The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

Levis not only sent his family tutor Frank, he also personally rushed to Fresh Flower Town, “Liszt, has the Fresh Flower Brew successfully improved its technique?”

“Of course, you can taste it yourself.”

“I can’t miss that.”

Three marketable grades of Fresh Flower Brew had already been delivered to the castle in abundance, so Levis was able to taste the Fresh Flower Brew right there in the castle.

The first one he tasted was the third grade, the lowest quality of Fresh Flower Brew, a clear spirit. His eyes lit up instantly as he took a sip, “Hmm, not bad, it’s already pure without any off-flavors, sellable indeed!”

Then he tasted the second-grade Fresh Flower Brew: “This one has a better taste, though the alcohol kick is a bit soft.”

Finally, the highest grade Fresh Flower Brew. After drinking it, he savored the taste for a full three minutes before he exclaimed excitedly, “This is a great wine! Liszt, we’re going to be rich, the quality of the Fresh Flower Brew is no less than Juniper Wine. This is a different kind of clear spirit with a distinct taste, more suitable for noble banquets!”

His assessment was not much different from Goltai’s; both saw the vast market potential behind the Fresh Flower Brew.

“So next, we should discuss how to expand the brewing scale, as well as how to bring it to market.” Liszt did not like drinking, but he was well aware of the booming market for spirits.

Alcohol might not be a panacea, but while it takes effect, it can numb a person’s senses, alleviating all sorts of pain and stress. It allows one to escape from all sorts of difficulties and disappointments in reality, fully enjoying the moment of haziness and tranquility as if the soul is being elevated.

Levis picked up his teacup, trying not to seem too eager.

But his anxious gaze still betrayed his thoughts, “Leave the sales to me, Fresh Flower Brew will completely dominate Coral Island, and it will also dominate Red Crab Island. I can even sell it to Golden Island… But how do you plan to arrange the production of the Fresh Flower Brew?”

“We need to expand the scale of the Brewing Workshop, recruit more Brewers and Apprentices. Fresh Flower Town doesn’t have enough hands, big brother, you need to support me, sell a batch of your Brewers to me.”

“I will give you ten Brewers directly!” Levis gestured generously, “But none of them know how to brew clear spirits; you’ll have to teach them the skill.”

Liszt got straight to the point, “If you send their families too, I’m willing to teach them the brewing technique.”

Levis glared at him, “You actually don’t trust me… Fine, their families will come along as well!”

“And don’t forget about the materials, clear spirits can be brewed from a wide range of ingredients: grains, fruits, taro, sweet potatoes, all can be used for brewing. However, Fresh Flower Brew mainly uses sorghum, and I won’t be changing the main brewing ingredient for a while. Later on, we will see how it goes and consider other grain brewing techniques.”

“There isn’t much sorghum grown at Tulip Castle, but we consume little of it, so I’ll send it all to you!”

“Just the sorghum from Tulip Castle isn’t enough. You’d better expand the sorghum cultivation this year and also purchase some from other places.”

There’s an old saying: liquor is the essence of grains.

The alcohol yield from grain is between 25% to 45%; one pound of grain does not produce half a pound of alcohol. In ancient times, when there wasn’t enough food, the authorities would ban private brewing to prevent wastage of food and the exacerbation of famine.

It was precisely because sorghum was not the main food staple on Coral Island that Liszt chose to brew with sorghum—he might have become a noble, seated at the rulers’ side, but his nature was still kind. He did not want to take away the little bit of grain the serfs on the island had because of the liquor business.

However, no matter how considerate he was, ultimately, some of the serfs’ grain would still be diverted for brewing.

“`

He could only try his best to remind him, “Brother, winemaking will waste a lot of food, I hope to purchase sorghum from the outer islands as much as possible, or give the serfs who plant sorghum some tax relief.”

Levis dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand, “Don’t worry about such trifles. The affairs of the serfs will be appropriately arranged by the officials, I will ensure that there is an adequate supply of sorghum for your brewing, and it won’t delay the production of Fresh Flower Brew.”

Seeing this, Liszt could only sigh inwardly.

He then brushed aside these sympathies and said, “Iron, I also need a batch of iron, at least ten thousand jin, for the production of brewing equipment.”

“Didn’t you just get thirteen thousand jin of iron from Tulip Castle?”

“That was a personal purchase. The Brewing Workshop is provided with raw materials according to our agreement by you.”

“A little less, I can’t take out that much iron; it has to be drawn from the Tulip Castle’s warehouse. In that case, the profits from the white spirits will surely be taken by others,” Levis frowned.

“Brother, it’s only fair that others share in the profits. Fresh Flower Brew might be a trade between the two of us, but if we leave others out, father might not say it, but he’ll hold a grudge in his heart,” Liszt replied.

“That’s cold!” Levis was unhappy, “I provide the materials, I handle the sales, and only take a sixty percent share of the profits, while you provide the technique, and even the brewers were sent by me, yet you take forty percent. Now, even for the mouths of other people at Tulip Castle, I have to fend, don’t you think that’s too cruel?”

“If it weren’t for my technique, Brother, you wouldn’t be able to do the white spirits business at all. Think about it, once Fresh Flower Brew takes off, how much in Gold Coins it will bring in profits each year, how many Magic Potions you can acquire… Maybe within a year, you could become a Sky Knight.”

Levis is twenty-four this year, and will be twenty-five the next year.

If he really could become a Sky Knight at twenty-five, it would at least prove that his talents are no less than the Earl’s.

These words hit a nerve with Levis, he scratched his hair and gritted his teeth in agreement, “Alright, thirteen thousand jin of iron, I’ll come up with it. But the Fresh Flower Brew must be produced on a large scale as soon as possible!”

“Of course, the technique is already perfected, just waiting for the materials to be ready,” Liszt finished discussing the brewing materials and suddenly remembered the issue of packaging, “How do you plan to sell the Fresh Flower Brew?”

“The same way Juniper Wine is sold. There will be only Fresh Flower Brew in the white spirits market on Coral Island; I will talk to my cousin on Red Crab Island, it’s easy to take over there; Loria can handle sales on Golden Island, she should be able to secure both Golden Island and Newland Island.”

Liszt became interested, “Is Loria certain to become my sister-in-law?”

Levis chuckled fancifully, “Do you think I spent the Pioneer Mandate just fighting wars? My dear brother, there’s much you have yet to learn… Marquis Roderick has already approved my union with Loria, I’m going to Golden Island in March to settle things.”

It seems that matter is already clear.

Liszt gave a thumbs up and brought the conversation back to the topic, “Fresh Flower Brew comes in three grades, have you thought about how to package it?”

“Package? Just like Juniper Wine is fine, I will have the pottery workshop produce a batch of ceramic jugs as wine bottles,” Levis replied directly.

“That won’t do, Fresh Flower Brew should be distinguished from Juniper Wine, making it immediately recognizable to Nobles.”

Liszt vetoed Levis’s idea, saying, “Ten-year Fresh Flower Brew should be packaged in wooden bottles, engraved with a yellow Tulip, priced between five to fifteen silver coins, to capture the minor Noble market; fifty-year Fresh Flower Brew in ceramic bottles, engraved with a red Tulip, priced between fifty to eighty silver coins, to occupy the middle-class Noble market; Hundred-year Fresh Flower Brew in Jade Bottles, engraved with a Black Tulip, as expensive as possible, limited quantity, targeting the upper echelons of Nobility.”

“Where are you getting ten-year and hundred-year aged brews from?” Levis voiced in surprise.

“Don’t worry, they can be brewed shortly…”

“`