Chapter 55: Food, Negotiation, and the Fox Using the Tiger's Power to Bully Others (Part 2)
"...The king's men?"
"...Whether it's true or not, we can't afford to offend... They're the Kingdom Knights!"
"It's just an honorary membership, so I'll just give it to her... I really like her cooking, it's so much better than Jasmine's saltwater shrimp!"
"Can you let her stay here for a few more days and teach Jasmine how to cook?"
"...Honestly, I'm quite interested in all the collaborations she proposed, from snacks to new seasonings... I heard from Lorisa that she even proposed pineapple beer! That's a new flavor!"
"She's powerful, can bring us benefits, and has a strong backing... Her qualifications surpass those of most of our honorary members... We can handle it no matter who she is."
"Okay...it's settled then."
Footsteps approached from afar. The three of them quickly stood up, pretending to chat casually. The door swung open, and Mana emerged with a beaming smile. "Congratulations! Congratulations! Lich, you're our newest honorary member!"
"Please come in, the food is getting cold. Let's continue eating and talking!"
—-Well, when you're out in the world, your status is something you give yourself. With the supposed royal backing, the witches' attitudes have become much better!
Of course, Jiangyou would not blame them. After all, the value of a chef is not the same as that of a lich who has royal support, unknown origins, and knows some new technologies.
Regardless of the world or era, women's lives are difficult. The strong consider the ability to understand current events a necessary survival skill, so there's no reason to impose excessive moral constraints on the weak.
The meal was a complete joy for both host and guest. The witches praised Takumi's dishes with overflowing joy, and the whole house was filled with the sweet aroma of soul fire. Although Takumi couldn't eat normal food, the mere smell of that sweet soul fire brought him peace of mind and body.
After both parties found the right positions, the negotiations became extremely smooth.
As a man who got something for nothing, Jiang You took advantage of the influence of a vice-captain of the Knights and negotiated a deal with the witches on the distribution of fruit beer without spending a penny.
As the saying goes, even good wine needs a well-maintained reputation. No matter how good the product is, it needs to be known to customers! Jiangyou spent a few days in the workshop. She knew better than anyone how deserted the brewery was these days.
To build a reputation, not only does a grand opening need to be held, but also a compelling product that will draw customers in! Ever since Jiangyou learned about the honorary member issue, he'd already figured out what product to bring to his brewery: the Witch Forest Commune's renowned delicious beer!
The beer stock doesn't need to be excessive; simply selling a limited quantity each day can attract a steady stream of customers. Customers who can't buy the limited-edition product will naturally buy Jiangyou's own product to avoid running out of stock.
Of course, to attract customers with limited-edition products, delicious beer alone is not enough. Without some unique features, customers will still go to the pubs they are familiar with to drink.
This is where fruit beer comes in.
There are two types of fruit beer: one is brewed with fruit added during the fermentation process; the other is a cocktail-like drink made by adding fruit juice to regular brewed beer before bottling or drinking.
Both methods are very common and have their own advantages.
The former adds fruit for fermentation during brewing. The sugar in the juice is decomposed during fermentation, which will reduce the sugar content and form a more stable, mellow, complex and harmonious flavor. It is not too sweet and is suitable for veterans who like beer and want to pursue more novel tastes.
The latter is a physical mixing and blending. Adding fruit juice will dilute the alcohol content of the beer, but the sugar content will increase significantly. Due to the lack of modern preservation and filling technology, it can only be mixed on-site. It is more suitable for people who are not good at drinking but want to taste the flavor.
Jiangyou knows some of both methods. However, the former is greatly influenced by the fermentation process and requires modification and adjustment based on the actual situation, which is something only witches can accomplish. The latter is much simpler and can be prepared with a little imagination and taste.
——Jiangyou has no sense of taste, but Aunt Wolf is quite reliable. When the time comes, we can ask Aunt Wolf to help manage the cocktail counter. If all else fails, we can always hire someone else!
Takumi Yu used the recipe for fruit-flavored beer in exchange for permission to sell Witch Forest Commune beer in her brewing workshop. The witches even agreed to let her use beer as a base to mix fruit-flavored beer and sell it on the spot at the bar counter - only customers are allowed to dine in. If the taste is not good, Takumi Yu will bear the consequences herself, as she cannot ruin the reputation of Witch Forest.
After the subsequent fruit-flavored beer is successfully brewed, Jiangyou can also obtain a 20% commission of all fruit-flavored beer sales revenue as the provider of the initial recipe.
This commission rate may not seem high, but it is because the initial formula given by Jiangyou still needs a lot of testing and adjustments. It is not a finished product that can be used right away. It still depends on the witches to develop and advance it themselves... Although success or failure is still unknown, her knowledge can indeed give the witches a clear direction, saving a lot of time and research costs.
A 20% long-term commission income and a distribution license are already very attractive conditions in Jiangyou's opinion.
As for the beer Takuyu distributes, she purchases it from the commune at a discounted price for honorary members of the Witch Forest. From then on, whatever price Takuyu sells at, whether it makes a profit or a loss, is entirely her business; the witches have no say. The only condition is that Takuyu must not negatively impact the Witch Forest's reputation; otherwise, she will be expelled from the Witch Forest and all transactions will be voided.
The witches also expressed their sincerity in cooperating. Jiangyou could withdraw the goods in advance and settle the payment at the end of each month. For the sake of Holly and the deputy leader of the Kingdom Knights, the witches believed that the skeleton lich would not default on his debts.
Jiangyou was very satisfied that he could get all this support just by talking nonsense with his "non-existent lips".
Putting herself in his shoes, Jiang You knew that she was a well-prepared time traveler with a lot of knowledge from other worlds, but to the people in this world, it sounded like an outrageous scam like "I, Qin Shi Huang, am resurrected! V me 50!" The witch in charge trusted her so much, partly because she thought her formula was really feasible, and the other half because of her unclear relationship with the deputy leader of the Kingdom Knights.
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