Those looks did not ease up. Layla could feel these people glaring daggers into her back as time passed, making her want to curl her hand and throw a few punches out.

Before she could lose her temper and hurt someone, the receptionist returned with a relieved expression.

"You are permitted to head in. Please, be careful in the workshop."

That was the end of all the staring, and Layla headed ahead to escape that atmosphere.

Mary and Raziel followed behind her not too long after.

They arrived at the last workshop in the corridor, and Layla quickly opened the door to check what was inside.

"Welcome, dear customer. My name is Erwin, and I will sell you anything as long as you pay me the right price…you are not that demoness I sold that axe to; you are a kid."

The dwarf was a little taller than Layla, but he sounded old. His face looked old, and age seemed to have fallen on his once-young body.

Despite that old age, the dwarf was swift and managed to take Layla by surprise as soon as she opened the door.

"..."

The pair looked at each other, not wanting to back off and give each other room to feel comfortable. And finally, the dwarf decided to be the bigger person (or the one who wanted to make a good impression), and he backed away with an almost sheepish look.

"Erwin, it's good to see you again. I am glad to see that you remember me. The axe you gave me is doing incredible. I have served so many heads with it, but it had not dulled."

Mary walked out from behind Layla (not that Layla could hide the taller woman behind her anyway) and cheerfully greeted the smith who made her precious weapon for her.

"I knew that you would like that axe. I spent a long time on that thing."

The dwarf smith looked proud of what he had been able to accomplish. His face looked bright, and his eyes shined with pride.

'Ah, so this dwarf is weak to flattery. I should note this all down so I can use this later.'

Layla saved this information in the back of her head for now, and she turned to look at the dwarf in front of her with a serious look.

"So, what can I help you with? All your letter said was that you needed my help with a weapon. I have a few prototypes ready so that you can look around."

The dwarf turned toward Mary when he offered this. He had assumed that the weapon Mary was asking about was for her.

It was a reasonable assumption to make, but Layla felt like she was being ignored.

"Erwin, I would love to check out more of your weapons, but I am afraid we will have to take a rain check on that for now. I am not here for a weapon for myself today. Rather, I want you to give these two your best weapons."

Mary pushed Layla and Raziel forward when she said that. Her smile said it all, and Erwin looked taken aback by her request.

"You want…me to make weapons for these kids? Do you know what you are asking me to do and what this could result in?"

The dwarf asked with an uncomfortable expression on his face. The thought of giving weapons to kids who could harm themselves with them did not sit well with this dwarf.

Mary changed her smile before Layla could reasonably explain why she would be responsible with her weapon.

"Oh! So, does that mean you will not sell to us? Should I start looking for another Smith? Maybe a human one who will sell us what we need-"

"No way! You cannot go to those greedy motherfuckers who would do anything for money! The weapons they will sell you won't be safe to use. Ugh, just wait here. I will go and get something you can use. Thank god I made these prototypes."

The dwarf felt insulted and appalled by Mary's words simultaneously. He looked annoyed and devastated when she mentioned human smiths before he decided to look in the back.

He came back with a few daggers and a stick for the pair.

"Here, these should be fine for you both for now. Both of them have spells on them that would help you retire them in case of emergency."

The dwarf handed Layla the staff while he gave Raziel the knives.

Layla instantly noticed the flow of magic in the staff. It felt familiar, and she could feel the ruins imbued into it.

"You can channel your magic in the staff and have an easier time casting spells. Moreover, the staff will absorb magic passively from the surroundings and allow you to use magic if you ever run out of your own.

The quantity of the magic stored in the staff will be directly proportional to your potential to control it and keep it under bind once you make a contract with your weapon."

The dwarf told Layla before he turned to Raziel and told him about his daggers.

As he was doing that, Layla decided to look deeper at the staff she had been given. It was a beautiful ivory staff with black signals and motifs engraved. The staff simultaneously felt like a massive seal and a block of magic.

It gawked at her senses, asking Layla to interact with it so that it would form a contract with her. She had never seen something like this before, and it fascinated her.

'This stuff is not ordinary. I can tell that it is special, and I want to discover what more it can do. Should I form a contract right now?'

Even if Layla had no idea how a contract was forged, she could feel the weapon leading her and telling her what to do. Before she knew it, Layla had already completed everything she needed to do.