...
"Get rich?"
Copperbeard's ears visibly twitched.
But as a dwarf who had lived in the city for many years, he was no longer as simple and gullible as his country-bumpkin cousins who'd never seen the world.
He immediately snapped, his voice full of anger, "You little punk, don't you try that routine on me."
"I don't want to get rich, I just want you to pay me back. Sixty Gold Coins, and not a single copper less."
Facing the hopping-mad dwarf, Lynch seemed completely unfazed.
He unhurriedly took out a silver coin. With a light flick of his finger, it traced an arc through the air, landed on the lid of a wooden cask, and clattered to a stop after rolling twice.
"I've been walking all day and I'm thirsty. Get me a mug of ale to wet my throat first."
Copperbeard glared at Lynch for a long moment, but he still turned around, grabbed a massive wooden mug, twisted the tap on the cask, and filled it to the brim with foaming ale before grudgingly handing it over.
Lynch took the mug, tilted his head back, and GULP GULP GULP, downed more than half of it. He let out a long, satisfied "Haaaah..." and praised, "Good, good ale! A rich, mellow maltiness with a sweet aftertaste. Truly a testament to Brother Copperbeard's craft."
Hearing the praise and seeing how heartily Lynch drank, Copperbeard's anger subsided slightly, and he couldn't help but feel a little smug. "Hmph. So you do have some taste, boy. This brewing skill of mine was passed down from my ancestors."
"I can't stand that watered-down, tasteless stuff they sell in the city nowadays."
Lynch listened to him boast while taking two more slow sips, as if savoring the flavor. But as he drank, he smacked his lips a couple of times and his brow furrowed, seemingly dissatisfied with something.
Copperbeard's recently softened expression darkened once more. "What is it? What crap are you trying to pull now?"
"Sigh..." Lynch took another sip of ale and lamented, "Brother Copperbeard, this ale of yours is good, it really is. It's just... lacking a certain kick, you know?"
"What did you say?!" Copperbeard instantly exploded. He leaped onto the table and pointed at Lynch's nose, yelling, "You're just a lowly Necromancer's apprentice, what the hell do you know about ale?! This ale of mine is made from the finest barley, goes through three saccharification processes, and is fermented for a full fifteen days!"
"This texture, this flavor—it's already the pinnacle of dwarven brewing artistry."
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, spittle flying from his lips. "Enough of your nonsense! Pay up and get out! I don't want to ever see you again!"
Of course, Lynch knew Copperbeard's temper.
You could say his smithing was terrible, and at most, he'd just give you a beating. But if you said his ale was bad, he'd cut you off for good.
But Lynch remained perfectly calm. He swirled the ale in his mug and said leisurely, "Brother Copperbeard, you're a dwarf of wide experience. I wonder, have you ever heard of a strong liquor called 'Water of Life'?"
Copperbeard was clearly taken aback. Water of Life? He'd never heard of it.
Lynch continued on his own, "The Water of Life is the essence of ten barrels of ale, extracted into a single barrel. Its color is as clear as pure amber, its kick as fierce as a red Dragon's Breath. A single gulp will make your blood boil and your very soul tremble."
"GULP." Just hearing the description made Copperbeard swallow hard.
He hadn't even had a taste, yet he was already drunk on the idea. A single thought dominated his mind: 'I have to drink it!'
Seeing his chance, Lynch lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Brother Copperbeard, you must not repeat what I'm about to tell you. This is a secret of us Necromancers."
"Mhm, mhm." Copperbeard nodded repeatedly, promising he wouldn't tell a soul.
"In a fragment of Elder Sandro's notes, I found a long-lost Secret Technique called 'Ale Soul Extraction'."
"What? You can extract the soul from ale?" Copperbeard was stunned.
"All things have a spirit, so naturally, ale has a soul," Lynch said, a bit impatiently. "If you don't believe me, why not just try it and see?"
Copperbeard immediately nodded again and again. His curiosity was thoroughly piqued; besides, what was the harm in trying?
But Lynch didn't tell him the method directly. Instead, he produced a contract covered in arcane runes.
"This Secret Technique is part of Elder Sandro's legacy. If you want to see it, you'll have to sign this confidentiality contract first."
He grinned, revealing a sinister smile. "If you leak the contents, or attempt to secretly study and imitate our Undead System's soul extraction techniques..."
"...your soul will be cast into the Netherworld to suffer the torment of ethereal flames for all eternity, and your body will become a Skeleton Servant at another's command."
The viciousness of the Curse sent a shiver down Copperbeard's spine, making his hair stand on end.
Dwarves may be brave by nature, but they held a healthy fear and reverence for Curses that involved the soul.
But then Lynch added, "Of course, to be fair, if this 'Water of Life' I mentioned is just a lie, then the sixty Gold Coins I owe you... I'll pay you back double."
Copperbeard was instantly tempted. He stared at the contract's clauses with his bull-like eyes, a war raging within him.
Finally, unable to resist the temptation of a liquor as fierce as Dragon Breath, he gritted his teeth, signed his name, and pressed his thumbprint onto the contract. 'Worst case,' he thought, 'I can still get back double what he owes me.'
Lynch collected the contract with a satisfied smile, then had Copperbeard close the door and began ordering him around.
There wasn't enough time to build the extraction equipment from scratch, so he made do with whatever was already available in the smithy.
"Yes, yes, punch a few holes in the bottom of this copper pot and attach the copper pipe. Make sure it's sealed tight..."
"Put that iron barrel here and fill it with cold water. The copper pipe needs to be coiled inside..."