Filed to story: A Bullied Boy Died: A Mafia King Woke Up In His Body
“‘Scuse me, good sir.” One of the squatters found the courage to talk to Eric after a good hour, while Monica and Adrian stared at the approaching squatter warily. “If you don’t mind me asking, what does this setup do?”
Eric’s eyes lit up brilliantly, like never before. With a slight cough, he stood up to his full bearing, assuming the gait of a university professor of sorts. “Glad you asked! This setup distills liquor in a deceivingly simple method, using pure Cornia, malt, and sugar. Mixing them and heating them allows us to distill vapor, which is concentrated through the doubler and subsequently through the worm.”
Monica rolled her eyes. “There he goes again. He just can’t help explaining this shit to everybody.”
“Ah, just let him have it. It’s not every day that he gets to act like what he used to be.” Adrian shrugged.
The other four squatters were enamored by the lecture provided. The questions asked were exceedingly childish and obviously uneducated, but Eric was more than happy to answer them.
“Sir Dicar, this is amazing!” One of the squatters stood next to Eric, staring at the setup with amazement. “With such a simple setup, we’re able to be free of the Sanctum of Yual’s bans. You could produce for the entire district!”
“Indeed. I strongly disagree with the alcohol prohibition. A mature man should be allowed to drink whatever he so desires. Such a ban implies a common lack of trust from the authorities, who are better than… Wait a minute… How did you know my surname?”
In a blink, the squatter next to him grappled Eric, pinning him to the ground, while the other four squatters, who had gradually gotten closer to Monica and Adrian, lunged toward them.
The two barely stood a chance against the surprise attack, having been caught completely off-guard. “What the?!” Monica struggled, but the squatter on top of her had expertly locked her limbs down in a martial art-style grapple. He took out an arctech radio, speaking fast. “Damian here, we’ve got them. Move in now.”
Eric instantly recognized the name, dumbfounded.
The vice-leader of the Seven Snakes?! They fucking disguised themselves as squatters?! He had never seen a gang go to such extremes to catch them in his many years of being a moonshiner. “Is this even a gang anymore? You’re more like undercover enforcers!”
Damian didn’t reply. Soon, the eight Seven Snakes members entered, joining the disguised squatters and capturing the moonshiners. They hauled them and the equipment back to the Seven Snakes’ base, tossing them into the office.
As Eric struggled to get onto his knees with his arms bound, he already knew that there were two more captured in the office. They were the other two from his operations, having been caught long before they even relocated.
The five of them were about to start blaming one another on who snitched or was caught first, but the office door swung open with Kyle and Keith entering.
Kyle strode up to the office desk, his demeanor fierce. A domineering presence washed over the five of them, causing Eric to gulp internally. This was not his first time being caught, but it was an eye-opening experience. Somehow Kyle seemed to exude this sort of confidence and leadership that Eric had never seen before. The well-ironed formal suit Kyle wore further emphasized it as he leaned against the front desk, standing in front of the five groveling five members.
“Prepare a message to Wrent thanking him for his detailed information.” Kyle motioned to Keith, who bowed and sat at a new desk prepared just for him.
“Professor Dicar, what a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard many rumors from your customers, mostly about your incredible skills and your time at the university.” Kyle looked down.
“If you truly find it a pleasure, perhaps you should consider my level of comfort being bound like this,” Eric scoffed as he lay like a worm on the floor, unable to lift himself.
“My apologies. You two, untie him and have him sit in the guest chair.”
Eric gingerly rubbed his wrists as the rope was undone before he sat and leaned back into the luxurious velvet chair. “Interesting that you put that much effort into capturing me and my crew. Getting bored of the potion business after a mere month and a half since becoming the leader?”
“When building an empire, it is better to diversify and hedge one’s bet. Also, pubs hardly run on potions alone.”
“Ah, entering the slavery business, I see.”
“I don’t intend to enslave you, Professor Dicar. Instead, I have an offer.”
“I doubt you have anything to offer that can weigh against my freedom,” Eric spat. He was well aware of how gangs wanted to use him to make their moonshine.
Brutes and grunts playing at nobility, ignorant of the true essence of brewing alcohol.
Kyle motioned for the two guards to grab Eric off the velvet chair.
“Please, follow me. I guarantee you will be interested.”
New Ventures
With the other moonshiners hauled off to holding cells, Eric was manhandled to another room. “Let go of me! I can walk by myself, thank you very much.” He tried to shake off the guards’ grips.
Kyle nodded his head as a signal, and the two guards let go of Eric. They walked through the common area, Eric taking note of the associates training hard against dummy figures or sparring with each other. Tons of Stamina Potions were stacked in wooden crates along the side, causing Eric’s mouth to fall agape in astonishment.
“I did not expect your production scale to be so huge.” Eric was astonished, estimating close to a thousand potions were stacked there alone, accumulated over the weeks. “I was under the impression that you were only supplying less than fifty per day or so.”
Kyle didn’t reply, still walking toward an unmarked door. They entered a separate room, and this time Eric’s jaw completely collapsed. Forgetting his predicament as a captured moonshiner, he ran forward, ogling at the unique distillation apparatuses that were far more advanced than anything he had ever seen, even at the university.