NoveLight ™
Chapter 30: A Gift for Bayerlein
I decided to label Horse King sake as the "Divine Sake of the God Deuro." This should spread Deuro’s name among sake enthusiasts, who would then introduce it to their families. Eventually, my plan is to offer limited edition sake exclusively for those who honor and worship Deuro. For now, though, building recognition is the top priority, so exclusive sales will come later.
I designed labels to differentiate the sake grades: black with silver lettering for premium, red with black lettering for first-grade, and white with black lettering for second-grade. These labels are produced with movable type for easy mass printing.
Additionally, I’m using special sealing paper I created with Transformation. When mana flows through this paper, the words "God Deuro" appear. However, this effect only works once; once broken, it cannot be activated again. Since printing can’t replicate this magic, I must produce these seals myself.
Magic stones can occasionally be obtained from monsters on the third level and beyond in the Ashud Dungeon. Ten grams is a small amount, so they’re easy to acquire.
The sealing paper resembles the strips used for Tanabata wishes. It’s waterproof and adheres firmly, so it won’t come off accidentally.
As the year’s end approached, Father prepared to present Horse King as a gift to Duke Bayerlein.
Meanwhile, I decided to try making a new kind of sake. It’s a distilled spirit—not exactly innovative, but new to our lineup.
“Is this good, young master?”
“Yes, it looks perfect. Thank you, Mr. Bowman.”
Ben’s father, Bowman, our blacksmith, crafted a distiller for me. After several modifications, it was finally complete.
Bowman helped me bring it into the brewery, and we fired it up immediately. Pouring in second-grade sake, we distilled it, producing a high-concentration spirit. After three rounds of distillation, the alcohol content exceeded 80%. That’s much higher than even the premium Horse King, though it’s not particularly tasty yet—it needs aging to reach its full potential.
I set aside ten barrels of this distilled sake in my private storage, where I also kept batches of Horse King from my second brew onward, all aging nicely. Hopefully, they’ll be even more flavorful in a few years.
My next task involved glass bottles.
The gravel from the river running through the village would be my raw material.
Glass products are rare in this country, used only in high-ranking nobles' mansions and the royal capital’s palace (or so I hear). Wine and other spirits are generally sold in wooden barrels. For a special Horse King edition, I decided to make a statement with glass.
"Not bad for a first try," I murmured, examining my work.
Using Information Viewing on the bottle, I uncovered the process for glass production, which I noted in my journal. Though I’d like to mass-produce these bottles eventually, now might not be the right time.
For this gift, I poured some aged premium Horse King into the green glass bottle and sealed it with the special sealing paper. This premium Horse King was from my second batch, aged for a while, and had a richer flavor than usual.
“Father,” I called as I entered his study.
“Toma! What brings you here?” he asked with a smile, motioning me inside.
“I have something for Duke Bayerlein.”
I handed him the green glass bottle.
“This is…?”
Father’s eyes widened at the bottle, something he’d never seen before.
“Is this glass?”
“Yes. It’s a glass bottle. A special gift from the god Deuro,” I replied.
Since I created it using the Transformation skill Deuro bestowed upon me, I wasn’t technically lying.
“Is it really alright to give something so rare?”
“The contents are Horse King brewed in early summer and aged slightly. It should have a deeper flavor than standard premium sake.”
“That’s quite a rare drink...”
“Since we’re asking for Duke Bayerlein’s support, it’s important to make a good impression with a unique gift.”
“Duke Bayerlein is known for his loyalty to those he trusts. Though I doubt such a gift is necessary, I’ll use it wisely, Toma.”
When the new year arrived, Father set off to pay his respects to Duke Bayerlein. Interestingly, though Bayerlein’s Axel Territory is closer to us than Lightstar’s Bald Territory, travel time is almost the same due to the river crossing involved.
As for me, I turned eight.
Status Screen:
Name: Toma Roxfall
Species: Demigod (Human-God hybrid)
Information: Male, Age 8, Healthy
Title: Apostle of the God of Creation, Deuro
Rank: G
Attribute: Divine
Blessing: God of Transformation (Unawakened)
Level: 101
Skill: Transformation, Level 3
Life: 2,863 (5,727)
Stamina: 2,930 (5,860)
Mana: 3,080 (6,160)
Each stat is currently at half its standard value, which should stabilize by age ten. After that, these diminishing effects will vanish.