Reborn as an Extra Chapter 528: Dharheim, The City of Treasures. Part-3.

Although Rio desired to investigate the city further, his schedule permitted no such luxury.

Time was of the essence; he had to return home within a month or two, as Lia’s trip was expected to conclude around that period.

Consequently, after a brief pause for tea, Rio resumed his journey.

He navigated the streets, blending into the various throngs of people while remaining unnoticed.

The crowds were a mix of dwarves and other diverse races; Rio even spotted several weapon emporiums along the way.

"Oh, it is quite rare to encounter a human in these parts. What brings you to my modest establishment, young man?"

Rio stepped into an artifact shop bordering the street, having deactivated his invisibility beforehand.

He had been careful to ensure no one witnessed the transition, knowing that a person suddenly appearing out of thin air in the middle of a busy road would trigger a mass panic.

Still clad in his traveler’s robes, he appeared as an unremarkable, slender human, having utilized light elementals to mask his true features from the public eye.

"Haha, I am merely a wandering bard... I enjoy trekking across the world. I thought I might pick up a local souvenir to commemorate this trip..."

Rio adjusted his tone, adopting a gentler and more pleasant voice to avoid intimidating the elderly shopkeeper.

The old woman beamed at Rio’s explanation and replied,

"Oh, young travelers are a rare sight these days... Hmm, if you seek a memento of your travels, then I highly suggest this!"

"This bracelet is forged from local ores and finished with superb craftsmanship! The pattern here represents the starry sky!"

Rio approached and examined the piece; though it was a common item possessing almost no magical properties, it appealed to him.

Just as he prepared to make the purchase, a different bracelet caught his eye from the corner of his vision; this one featured a full moon design.

"Ah, I will take this one as well; please give me both..."

The elderly shopkeeper chuckled at Rio’s selection and remarked,

"Hoho, I didn't realize you were so well-versed in dwarven culture, lad... picking a bracelet with a moon design... you know, that is something young dwarven men present to the women they adore..."

In ancient eras before technology had progressed, dwarves were forced to extract ore by hand, spending the majority of their lives within damp, subterranean tunnels.

The rudimentary torches used in those days were dubbed 'Moontorches.' This was because they served as a moonlight, guiding lost souls through the obsidian darkness of the mines.

As a result, young dwarves began referring to their beloveds as their 'moon' or their guiding 'moonlight.'

Presenting an artifact or trinket featuring a moon design remains a popular method of proposing to a loved one among dwarves, even in the modern age.

Rio had previously encountered this information within the records provided by Ashtel.

Ashtel had once gifted his wife a ring with a moon motif; after recalling that detail, Rio felt compelled to buy one as well.

However, his reasoning was more profound; the starry sky bracelet symbolized himself and the veil of night, while the moon bracelet was intended for Lia—she was his ultimate guiding moonlight.

"Err.. well, I am traveling far from home, so I thought it best to buy a gift for the girl waiting for my return..."

Rio rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and the old woman smiled at his clumsy justification.

"Hehe, youth is a wonderful thing. Be sure to return home promptly, kid; do not keep her waiting too long..."

Rio nodded, settled the bill for the bracelets, and exited the shop. Ducking into a secluded alleyway, he stowed the jewelry inside his space ring.

He avoided using his space ring in public view, preferring to wait until he was out of sight.

'Sigh... elderly people are truly difficult to manage; they are far too perceptive when it comes to reading emotions and others...'

Shaking off the thought, Rio returned to the main thoroughfare and made his way toward the city gates.

A flying bus station was located nearby, and Rio decided to board one this time.

While his personal speed and power would allow him to sprint to his destination, doing so would cause massive disturbances in the local mana flow.

The dwarven nation was not some primitive land lacking SS-rankers to defend it.

One SS-ranker was officially recognized in the dwarf nation, but Ashtel’s documents suggested that many secrets remained hidden here.

There were strong suspicions of a peak SS-ranker residing in the shadows, someone omitted from all public records and official documents.

