Chapter 404: A Real n.o.bleman
There were two bottles of red wine in the hands of the person who entered the room. One was a silver-white bottle that was slightly curved in the shape of the moon. The other bottle was golden. The bottle was round in shape. The two bottles of red wine were not only unique in their design, but the clear, translucent, and slightly s.h.i.+ny wine itself also significantly increased one’s appet.i.te.
Just looking at the wine, Casey swallowed his saliva.
“Sun gem? Moon gem? What is that thing? I’ve eaten in the Holy Dragon Tavern many times before, but I’ve never heard of those two things, let alone wine made with those two fruits. They’re not on the menu either.”
Lily repeatedly checked the menu to make sure that she was not mistaken. She thought that Nightingale had simply made up those things. That made her laugh inwardly at Nightingale’s lack of knowledge. She had to make up something to order a dish.
Perhaps she was the one who did not understand, right?
“Miss, you may not know that, but the sun and moon wine are new, so they are not recorded on the menu! As for the sun and moon gems, they are a kind of strange fruit that grows in the Forest of Eternity in the south. It is said that those fruits can only grow on the World Tree, and they need to be irrigated by the Spring of Life. It takes a thousand years for them to bloom and bear fruit, so they are very rare. If you eat those fruits, you can directly become a gold-tier elite, and you can even awaken your light and dark combat aura.”
“Even though the wine doesn’t have such a powerful effect, it can still slightly improve a cultivator’s tier. This wine is priced at 1,000 gold coins per bottle in our tavern. Although it’s very expensive, there are still many people who have tasted it and come to buy it!”
The waiter holding the two bottles of red wine smiled and turned his eyes to Nightingale. “Since that young lady can name the sun Gem and the moon Gem, it seems like she is a person who often tastes those fruits. With such knowledge, these two bottles of red wine are free for everyone to taste.”
Really?
Everyone was relieved to hear the waiter’s words, especially Lily. Her heart ached when she heard that the two bottles of wine cost 2,000 gold coins. Aside from the effect of the two bottles of wine, the quant.i.ty was not much. She and Charlotte could finish those two bottles easily. If everyone were allowed to eat to their heart’s content, perhaps at least one bottle of wine per person, she would need to fork out tens of thousands of gold coins.
She did not feel bad spending tens of thousands of gold coins to buy weapons and armor. However, she thought that it was too much for a meal. However, the waiter had said that the two bottles of red wine were free, so she was happy about that.
“Are those two bottles of wine really as magical as the legends say? They can increase a person’s strength?”
Casey had a doubtful look on his face. His strength had been different from when he was in the floating city. He had already reached the silver tier. Although he was still trash compared to the other geniuses, his strength was much better than when he was barely at the iron tier.
He had been able to increase his strength to such a level in a short month because he had consumed many potions that could increase a person’s level. Furthermore, he had also done a lot of training with the potions. Other than the potions, he had also used some magical tools. However, He still barely met the minimum requirement to pa.s.s the Royal Academy’s a.s.sessment.
It was the same for Lana. She had not trained much, and she was only a silver-tier mage. That was all the result of consuming a large number of magical potions before the test. There were not many potions in the kingdom that could raise one’s strength permanently. If there were, the price would be very precious. However, it was not difficult to find a potion that could significantly raise one’s strength for a short period.
Those potions would usually have some side effects, but Lana and Casey did not care about that. They only wanted to enter the Royal Academy. Even though the Royal Academy forbade any n.o.bleman from pa.s.sing the examination by bribery, there were policies and countermeasures. If the children of n.o.ble families wanted to enter the academy but were not capable enough, they would purchase a large number of potions to increase their strength forcefully.
Compared to the convenience of graduating from the Royal Academy, spending some gold coins to purchase potions was not a loss at all.
“The potions that can increase one’s strength are bitter and unpleasant to drink. This kind of wine is so mysterious. Perhaps it had some potions mixed in it?” Casey pointed at the two bottles of wine in front of him. He knew about potions that could increase one’s strength. Those potions were made purely from medicines without adding anything to their effects, so they were very unpleasant to drink.
As for the sun Gem and moon Gem that the waiter mentioned, he had heard of them. They were Supreme Treasures from the Elven kingdom. Those fruits were very valuable in the Elven kingdom. Even the Elven royal family were hesitant to use them, let alone transport them to the Holy Dragon Kingdom, far in the continent’s center, and even let them get made into wine. How extravagant was that?
The wine must have been mixed with a potion that could increase one’s strength and then sold under the name of the sun and the moon Gems. The possibility of that was higher. As for whether those two kinds of wine were mixed with potions, after drinking a large number of potions that month, he only needed to taste one mouthful to be able to taste it.
“Young Master, if you don’t believe me, you can taste that wine first.”
The waiter was not worried about Casey’s doubts. It seemed that he had seen similar cases often. He poured a gla.s.s of wine and handed it to Casey. That was the sun wine, which gave people a warm illusion with its thin layer of white mist that had risen to the surface of the wine. It seemed to be steam left by the wine’s high temperature. An even stronger fragrance spread through the wine gla.s.s.
