When Johnny of Bribando City announces a grand welcome party for the intrepid group of


    adventurers who solved the mine problem and make up for the regret left by their hasty


    departure last time, the whole city is buzzing.


    These are sensitive times, and every gray dwarf is feeling a little jumpy. When something is


    connected to the famous Mr. Johnny, that means it''s always going to be interesting. Not only


    does the famous Grey Dwarf now own most of the precious ore from the northern mines , he


    also has his possessions in three other directions. If he were not afraid of the whole city falling


    down or being crushed, Johnny would certainly be digging through the rocks beneath his


    feet and above his head to see if there were any beautiful gems hidden away.


    In other words, Mr. Johnny is now the most famous millionaire in the whole of Bribando. The


    Grey Dwarves had thought that the last incident at the mine would cost the old fellow at least


    half of his fortune, and that it was time for his purse to shrink a little. But Johnny''s luck was so


    powerful that several men soon solved the problem for him. Not only did he not have a big


    hole in his pocket, but because so many people no longer cared about the mines to the north,


    his share of them grew larger and larger.


    If it had not been for his position in exchange for sharing the good things in his hands with


    those in power, the north mines would have become his own.


    But none of this news of his wealth was of the utmost importance. There aren''t many things


    the gray dwarves of Bribando can talk about all day at work, but there is one thing they still


    talk about more than six months later: One of the adventurers who helped Johnny was a


    mage!


    This news is almost as rare as the discovery of the world''s second Mithril River.


    The city of Bribando has never had a grey Dwarf mage. They are naturally resistant to magic,


    but unlike the Dark Elves, who have a black Crystal tower as a training place for wizards, the


    grey Dwarves are naturally reluctant to learn obscure things. And in their famous "Temple of


    Enlightenment", no Grey dwarf has ever been "instructed to become a mage". All they needed


    was a tougher body and a greater passion for mining. Mages, it''s a myth to them.


    And those magical objects, which had been used as ornaments ever since they had been


    "invited" by the Grey Dwarves from their original masters, had never been of any use. The


    magic of the Grey Dwarves is the magic that priests who believe in the dwarf God can perform


    when they are healing.


    So a mage''s visit to Bribando is even more attractive than a dragon''s visit. To their surprise,


    the wizard finally accepted Mr. Johnny''s invitation to personally solve the "ghost" in the mine.


    In this regard, Johnny became a legend, having a similar relationship to what the humans on


    Earth call "Dragon Riders."


    Since that incident, Johnny''s image among the grey dwarves has been raised to a new level,


    and all the dwarves are talking about it, admiring his good fortune and courage. But most of


    all they talked about what Johnny had promised the Wizard in return.


    "I think it was two truckloads full of the finest ore." "Said some." And the sorcerer will use it to


    make the most exquisite armor!"


    "Come on! The finest armor is made by old Datas of the Thick Road. '' Some said, "The mage


    must have taken a cart full of fine gems!"


    "No, you''re all wrong. The Mage had eight lizards on his tail when he left. Imagine what that


    must have been! Johnny must have made a fortune!" In the end, the gatekeeper''s words


    spread far and wide among the Grey Dwarves.


    However, Johnny did not come forward to dispel the rumors, and he continued to appear in


    public as often as he had in the past, touching the hearts of others with his generosity. As the


    gray dwarves of Bribando know, Johnny was never stingy with his money. He was always


    looking for a way to throw a party, even for people he didn''t even know. Gradually, everyone


    came to believe that even if he gave the mage a load of eight lizards to pull, Johnny would


    still have his pockets full and his fortune far from spent.


    He was by far the richest of all the Grey Dwarfs!


    The only thing out of proportion was his position. Johnny''s wealth was supposed to bring him


    more power. Many grey dwarves believed that any dwarf who could dig up a cart of good


    ore would be able to dig up a second cart of good ore. If you follow Mr. Johnny, rivers of


    mithril can flow from even the most barren veins.


    Of course, certain bards for hire played a crucial role in spreading the word. They composed


    many songs about the Grey Dwarf, especially his good relationship with the mage, which was


    repeated over and over. When this was done, there was a fine saloon next to Johnny''s house,


    where the bards were paid well.


    Now the sorcerer came to the city of Bribando once more, and all who had heard the story


    wanted to see what the master looked like. They had only heard of them as children in the


    stories of their parents, and they were the ones who dared to defy the gods! Many of the


    Grey dwarves, however, feared that the frequent visits of the wizards would bring bad luck to


    the city, after the terrible disaster that had nearly destroyed the world so long ago.


    In particular, the mage is from the city of Prudence, the home of the dark Elves, where many


    recent events are rumored to be connected with the mage.


    "Have you heard? The war is on at Prudence again, and this time it''s the First family''s! It must


    be big." A dwarf who sells ore all day said, "I hope I can make more money by shipping my


    ore there now."


    An old fellow who had just returned from Dark Elf City said, "But that mage was a good one,


    and it didn''t take long for him to become an advisor to the First Family. Do you kids know


    what that means? The counselor of the First Family is a very important man in the city, just


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.like our generous Mr. Johnny!"


