Date: Unspecified Time: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil. Red Storm, Seed World, Trophy Section, Duel Realm, Crafting Sector, Venue: Chaos Dwarven Forge. The silent dance between Wyatt and the Judges continued for quite some time. The spectators and Chaos Dwarfs waited patiently, as though such delays were a common occurrence. Meanwhile, the female dwarven staff attending to Wyatt occasionally threw sharp glares in his direction, her expression growing increasingly sour. She seemed to have taken offense at being called "talkative."
"I don't talk a lot. I was just trying to be considerate of your feelings," she finally blurted, crossing her arms in indignation. Her tone was defensive, but her natural chatterbox tendencies made her words spill out rapidly.
"Uh-huh," Wyatt replied, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. He barely glanced at her, his focus still on ignoring the Judges. He knew he could simply acknowledge their presence and move things along for everyone's benefit, but where was the fun in that? Smirking at his own mischief, he decided to prolong the game.
Turning to the female dwarf, he said, "Contact the other contestant. I want to discuss the distribution of the income we get from this duel."
The request startled her, and she blinked, momentarily caught off guard. It was standard for the winner of a duel to receive 3 percent of the income while the loser got 2 percent. But Wyatt wanted it all. Of course, greed played a part—who didn't like more money? Yet, his true intentions ran deeper. He wanted to teach the unnamed Chaos Dwarf a lesson it would never forget, especially considering its obsession with wealth seeing how it wouldn't pay offerings to Devil Merchant Code. Moreover, it served as a perfect distraction from the Judges, who were testing his patience.
He planned to see how long the Judges could keep up their antics. After all, he knew they couldn't harm him as long as he adhered to the Duel Realm's rules and regulations.
"You mean Uncle Bigold? Oops!" The female staff's eyes widened in horror as she clamped her hands over her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to say that! It seems I do talk a lot." She stuck out her tongue sheepishly, then clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Contestant, please don't tell him I told you his name!"
Wyatt's disbelief at his attendant grew. His eyebrows rose as he stared at the staff member, his lips pressing into a thin line as he activated his primordial soul pupils to analyze her. The revelation surprised him—she was only thirty-three years old. By Chaos Dwarven standards, that was practically a child, considering their extended lifespans.
Realization dawned on him. It now made sense why a Chaos Dwarf would willingly work as an attendant instead of crafting, their most cherished profession. The Chaos Dwarfs had likely devised a way to exploit their younger members, perhaps assigning them tasks in name of gaining experience akin to unpaid internships back on Earth. Maybe that's the price they pay for getting the demon merchant tokens. Wyatt's lips curled into a faint smirk, a mixture of amusement and mild disdain. Shaking his head slightly, he muttered under his breath, "Figures."
"Yeah, sure. Ask him if he's willing to agree to let the winner of the duel take all five percent of the income distributed to the contestants by the Chaos Dwarven Forge," Wyatt instructed the female dwarf, deliberately choosing to overlook her quirks on account of her youth. He might appear as a seventeen-year-old human boy, but his actual age far exceeded that of the female dwarf.
"Yes, right away," the female dwarf chirped, quickly summoning her demon codex. She fumbled with it for a moment before managing to connect the call. When the line opened, she hurriedly blurted out, "Uncle Bigold, your opponent is asking if you'd agree to change the terms of splitting the income from the duel to a winner-takes-all arrangement."
From the other side of the call, Bigold's voice boomed with indignation. "Damn it, Dulas! Did you just reveal my name to that unknown demon merchant? Now he knows my name too when I don't even know his race and native realm"
Dulas froze, her eyes darting nervously as her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Panic overtook her, and she began to stammer. "N-no, I didn't!" she denied quickly, shaking her head as if to convince herself.
But Bigold's irritated response came with proof. "Look in front of you!"
Dulas hesitated, her confusion evident as she frowned. Slowly, she lifted her head, only to see her uncle glaring at her from across the colosseum. Her jaw dropped, and she immediately slapped her forehead in realization.
"Switch to mental conversation mode, you fool!" Bigold barked, waving his arms dramatically to emphasize his point. Mortified, Dulas scrambled to adjust her codex, her fingers fumbling over the controls.
Meanwhile, Wyatt stood to the side, watching the chaotic exchange with mild amusement. His lips curled into a small, sardonic smile as he shook his head slowly. 'I suppose not all Chaos Dwarfs really as smart as their races reputation in the Myriad Realms,' he wondered, his mind replaying the dwarf's blunders.
After being thoroughly scolded and lectured by her uncle, Dulas finally got a definitive answer. She hurried over to Wyatt and reported, "The other contestant has agreed to the winner-takes-all arrangement for the income from the duel. I've made the changes. It's now official—you can't change it without the other contestant's agreement."
"Thank you, Dulas," Wyatt said, teasing the young dwarf.
Dulas looked at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Please, don't ask me to help you with your crafting. I really can't be much help to you, especially since you're challenging Uncle Bigold—I mean, the other contestant."
"Don't worry, I won't," Wyatt replied with a smirk. After a brief pause, he added, "However, if you ever need someone to help you with your crafting, you know how to find me." His tone was light, but his mind wandered to the thought that if the Chaos Dwarfs didn't fully appreciate the potential of their younger generation, perhaps he could.
"But I really don't!" Dulas exclaimed, frowning. "I have no idea who you are or even what race you belong to, let alone how to find you."