Casey swallowed his saliva again as he stared at the wine gla.s.s. He picked up the wine gla.s.s and drank it in one gulp. “I won’t stand on ceremony then.”
Gulp.
After drinking the gla.s.s of wine, Casey’s eyes widened. He felt a milk-like texture slid down his throat. It was hard to imagine that the wine could have such a texture. Other than that, his throat was warm. The warm current flowed down his throat into his limbs and bones. The rich wine fragrance rushed straight to the top of his head, numbing every nerve in his body.
He could feel that the wine had not been heated. The heat he felt was the heat of the alcohol itself and the heat of the sun. After drinking that gla.s.s of wine, Casey felt as if a ray of light had appeared in his body. That ray of light illuminated his body and made his combat aura, which had appeared after he took some potions, become much thicker. At the same time, a layer of light-elemental combat aura’s unique radiance appeared in his combat aura.
“How is it, Casey? Is that wine really as magical as the waiter said? You’re not talking; is it that bad? So bad that you can’t speak?” Charlotte asked with concern.
Casey took a deep breath and leaned back on the chair. His voice trembled as he shook his head. “No, that wine is not terrible. It’s just too delicious! I can confirm that there is not any medicine mixed in to increase one’s strength. There’s also no smell of herbs. Instead, it’s filled with a fruity and sunny taste. The Sun Wine is indeed worthy of its reputation. I don’t know if it’s made from sun gems, but just like what the waiter said, after drinking a cup, the combat aura in my body became stronger. It’s very obvious.”
“Are you serious? I’ll try it too.” Lily gestured for the waiter to pour a gla.s.s of sun wine for her. She downed it in one gulp. As a fire-elemental cultivator, she was very resistant to hot wine. However, after drinking that, her entire face turned red, and she collapsed on the chair. Her breathing became rapid. “It’s true. This wine can really raise one’s strength.”
“Pour me a gla.s.s too.”
“I’ll try the Moon Wine.”
Seeing that Casey and Lily were in such a state, Lana and Charlotte could not hold it in any longer. They each drank a gla.s.s of Moon wine. It felt different from the usual wine. The Moon wine had an ice-cold effect. It was refres.h.i.+ng to drink it. The two women’s pores opened up, and they moaned comfortably, especially Lana. She had been suffering from sunlight sickness and was afraid of sunlight. She had to use an umbrella even when she was in the house.
However, there was a layer of milky white light on her almost transparent skin. She subconsciously moved the umbrella to the side and exposed her face to the light. She did not feel uncomfortable at all.
“It’s a really good wine. That is the first time I’ve heard of such a wine in the world. ”
“Let’s not to mention the effect of the wine; just the taste alone is enough to make people unable to stop.”
After tasting the wine, Casey and the others simply could not stop. They drank one gla.s.s after another until their sights blurred. Soon, the two bottles of wine were emptied. They licked their lips, still not satisfied. During that process, Watson and Nightingale also had a gla.s.s each.
Watson took a sip and nodded in satisfaction. The concentration of that wine was about one percent of the typical sun and moon gem fruit juice, but it was mixed with other spices, so the taste was delicious. After Nightingale drank it, she clicked her tongue. She was a little dissatisfied. “What kind of wine is this? It’s too bland. Its effect is far from the real sun and moon gems, but it still tastes good.”
Nightingale’s words caught the attention of Charlotte and the others. It seemed that Nightingale had eaten sun and moon gems, but they did not know whether it was true or not. Judging from what the waiter had said, the sun and moon gems were very precious, so Nightingale could be lying. After all, as the descendants of the famous archdukes in the royal city, they had never tasted them. Nightingale came from the border and was only a maid. How could she have the qualifications to taste such a fruit?
“Miss, you are competent! I can’t believe that you know about the sun and moon gems and have tasted them personally. Yes, the liquor in our pub is prepared according to the ratio of one percent of those two fruits.”
Then, another man dressed in impressive clothes walked into the room. That man had a handlebar mustache that would tremble when he spoke.
Everyone, including Watson, was stunned.
“Count Gray.”
Charlot was the first to react and bowed to the man in front of him.
Everyone knew Count Gray, though he did not look much like a count. Perhaps that was why the King wrote a plaque in the Holy Dragon Tavern. Count Gray was a person of low status but with great power. Many of the great n.o.blemen in the kingdom had to be respectful when they saw him, let alone Charlotte and the others.
Then, everyone else, including Watson, stood up and bowed to the older man. Compared to the others, Watson was more likely to put on an act. At the same time, he looked in the direction of Count Gray and made eye contact with him.
He did not know why Count Gray was there at that time. Perhaps he wanted to report something to him.
Sensing his gaze, Count Gray waved his hand at the crowd, indicating that they did not need to be courteous with him. Then, he said, “I see the children of the three grand dukes had gathered here, and even the Sword Saint’s and Master Antonio’s disciple, Young Master Watson, is here! I have always admired Master Antonio and the Sword Saint. The former has been the greatest mage in the kingdom since its foundation, guarding the kingdom, while the latter has used his powerful force to coerce other countries around him not to invade us. As the disciple of those two important figures, Young Master Watson must be a person worthy of respect…”
Count Gray rambled on and on, leaving Watson completely confused. It seemed that Count Gray was not there to report to him. Then what did he want?
