The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

“Lord Landlord, we’ve distilled pure white spirits!”

“Distilled?” Liszt rejoiced inwardly but remained composed on the surface, “How is the quality of the Fresh Flower Brew?”

“Compared to the Juniper Wine you left in the brewing workshop, there might be some differences in taste. The Fresh Flower Brew isn’t as strong but is smoother on entry, each has its own merits.”

“Softer than Juniper Wine, if it truly meets the standards, I will reward you handsomely.”

A group of people quickly made their way to the Brewing Workshop, where Frank had the apprentices bring out the freshly brewed white spirits. Several large barrels full, each containing white spirits more valuable than silver. There was no faking the white spirits inside the barrels; it no longer had that foul or sour smell.

“We adopted pot distillation, and found while the first distillation was strong, the taste wasn’t good; not until we refilled the ingredients and started the second distillation did we produce white spirits with a very pure taste, free of impurities, reaching a quality suitable for sale.”

Liszt tasted the white spirits from the second distillation.

He found that upon entry, it reached the spiciness of white spirits. After tasting for a moment and recalling the taste of Juniper Wine, he instantly felt each had its own merits, unable to say which was better or worse.

“Go call for Goltai.” He turned and commanded Servant Thomas.

Shortly after, Goltai hurried over: “Lord, is the Fresh Flower Brew ready? Oh my, I can hardly wait to taste it!”

Seeing Goltai’s drunken demeanor, Liszt reprimanded him unsatisfiedly: “Aren’t you tasting the Fresh Flower Brew every day?”

The town’s advisor’s greatest passion in life was to drink and boast.

Before the success of the Fresh Flower Brew, the poor quality of the spirit was evident, but still, he would head to the Brewing Workshop after work every day to scrounge some low-quality spirit, drinking himself into a stupor before heading home to sleep.

“Heh heh.” With an awkward laugh, Goltai offered no rebuttal.

Pointing to the newly brewed high-quality spirit, Liszt spoke: “You are an expert in tasting, try this and compare it with the Juniper Wine, and give me a comprehensive analysis.”

“As you wish, Lord!”

Goltai eagerly grabbed a jug, tilted his head back, and took a swig of the Fresh Flower Brew’s raw spirit, then swayed back and forth with his eyes closed. After some moments, he opened his eyes, sparkling with excitement: “Lord, by the knight’s glory! The Fresh Flower Brew can certainly match the Juniper Wine, offering a completely different taste that is just as intoxicating!”

Following that, he took a sip of the raw spirit to compare the differences between Juniper Wine and Fresh Flower Brew.

One was strong, with a spicy taste but a heavy kick that was quick to go to one’s head; the other was slightly less intense, but had a smoother taste, lesser kick, and didn’t go to the head as easily.

“I think, once the Fresh Flower Brew is on the market, it will sell better than Juniper Wine because it doesn’t give as much of kick and allows nobles to drink from before the banquet until after it has started. Juniper Wine can’t last that long; the Fresh Flower Brew can suit more nobles, even those noble ladies!”

In the end.

Goltai was already half-drunk, holding the jug with his thumb raised: “To me, the Fresh Flower Brew is one notch below the Juniper Wine, but for more nobles, it’s a cut above, truly top-notch!”

Listening to his extensive analysis.

Liszt gained a rough understanding that Juniper Wine was akin to Russian vodka, strong and pungent; Fresh Flower Brew was similar to Beijing’s erguotou, not quite as strong but soft. An old drunkard might choose vodka for the sheer kick, but more people would accept erguotou, suitable for family banquets.

“Erguotou? It seems Fresh Flower Brew is made using the second distillation, could this be its true meaning?” Liszt pondered for a moment.

Not being a frequent drinker, he had too little knowledge of spirits.

He turned to ask Frank, “Is there a grading for Fresh Flower Brew, according to my method, divided into several grades?”

“Following your idea, we set the pure second distillation as the highest grade; the blend of the first distillation and the second distillation is the second grade; the first distillation alone is the third grade; the blend of the third and the second distillations is the fourth grade; and the third distillation alone is the lowest grade.”

Frank and others divided the grades meticulously, obviously after Liszt’s previous scolding, they strived to do their best work before daring to report back to the castle.

“Bring out the lowest grade Fresh Flower Brew, let Consultant Gao Ertai have a taste.”

Having had too much of the highest grade from the second distillation, when Goltai tried the lowest grade from the third distillation, he almost spat it out, “The taste is too complex. It’s just a little better than the previous Fresh Flower Brew, it should not hit the market.”

After that, Goltai tasted the other grades as well, with mixed reviews. The first three grades could be sold as liquor, while the last two were not up to standard.

Liszt understood now.

With the top three grades of liquor, Fresh Flower Brew was a huge success, and the Brewing Workshop would become the largest source of gold coins for Fresh Flower Town, as well as a cornerstone for Liszt’s career development.

“From now on, the Brewing Workshop is a top secret of Fresh Flower Town; no idle persons are permitted to enter at will. Patrol members are dispatched to guard the area 24 hours a day, isolated from other workshops. The brewers with technical know-how must be strictly protected… Consultant Goltai, can you hear me clearly?”

“Rest assured, my Lord, I’m just slightly tipsy, I heard your instructions very clearly, I’ll certainly give the Brewing Workshop the utmost priority… *hic*.” Goltai swayed a little and ended the conversation with a hiccup.

Upon seeing this.

Liszt, not trusting him, summoned Administrative Officer Isaiah and handed over the tasks to him.

Subsequently, Liszt began offering rewards, “I promised you that as long as the Fresh Flower Brew meets the standards, there would be gold and silver coins. Now, Frank Dregs, Bording, and Huntera, I will reward each of you with a Gold Coin, and each apprentice involved in the brewing will get twenty silver coins!”

“Praise Lord Landlord!”

“We thank Lord Landlord for your generous reward!”

The brewers and apprentices, receiving the gold and silver coins, proceeded to thank him excitedly.

Liszt continued with encouragement and reminders for them to work diligently; future benefits would not be lacking. Brewing was simple, but creating a qualified spirit was much more challenging than one might imagine. Fortunately, under his guidance on “distillation technology,” the brewers finally produced real spirits.

“Actually, I should be the most rewarded… Ah well, let’s just keep my contribution concealed. Why bother competing for a little honor with a few serfs?”

Having praised himself internally, Liszt immediately took action to prepare the launch of Fresh Flower Brew.

First, he sent someone to notify Levis.

The Fresh Flower Brew business needed substantial support from Levis to quickly expand production capacity, open sales channels, and rapidly recoup investments.

As the town’s landlord, he was in dire need of money!