Dwalin continued his task, pulling various ores and strange objects from his spatial satchel and sorting them into piles on the floor as he replied to Silak.
"Aye, I can forge a low-tier spatial satchel with my eyes closed," he said, his voice full of a craftsman's pride. "And with good enough materials—truly pristine stuff—I could likely manage a middle-tier one. A much greater challenge, that."
"How much would it cost for a low-tier satchel? If I were to commission one from you."
Dwalin grunted as he set aside a chunk of softly glowing moonstone. "For anyone else, the market price is between 1,500 and 2,000 gold coins. But since we're partners, lad, I'd do it for a flat 1,000 gold."
"Okay," Silak nodded, filing the information away. "I will come find you once I have the funds and materials. I hope you'll help me craft a middle-tier satchel one day."
The dwarf's eyes lit up at the thought, a grin splitting his beard. "Sure thing, lad! There's nothing a master smith loves more than a challenging commission. A chance to hone my skills and earn good coin? Heh, that's the dream!"
After a few more minutes of sorting, Dwalin stood up, dusting off his hands. "Alright, that's the lot I plan to exchange." He grabbed a plain cloth sack to begin loading the materials he'd chosen to sell. As he worked, he turned to Silak.
"Lad, this next part will take a while," he advised. "The Thorn's appraiser will need to check each item meticulously. And Ash will need time to compile the information we requested. No point in you sitting here watching dust settle. Why not take care of any other business you have and come back tomorrow?"
Dwalin's offer was practical. It was a waste of precious time to simply wait. "Alright," Silak agreed and stood up, heading for the door. But he paused, his hand on the smooth oak latch. A thought, a problem, snagged in his mind. One thousand gold coins. It was a fair price, but a price he couldn't pay right now. Even after trading the materials he currently had, that gold was earmarked for the tribe's migration fund. To spend such a sum on a temporary, low-tier tool when his goal was a much better one seemed incredibly inefficient. It was a waste of capital he didn't have.
His eyes drifted back to Dwalin, who was still busy packing the sack. The dwarf was a merchant. He had inventory. And he'd mentioned not being able to fill all of his satchels on this trip... A new, far more efficient solution illuminated in Silak's mind, one that cost no gold at all. He turned back from the door, a slow, hopeful smile forming on his face.
"Mister Dwalin," he began, "do you happen to have any spare spatial satchels I could perhaps… borrow?"
Dwalin looked up from his work, blinking. "Borrow? Hm. Aye, I suppose I do. Brought more than I needed this trip, expecting a bigger haul." He rummaged through his huge leather backpack for a moment before pulling out four small, folded pouches. "Here you go, lad." He tossed them over. They were simple leather pouches, each about five inches long, with sturdy drawstrings.
"Thank you, Mister Dwalin!" Silak said, his smile widening as he gratefully took them. This was perfect.
"What do you need them for, anyway?" Dwalin asked. "If it's for your tribe's migration, you'll need a lot more than these, and higher-tier ones to boot."
"Not exactly the purpose I have in mind," Silak said cryptically, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I plan to use these to transport the next batch of materials I'm planning to trade with you."
Dwalin paused his work, the sack half-full in his hands. He slowly straightened up, his eyes fixed on the four small pouches in Silak's hand. "Wait," he said slowly. "Don't tell me you plan to fill all four of these?"
"Yes, easily," Silak said, a hint of agony in his voice at the mere thought of the alternative. "It's just been such a hassle transporting everything without spatial satchels. Who knows how long it would have taken me to haul all those materials out of the cave? It would have been as slow as a snail."
There was a moment of stunned silence. Dwalin's jaw went slack, his eyes wide as saucers as he processed the implication. The first batch of materials had already been a smith's dream, full of rare and valuable items. The thought of four entire satchels filled to the brim with materials of that quality…
"HAHAHAHAHA!" A booming laugh erupted from the dwarf's chest, so loud it seemed to shake the room. It was a laugh of pure, unadulterated joy and excitement. The prospect of such a treasure trove of exquisite materials had his smithing-forged heart giddy with anticipation.
After a long moment, he finally calmed down, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye and clearing his throat. "Apologies, lad. I just… got a bit excited." His eyes gleamed with renewed vigor. "Given that first batch you brought me, I am very much looking forward to what you bring back in these four satchels."
"Of course!" Silak chuckled, pleased to see the dwarf so genuinely thrilled. It confirmed that this partnership was truly beneficial for them both.
"Alright then, I will see you tomorrow, Mister Dwalin," Silak said, waving as he headed for the door once more. "I truly appreciate your help today. I'll be sure to bring back some of the highest-quality materials for you first thing."
"See you tomorrow, lad!" Dwalin called out as the door closed. He then turned back to his sack of goods, a new fire in his eyes, ready to get the appraisal started and pave the way for the windfall to come.