“Young Master Watson is a respectable person, and even his maid is so knowledgeable. So, I have decided that all your expenses today will be waived. In addition, I want to give everyone a real sun gem and a moon gem each.”
Count Gray clapped his hands, and a row of maids walked into the room. The maids were holding a tray covered with a red cloth. When they removed the red fabric, two types of fruits were revealed. The fruits emitted a weak light, and each breath was like a beating heart.
The moment the fruits appeared, a fragrance that was a hundred times stronger than the wine instantly filled the entire room. At that time, Casey, Charlotte, and Lily, immediately gulped.
‘It’s the real sun gem and moon gem. Aren’t those fruits very precious? Why are there so many of them here? Is it because of Watson?’
Casey subconsciously looked at Watson.
A sun gem could produce a hundred bottles of sun wine, and a bottle of sun wine could be sold for 1,000 gold coins. In other words, a sun gem could be sold for 100,000 gold coins, and each plate had two kinds of fruits, the sun and the moon. Based on the number of people they had, each of them could get two fruits, and so, the plate held 200,000 gold coins.
“Is that really something we can eat?”
Charlotte, Lily, and even Lana looked troubled because the fruit in front of them was too good and precious, and they did not dare to eat it. They knew that they were not qualified to meet Count Gray, but he even gave them those precious fruits. The only one who could make that happen was Watson.
Count Gray had said that he respected Antonio and Reid, and he also respected Watson. However, was pure respect worth Count Gray putting so much effort into Watson? He felt that something was not right.
While everyone was thinking, Count Gray bowed to Watson. “Young Master Watson, I wonder if my current service is to your and your friends’ satisfaction? If you are not satisfied, I can bring more sun and moon fruits and let those people take some home.”
“Stop. Put those sun and moon gems here. You should leave quickly.”
Watson waved his hand. What was Count Gray trying to do? Aside from Nightingale, none of those people were his friends. Secondly, although the fruits that Count Gray gave out were only wild fruits on Mount Creation, they could be sold for a high price of 100,000 gold coins. The fruits on those trays would cost them a few million gold coins. Watson felt sorry for the loss, not to mention that Count Gray had to give out more things.
“Of course, Young Master Watson. We’ll leave now. Please call us if you need anything later.”
Count Gray bowed to Watson, turned around, and left the room with a group of maids and waiters, closing the door with concern.
After leaving the room, Count Gray sighed in frustration. “It seems like the Black Emperor is not satisfied. After knowing that he and his friends came to the Holy Dragon Tavern for dinner, I rushed here as fast as I could and used the best service I thought to please him so that he would have dignity in front of his friends! Were those sun and moon gems of low quality, so he felt embarra.s.sed?”
According to Klein’s suggestion, everyone only has ten minutes to meet the Black Emperor. Whether or not the Black Emperor was satisfied with them was entirely up to them. ‘I’ve run out of time, so I’ll have to see how the other higher-ups handle it.’
After muttering a few words, Count Gray turned around and left, preparing to tell the others about Watson’s reaction when he entered the room. Although he did not want the others to curry favor with Watson, he wanted to make Watson happy.
After Count Gray left, everyone in the room gulped.
“Watson, can we enjoy those sun and moon fruits?” Lily’s face was almost touching the sun fruits in front of her. She resisted the temptation to ask. Those fruits were given by Count Gray for Watson’s sake. It was not in line with a n.o.bleman’s etiquette to enjoy the fruits without asking Watson. However, the two fruits in front of her were too fragrant. She could not resist the temptation.
“You can eat them if you want.” Watson sighed.
Whoos.h.!.+
Lily, who had been waiting for that sentence, immediately picked up the sun fruit and put it into her mouth. She was too quick with her actions. After eating the whole fruit, Lily’s mouth instantly bloated. The juice slid down her pink lips. She did not even have time to wipe it before she revealed an intoxicated look.
“It’s hard to imagine that there is such a delicious fruit in the world. It is as expected of the fruit on the World Tree that only ripens after thousands of years. To be able to eat such a fruit feels like my life is worth it.”
“That’s an exaggeration. The color of that sun gem looks very ordinary. It should not be fully ripe yet.” Nightingale picked up a sun gem, took a bite, and put it down.
That scene made the others, who had already stuffed the sun gem into their mouths, look amazed. They thought Nightingale was bluffing when she said she had eaten the sun gem. Then, they understood that Nightingale was probably telling the truth. It was their first time eating such fruit, and they almost swallowed their tongues. Nightingale could have pretended to be so calm.
She was only a little maid at the border, but she had eaten the sun fruit. It was hard to imagine what Watson usually ate. Perhaps it was the Phoenix eggs and platinum-tier magical beast meat that Nightingale had mentioned in the beginning. They had looked down on Watson’s background since he was from the border, but they learned that they were wrong.
Watson had enjoyed such good food, but he acted like he did not know how to order some food. He was too modest. Was he even a n.o.bleman?
Perhaps a real n.o.bleman who had the strength to keep a low profile.