immediately send word to all our scattered clansmen with the utmost speed! Whether they’re smithing away in deep mountain caves or running shops in the big cities, as long as the blood of Silverbeard flows in their veins, as long as they still believe in the ancient Ancestral God, they will drop what they’re doing the moment they get the news and rush to Birch Town!”

”They will bring their skills, their ore, and their Power! We will be your strongest supporters!”

He paused, his tone tinged with a hint of regret, but mostly filled with sincerity.

”As for the other Dwarf Clans... like the Golden Finger, Black Rock, Firemane... those old stubborn fools, I can’t speak for them. They each have their own ridiculous rules and thick skulls.”

”But if you need it, we of the Silverbeard will use every connection we have to contact them, to persuade them!”

”But on one condition—”

Sutton’s small eyes gleamed with a shrewd light.

”You have to be able to show them real, tangible hope!”