"Wooo..." The steamship's whistle rang across the entire dock.
The oceangoing vessel was preparing to depart. Ernst stood on the pier, seeing his old father off, while Constantin stood aboard the ship and waved to Ernst.
Though the dock buzzed with voices, a sense of loneliness rose from the depths of his heart. Ernst did not come back to himself until the Ping'an Hao had completely vanished from sight.
This was probably the first time father and son had been separated by such a great distance. Prince Constantin had previously traveled to Berlin on business, and Ernst himself had traveled all over Europe, but neither had ever felt this sense of distance before.
Berlin.
"Are you sure this stuff is safe? You didn't add anything strange to it, did you?" Ernst asked.
"Boss, it's all made from natural ingredients. We conducted repeated experiments. The researchers took the first sip themselves, then we tested it on white mice, and finally the testers tried large doses. Its safety is absolutely guaranteed," Richter said.
To put Ernst at ease, Richter filled a cup from the tap on the large jar before him and drained it in one gulp.
"How does it taste to you?" Ernst asked.
"There's absolutely no problem with the taste. Compared with the carbonated sugar water on the market, it definitely tastes better—and it's more interesting too. Burp." Richter belched.
Ernst took a cup as well and pressed the tap. The large glass jar sank slightly, and the cup was quickly filled.
The unknown drink in the cup was transparent and filled with countless tiny bubbles. Especially when it had just been poured, the bubbles constantly surged to the surface before gradually settling down.
Ernst took a small sip. A familiar yet unfamiliar flavor rushed straight to his head.