Hi, hello! Happy new year for every single one of you guys! Unfortunately, today marks the end of daily chapter release. From now on, I'll release just 4 chapters a week. Why? Because I want to have plenty of backlogs in order to not miss any release day. Once I have enough and feels I can do it, I'll probably increase the release rate. The goal is back to daily release of course.
ANNNNNDDDD... I decide to open a P@treon for those who wanted to read ahead. I have 50 advanced chapters there. And the pricing starts at $6.
And to deepen Ludwig's role, I have create a bard song about him. Posted in P@treon too. Those who became my patron could heard it. So please check it out. Tho, it was an AI song, not made by me.
Here's the link: https://www.p*treon.com/c/imjustaboy_
Just change the * with a and you good.
Thank you in advance guys!
Ludwig let out a silent breath as his shoes kissed the ground with a soft crackle. His silver eyes moved, drinking in the unfamiliar but cozy view around him. Building carved into the rock itself, a rough street but smooth at the same time, and ceiling of granite with shining mushrooms all around.
No matter how many times he visited this place, the simple grandeur of this city had never failed to make him look around with awe.
Ludwig took a step, a start for his business in this city. The thick and rather aggressive accent of the dwarves blurred. Before long, he arrived in front of a huge building with a broken keg mark stamped into a stone sign.
He coiled his palm into the steel handle of the door, his muscle flexed as he pushed it open. The door gave out a heavy creak, then it moved to the mercy of Ludwig's strength.
Dwarves and their religious belief of strength of the body. Ludwig laughed wryly. That part of their belief was the reason why the number of human traders that could get dwarven stuff in their ledger could only be counted in one hand. Bodyguard or temporary employee wasn't permitted, the trader themselves had to be strong for the dwarves to deem them worthy for their wares.
As he stepped into the building, the only thing he could see was a counter with a young dwarf sitting behind it. His eyes were hollow, his head was resting on his hand. Even as he walked closer to the counter, he didn't move a muscle.
"Hello, I want to purchase a few barrels of your Amberdraft."
The dwarf finally showed a sign of life. His dark brown eyes moved towards Ludwig, from the toe to the head. Some people might be uncomfortable or outright burst into fury when treated that way, but he knew better. That was just how dwarves were.
"Too thin and no beard. But at least you are not those tree huggers." The dwarf's heavy voice echoed through the room.
"I'm strong enough to open your door, aren't I?" Ludwig lips pulled into a smirk, her voice took his usual teasing tone.
"Bah!" The dwarf scoffed, his tone turned pointy. "Even a child could open that door."
But after saying so, he jumped into the ground from his seat. A heavy thud echoed through the room, then heavy footsteps followed as the dwarf walked towards the door and opened it.
Ludwig just stood still with a wry smile on his face. The restaurant with Karen concept back on Earth was five stars compared to this hospitality. Then again, they were dwarves. All humans in Ortus knew that was how you treat dwarves' mannerism the first time you met them.
The door opened again, but now, two dwarves walked into the room. The new dwarf was someone with a bulkier build than the younger one. His eyes were a little cloudy but sharp. His long black beard completed his gruff and scary atmosphere.
"You are the one who wants to buy our Amberdraft?" The new dwarf opened his mouth. But rather than with the tone of a seller, his tone was more like a warrior, challenging.
"I am. I want my own restaurant to have a selection of Dwarf's ale." Ludwig went straight to the point.
"Many humans came here to buy our product, far less came out of here with a barrel. How do you think you will fare?" The dwarf stepped closer to the counter, hands perching on his waist.
"I will leave this place with a few barrels." Ludwig smirked.
"Confident, arentcha? Belvig, get two mugs of our ale." The dwarf said without breaking eye contact with him.
Ludwig crossed his arms in front of his chest, he also lifted his chin a little. Amberdraft wasn't something his palate never touched before. In fact, it was one thing his Storage Dimension always had stock of.
