Jing Wei leaned back after finishing his previous tale, his expression turning thoughtful as he swirled the remaining liquor in his mug. The firelight from the forge braziers reflected in his eyes, giving him a distant look as if he were peering through years of memory rather than the lively hall around them.
"You have heard the beginning," he said slowly, his tone settling into something steadier. "But there is more. Much more."
Lin Mu nodded, resting his arm on the heavy wooden table as he listened.
"After I met my master," Jing Wei continued, "my life changed completely. The world opened up in a way I had never imagined."
He gestured lightly with his mug.
"He did not stay in one place. A dwarf like him would never be content with a single world. We traveled. Constantly."
"To gather materials?" Lin Mu asked.
