Chapter 36 Carnival 01
As Zhu Yu successfully combined the three alchemical relics of "Golden Cup", "Helles Hourglass" and "Dionysus's Pot" into one, and the publicity effect of the Dionysus Festival continued to ferment, the reputation of the secret beer produced by the Golden Cup Tavern has spread like wildfire.
Not only the small town of Arce, but also several surrounding towns and territories that were severely infected with the plague also sent people to ask for help.
The consuls and lords even paid high prices just to buy a batch of therapeutic beer to stabilize people's hearts and curb the epidemic.
As soon as Zhu Yu returned to the town, he immediately ordered the full-scale brewing mode to be started.
That morning, in the winery, the winemakers had been busy in front of the fire for a long time.
The golden morning light shines through the wooden lattice windows above the wine cellar, illuminating the hot mist rising from the wine vats, creating a hazy halo.
"Sophia, go check on the fermentation of the new batch of beer!" Nora rolled up her sleeves and shouted in the heat, "Don't wait to put the barrels into the barrels and seal them. Get everything ready!"
"Okay!" Sophia put down the wooden spoon in her hand and trotted into the fermentation area.
After a moment, she poked her head out excitedly and shouted, "The fermentation was completed a whole day earlier than expected. It turns out that Herlis's hourglass worked!"
"What are you waiting for?" Nora grinned and waved her hand, "Hurry up and fill the bucket!"
Not far away, several winemakers had already turned on the switch of the Dionysus's pot.
At this time, the body of the pot vibrated slightly, and strands of crystal clear wine dripped from the mouth of the pot into each spare barrel. The speed was so fast that it almost caught up with three times the efficiency of manual labor.
"The wine vats here are ready, wax sealing team, move in!"
"Work faster! The lady said that this batch of wine must be delivered to Tusige City before tomorrow morning!"
The whole winery is in good order, bustling but not chaotic, which is completely different from the small winery hidden in the valley and keeping a low profile.
Nora looked at all this busyness and felt an indescribable excitement in her heart.
Since winning the championship at the Dionysus Festival, Zhu Yu did not forget to use his championship authority to completely whitewash the identities of the core staff of the winery. Some of them successfully moved their identities into the open in the name of "Golden Cup Tavern Distribution Line" or "Dionysus Festival Designated Supply Winery."
She couldn't help laughing at the thought that she no longer had to hide her winemaking skills in fear.
"Everyone, work harder!"
Nora rolled up her sleeves, “As long as we finish distributing this batch of wine, we can start preparing the next batch tomorrow!”
"yes!"
***
Tusger City, the governor's residence.
"Where's the wine? Where's the person?! Why haven't they arrived yet?"
Baron Grande, the governor of Tusger City, paced back and forth in the corridor outside his mansion early in the morning, his face full of anxiety and impatience.
The clerk beside him quickly responded, "Your Excellency the Baron, the Golden Cup Tavern had already shipped the goods yesterday evening. According to the route, it should arrive by this afternoon at the latest."
"Afternoon?" Grande turned around abruptly, his skirt sweeping down a copper lamp that had not been removed yet. "Look at this report! Thirty-seven new cases were reported on West Street overnight, and even the gatekeepers were infected with maculopapular rash! How do you want me to explain this to my superiors?!"
Before he finished speaking, the sound of hurried horse hooves and the rumbling of wooden wheels were heard outside the yard.
"Here we are!" The attendant came running over with a look of joy on his face. "Baron, the wine delivery team from the Golden Cup Tavern has arrived!"
Grande's brows relaxed, and after a moment he hurriedly grabbed his cloak and walked out the door.
Sure enough, a line of deliverymen were seen carrying sealed barrels of beer off the carriage, and their entourage also brought along pharmacy documents and gold seals.
"Quick!" He waved his hand, "Invite those pharmacists as well. If the beer is really as effective as the rumors say... our Tusger City may be able to survive this wave of plague."
After that, he turned around and told the clerk: "Draft a thank you letter for me and send it to Arce Town. Also, bring the purchase contract with the Golden Cup Tavern. I want to place an additional order."
"yes!"
Looking at the barrels of beer with the "Golden Seal of Dionysus" being carried into the storage room, Grande finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as he turned around and prepared to go back, a polite call suddenly came from behind:
"Wait a moment, Baron Grande."
He paused and turned his head slightly, only to see the deliveryman who had led the team just now quickly stepped forward, took out an envelope from his arms with both hands, and held it in front of him.
"This is the letter our young lady specifically asked us to hand over to you."
"Your lady?" Grande's eyes fell on the golden cup embossed on the wax seal of the envelope. "Miss Draka?"
The deliveryman nodded respectfully: "Yes."
The Baron was silent for a moment, then reached out and took the envelope.
As his fingertips slid across the edge of the wax seal, he vaguely felt that this letter might be more than just a greeting.
***
Maruka Village.
Compared with the grimness of the city, this remote village seems even more precarious.
Dozens of people have collapsed in Maruka Village. In a makeshift thatched hut at the entrance of the village, an old woman is wiping the forehead of her granddaughter who is running a fever in her arms.
The village elder, Old John, was anxiously guarding the empty medicine jar. He coughed twice and looked at the dust rising in the distance.
"There's no more water and no more medicine," he murmured.
Suddenly, a cloud of dust rose from the distant path, and a thin figure rushed into the village entrance, shouting hoarsely:
"Here it comes! Here comes the wine! Wine in the golden cup! Ale from Bacchus!"
The crowd was shocked and rushed out of the straw huts inside the house.
The carriage creaked to a stop, and several young deliverymen jumped off the horses and raised their hands to lift the curtain.
