Only after careful examination did Furen realize that he actually recognized the objects on the table; he had simply been mistaken due to the angle of his gaze. On the tray were only two things: a glass of red wine, barely half full, and a new pipe. Beside it, there was also a small saucer containing tobacco and spices, as well as a richly decorated gold lighter.
Karl said nothing more. He simply took the pipe in his left hand, gestured in front of him with his right hand, and said:
"Make yourselves at home, gentlemen. Consider this pipe a small gift from me."
Then he began to pack the pipe with carefully prepared tobacco and spices. Although Furen didn't really know how to fill a pipe, watching him do it so meticulously piqued his curiosity.
Even though Furen had never smoked a pipe, or even smoked at all, pretending to smoke didn't seem particularly difficult, especially since he stayed slightly behind the other three. However, this luxurious lighter, while seemingly unremarkable, produced a flame directed in a completely unusual way.
By learning by imitating others, Furen gradually transformed into a real "bad boy", ready to smoke a pipe even though he was only eighteen years old, certainly of legal age, but still very young.
From his very first puff, the smoke, unlike anything he'd ever experienced, enveloped him. The smell was many times stronger than the cigarettes he'd ever smelled on others. But Furen forced himself to endure the discomfort: he'd never smoked before, but trying it once couldn't hurt. Of course, he still avoided trying certain things that were too dangerous… like the infamous "specialty" of Disy Bay in Ruen, similar to cannabis on Earth.
The room quickly filled with thick smoke. With each inhale and exhale of the four men, the mingled aroma of tobacco and spices permeated the air. Unexpectedly, Furen found the smell of burnt tobacco, blended with spices, surprisingly pleasant—nothing like a cigarette. Besides the characteristic flavor of tobacco, a subtle fragrance was added.
After a while, the four men smoked in silence until the finely prepared tobacco was nothing but a burnt black mass. Furen exhaled a final puff and felt a release of the pressure that had built up inside him. Perhaps it was the silent atmosphere, perhaps the diffused smoke, or perhaps the ambiance itself… but Furen surprised himself by enjoying this particular setting.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. Although the room wasn't ventilated, the smoke had gradually begun to dissipate. However, the air remained saturated with a strong smell of burnt tobacco mixed with unknown substances. Furen realized he would never be able to enjoy smoking. Seeing the other three close their eyes and savor the lingering aroma with ecstatic expressions, he suddenly felt very alone.
"Don't you think this smell is absolutely disgusting?" Furen shouted inwardly. "Besides, smoking is bad for your health! Do you really want to destroy your lungs?"
But when he reflected on the fact that even an Apothecary could prepare medicines that sometimes surpassed earthly medicine, he refrained from making any further remarks.
When the smoke had cleared a little, or when their noses had finally adjusted to the stifling smell, Karl, followed by the other two, opened his eyes. He pointed to the glass of wine brought with the pipe and announced:
"This is Ormir red wine. It's not an exceptional vintage, but it's much better than most Ormir wines. Go ahead. Once you've finished, we'll continue our discussion."
Quvedo's excitement was plain to see. Yet his movements were extremely careful, demonstrating the great respect he had for this wine. He took it gently, swirled the liquid in the light, inhaled its aroma lightly, and then began to taste it, a small sip at a time.
Furen, however, wasn't so meticulous. He imitated the gestures without really understanding, but felt nothing in particular. After all, he had never drunk wine—barely any beer. In the end, Furen was a young man who didn't smoke or drink: a "good boy," in short.
Ormir's wine didn't smell like grape juice at all—the only "wine" Furen had ever tasted. To his palate, expensive wines costing tens or hundreds of yuan weren't even worth grape juice. Enough to enrage the purists! The aroma wasn't that of grapes, but rather of blackcurrant, black cherry, and other fruits. A dense and complex fragrance.
In this intensely fruity scent, Furen even detected a hint of spiciness, like when you eat a spicy dish, which greatly piqued his curiosity. Without further ado, he took a small sip.
An explosion of fruity aroma accompanied by intense alcohol filled his mouth. True to its name, the Ormir wine was powerful as a giant, overwhelming Furen's taste buds. Besides the fruit, a strong scent of burnt wood mingled with the whole, as if the most concentrated fragrance of a precious, smoky wood had been imprisoned.
After the fruit and oak came a lively acidity, then a slight bitterness. But once all the flavors had dissipated, a rich grape aroma remained in the mouth. Furen, who had never tasted such a concentrated and complex wine, was immediately captivated. After swallowing, his breath was still imbued with its fragrance.
As he carefully finished his glass, he noticed that, although each sip had roughly the same flavor, slight variations brought an impression of depth and layering that delighted him.
"Whew... Karl, this Ormir wine is totally different from the one I've drunk before! It must be an old vintage. It's fantastic!" exclaimed Quvedo, the first to come out of his state of ecstasy.
"Indeed," added Erich.
Furen, although he knew nothing about wine, still paid a compliment:
"This is the best wine I've ever drunk."
Karl thanked Erich and Furen for their remarks, then said to Quvedo:
"Today marks my first step into a new world. Only on this occasion can you savor this wine."
Quvedo let out an almost painful cry:
"Oh, Karl! How can you be so cruel? To take me to heaven only to throw me out again so soon? Doesn't your conscience suffer?"
Karl, used to Quvedo's "crises," calmly asked, "So, about the extraordinary meeting, what can you tell us?"
(End of chapter)