Chapter 292: Chapter 261 – A Master of His Craft

"Many contemporary historians considered the ennoblement of Orloff Himmelsbrau as a renaissance period for rot affinity mages. Previously, these mages faced stigmas against them, as they were considered useless outside the battlefield and not even the most useful in one.

 

The breakthrough in usage of rot magic pioneered by Orloff had opened new fields of work for such mages almost all at once. Most had tried to replicate the Braumeister's feats, but only few managed to reproduce them even slightly.

 

Orloff himself took in many of those few who succeeded in replicating his feats to an extent as his disciples and employed them in his personal brewery. His success also caused a general removal of the stigma, and nowadays, one could see a Rot mage in most walks of life." - from a term paper by Leigh Wainswrought, sociology student in the Levain Institute for Higher Learning.

"Ah, you're the lass Aideen brought with her when she barged in last time," said Orloff after a quick glance at Cal, with a spreading smile on his wizened miens. "I swear that girl never changed. Always too lazy to come over herself when her stock of booze runs low."

 

Cal was not surprised Orloff recognized her at a glance. Tall half elves with albinism aren't exactly the most common thing in the dwarven city, or paradise for that matter. Since the trait was mostly found amongst elves of the Shadow Forest, they were particularly rarer up north in Alcidea.

 

"And here I thought she had other things in mind when she asked me to visit," replied Cal in jest. She knew the Unliving woman was indirectly doing her a favor, and besides it was on the way anyway. "So it's just a booze run, huh?"

 

"Pretty much," replied the old dwarf with a loud guffaw. The laugh lines and wrinkles on his face made him look like the sort of amiable grandfather one might find in children's picture books. "That lass always sends someone new over every half a decade or so. Can't say I dislike getting more clientele this way either."

 

"Anyway, let's talk inside the house. Wouldn't do to talk business here in the brewery," he added as he gestured for Cal to follow him. They walked halfway through the brewery before Orloff turned to the right and opened a door, which was apparently directly connected to the house the brewery was built next to.

 

The door led to a wide corridor that Cal could feel magic from, heavily enchanted it seemed. From the way she felt cleaner and refreshed the moment she stepped into the room, it was probably the same sort of cleaning and disinfecting enchantments as the barrier that covered the door to the brewery, just even stronger.

 

Inside the "clean room", they deposited the white robes they had worn in the brewery as well as the hair mesh on trays prepared for exactly that purpose, and entered the house in their more normal clothing.

 

Cal noticed that Orloff dressed little differently than the day she saw him in Paradise, other than exchanging the robes for a long tunic that reached halfway down his thighs. His clothing was simply designed, even if they were made from expensive and comfortable fabrics.

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"Hold on a sec and help yourself to the stuff here. I'll be back in a jiffy with the lass' usual order," said Orloff after he led Cal to a comfortable waiting room. The dwarf himself departed towards a deeper section of the mansion - for it was indeed more a mansion than a house, even with half the space occupied by the brewery - with quick, energetic steps for one his age.

 

Cal took a look around the room as she seated herself on the plush and comfortable sofa. The coolness and give of the furniture was very reminiscent of the water bed she bought in Paradise, and a quick check verified that the sofa was made with the same methods. Fibuela expanded her business in the past few years then.

 

Other than the comfortable chairs and a low, granite table in the middle, the waiting room had few decorations, save for a series of small barrels mounted horizontally next to the wall on one side. On the table itself was a glass flagon Cal recognized from the festival many years ago, and a platter of finger foods.

 

Since the master of the house told her to help herself, Cal wasn't shy and took the flagon as she walked over to the small barrels, each probably as large around as her torso. The barrels were inscribed with dwarven runes, which she couldn't read, but each of them also emanated a pleasant fragrance, so she just picked the one that gave off the best smell and filled the flagon.

 

Cal gave a moment for the flagon's enchantment to do its magic - a noticeable one in this case since the brew within was cooled to the consistency of a slush - before she took a long gulp of the drink.

 

She finally placed the empty flagon down with a satisfied sigh, as she had drunk its contents down in a single go, and went back to the barrel for a refill. As befitted his reputation, Orloff Himmelsbrau's brews were something unlike most ales and meads to be found out there.

 

The ale Cal drunk had a strong fragrance, one that was nearly floral in nature, yet it was more tangy in flavor, with a crisp, refreshing bittersweet aftertaste that lingered in the mouth. Cooling the brew down to a slush only intensified its impact on the taste buds in a gratifying way.

 

On the platter set on the table were common finger foods. Several varieties of smoked meats and small wedges of cheese were common. Pickled vegetables - particularly prized by the dwarves since they had to be imported from above ground - were also present in some variety.

 

Other than those, there were also several kinds of preserved mushrooms. Mushrooms were typically the main "crop" dwarves grew underground for sustenance in their early days, and had a reputation as commoner's food amongst them. That Orloff had not cared and placed them on his table showed that he considered himself very much like his common roots, rather than the noble he became.

 

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