Chapter 165 Preparing To Open The Merchant Guild Ii
As one of the main products of the merchant guild, the day has finally come to create cider using Elma liquor. Sara plans to have Mike make the first 100 bottles, but she'll have Fran's mother, Tonia, observe the manufacturing process. Rather, she wants to create it using the Elma liquor she made, so she'll have her release a part of the brewery for cider production.
This time, she doesn't intend to make Tonia sign a confidentiality agreement. She has told her she can teach the manufacturing method to anyone she likes at any time. Rather, she wants to experiment and try making delicious cider together with her. However, it's also a big gamble to see Mike's abilities.
When she arrived at Harlan Farm, Fran and her mother came to greet her.
"Fran, I feel like I'm always troubling you."
"Miss Sara, please don't mind such things. I should be the one to thank you."
The woman standing next to Fran is Tonia. Sara has received her liquor many times, but this is the first time she has met her in person.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sara Grandchester."
"I'm Tonia Harlan, Fran's mother. I've heard so much about you that it doesn't feel like we're meeting for the first time."
"Actually, I feel the same way."
The two women smiled at each other, familiar and carefree, like old friends. When one think about it, their circumstances are quite similar. Both are daughters of viscounts, not noblewomen, but not ordinary commoners either. And most importantly, both are women who strive to stand on their own 2 feet using their own power.
"This farm is amazing. Of course, the Elma liquor is amazing too, but unfortunately, I still can't try it. Ah, but the juice was really delicious!"
"That's unfortunate. So, when Miss Sara comes of age, we'll have to prepare the finest Elma liquor and Elmabrandy for her. We should start preparing it now and let it mature."
"I still have 8 years until I come of age, so it's still a bit early for Elma brandy."
"When Miss Sara gets married, the Elma brandy will have matured even more, I suppose."
The wine cellar at Harlan Farm was even larger than Sara had expected. Three large buildings made of brick stood side by side, emitting a unique, sweet aroma.
Upon entering the building at the farthest end, Sara saw a spacious area with neatly arranged barrels, and a rack called a "pupitre" for inserting bottles upside down, specifically for remuage (riddling). This setup was supposed to be kept secret, so Sara had made it using her wood-attribute magic and had Fran bring it in.
Since Elma liquor matures and tastes differently depending on the barrel, it's usually blended to perfection, but Sara can't even try it, so she can't create a suitable blend. It looks like she'll have to rely on Tonia to do her best from now on.
Sara used magic to sterilize the bottles, then filled them with Elma liquor, and added a mixture of yeast and sucrose before sealing them. She was very worried about how to handle the yeast, but for now, she decided to use the same yeast as the Elma liquor.
Of course, Sara only gave instructions, while Fran, Tonia, and Daniel, who was with them as a guard, did the actual work. For some reason, Daniel was extremely skilled at sealing the bottles.
They were finally entering the second fermentation and maturation process inside the bottles.
"First, we'll place the bottles horizontally and let them ferment and mature quietly."
"Are we going to ferment the Elma liquor further?"
"That's right. We need at least a year and a half for the maturation period. Ideally, it would be 3 years. This time, I'll use the power of the fairies to speed up the maturation process to around 3 years."
Sara wanted to explain it like a cooking show from her past life, "Here's the fermented product!" but since she was giving instructions to Mike, her magical power was being drained, and her shoulders were getting heavier and heavier.
After managing to complete the fermentation and maturation of 100 bottles, they finally moved on to the Rummaging process.
"From now on, it's a very troublesome process, but please rotate the bottles slightly every day while keeping them upside down. This rack is called a pupitre, and it's designed to change the angle of the bottles. As a result, sediment will accumulate at the mouth of the bottles. It's just right to rotate them once every 8 days, so it's a good idea to mark the bottles. We won't know how much sediment we can remove until we try, so let's give it a shot."
Sara borrowed Mike's power and began to Rummage the 100 bottles one by one.
"This is one day's worth of work. Let's get Mike to do 6 weeks' worth, okay? Mike, you're on."
"Ro~ger that."
Mike looked a bit tired, but he was working diligently, knowing he had drunk a lot of Elma brandy. Maybe he just wanted to drink the simple cider that was already done.
The continuation of Remuage was being handled by Fran, Tonia, and Daniel, but since Mike was absorbing her magical powers, Sara's energy was dwindling even further. By the time Remuage ended, Sara's face was pale green.
"Is Miss Sara okay? Your face looks terrible."
Tonia was worried and made Sara sit down in a nearby chair. Daniel looked concerned too.
