novel bin Chapter 155 Wine for the Gods
Chapter 155 Wine for the Gods
Chapter 155 Wine for the Gods
Gebu set up a blackboard inside the tent and wrote and drew on it with chalk. Based on his existing capital and the resources he could integrate, Gebu presented his partners with a preliminary business plan.
The previous cocktail recipe used tequila, the cheapest of all the dwarf spirits.
Tequila, as the name suggests, is made by fermenting, distilling, brewing, and blending agave plants. This technique of making spirits is unique to dwarfs, and the resulting liquor is rich, sweet, and has earthy and vegetal notes.
However, there was a major problem. After talking with the dwarven wine merchant, Geb learned that agave is a plant that grows in mountainous areas and is not found in the Old Kingdom.
The dwarven liquor merchants still have some tequila in stock, mainly for the use of the caravan. However, if they want to do large-scale business, these stocks will soon run out, and the merchants will not be able to obtain tequila to produce more tequila.
It's best not to change the recipe easily. Once the taste changes, the customers you've built up will have a lot of complaints, and Gebu's reputation will be ruined.
We need to use a different raw material.
The main crop in the human kingdom is wheat. Wheat is fermented to make beer, which is the most popular beverage among humans.
However, wheat can also be used to make whiskey.
The dwarven distillers had already discovered this, and during their journey they had begun experimenting with brewing whisky using the kingdom's wheat, adding rye to the recipe to enhance the flavor. Whisky becomes richer and more flavorful with age, and the earliest batch of dwarven whisky began maturing three years ago, and now, after their journey, it has reached the perfect age for opening.
"So, I've decided to replace the tequila in the recipe with whiskey. This will increase the cost, from 20 gold coins per barrel to 30 gold coins per barrel. However, this increase in cost, when spread across each glass, is almost negligible." Geb adjusted his non-existent glasses and wrote on the blackboard:
Recipe for a wine for worshipping the gods:
To add a touch of religious ambiance, Geb tried adding a pinch of myrrh powder to each barrel of whiskey. This gave the cocktail a slightly smoky aroma, and as the liquid flowed down the tongue, it felt like being in a church in prayer.
Taking advantage of the autumn harvest season, Gebu purchased a large quantity of oranges and lemons from local farmers—fresh juice is difficult to preserve and even more difficult to transport, so Gebu came up with a solution.
First, the fruit is slowly roasted over a fire on a rack to dry it, causing it to lose most of its moisture. Then, the fruit is frozen using a cooling device from alchemy. This makes the oranges and lemons dry and crisp, making them easy to process again.
Then, Gebu rented the town's mill, hired more than a dozen people, and worked overtime for several days to grind them all into powder, which was then stored in the same wagon as the bags of salt.
Salt absorbs moisture, keeping the fruit powder dry. When needed, water is added and boiled again to reconstitute the juice. This process reduces the cost of the juice to 1 copper coin per cup.
cost:
威士忌：30金币/1000杯一桶=3铜币/杯果汁：1铜币香料及其他成本：1铜币饮料成本就是5铜币。
Regarding pricing, Gebu conducted market research over the past few days. He discovered that his "wine for worshipping the gods" shouldn't compete with mass-market beverages like beer, given the fixed costs; there's no profit to be made by comparing prices with low-end products.
It should be compared to high-end beverages like wine! Clergy and nobles considered beer a vulgar drink, while they drank wine daily—why can't it be a drink for worshiping God? In terms of taste and religious sentiment, their product is far superior to wine.
Once it becomes popular in the upper class, people will follow suit, and the lower class will also join in the fun, and then the market will open up.
The most common wine costs 2 silver coins per jug, while the price of fine wines varies drastically. The capital of the New Kingdom, Martina, is renowned for its wine culture; there, a good wine can sell for 10 gold coins a bottle, and famous wineries can even sell wines from specific vintages for hundreds of gold coins. "I think setting the price of the wine for worship at 2 silver coins per glass is reasonable," Dulin said. "Ordinary laborers can afford that price if they grit their teeth. Any higher, and most people simply can't afford it."
"My ultimate goal is to make this wine part of a daily ritual for devout believers. Before dinner, the family sits around the table, prays to O'Bak, and then passes the glass from the husband to the wife and children, each taking a sip as a sign of devotion to God," Geb said.
"You've got quite the ambition, Gebu," the swordswoman interjected. "One cup a day for each family, that's equivalent to each family giving you over 70 gold coins a year."
"Dream big, but take small steps," Geb replied confidently. "This is something you'll have to promote, my dear Rose Knight. You'd better practice our 'GG' (boyfriend/girlfriend) phrases:"
"May the Lord protect us, may the true God bless us, and may this fine wine be offered to the gods!" Geb and Dulin said in unison.
The swordswoman sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Are you really not afraid of divine retribution?"
"Obak isn't our god, Mikoto, you should worry about yourself," Geb casually remarked.
"You son of a bitch!"
"After calculation, we now have 8000 gold coins in our account. Thank you for Dulin's sponsorship," Gebu said, ignoring the swordswoman's protests.
Dulin nodded to him.
"This money is on behalf of the Zinc Krauss family, and I hope to see returns quickly."
"No problem. The initial preparations, including raw material preparation, wine vessels, transportation, etc., cost 500 gold coins. I plan to prepare some more winemaking materials in the next town and then start the official marketing. Let's see how the first batch is received."
"It's a pity we couldn't test the waters in Chifang Town," the swordswoman said. "We left in too much of a hurry; there simply wasn't enough time."
"Having missed the festival opportunity, it would seem ulterior motives to try and sell alcohol now," Geb said. "However, it has given me an idea. Perhaps we should participate more in events that generate buzz, like 'manticore hunting,' which would make it easier to promote our products."
"Hey, watch your step, Gebu," the woman with the sword reminded him. "Don't let things get out of hand, or you'll lose control."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Gebu said. "Anyway, you're the one who's in the spotlight. What if something happens—"
"—If anything happens, I'll expose your secret first!"
"Just kidding—just kidding—don't hit me!"
A commotion erupted inside the tent. At the same time, in a hidden corner of the camp, a pair of heterochromatic animal eyes stealthily glanced towards the direction of the Gebu Company tent—