Chapter 124
As expected, all Dwarf, regardless of their race, are obsessed with money.
==========Author's Note:=========
There's a little Easter egg in the comments section! See you tomorrow!
Chapter 124 [VIP]
Having long understood the habits of Dwarf Xie Juanhan didn't hesitate to bargain. "One silver coin for a large wooden barrel."
After the price was quoted, the local Dwarf had an "I knew it" look on his face.
The Dwarf from out of town looked on incredulously.
One of the Dwarf blurted out, "Lord Silver Dragon, aren't you a dragon? Why are you offering such a low price?!"
Xie Juanhan lowered his head. "You mean, Telingewei used to quote very high prices?"
The Dwarf stared at him, kept his mouth tightly shut, shook his head, and remained silent.
Telingewei's voice came from behind. "I've never quoted a high price, I'm just not very good at bargaining."
Xie Juanhan glanced back at Telingewei.
No wonder when he first mentioned Dwarf, he said Dwarf were greedy for money.
Telingewei knew what Xie Juanhan, and glanced at the Dwarf.
The Dwarf shrank back, looking extremely guilty.
It's obvious he's ripped off quite a bit over the years.
One of the Dwarf composed himself. "One silver coin for a large wooden barrel is really not enough. Even if we craftsmen take jobs at the Dwarf market, we'll charge at least five silver coins for a large wooden barrel."
As the Dwarf spoke, he stretched out his hand, trying to spread his fingers wide, and gestured a "five" towards Xie Juanhan.
Xie Juanhan agreed, "Then five silver coins for a large wooden barrel."
"Wait!" the Dwarf exclaimed hastily. "I didn't quote five silver coins; I only stated that our wages couldn't be less than five silver coins per barrel!"
"Hmm?" Xie Juanhan said, "At the Dwarf market, you charged five silver coins out of consideration for our kinship, but now you want one gold coin from me? Is it because you feel we have no connection and don't need to give us face?"
The Dwarf were dumbfounded and struggled for a long time, but they didn't dare to say that they had no connection with the dragon.
At least not before!
After struggling for a long time, the group of foreign Dwarf finally muttered, "Five silver coins it is."
Xie Juanhan said, "Even five silver coins are needed to ensure the quality of the wine barrels."
The Dwarf puffed out their chests, glared, and looked at each other with expressions that said, "Do I need to tell you this beforehand? What do Dwarf take us for?"
A Dwarf shouted, "We Dwarf have our own principles. How could we possibly cheat you just because we received less money? We're not some unscrupulous race!"
Xie Juanhan quickly seized on the key phrase. "Oh, you also have a grudge against a certain race? Which one?"
The Dwarf, having let it slip, quickly covered his mouth with his hand, refusing to say another word.
Xie Juanhan didn't ask any more questions. He simply signed a magic contract with the Dwarf and then told them what kind of wine barrel he wanted.
The Dwarf may seem unreliable at times, but they are very serious when they work, and soon they were building wine barrels near Xie Juanhan's house with their tools.
Xie Juanhan examined it carefully.
The Dwarf's skills were indeed superb.
The barrels they built were large and airtight, with surfaces so smooth that you could run your hand over them without touching a single burr.
These barrels are intended for long-term storage of wine.
The Dwarf simply made the huge wine barrels into sealed containers, with only a small cone-shaped opening on the upper side.
The wine can then be poured in through the small opening, and the bottle with the hole facing upwards can be inserted with a conical cork.
In this way, when the cork absorbs the liquid and expands, it will seal completely.
The wine can be stored in it for several years or even more than ten years without any problems.
For longer durations, then magical protection would be necessary.
After they took on the job, every morning when the sun rose, the little Dwarf would line up and hop across the river from the other side.
Once they arrive at the work site, they take out all sorts of tools and start clanging and banging them.
One by one, perfectly fitting wine barrels took shape under their hands.
Once the barrels have set, they should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
Every time the Dwarf made a batch of barrels, Xie Juanhan and Telingewei would carry them to the cave where Telingewei used to live.
Telingewei specifically cleared out a section deep within the cave.
The caves are warm in winter and cool in summer, with dry air, making them ideal for storing wine.
Xie Juanhan finished putting down the wine barrel, he looked around at the surroundings, took Telingewei's hand, and said, "It looks like we can't come back to live here at all."
Telingewei: "After being with you, I never thought about coming back."
Xie Juanhan: "I know. I was just thinking about the little ones; they can't come back to live here anymore."
Telingewei guessed what Xie Juanhan was thinking, "You want to build houses for them?"
Xie Juanhan's expression was serious. "What do you think? The building materials are readily available in autumn, the Dwarf are here, and the architect is also readily available."
Xie Juanhan even picked out a location. "After the Dwarf are finished building the wine barrels, we can build a house for the little guys on that open space a little upstream from the river, so they won't always be crammed into the study."