"I'm fine. The magic of the fairies uses my magical powers, so if Mike speeds up time, my magic will be consumed."
"Is that magical exhaustion, then?"
Daniel asked while checking Sara's physical condition.
"Not yet, but I need to rest. That's more important. How about the liquid in the bottle? Has it become transparent?"
"Yes, it's become completely clear, like you can see right through to the other side."
Fran reported while looking at the bottle.
"Then let's extract the sediment. Hmm, what should we do?"
"What's wrong?"
"I mean, if we freeze the bottle's mouth, it's easier to extract the sediment, but it's difficult without magic."
"Is it no good if we just remove the stopper?"
"It's not that it's no good, but we need a technique where we keep the bottle upside down and quickly press the mouth of the bottle when the sediment comes out."
"I see. That's a bit tricky. I'll freeze it then."
"Huh?"
"I'm a water-attribute magic user, by the way. In the summer, I can create cold water, so it's really convenient."
Tonia replied with a cool expression. Fran wasn't surprised at all.
"So, I guess that means Mr. Fran also has magic?"
"Yes. I have fire-attribute magic. Maybe it's because of my blacksmith family background, but it's pretty common on my father's side. My magical power isn't that strong, though."
'It just goes to show that magic isn't limited to nobles. Since they use it in daily life, even if their magical power is weak, they might be better at using it than nobles. I wonder if the royal family and nobles know that...'
"If that's the case, I'll explain how to do it."
"Please do."
"There's more air inside this bottle than you think, so when you open the cap, the sediment will fly out. So, for safety reasons, it's best to do this in a dedicated area where no one is around."
Since people may be injured by a plug that pops out vigorously, this is also a process that requires care.
"And when you pour out the sediment, the cider will also spill out, reducing the amount inside the bottle. That's why you need to add the lost amount of Elma liquor before closing the cap. However, the amount of sediment that's poured out isn't the same for every bottle. So, after pouring out the sediment from all the bottles, make sure to equalize the amount inside, and then add the Elma liquor and close the cap. Of course, during this process, the air inside the other bottles will also escape, so you need to temporarily close them."
Then Sara thought for a moment.
"Actually, it's better to do this work in a cold room, so I was thinking of using my magic to cool down the area around the bottles. Can you do it, Ms. Tonia?"
"I don't think I have that much magical power. I'm just barely managing to hold on."
"I understand. Then I'll cool it down for now."
And the 3 of them quickly pulled out the sediment from the bottle, evenly measured the amount, and added Elma liquor before capping it. Sara used her wind magic to cool the area around the bottle, but since she wasn't using much of her magical power, she was finally able to rest a bit.
"Everyone, you must be tired. I won't be able to try it out, so would you all like to try it instead? It's really good when it's chilled."
Sara used her magic to chill a single cider and handed it to Fran. Fran took out 3 glasses for tasting and handed them out to everyone except Sara. Tonia carefully poured Elma juice into the same glasses and prepared them for Sara.
"Then let's have a toast to our first cider!"
And at the moment she said that, Mike suddenly transformed into a humanoid figure with a loud "boing" sound.
"I want to drink too! It's unfair if I'm the only one who can't drink after all this effort!"
"Ah, sorry about that. I'll pour a glass for Mike too."
Fran hurriedly added a glass and poured in the cider.
"Let's take a deep breath and drink up!"
The 4 of them clinked their glasses together and took a sip. And in the next instant, they all started coughing loudly.
"What's going on? Is something wrong? Does it taste bad?"
Sara looked worried.
"No, it's just that it's really surprising. This fizzy feeling is even stronger than ale."
"People usually get surprised when they drink it without knowing, don't they?"
Tonia and Fran gazed at the bubbles rising up in their glasses.
"But it's really, really delicious!"
Mike was beaming with joy.
"This is an addictive deliciousness."
Daniel also seemed to like it.
"I want to sell this as a merchant guild product, just like Elma brandy. Do you think it'll sell, Ms. Tonia?"
Tonia thought for a moment.
"I think it'll sell. But it won't be cheap. It takes too much effort."
"I don't plan to sell it at a low price, like Elma brandy."
"I see, for now, let's keep the production method a secret. We'll need time to refine the brewing and blending process to create a truly delicious cider."
Tonia smiled slyly at Sara. Despite being a lady, she somehow gave off a masculine vibe.
"I understand. Take your time to think about it. We're not in a rush, anyway. We can do the sedimentation process in the winter. We just need to make it in time for the hunting tournament, so this time is special."
However, no one at this point could have predicted that this cider would become a huge hit at the hunting tournament, and Mike and the humans would be screaming while increasing production.
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