However, the reason he was confident he would walk out with a barrel was not that. If the fight against the Demon King was fought with a barrel mug, that guy would be killed even before he set his fangs on Ortus.
The young dwarf re entered the room, two towering mug in hands. With a thud, the wooden mug landed on the counter.
The older dwarf's eyes looked at him. With no words being exchanged between them, they reached for the mug. The mug was also true to dwarves' belief of physical strength. His muscles tensed up, the weight was simply that unbelievable.
But just before his lips touched the mug, he angled it to the side and poured some of the content to the ground. "For the mountains that shelter you."
The dwarves' eyes flickered at that moment. Their pointed and judging gaze vaporized in an instant. The older dwarf even smiled ever so slightly, his lips stretching to the side through his black beard.
"For the mountains that shelter us." The dwarf tilted his tankard and also titled it to give the first sip of the ale to the mountain.
The next moment, both of them tilted the mug into their lips, pouting the reddish brown liquid inside into their being. Nothing happened in the first few seconds of the ale touching his palate. But then, it appeared with no fanfare. Sweetness from the malt cutting through the tide of bitterness.
It was nothing to write home about. The taste was solid and strong. But that's all it had. However, it worked for him. After all, this ale was cheap. A type that common folks could drink whenever they wanted without thinking about their rent.
Ludwig let out a burp before putting down the tankard into the counter. Then, he looked at the old dwarf.
"One surprise after another." The dwarf said, his tone had lost its edge.
"I strive to satisfy." Ludwig bowed comically, hands moving big to give a mock salute.
"You have met our standard indeed, human." The dwarf chuckled. "How many barrels do you need?"
"Ten if you have." Ludwig answered with a smile.
"Having it or not having it is not the question for our brew. I am more concerned about how you will bring it with you. You have no storage box with you."
"Don't you worry about that." Ludwig smirked and waved his hands. A crack appeared behind him, as dark as the shadows itself.
The old dwarf's eyes went wide. Then, a deep heavy laughter echoed. "Another surprise!"
"Is it?"
"It is! Now I can proudly say the hero drinks our brew!" The dwarf guffawed, hand slamming to the counter. "Belvig, bring ten barrels of our best batch here!"
"Y-yessir." The young dwarf stuttered, probably surprised by the revelation.
"I heard from Darthun you just disappeared after the Demon King is dead. But it seems like you are just living your second life." The dwarf said.
"I just followed you guys' way of life. After I proved the strength of my body, now I embarked on a journey to prove the strength of my spirit." Ludwig shrugged.
"Wise!" The dwarf chuckled. "Care to explain what the journey is?"
"A restaurant." Ludwig beamed, no teasing, no superiority, just pure joy.
"A noble way of living." The dwarf nodded, understanding flashed on his face. "A place for the weary to charge their energy. That really aligned with our values."
"That's why I came here."
"Hahahahaha."
As they conversed, ten barrels of dark wood were brought to the room. Seeing that, Ludwig asked. "How much would that be?"
"We sell our barrels for 1 gold and 2 silver. 10 barrels would be 12 gold. But for you, I'll knock 1 gold off. Sounds good for you?" The dwarf said in a calm tone.
"Discount is always appreciated everywhere." Ludwig chuckled before fishing out 11 gold coins from his Storage Dimension. But at the same time, he also took some beer cans and bottles from the earth he had prepared beforehand.
"This is your 11 gold. And this… Just treat it as a gift. Hope you find something you like and recreate it here." Ludwig spoke.
"Oh?" The old dwarf eyes glinted with curiosity as he saw the rows of beers sitting on the countertop. "Glass bottle and…" The dwarf took a can and moved it closer to his eyes. "A thin metal? Expensive, but not impossible. Who made this?"
"I really can't tell you that. Just now it's not from here." Ludwig smiled, her tone steady.
"I see." The dwarf murmured.
Ludwig left the dwarf with his own thoughts and walked toward the barrels. He put one of his hands on the barrel, and it's gone. The same happened for the other nine. Once he's done, he bid his farewell to the old dwarf who was still busy with the beers he gave him and left the building.
