!
In his heart, Karl El still remembered Nymph's request. With Dagon suppressed at the bottom of the lake, he did not have much time to spare.
He turned to Hans, who was accompanying him, and instructed him to summon the person in charge of the dwarven craftsmen working at the construction site.
It did not take long.
Soon, a stout and powerfully built dwarf came trotting over. He wore a headscarf covered in stone dust, while a thick beard framed his rugged face. His hands were rough and covered with stains and calluses from years of working with stone.
The dwarf looked somewhat nervous as he approached Karl El. He instinctively wanted to bow.
"No need for such formalities."
Karl El calmly raised a hand, stopping him.
His gaze remained calm as he looked at the dwarven foreman.
The dwarf breathed a small sigh of relief and straightened himself.
"Yes, My Lord. My name is Kedve, and I am responsible for this team of craftsmen."
Karl El nodded slightly.
His eyes swept across the busy construction site before returning to Kedve.
"Kedve, at the current pace, how long will it take to completely finish this temple?"
He paused for a moment before adding, "This temple is of extraordinary importance to me."
Kedve's heart tightened.
He carefully studied Karl El's expression. After quickly calculating the remaining workload in his mind, he deliberately gave a conservative estimate, leaving some room for unexpected delays.
"In response to My Lord, if we follow the normal procedures and maintain our current pace to ensure the highest construction quality, it should take approximately half a year."
"Half a year?"
Karl El's brow immediately furrowed.
That was much longer than he had expected.
It even exceeded half the amount of time Nymph had suggested he had to deal with Dagon.
Karl El turned toward Hans.
"Hans, how much is the total compensation we agreed to pay the dwarven Great Masters?"
Hans immediately stopped writing in his notebook.
"In response to My Lord, the agreed total compensation is six hundred oren."
He thought for a moment before adding, "For a temple of this size and quality, that is already a very fair price. One might even say that it is quite generous."
Karl El nodded.
The compensation was indeed reasonable. He had never intended to haggle over a few hundred oren.
What he couldn't accept was the construction time.
Six months was simply too long.
He turned his attention back to Kedve.
The dwarf had become increasingly nervous during the silence. Tiny beads of sweat had even appeared on his forehead.
Karl El suddenly smiled meaningfully.
His voice remained gentle, but there was an unquestionable firmness behind his words.
"Great Master Kedve, a six-month construction period is indeed too long for me."
Kedve's heart jumped.
He immediately assumed that Karl El was dissatisfied with their work.
Perhaps he intended to reduce their payment.
Or perhaps he was about to make some unreasonable demand that would be nearly impossible for them to fulfill.
Karl El continued before Kedve could respond.
"I understand the effort and attention to detail required by you Great Masters to guarantee the quality of such an important building."
Kedve swallowed nervously.
His palms had begun to tremble slightly.
Then Karl El's expression changed, and the next words he spoke made Kedve's eyes widen.
"How about this? I have a condition."
Kedve stared at him.
"As long as you and your team can guarantee the construction quality and do not cut any corners, I want you to finish the temple one month ahead of the original six-month schedule."
Karl El paused deliberately.
He watched as Kedve's expression slowly changed from nervousness to surprise.
Then he smiled.
"If you accomplish that, I will give you an additional one hundred oren on top of the original six hundred."
"How does that sound?"
Kedve was stunned.
For several seconds, he simply stood there without speaking.
One month early...
One hundred additional oren?
He almost wondered whether he had heard incorrectly.
The original contract offered six hundred oren for six months of work.
If they finished one month ahead of schedule, they would receive another hundred.
And if they somehow managed to finish even earlier...
Kedve's mind began racing.
Three months early would mean an additional three hundred oren!
Six hundred plus three hundred...
Nine hundred oren!
The thought made his heart pound.
Nine hundred oren was an enormous fortune for an ordinary team of craftsmen. It was enough for the entire group to live comfortably for a very long time.
Kedve remained stunned for two or three seconds before finally recovering.
The anxiety that had weighed heavily on him moments earlier vanished completely.
It was replaced by wild excitement.
A smile spread across his face so brightly that it resembled a blooming chrysanthemum.
He slammed his fist against his sturdy chest.
"Thump! Thump!"
"Of course! As you wish, noble Lord!"
His voice trembled with excitement.
"Please rest assured! We dwarves of Mahakam have always kept our word and valued our reputation above everything else!"