Telingewei: "They probably don't want to be separated."
Xie Juanhan: "Build it up and keep it in reserve? Use it as a resting place for a short time, and maybe they'll want to rest there after a while."
Xie Juanhan's suggestion was not driven by any selfish motives; it was entirely based on the children's considerations.
In his mind, the little ones had grown up and needed their own rooms.
That's what their family's little dragon cubs are like.
Telingewei thought about it carefully, "I'll consider it for two days and discuss it with them."
Xie Juanhan: "No rush, the Dwarf won't be able to finish it anytime soon anyway."
The Dwarf work very hard every day.
The clanging and banging sounds came from the side of the house, monotonous but very rhythmic. After listening for a while, Xie Juanhan also developed a bit more admiration for the Dwarf craftsmen.
That day, when Xie Juanhan was making local-style fermented rice balls for Harper and the others, he specially made a portion for the Dwarf.
Xie Juanhan carried the pot and bowl to the construction site where the wine barrels were being made.
The Dwarf were taken aback when they saw him.
Xie Juanhan said, "You've worked hard, I've brought you some sweet soup."
The Dwarf all crowded around, saying, "It's no trouble at all, thank you, Lord Silver Dragon!"
They glanced at the pale orange wine broth in the pot, then at the snow-white porcelain bowl.
Xie Juanhan remained calm.
Although they always used gold bowls, they would never use gold tableware for the Dwarf.
He trusted the Dwarf's character and wasn't worried that they would steal the tableware.
But the Dwarf's eyes were glued to the tableware. Once they were holding onto it, they didn't want to give it back. When it was time to collect the tableware, it was quite a struggle, with each of Dwarf grabbing one side of the tableware, which was really frustrating.
The Dwarf did indeed long for golden tableware.
How impressive are tableware made of gold!
Xie Juanhan didn't seem inclined to give them the gold cutlery, and they didn't dwell on it much.
The little Dwarf lined up to receive their fermented rice wine.
Xie Juanhan for them, saying, "You can have it hot or cold, either way."
Some of the Dwarf chose the cold option, Xie Juanhan released a little cold air into it, making the fermented rice sweet and cool.
Most Dwarf still prefer to drink warm, sweet fermented rice.
The Dwarf were also drinking Star Berry wine for the first time.
After just one sip, many of the Dwarf' eyes lit up with stars.
"By the Goddess!"
Ancestors!
"Oh, this wine, this wine is so sweet!"
The little Dwarf, holding their bowls, all looked down into them, their eyes practically popping out.
A little Dwarf was carefully savoring the taste of the fermented rice wine, tasting it again and again.
A Dwarf tried to take a bottle out of his pocket to scoop out the wine and study it, but after searching for a long time, he finally felt too embarrassed to do such an impolite thing.
Unlike other races, the Dwarf have produced many master brewers. They brew wine on a daily basis, and almost all of them are skilled brewers.
After just one sip of the fermented rice wine, tasting the Star Berry wine mixed with sweet soup, they quickly realized that this wine possessed exceptional quality.
The foremost Dwarf craftsman said with a pained expression, "Goddess, Lord Silver Dragon, why didn't you say these barrels were for storing Star Berry Wine?"
Xie Juanhan: "The barrels used to store different wines will be different?"
"Of course!" The Dwarf craftsman carefully held the wine in one hand, gesturing excitedly with the other, "This magical wine needs a magical barrel!"
Xie Juanhan sat cross-legged on the ground, listening intently. "What magic barrel?"
"Lord Silver Dragon, may I ask you, what is the purpose of your making wine barrels?"
Before Xie Juanhan could answer, the Dwarf craftsman interjected, "To improve the quality of the wine and extend its shelf life, right?"
He had already answered all the questions, Xie Juanhan could only nod.
Dwarf Craftsman: "Improving the quality of wine mainly involves improving its taste—that is, softening the flavor and infusing it with the nutty, floral, and woody aromas that come with the Goddess Wood, right?"
Xie Juanhan nodded again.
The Dwarf craftsman said, "Using a magic barrel is completely different. Magic barrels can be engraved with magic circles and have Demonic Core installed, allowing the corresponding Magic Power to be slowly infused into the wine!"
The Dwarf craftsman forcefully slammed his raised hand down. "If stored long enough and preserved properly, level two magic wine can definitely be upgraded to level three magic wine!"
Xie Juanhan hesitated. "How come I've never heard of it?"
The Dwarf craftsman said, "Oh, goddess, do you expect to learn the art of preserving wine from the mouth of a dragon?"
They're skillfully criticizing Telingewei again.
Xie Juanhan glanced at the Dwarf craftsman.
The Dwarf craftsman said earnestly, "Indeed, it would be a waste to use ordinary barrels for wine of your quality. We didn't remind you beforehand, mainly because we didn't know your wine was so excellent."