Chapter 671 Please Board the Train, Young Mistress Scheer
Scheer had already been expecting the delectable flavor of the steak, but she was extremely confident in the wine brewed by her family’s winery. There was no better in the entire Norland Continent, let alone Chaos City.
The wine that Mag had used to cook his steak during the cooking contest the night before was the cream of the crop even among the wine produced by the Buffet Family winery, and the steak cooked with that wine as marinade was incredibly delicious.
She had thought that Mag would have to settle for some lower quality wine to cook his steak today, thereby compromising its flavor.
However, to her surprise, the flavor of the wine as she bit through this steak was even richer and more exceptional than it had been the night before. The supple texture and alluring fragrance of the wine instantly had her completely entranced.
She wasn’t an avid alcoholic, but she was particularly partial to the wine brewed by her family’s winery, and it had become a daily ritual for her to have half a gla.s.s of that wine every night before bed.
Hence, she was very familiar with what a premium-quality wine should taste like.
As such, she had to admit that the wine used in this steak was even better than the premium red wine that she drank every night.
The texture was smooth and rich, without as much as a single hint of bitterness. Even though the steak obscured most of the wine’s flavor and texture, she could still tell that this was an amazing wine, and that it had made the steak so much more succulent and delicious than it otherwise would’ve been.
After swallowing her first mouthful of steak, Scheer immediately turned to Mag, and asked, “Mr. Mag, where did you purchase this wine?”
She knew that if a batch of red wine of this quality were to appear in the market, business for the Buffett Family winery would take a ma.s.sive hit.
“If I were to tell you that I brewed this wine myself, would you believe me?” Mag asked with a smile.
“If someone else were telling me this, I might not believe them, but if it’s you, Mr. Mag, then I think it’s very much plausible. After all, you’re such an exceptional chef already, yet you still have the spare time to construct a steam engine. For a genius like you, brewing a bit of wine on the side shouldn’t be a difficult task.” Scheer looked at Mag with a smile, and asked, “Mr. Mag, would I be able to taste a gla.s.s of this wine on its own?”
“The wine is indeed great for marinating beef, but it’s still rather too early in the morning for alcohol.” Mag shook his head with a smile as he replied, “Also, this wine was brewed solely for my steak, so I’m not selling it on its own. In terms of quality, it’s naturally still inferior to the wine from the Buffett Family winery.”
“I can tell what the quality is like for myself, Mr. Mag. You really are scrupulous when it comes to separating your private life from your professional career; you reject anyone without any hesitation.” There was a hint of indignation in Scheer’s eyes as she looked at Mag. She had never been rejected by any man on so many occasions before.
“Only by sticking strictly to a set of rules will my restaurant be able to thrive, isn’t that right?” Mag replied with a smile. However, he was also cursing the system internally. He also wanted to sell this wine, but the system prohibited him from doing so. Otherwise, he would become rich just from selling wine.
The system existed to provide its host with incredible resources, but also to set up some hurdles on his way at times. Otherwise, life would become too easy for him.
“What a pity. If you ever changed your mind, I’d be willing to purchase a bottle of wine from you at the same price as the market price for the most premium wine from the Buffett Winery.” Scheer heaved a forlorn sigh, but at the same time, she was feeling quite relieved. The Buffett Winery was the Buffett Family’s largest source of revenue aside from their banks. There were winery branches set up all over the entire continent, and they had no compet.i.tion in the field of high-grade wine. As such, it came as quite a relief to her that Mag wasn’t going to sell his wine on the market.
“If I brew enough wine in the future, I’ll be sure to keep a bottle for you, Young Mistress Scheer.” Mag nodded with a smile. The most premium wine that the Buffett Winery had to offer started at a minimum of 100,000 copper coins per bottle, so she was offering him quite a lofty price.
Scheer picked up her knife and fork again, and continued to dine on her steak.
Soon, she discovered that not only was the wine a more exceptional brew than what had been used the night before, even the Ironhide Bull beef used in this steak was of better texture and flavor as if the beef had been sliced directly off the body of a freshly slaughtered Ironhide Bull.
The delicious flavor dancing on the tip of her tongue completely woke up her lethargic body, and every single cell in her body was completely satisfied. She felt that tasting such a delicious meal in the morning would set the tone for a fantastic day to come.
Scheer looked down at the empty plate in front of her before looking at up Mag with a smile as she said, “This is so delicious that I want another portion.”
Mag looked back at Scheer, and began, “If you’d like another portion—”
“I’ll come back for another portion next time. It’s not good to be gluttonous, particularly when it comes to such a delicious steak.” Scheer shook her head as she dabbed at her lips with her napkin. When she looked up at Mag again, the smile on her face had already faded as she said, “Mr. Mag, I think it’s time we talked about the steam engine now.”
“Please come with me, Young Mistress Scheer; I’d like to show you something.” Mag untied his ap.r.o.n and put it aside before making his way toward the restaurant’s entrance.
Scheer was slightly surprised to see this, but she still rose to her feet and followed Mag out of the restaurant before entering the neighboring room.
“What’s this?” Scheer exclaimed as soon as she entered the room.
Within the large room that was around 100 square meters in area, there was a small set of tracks laid down using long metal bars. In the corner of the room, there was a particularly eye-catching long metal tube-like contraption with small wheels on the bottom.
Its rough lines, black metal exterior, and the chimney protruding from the roof of the first section of the contraption made it appear as if it were a dormant ferocious beast. In the second section of the contraption, there were two seats that were a little small, but would still be enough to seat two adults.
“This is a train. It’s the first completed creation of mine that can put a steam engine to practical use. If these trains can be constructed on a large scale, it can perhaps revolutionize transportation in this world,” Mag introduced with a smile.
The train and the railway tracks had been constructed by Mobai in the past couple of days. Following the a.s.sembly, it looked more like a children’s toy than a revolutionary piece of technology, but it would suffice for demonstration purposes.
In the past, the invention of the steam engine had transformed the entire world, and one of the main purposes that the steam engines served was to power trains. Steam trains completely revolutionized transportation on Earth, and were used for a stretch of several centuries[1] before superior alternatives were eventually discovered.
For a woman with a business sense as sharp as Scheer’s, what Mag was about to demonstrate to her was something that was completely irresistible.
“A train? How can a metal construction like this transport anything without a magic beast to pull it? Would you be able to demonstrate it for me, Mr. Mag?” Scheer had a surprised look in her eyes, but she didn’t lock herself into any premature conclusions.
“Certainly. In fact, you can test it out for yourself. It’s just that the steam engine will take some time to start running.” Mag nodded with a smile before making his way over to the miniature steam train, opening the lid on the boiler, and adding coals into the boiler before setting those coals alight. Steam began to flow toward the cylinders, making the pistons spring into action, and the steam train also began to tremor gently.
Mag climbed into the pa.s.senger seat before turning to Scheer with a smile as he said, “Please board the train, Young Mistress Scheer. You’ll be the first person to ride on a steam train.”
[1] Less than two before diesel engine actually, but rails as such appeared much earlier.