"We are from the town of Arce," the leading young man said loudly, "This is an emergency batch specially sent to the village of Maruka. It is the secret beer of the Golden Cup Tavern. One bottle per person. Distribute according to the list."
Several strong men hurried to help unload the wine. The village chief took the first bottle tremblingly, uncorked, and a clear and mellow aroma of wine wafted into his nose.
Without hesitation, he personally fed a few mouthfuls to the patient beside him.
The villagers nearby had already surrounded the place.
"Can this... can this wine really cure the plague?"
"Never mind, just drink it if it means you can stay alive!"
"Yes, it's too late to hesitate - hurry up, open the barrel wider!"
Surrounding the wooden barrel of beer, the villagers were talking to each other, with unconcealable desire in their eyes.
At this moment, the little boy who had run into the village to tip off the village suddenly poked his head out from the crowd and asked timidly:
"Sister... can your wine really cure the plague? Then, where did this disease come from?"
The crowd suddenly became quiet and looked at the young deliveryman standing next to the carriage.
The delivery girl obviously didn't expect that it was a child who asked the question first, but she quickly reacted and gently jumped onto a wooden box beside her. Her slightly immature but clear voice penetrated the crowd:
"We are just responsible for delivering wine. We don't understand the medical principles and policies that the adults talk about, but there are some things I can still tell you."
She glanced at the crowd and lowered her voice:
"This plague... came from the Royal City of Villanova."
When the word "Royal City" was heard, there was a sudden gasp in the village. Several older villagers subconsciously looked at each other with doubt and surprise in their eyes.
The deliveryman bowed slightly and his tone became steady again:
"But you don't have to worry. God of Dionysus bless you. Our lady's beer has been promoted in all the towns with serious infections. We will continue to send more beer in the future. As long as you cooperate with the treatment, you will get better soon."
Beside the carriage, someone whispered "Bacchus, God is above." The crowd gradually resumed their quiet conversations, and the uneasiness seemed to be diluted a little with these soothing words.
As night fell, the village regained a moment of peace.
At this time, a thin young man sneaked into the village chief's house.
He closed the door quietly, looking alert.
"Old John." He lowered his voice, "I need to tell you something... My sister works in the city of Meld in the west. She said that there is a lot of rumors there right now - saying that this plague is not a natural disaster at all, but was deliberately released by someone."
"On purpose?"
"Well, I heard that it was done by someone in the royal family... As for who it was, they don't know. But everyone is guessing that something went wrong within the royal family, which is why this happened... Don't you think this is too cruel? For what? Sacrificing so many people?"
Old John sat in front of the charcoal fire, slowly picking at the branches, and ignored the young man's words.
The young villager continued to mutter to himself:
"The delivery girl must have known all these things, but why didn't she say anything? The villagers have the right to know the truth—"
"Shut up!" Old John suddenly shouted, "We are not those noble lords. We have no right to interfere in the affairs of the royal city. This matter should be handled by people who are capable of taking responsibility."
"For example... Miss Draka who brought us the wine?"
The young man asked back subconsciously.
Old John was silent for a while, but he didn't scold the young man anymore. He just lowered his voice:
"Maybe. Anyway, there are some things...just keep them in your mind and don't say them out loud."
***
In the following weeks, Zhu Yu had hardly a moment to breathe.
On the one hand, there were emergency dispatches for the spread of the epidemic in various places, and on the other hand, the beer production line centered on the Golden Cup Tavern was running at full speed.
She personally coordinated the dispatch and continuously sent secret beer for treating the plague to towns and villages, and established cooperative relationships with more and more local governors, noble families and city chambers of commerce.
After winning first place at the Dionysus Festival, her reputation value increased from 55% to 65%.
During this period, as barrels of secret beer were delivered to the plague-stricken areas, Zhu Yu's reputation grew through word of mouth among the people. Daily system reminders continued to sound, and her reputation value also increased to 88%.
Now most of her skills are unlocked with fame, and the fire dragon has almost returned to its original huge size.
At the same time, another more covert battle was also unfolding simultaneously.
With the help of the wizards of the secret society, Zhu Yu organized the information provided by the alchemist into several "spreadable versions", which were quietly spread in various towns by wizards of different identities: doubts about the spread of the plague, the unusual reaction to the news of the blockade of the royal city, and a series of coincidences before and after the Dionysus Festival... These leading questions are more likely to resonate with and arouse suspicion among the people than empty accusations.
Zhu Yu did not directly reveal the "truth", but she accurately gave the "lead".
As she expected, the crowd would piece together the rest of the story on their own.
"I heard that the first patient came from the Royal City."
"Someone went to ask about the Dionysian Festival and was kicked out of the city on the spot."
"My neighbor's relative lives in Villanova. He said that people there are not allowed to go out at all. They say it is to control the plague. In fact..."
“…”
Soon, the royal family sensed which way the wind was blowing.
The king immediately ordered a news blockade, even prohibiting anyone from publicly mentioning the names of the Dionysus Festival and the Golden Cup Tavern.
But the more it is suppressed, the more speculation it causes.
Finally, less than two months after the end of the Dionysian Festival, a handwritten letter from the royal city was delivered to the Golden Cup Tavern by a messenger.
The messenger came on horseback and delivered the letter without resting his horse. The wax seal was printed with the golden emblem of the kingdom.
Zhu Yu opened the letter, which mentioned that the carnival was approaching, and the royal family had heard that her secret beer was famous, so they invited her to visit Villanova and hoped that she could hold a carnival wine tasting event for the nobles in the royal city.
Can't hold back so soon? Well, it's time to finish this instance.
Zhu Yu smiled lightly, closed the letter, and then instructed the person beside him:
"Go get ready, we're going to Villanova."
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