Chapter 17: The Elder's Visit (2)
“This is another, yet different, kind of whiskey. I wonder if you can tell the difference.”
I challenged him once more.
Medidana looked at the glass with a puzzled expression, then took the whiskey into his mouth with a bewitched look.
His face changed rapidly. It was a face that conveyed a mix of reluctance to acknowledge the quality and a sheer inability to deny it. He seemed both thrilled and frustrated by the heavenly taste of the whiskey.
Rurin, seeing this, tried to sneak a hand towards the whiskey bottle. Her Black Dragon instincts craved the alcohol. I slapped her hand away mercilessly.
“Ouch!”
She looked up at me with a hurt expression, resorting to a bit of blackmail.
“You can’t have this. If you even touch this, I’ll really kick you out. It’s incredibly strong, so definitely not now.”
Rurin looked longingly at the bottle. I’d have to hide it. I couldn’t imagine what kind of ruckus she’d cause if she drank it.
I couldn’t afford to have her clinging to me, screaming, in the middle of a serious conversation.
Meanwhile, Medidana savored the whiskey and emptied the glass, his face a picture of bliss.
With each swallow, a delicate aroma would spread, and he couldn’t resist it.
I took out my ultimate weapon: a whiskey aged in the finest oak barrels for the longest period.
This whiskey had been aged for over 70 years. Naturally, it was incredibly expensive.
It was worth more than a luxury car.
Of course, when summoning items from the modern world, they don’t come for free. It’s the law of equivalent exchange.
The gold ingots I pushed in at the moment of summoning more than covered the value of the item.
“This is the last one.”
I poured the whiskey into a new glass. Its brown color was stunning, much richer than the 30-year-old one. Compared to this, the 30-year-old was a rookie.
“Last one, you say? You mean this one is even more…?”
Medidana looked at me in disbelief, his voice trembling. It was rare to see a 3,000-year-old dragon’s voice shake.
I had clearly won the pride battle.
Even understanding my intentions, Medidana couldn’t resist the allure of the drink. He brought the glass to his lips with an excited expression.
The whiskey flowed into the dragon’s mouth and down his throat. He fell silent, savoring it with his eyes closed.
After a few moments of silence, he reluctantly swallowed the whiskey and murmured.
“This is… like a spring breeze filled with the scent of flowers… smooth, yet rich and refreshing… excellent, excellent…”
The long-aged distilled liquor, mellowed by time, would spread a fruity fragrance with every sip, leaving behind a deep, chocolaty aftertaste.
The dragon, finishing his murmur, didn’t say anything more. He just stared blankly at the empty glass.
After a long pause, he slapped his cheek hard.
But this was a summoned item, rare and not something I could summon in large quantities.
One of my small dreams was to brew aged liquor in this world. It wasn’t a difficult problem since distilled liquor already existed here. The only issue was aging.
The first step would be finding a wood that could match or surpass oak for making barrels.
This world didn’t have oak trees, so finding a suitable alternative was essential.
Seeing the Black Dragon’s reaction confirmed that aged distilled liquor would be a hit here.
If I could find a wood similar to oak and use magic, I could introduce aged liquor to this world.
Success would bring enormous wealth.
“That’s the last of it. I’d love to give you more, but I can’t. For now, you’ll have to save the deeper enjoyment for next time. I hope you won’t toy with Rurin anymore and consider heading back.”
At my words, the Black Dragon’s eyes widened.
“More than this exists…? Human, how was this liquor made?”
“Well, it’s called aging, but I can’t reveal my secrets.”
“Aging… aging… hahaha! I must admit, this is indeed the finest liquor I’ve ever tasted.”
The dragon laughed heartily, then turned serious as he looked at Rurin and me.
“But this has nothing to do with my purpose here.”
I knew it. Dragons were always so self-centered. Despite being impressed by the liquor, he hadn’t forgotten his goal. But at least his demeanor had softened a bit. That alone was a victory.
“What is your purpose, then? I’ve shown you hospitality, so tell me.”
Medidana’s smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. The joking was over.
“I remember the promise to leave Rurin with you. Back then, we had no choice due to your threats. But…”
“But?”
“There’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
“While the promise stands, there is a dragon clan rule that can override it. Breaking this rule would mean facing the entire Black Dragon clan! No Black Dragon can avoid it.”