"We will find every possible way to complete the construction as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest quality!"
"We absolutely will not disappoint you!"
Karl El nodded with satisfaction.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Yes, My Lord!"
With that, the dwarven craftsmen threw themselves into their work with renewed enthusiasm.
The next month passed amid intense construction and Karl El's own continuous growth in strength.
When Karl El returned to the site and stood before the completed temple, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
The temple was already completely finished.
And it had been completed far earlier than he had expected.
In fact, the dwarves had managed to finish the entire project a full five months ahead of the original schedule.
Their efficiency was astonishing.
Clearly, the promise of additional compensation had brought out every ounce of their hidden potential.
Of course, Karl El had also secretly helped.
He had personally moved a considerable amount of marble and other heavy materials.
Without his assistance, there was no way this group of dwarves could have completed the temple so quickly, no matter how hard they worked.
Led by Kedve, Karl El entered his temple.
The dwarf now had heavy dark circles beneath his eyes, and exhaustion was clearly written across his face.
Yet his spirit remained exceptionally high.
He forced himself to stay alert as he proudly introduced every part of the temple.
They passed through the magnificent entrance archway and entered a vast open hall.
Pure white marble pillars stood on both sides.
Each pillar was so massive that several people would have needed to join hands to completely encircle it.
The shafts had been carved with simple yet powerful patterns, giving them an imposing appearance.
The high dome above them made the interior feel even more spacious and majestic.
Several sections of the walls had deliberately been left empty for future murals and reliefs.
The floor was covered with polished stone slabs so smooth that they almost looked like mirrors.
Along the pathways stood vibrant green plants and blooming flowers.
Their presence added a touch of life and warmth to the otherwise solemn atmosphere of the temple.
Karl El nodded repeatedly as he walked.
He was quite satisfied.
The craftsmanship was excellent, and the overall atmosphere was exactly what he had wanted.
The dwarves had truly lived up to their reputation.
However, when Kedve finally led him into the central hall, Karl El's expression suddenly changed.
His eyes fell upon the elevated platform at the end of the hall.
The appreciative smile that had been hanging on his face froze instantly.
For a moment, Karl El simply stared.
Standing on the high platform was a life-sized statue carved from a single piece of jade-like white marble.
There was no doubt about who the statue represented.
It was him.
The sculptor had captured his facial features with remarkable accuracy.
The lines of his face were resolute, while his eyes were sharp and penetrating, giving him an imposing appearance that seemed capable of striking fear into anyone who met his gaze.
So far, everything was fine.
The problem was everything else.
Karl El's eyes slowly moved upward.
The statue wasn't wearing an ordinary crown.
Instead, a wreath carved from olive leaves rested upon its head.
One of the statue's arms was raised high into the air.
Its hand tightly gripped a massive stone greatsword, the blade pointing directly toward the heavens.
Behind the statue's head was an enormous halo.
And not just any halo.
It had been carved in the shape of a blazing sun, creating the illusion that radiant light was shining from behind his head.
Karl El's expression became increasingly strange.
But that wasn't even the end of it.
At the statue's feet and around its sides were several exquisitely carved little angels.
They were chubby and adorable, each with a pair of small white wings.
Some appeared to be flying around the statue.
Others were positioned as though worshipping it.
And behind the statue stood an enormous throne.
It wasn't a simple stone throne, either.
The thing was huge, heavy, and ridiculously exaggerated.
It had been carved and polished to look as though it were made entirely of pure gold.
Under the light of the temple, it seemed to radiate a dazzling brilliance.
Karl El stared at the scene.
A man holding a greatsword toward the heavens.
An olive-leaf crown.
A gigantic sun-shaped halo.
Chubby little angels surrounding him.
And a magnificent golden throne behind him.
The combination of all these elements made Karl El's mouth twitch uncontrollably.
His expression became extremely complicated.
He was completely speechless.
This...
What exactly had these dwarves built?
Karl El had originally wanted a solemn temple that represented his ideals and authority.
But looking at the statue before him, he suddenly felt as though he had accidentally commissioned a temple dedicated to a supreme god.
He slowly turned his head toward Kedve.
The dwarven foreman was standing nearby, looking extremely proud of his work.
Karl El opened his mouth.
For a moment, however, he couldn't find the right words.
He finally closed it again.
His gaze returned to the enormous statue.
His expression became even more complicated.
Perhaps...
He really should have explained exactly what kind of statue he wanted.
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