Chapter 279 Wooden Bottle, Pottery Bottle and Jade Bottle

This chapter is an extra update rewarded for "Wu Ma Wei Yang."

　————

　Levis not only sent his private tutor, Frank, but also personally arrived in *Flower Town*: "Lister, has the technique for the improved *Flower Brew* been successful?"

　"Of course, feel free to try it yourself."

　"I wouldn't miss this for the world."

　Three grades of *Flower Brew* that were ready for market had already been delivered to the castle in large quantities, so Levis was able to taste the *Flower Brew* right in the castle.

　He started with the third tier, the lowest grade of *Flower Brew*. As soon as the liquor touched his lips, his eyes lit up: "It's excellent, pure with no off-flavors—this will sell well!"

　Then he tried the second tier: "The taste is even better, though the alcohol content feels a bit light."

　Finally, he tasted the top-grade *Flower Brew*, and after savoring it for a full three minutes, he exclaimed excitedly: "What an exceptional wine! Lister, we're going to strike it rich. *Flower Brew* is every bit as good as juniper wine. These are two different types of liquor, but *Flower Brew* is particularly well-suited for noble banquets!"

　His evaluation was quite similar to Gort's, both seeing the vast market potential behind *Flower Brew*.

　"So now, we need to discuss how to expand production and bring it to market," Lister said. He didn't like drinking, but he was fully aware of how hot the liquor market was.

　Alcohol might not be a miracle cure, but while it’s effective, it can numb the senses, alleviate all pain and pressure, allowing people to escape the various difficulties and frustrations of reality, and indulge in that momentary haziness and tranquility, as if the soul had been sublimated.

　Levis lifted his teacup, trying to appear less anxious.

　But his anxious eyes gave away his thoughts: "Leave the sales to me. *Coral Island* will definitely be a monopoly for *Flower Brew*, and *Red Crab Island* will be too. I can also sell it on *Golden Island*... But how do you plan to arrange the production of *Flower Brew*?"

　"Expand the size of the brewery, recruit more brewmasters and apprentices. We don't have enough manpower in *Flower Town*, brother, you need to support me by sending a batch of your brewmasters."

　"I'll give you ten brewmasters for free!" Levis waved his hand generously, "But they don't know how to brew liquor; you'll have to teach them the technique."

　Lister laid out his concerns first: "I'll only teach them if you also send their families over."

　Levis glared at him: "You don't trust me... Fine, I'll send their families over too!"

　"And don't forget the materials as well. The materials for brewing liquor have a wide range—grains, fruits, yams, sweet potatoes—all can be used to make liquor. But *Flower Brew* mainly uses millet, and I won't change the main ingredient in the short term. We can research other grain brewing techniques later."

　"The millet grown in *Tulip Castle* isn’t much, but we don’t consume much, so we’ll send it all to you!"

　"The millet from *Tulip Castle* alone won't be enough. You'd better plant another batch this year and purchase more from other places."

　As the saying goes, wine relies on grain.

　The alcohol yield from grain ranges from 25% to 45%, so one jin of grain can't even produce half a jin of liquor. In ancient times, when food was scarce, the government would ban private liquor production to prevent food waste and exacerbate famine.

　Because millet wasn't a staple food on *Coral Island*, Lister chose to brew with millet—perhaps he had become a noble, siding with the ruling class, but deep down, he still had a sense of benevolence. He didn't want to take away the limited rations of the island’s serfs just for his liquor business.

　However, no matter how much he considered, some of the serfs’ food would still be used for brewing.

　He could only remind his brother as much as possible: "Brother, brewing will waste a large amount of food. I hope we can buy millet from other islands as much as possible, or provide tax subsidies to serfs who grow millet."

　Levis looked unconcerned: "Don't concern yourself with such minor matters. The officials will manage the serfs appropriately. I'll ensure a steady supply of millet for your brewing, so *Flower Brew* production isn’t delayed."

　Seeing this, Lister could only sigh inwardly.

　Then, shaking off these compassionate thoughts, he said: "I also need a batch of iron, at least 10,000 jin, for making brewing equipment."

　"Didn’t you just get 13,000 jin of iron from *Tulip Castle*?"

"Those were purchased myself, and according to the agreement, you are supposed to provide the raw materials for the brewery."

"A bit less, I can't procure so much iron; I'll have to extract it from the warehouse at Tulip Castle. If I do that, the profits from the white liquor will definitely be shared with others," said Levis with a frown.

"Brother, it’s fair to share the profits. Although the floral wine deal is between the two of us, if we leave out others, Father might not say anything on the surface, but he'll harbor resentment in his heart," said Liszt.

"That’s just cold comfort!" Levis was very unhappy. "I provide the raw materials and handle the sales, and I only claim 60% of the profits. You only provide the skills, and even the brewmasters were sent by me, yet you still take 40% of the profits. Now, I even have to take care of the others at Tulip Castle. Isn’t that a bit too harsh?"

"Without my skills, brother, you wouldn't even be able to start the white liquor business. Think about it—once the floral wine is launched, how many gold coins in profits could it bring in each year? How many magic potions could it add for you? Maybe within a year, you'll become a Sky Knight."

Levis was 24 years old, turning 25 the next year.

If he could indeed become a Sky Knight at 25, it would at least show that his talent matches the Earl’s.

This struck a nerve with Levis. He scratched his hair, gritted his teeth, and nodded, "Fine, I’ll supply the 13,000 pounds of iron, but the floral wine must be mass-produced as soon as possible!"

"Of course, the technique is fully developed; we’re just waiting for the materials," Liszt said. After finishing the list of materials needed for the brewing process, he suddenly thought of the packaging issue. "How do you plan to sell the floral wine?"

"We’ll sell it the same way we sell juniper wine. The white liquor market on Coral Island will only have the floral wine from now on; I’ll discuss it with my cousin regarding Red Crab Island, and it’ll be easy to gain control over it; and on Golden Island, it can be handed over to Gloria for sales. She should be able to handle both Golden Island and Newland Island."

Liszt became interested, "Is Gloria going to become my sister-in-law?"

Levis grinned, his eyes sparkling, "You think that during the Expansion Decree period, I was only focused on fighting, my dear brother? There’s still a lot for you to learn... Marquis Roderick has already approved of my union with Gloria. I’ll go to Golden Island in March to finalize everything."

It seemed this matter was already settled.

Liszt gave a thumbs up and returned to the main topic, "The floral wine has three grades; how do you plan to package them?"

"Why bother with packaging? Like the juniper wine, I’ll have the pottery workshop fire a batch of pottery jars to use as wine bottles," Levis replied directly.

"That’s not appropriate. The floral wine should stand out from the juniper wine so that the nobles can tell at a glance," Liszt rejected Levis's idea and said, "The ten-year floral wine should be packaged in wooden bottles with a carved yellow tulip, priced between five to fifteen silver coins, targeting the lower nobility market; the fifty-year floral wine should be packaged in pottery bottles with a carved red tulip, priced between fifty to eighty silver coins, targeting the middle nobility market; the hundred-year floral wine should be packaged in jade bottles with a carved black tulip, priced as high as possible, limited in quantity, and aimed at the high nobility market."

"Where did you get the ten and hundred-year aged brews?" Levis asked in surprise.

"Don’t worry, we’ll be able to brew them shortly..."