He must have found a way to break our agreement and take Rurin back.
“What kind of rule?”
Even Rurin looked puzzled.
“A dragon is recognized as an adult at 800 years old. However, if they don’t have a lair by then, they cannot be considered independent. It means they’ve done nothing for 800 years. Rurin used to have her mother’s lair, but it was destroyed by Red Dragons in the last war. According to the rules, she must be protected in Blun until she’s acknowledged as an independent dragon.”
Blun was a place deep within the world where aging Black Dragons gathered. A sanctuary of sorts. They intended to drag Rurin there.
What a selfish lot.
“As I said, dragon clan rules must be followed by all Black Dragons. According to our agreement, if you want to stay with Rurin, she must have a lair. Without a lair, you must send her back immediately. Or will you choose war against the Black Dragon clan?”
The rule was absurd. Clearly, the elder had found an excuse to take Rurin back.
“What kind of rule is that?”
Even Rurin seemed to have no idea.
“In the dragon clan, a dragon is recognized as an adult at 800 years old. But without a lair by then, they cannot be considered independent. It means they’ve done nothing for 800 years. Rurin used to have her mother’s lair, but it was destroyed by Red Dragons in the last war. According to the rules, she must be protected in Blun until she’s acknowledged as an independent dragon.”
Blun was a place deep within the world where aging Black Dragons gathered. A sanctuary of sorts. They intended to drag Rurin there.
What a selfish lot.
“As I said, dragon clan rules must be followed by all Black Dragons. According to our agreement, if you want to stay with Rurin, she must have a lair. Without a lair, you must send her back immediately. Or will you choose war against the Black Dragon clan?”
The rule was absurd. Clearly, the elder had found an excuse to take Rurin back.
“What will you do, human? Will you fight us?”
Medidana looked at me with a sly grin. There was only one answer.
“Well, fine. I’ll make a lair, then.”
The elder gave a curious smile.
“You’ll make a lair?”
“Yes.”
“Rurin still has time before she becomes an adult.”
“Yes, a year. Human, do you think you can build a lair in just one year?”
“I inherited the Dragon Lord’s treasure. There’s enough to fill a lair.”
“Ho?”
The elder looked intrigued. I had no desire to entertain him further.
“But I won’t leave here. I’ll make the lair right under this hill.”
“Really? You’ll make a lair?”
Rurin looked at me with a blank expression.
“Yes, if I leave it to you alone, it could take centuries to gather the treasure. We can’t risk you being taken away. Though it wasn’t part of my original plan.”
“Really? Truly?”
Rurin’s face lit up with joy at the prospect of not being taken away.
A dragon’s lair without treasure wouldn’t be recognized. Dragons’ love for treasure was fundamental.
“Yes, I’ll build it. I’ll use my wealth, connections, and all the magic I have to dig out the hill below the restaurant and create a lair big enough for your true form. Think of it as making the house bigger.”
If the restaurant’s hill were like a steamed bun, I’d hollow out the filling and support it with magical barriers to prevent collapse, creating the lair. The hill was large enough for that.
“Can you really do it in a year?”
“With my magic and Rurin’s, and the treasure, it’s possible. The promise to the elder is important, but so is the promise to Rurin. I can’t send her back.”
“I don’t care about your reasons. But the rule is the rule. According to the rule, you indeed have a year. If you can make it, it must be a lair worthy of acknowledgment. We failed to protect the lair left by her mother, so we must rebuild it. If you complete the lair, I’ll declare this area as Rurin’s territory.”
The elder stood up abruptly. His movement was just like Rurin’s.
“I’ll taste that liquor again when I return to check the lair in a year.”
With that, he teleported away before I could respond. The sense of incongruity was overwhelming.
There was a contradiction. The elder said we must rebuild it.
Was it that?
He felt sorry for lair-less Rurin. He wanted to build her a lair but was too lazy to do it himself. So, he used me and my treasure as an excuse, invoking the rule.
Was I tricked by a 3,000-year-old dragon?
I looked at Rurin. She was beaming with joy. Well, she would be.
“If you build a lair under this land, will you live there with me?”
Judging by her words, it seemed to be the elder’s solo act.
But the restaurant was what mattered.
When I had free time, I could dig a tunnel and move my treasure into the lair. But my mouth had betrayed me.