Back in the street, he walked against the tide of people. Before long, a black gate of massive barrels created out of granite appeared in his view. On both sides, a dwarf with spears could be seen standing by.
"Halt, human." The dwarf stopped him as he was just a step away from the gate.
"Hello." Ludwig bowed ever so slightly.
The dwarf reached out to the opening in the barrel gate. When he pulled his hand away from it, a tankard was in his hands. But unlike earlier, it was metallic.
Ludwig took the tankard that was offered to him, then the dwarf opened his mouth. "Do you have any business in the Brewheart district?"
Ludwig tilted the tankard and poured the black liquid with brownish foam into the ground. "For the mountain that shelters you." He then tilted it and drank all of the ale inside in one gulp.
The liquid was punching, it even scratched his throat. However, after the initial impact, it was sweet. Something that tasted like honey graced his taste buds.
The stoic guard's face slackened as he saw what he did. Then, without even him answering his question, he waved him away. "You know our culture well. You may pass, Human."
"Thank you." Ludwig gave the tankard back to the guard before crossing through the gate. That interaction was something he could bypass by simply teleporting to his destination. But, that was part of their culture. Beneath their cold, stoic, and challenging nature, they were species of hospitality and camaraderie. So even if it was a little bit a pain in the ass, he wouldn't miss it for the world.
The scenery on the side of the road changed. The building was now screaming wealth and tradition, though still the same building carved into the stones. As he walked deeper into the district, more and more eyes landed on him. Dwarves, humans, werebeasts, and even orcs.
Their eyes were filled to the brim with curiosity and calculation. A natural course of action. Those who could enter the Brewheart District were never a common man. They had to embody the belief of the dwarves as well as had a deep pocket.
Ludwig cut through the glances without any care in the world, not because he didn't care, but because he was already used to that kind of staring. Well, this kind of stare was better, no reverie or cult-like obsession.
First, he turned and entered a building with crossed tankards sigil. Same test, same posturing. But after the magic words and action, he left the building with ten barrels of their specialty: Stonebrew Stout.
With the Amberdraft and Stonebrew Stout, his selection of Dwarven drinks was almost complete. The low-tier choice and the mid-tier choice were filled. Now, he just had one place left.
Hopefully, he didn't have to stop at more places to get his promised drink.
The building his feet brought him to next was huge, but the mana concentration inside was even bigger. The moment he laid his eyes on the door, he knew. The place was different. The test they put on their door was far crazier than all the places he had visited today—the wyverns' nest included.
Solid metallic door of unknown mix, denser and sturdier. Even a vault's door would be more forgiving than the beast of a door.
Ludwig put his hands on the door with no handle. Then, a jolt of mana coursed through his body from the door. The mana inside him laid dormant, like a lion after a hearty meal. The intention was clear—physical strength only, no mana involvement allowed.
Damn that dwarf! He never told me about this. Ludwig grumbled.
Ludwig planted his feet into the ground, his weight shifted completely to the door. With a push from his feet and waist, he pushed. Like a mountain, it didn't move. More power was channeled, beads of sweat trickling.
Then, a creak.
The door folded in the pace of a snail. Ludwig gritted his teeth, his body pushed to the limit. After some time that felt like years, the door finally fully opened. Kicking the ground, Ludwig jumped inside, afraid the door would throw him back the moment he relaxed his power on the door.
As he swept the sweat that had made him as wet as a fish, Ludwig looked toward the counter. A short woman with palpable muscles all around her body stood there, eyes glinting with amusement while a tankard sat in front of her.
"What a surprise. A new customer came in!" She guffawed.
Ludwig walked towards the counter, and following her prompt, he took the tankard. After spilling the drink for the fourth time today and saying the words, he chugged the liquid into his mouth.
A sweet roasted fruits flavour made an instant entrance. But as quickly as they appeared, they bid their farewell from the centre stage.
In the next moment, his whole being was on fire.