Monopolizing Goods #3(3)
After having a sip of beer and calming the dwarves down, Priest Peter, who had been anxiously waiting for someone, kept glancing at the clock.
'He's late.'
As soon as he heard the news that the dwarf emissaries had arrived, he immediately called Rockefeller.
There was still plenty of time for him to arrive.
The impatient dwarves, having quenched their thirst with beer and managed to muster some patience, were waiting for a while when the door to the quiet room opened, revealing the face of the person they had been eagerly waiting for.
"Oh, you're not late. Come in and have a seat."
The first to welcome him was Priest Peter, who was sharing a table with the dwarf emissaries.
Priest Peter had no intention of leading the meeting.
There was someone else in charge of this matter, and he didn't want to interfere and mess things up.
Rockefeller also politely greeted Priest Peter and the dwarves as he took his seat in response to the priest's hospitality.
"It's an honor to meet you. I am Rockefeller Rothsmedici."
As Rockefeller appeared, the dwarves began whispering among themselves.
They had heard a rough story from the priest, but they had no idea that he would be such a young boy.
"What? He's just a greenhorn."
"Yeah, he's still a kid."
"Do we have to talk to a kid like that?"
"Something seems a bit off."
The dwarves' reactions were not very positive, perhaps due to Rockefeller's young age.
It was already a stretch to have a conversation with a grown adult, let alone a greenhorn!
It was a natural reaction.
"First, let's quench your thirst after your long journey. I think it won't be bad to have a conversation later."
Rockefeller, who had brought another beer to quench the dwarves' thirst as soon as he arrived at the church, spoke with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the dwarves, who were laughing heartily, changed their attitude again.
Their gazes toward Rockefeller became somewhat friendly, thanks to the mention of beer.
"Let's at least have a conversation. You never know."
"That's right. You shouldn't judge a person by their appearance."
"Bring it quickly! My throat is burning!"
As the dwarves gulped down the beer brought by the priests, their expressions became relaxed all at once.
Their previously sensitive and sharp demeanor, which seemed as if they could incite a riot at any moment, had changed in an instant to a kind and benevolent one, as if they were ready to accept all complaints and grievances in the world.
Seeing this, Rockefeller thought to himself.
'There was a reason why the dwarves, who have such a filthy and impatient temperament, go crazy for beer. If you don't soothe them with beer first, you can't even have a conversation in the first place.'
It was a story he knew from the novel, but it felt strange to see it with his own eyes.
Anyway, Rockefeller was able to join the table prepared by Priest Peter without hesitation.
"How does it taste? I tried my best to be careful, but I don't know if it suits your taste."
"It's just right! And it's even cool."
"That's right. I thought it was strange, but the beer was incredibly cold!"
"I never knew cold beer could be this good!"
To Rockefeller, beer was a beverage with excellent foam flowing down the frozen glass.
'I've seen it a lot in advertisements.'
So he tried his best to bring beer with that feeling, and the reaction of the dwarves was very good, not just for the taste.
'Right, beer should always be drunk cold.'
The method of storing beer cold was also the result of several months of research.
It was only using cold magic, so the development cost of the freezer was not that high.
However, the effect was tremendous.
"We should also drink cold beer from now on."
"That would be nice! It's a whole different level from the lukewarm one I had today!"
"It feels like my throat is instantly cleared!"
With such reactions from the dwarves, Rockefeller couldn't help but smile.
"I'm glad you like it."
Seeing Rockefeller's reaction, Priest Peter showed a very satisfied expression.
'He's really good at it. As I thought, I shouldn't be the one to handle the business talks, but rather leave it to that boy.'
"Just discuss the details with that boy."
The grown adults didn't want to step forward, either they had no relation or they were like Priest Peter, who wanted to stay out of it.
The dwarves, who didn't understand why, were somewhat confused, but when the elderly priest told them to talk to the young boy, the dwarf representative Orin had no choice but to converse with Rockefeller.
"Since you told me to talk to you, I have no choice but to talk to you. I am Orin, a proud resident of the Thunder Mountain Range."
"Thunder Mountain Range? I've heard a lot about it. You follow the one who carries thunder."
"Yes, you're not completely ignorant."
Dwarves had a lifespan comparable to that of elves.
And the average lifespan of elves far exceeded that of humans, so Orin judged that Rockefeller was younger than him and spoke casually.
"But I heard you came here for a reason. Why have you come?"
Rockefeller knew the answer but pretended not to know and played dumb, and the impatient dwarves didn't want to drag the conversation on either.
As if he had prepared for this, Orin roughly placed a handful of sovereigns on the table from his pocket.
Clang! As the sound of gold coins clashing filled the room, Orin raised his voice.
"We'll buy all the beer here!"
Orin recalled the barley and hops being grown outside the church, as well as the brewery.
"And we'll buy all the beer that will come out in the future!"
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