'It is wiser to remain low-key and act in a manner that does not draw the attention of the powerful...'

Rio was currently on a clandestine mission; it would be reckless to move through a foreign land with such arrogance.

It would reveal his location, and he might even be forced to confront a peak SS-ranker if he were careless.

Rio had no intention of fighting, nor did he have any reason to provoke a nation that already shared a strained relationship with the human empire.

Furthermore, Rio was a world-renowned S-ranker; no country would react calmly to him crossing their borders without authorization. In truth, most would flatly refuse him entry.

This was a primary reason why Rio had bypassed legal channels.

His strength was too immense; the dwarven nation would likely bar him, as they would need to assign dozens of S-rankers to shadow him constantly just to maintain surveillance.

Given Rio’s power level, even twelve S-rankers might prove insufficient, leaving the dwarves in a state of constant anxiety for the duration of his stay.

Additionally, following Ashtel’s past actions, humans were not particularly well-liked in this territory.

'I'll just continue pretending to be a lowly traveling bard...'

Rio shook his head and boarded the flying bus destined for the isolated city he needed to reach.

He took a seat at the very back and rested his head against the glass, keeping his power output at an absolute minimum.

Rio had stopped using his invisibility; his current appearance matched the photograph on his forged ID and documents.

He pulled out his phone and began watching instructional videos on how to play the flute correctly.

After only ten seconds of footage, Rio reached a disappointing conclusion.

'Being a musician is incredibly difficult... ah, I must be the only bard in existence who cannot play an instrument...'

'I am bringing dishonor to the entire profession of bards...'

Rio sighed, lamenting his lack of talent as the bus departed.

The vehicle glided through subterranean tunnels before emerging above ground after several minutes of flight.

The warm glow of the sun poured through the window and touched Rio’s face, lifting his spirits.

The scent carried by the breeze in the dwarven kingdom was unlike anything else.

The mana density, the mineral composition of the soil, the land, and the sea—all these factors contributed to the fragrant air of the dwarf kingdom. It was a refreshing experience.

'I will have to bring Lia here one day so we can experience this together...'

The bus maintained a steady pace, offering Rio a view of the mountains and forests below.

The hills and peaks displayed a spectrum of colors due to the varying ore deposits, and even the foliage varied wildly because of the unique soil and minerals.

'I'm certain they have dozens of soil classifications here... dwarven children probably despise geography, considering how massive the syllabus must be...'

In the human empire, students dreaded the subject of Monster Species Description.

As the nation with the highest concentration of dungeon gates and beasts, there were thousands of species to study, all of which were mandatory for anyone seeking to be a qualified awakener.

Memorizing the abilities and traits of every monster was vital for survival, as one could encounter any of them within a dungeon.

This was the primary reason many awakeners chose to specialize in specific areas.

Because there were simply too many varieties, some awakeners focused on hunting a single type of monster, exclusively raiding dungeons where those specific creatures resided.

By doing so, they didn't need to memorize every detail of every beast or carry an excessive amount of gear to counter every possible ability.

Of course, not everyone followed that path.

There were individuals like Rio who enjoyed the challenge of facing a wide array of different monsters and entities.

In fact, Lia was the most expert regarding monsters, as her fighting style relied heavily on exploiting an opponent's specific vulnerabilities.

Her knowledge of dungeons and monsters was so vast that she understood them better than they understood themselves.

'Oh, so that is the military installation mentioned in the files...'

As the bus traveled forward, Rio spotted a military base situated near a large hill.

'Wait, that isn't a hill... that is...'

Rio’s jaw nearly hit the floor when he realized the massive hill in the distance was actually a gargantuan golem camouflaged as terrain!

'Incredible... That thing is constructed from adamantium and mithril! Even I would struggle to leave a scratch on it; just how much capital did they sink into that project?!...'

Witnessing the sheer military might of the dwarven nation, Rio reaffirmed his decision to stay out of sight.