Date: Unspecified Time: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil. Red Storm, Seed World, Trophy Section, Inter-realm city, Sector DS0909, Chaos Dwarven District
"Dwarf, stop trying to provoke me. Didn't I already say I would accept your challenge as long as you follow the proper due process? However, I need a few hours to learn about corpse puppet crafting," Wyatt said, his tone calm and composed despite being accused of lying by the Chaos Dwarf. To a demon or devil merchant, being called a liar was perhaps the highest compliment. Wyatt, therefore, could not help but look at the dwarf with a mix of bemusement and curiosity, wondering if the comment was meant as a provocation or a peculiar form of flattery before he replied.
"How shameless can you be? If you don't know anything about corpse puppet crafting, how dare you call my corpse puppet a waste of resources?" the Chaos Dwarf snapped, glaring at Wyatt. Suspicion clouded his face as he refused to believe Wyatt's claim. To him, it seemed like Wyatt was merely toying with him, with no intention of accepting the challenge or providing the contact information of the Chaos Dwarf who supplied the Orbiumite ore.
"I have a special talent for appraising items," Wyatt explained, rubbing his temples as if to soothe a growing headache. "Be that as it may, let us sign a devil merchant contract for this challenge so that you can be assured I've never crafted a corpse puppet in my life." He then casually picked at his ears, clearly annoyed by the exaggerated murmurs and assumptions spreading among the crowd of demon and devil merchants surrounding them.
The crowd, much like Wyatt, seemed perplexed. Was the Chaos Dwarf complimenting Wyatt by calling him a liar and shameless, or was he insulting him? The confusion was palpable. It became increasingly apparent to the onlookers that while the dwarf might be an exceptional craftsman, he was sorely lacking in social graces. Otherwise, he would not have caused such a spectacle in the middle of a crowded street in the Chaos Dwarven District, of all places.
Wyatt, however, viewed the situation differently. He had noticed that the Chaos Dwarf, despite his bluster, was treading carefully. The dwarf understood that Wyatt was not intimidated by his Chaos Dwarf identity, he made it clear when dared to falsely make an appeal to the devil merchant code calling it a thief and kidnapper and get its workshop blacklisted blowing a minor incident out of proporation. It was clear to the dwarf that it couldn't rely on traditional intimidation tactics to cow Wyatt as he might with other demon merchants. Instead, the dwarf seemed to have adopted a subtler approach: pestering Wyatt just enough to provoke him into action but not enough to give him a reason to make an official appeal to the Devil Merchant Code.
The Chaos Dwarf was walking a fine line. He ensured his actions didn't escalate to outright threats, particularly now that Wyatt had made it clear he knew his rights—if he chose to leave the sector or the inter-realm city, the dwarf could do nothing to stop him. Desperate to secure the only lead on a potentially massive Orbiumite Ore reserve, the Chaos Dwarf did his best to coax and corner Wyatt into revealing what he wanted, knowing full well that Wyatt wouldn't do so willingly after the disrespect he had put him through.
"Devil Merchant Contract? That sounds doable... Fine," the Chaos Dwarf finally said, though hesitation lingered in his tone. At first, the challenge had been about redeeming his glory as a crafter and obtaining information about the Orbiumite ore mine. However, upon learning that the demon merchant he was challenging had never crafted a single corpse puppet in his life, the dwarf began to doubt whether any glory could truly be reclaimed by defeating such an opponent. On the off chance he were to lose, he knew it would seal his reputation as the black sheep of his race. Still, his greed for the Orbiumite ore mine ultimately triumphed over his other concerns, and he begrudgingly agreed.
"I have signed the contract stating that we will have an official corpse puppet crafting duel in the Devil Merchant Code's Duel Realm in an hour. Since you're the challenger, you will be paying for everything—from the venue to the resources we use. Also, make sure to carefully read the other clauses before you sign it. I don't want to hear you whining to me about them after I win," Wyatt said, producing the signed Devil Merchant Contract scroll he had prepared. He handed it to the Chaos Dwarf, his gaze steady as he cautioned him to carefully review it before signing.
Wyatt had his reasons for proceeding in this manner instead of using the Demon Merchant Code to draft the contract and declare the crafting duel in Duel Realm. While it was tedious, this approach allowed him to ensure he wouldn't accidentally reveal his identity. In fact, he had even added a clause to protect the identities of both contenders. However, he also included a sneaky clause to reveal the loser's identity to the winner, confident that the overconfident dwarf would overlook it. As for the reward he demanded—
"You must be out of your mind if you think I will accept such a wager. The stakes need to be fair!" the Chaos Dwarf shouted, his voice breaking Wyatt's chain of thought.
"Why? As the one accepting the challenge, I get to set a higher stake. If you have a problem with that, you can choose to cancel the challenge now—nothing is official yet. Besides, what are you so worried about? Don't tell me you fear losing the duel. Other than that, I can't think of any reason why you'd be so concerned about the stakes I'm demanding as compensation," Wyatt countered, his voice calm but his words sharp as he pressed for the hefty reward outlined in the contract.
"I don't mind you setting a higher stake or me paying for the duel, but how dare you ask for my workshop in the Chaos Dwarven District? Are you out of your mind? Do you take the Chaos Dwarves for a joke?" the dwarf roared, his face flushed with a mix of anger and disbelief, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.