    "The Mage is the cause of this war." One young gray dwarf said, "The Wizard has easily


    paralyzed several families, and they all tremble before this fellow. The Dark Elves are not even


    as good as our Mr. Johnny, who is able to establish a good relationship with the mage, and


    assign the mage to do this and that, and solve the original big problem of the north mine."


    "Perhaps Mr. Johnny should be in a better position than that." A young gray dwarf said, "If


    he''s so good, he should be used."


    All the more eagerly awaited the feast for the Mage.


    However, Vincent showed no interest in the matter. He was tired of attending such a noisy


    party. Given the choice, he would rather eat dry bread and drink cold water in a quiet library


    for a month than sit for an hour at unproductive receptions.


    So when the messengers first came with invitations, Vincent turned them away without any


    courtesy.


    The second time, the invitation was again placed in front of Vincent. This time it was a beautiful


    one inlaid with gold and silver threads, inviting the Master to come here in the most sincere


    words. Even the front cover was set with a beautiful diamond.


    This time Vincent did not even bother to explain to the men why he did not want to go, and


    simply chased the emissary out the door. But when William saw the beautiful diamond, he


    thought.


    So, while Vincent was quietly reading, William the Halfling knocked on the door. Little Sokka


    turned over from the rope and sniffed hard twice. He did not smell the sweet smell of the


    giant fruit that had appeared in his dream. He groaned softly twice and began to nap again.


    Shelley rested her hand on the crossbow at her waist and watched warily as the door slowly


    opened.


    "Ah! Mr. Vincent, you are here. '' ''I won''t keep you any longer,'' said William, ''but there is


    something I want to tell you.''


    Vincent is very patient with his friends.


    "The way I see it, you, as a mage, have a lot of influence, and we don''t." William said, "I would


    be very grateful if you would attend the feast and take us with you."


    The mage thought for a moment. "Will you remain in this city for some time? No hurry to get


    back to earth?" The reason for wanting influence is simply to be able to get good assignments


    and make some money here. For the most famous adventurers, the rewards can be


    magnificent, and they may even get a share of the mine profits. In this way, there would be


    virtually no need to worry about food or drink for a lifetime.


    "Vincent, we pedestrians are not so lucky as you to be the First Family''s mage advisor. We


    were thrown into the city of Prudence as slaves." Willem sat down on the sofa, looked at


    Vincent, and said, "We were deprived of our wealth and equipment from that time on. Even


    after we went on a number of missions, even secretly searching for treasure, we were not able


    to escape our awkward poverty."


    Willem rolled his little eyes twice. "My friends would laugh at me if I came back to the surface


    like this."


    Vincent looked at the halfling, then said, "The Grey Dwarves are not easy money. Their


    missions are often dangerous, and I know that from my own experience." Whether it''s the


    snake-man miners, the giant hydra-headed snake lizard, or the lava river, they all leave a


    deep impression on the mage''s mind. "If you really want wealth, I can give you some. The


    grey dwarves are not easy to deal with. ''


    ''I never covet anything from my friends.'' The Halfling said, "I believe in my ability to get what


    I want. If you could take us to that party, I think it would be much easier."


    The mage thought for a moment and agreed to the Halfling''s request. The mage could


    endure the pain of the trouble if it would help others around him.


    Shelley waited until the Halfling had left, then went over to the mage and said, "Vincent, take


    me with you to the feast. I have never been to a party of the Grey Dwarves."


    ''I never left you out.''


    But the Halfling''s mention of their clandestine adventure brought back some memories of the


    Mage. At the time of his departure, the Reverend Joe had slipped him two books. The constant


    fighting and the urgency of studying the Circle had distracted the Mage from these books,


    and now was a good opportunity for him to read them thoroughly.


    That evening the invitation came for the third time. Johnny himself went to the Red Mushroom


    Tavern and invited the Wizard to his party. At this time, Vincent seems to be in a very good


    mood, like a thief who has found a great treasure, but this treasure has no guards and no


    authorities. He readily agreed to Johnny''s suggestion and accepted the gold plate invitation


    decorated with ten different colored stones. His only request was that his friends be free to


    attend.


    Despite his dissatisfaction with the appearance of the Orcs, Johnny will be happy to await the


    mage''s arrival.


    Shelley also appears relaxed, much to the surprise of Hardy and Mark, who are familiar with


    her. The female Drow is confident that the Mage can protect her from life on the ground, and


    that even if the more powerful dark elves come to trouble them, Shelley trusts him to handle


    it easily. But Hardy, who spent his days flirting with pretty handmaids, had a different vision


    in mind.


    By this time, news of the fall of the First House, and the appointment of Brisha as the new first


    mistress of the city of Prudence, had reached Bribando. Along with this news came a rumor


    that startled the entire grey dwarves of Bribando: It was Vincent, the sorcerer who was going


    to visit Johnny the Grey Dwarf, who had killed the original First Mistress Batana.


    Some people who did not want to go to Johnny''s house to support him suddenly felt that the


    invitation was very valuable. They felt instinctively that a powerful Grey Dwarf was about to


    be born.