Passion Fruit Dew

Early the next morning.

Before leaving, Chu He handed Xiao Shuili a drink.

It was fruit wine he had brewed the night before, using several dozen fruits picked from the Mist Fruit Tree as the main ingredient.

Since the main ingredient's Spirit Machine wasn't particularly strong—about the level of an Intermediate Warrior—and all the supplementary ingredients and additives were plants, the brewing time was greatly reduced.

Even in an ordinary wine jar, it would take only three to five days or so.

In the White Jade Wine Pot, it took even less time: just one short night.

"Chu He, what's this?" The little girl looked at the glass bottle in her hands and gave it a gentle sniff. "It smells so good!"

"Hahaha, didn't I say I'd make you some fruit juice? This is it!" Chu He pointed beneath the glass coffee table. "The rest is over there. You can help yourself whenever you want."

He had poured all the fruit wine he'd brewed the night before into an empty purified-water jug.

There were a full twenty liters—enough to last Xiao Shuili quite a while.

"It's delicious!" Chu Xi took a sip of the fruit wine in her cup. It was sweet and tart, with a lovely fragrance. She tipped her head back and asked Chu He with a grin, "Big Brother, what's it called?"

"So now you remember to call me Big Brother?" Chu He chuckled and pinched Chu Xi's little cheek. "The name doesn't really matter..."

"Fine, fine. What should we call it...? Oh, I've got it. How about Passion Fruit Dew?"

Seeing how much Chu Xi was enjoying it, Xu Qingqing poured herself a cup of the Passion Fruit Dew too. After a sip, her eyes lit up.

"Boss, you know how to brew this kind of wine too!" Xu Qingqing said gently. "Then why don't you make it at your winery?"

Chu He smiled. He was just about to explain how difficult it was to find the ingredients, how the brewing process differed, and the serious consequences of selling Spirit Wine, when his mother continued:

"People like me who don't enjoy drinking, and little kids like Xiao Shuili, would definitely like a wine that tastes like fruit juice."

"I don't know much about business, but isn't there a saying that women and children are the easiest to sell to?"

"Your dad was complaining to me last night that it'd be difficult to expand the winery and restaurant to all Six Great Base Cities, and that buying them all would cost a fortune..."

As she spoke, Xu Qingqing glanced at Chu He, who seemed deep in thought, and asked, "What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

"No... No, Mom. You make a lot of sense." Chu He nodded gently and sat down to think.

Chu He wasn't worrying about anything else. He was thinking about the pressure his father had just mentioned.

Before, he'd simply dumped all the business matters on his father, without considering that even though his father was an Intermediate War General, running a business was still running a business.

Their winery and restaurant had no signature products, so expanding meant buying out other businesses—and that would naturally cost money.

In this Base City era, with the wilderness stretching so far and wide, both winemaking and restaurants could be considered high-end industries.

There wasn't enough land to grow grain, so there couldn't possibly be enough grain. Wine made primarily from grain had naturally become a luxury.

In Northeast Base City, with his grandfather's reputation, neither the Extreme Martial Arts Gym, the Thunder Dojo, nor the various local families would make things difficult for his father. The price of the necessary acquisitions was still reasonable.

But things were different in other Base Cities.

Why would anyone hand over such a profitable industry to an outsider like him for nothing?

So he could either pay an exorbitant price to buy in, essentially paying protection money to the local powers.

Or he could break in with a superior product.

Or he could break in with superior personal strength.

That left Chu He with only one option: a superior product.

"Maybe... I should sell some Spirit Wine?" Chu He mused.

First, it definitely couldn't be Red Blood Wine or Antler Wine, the kind that could significantly increase a person's strength. Those wines couldn't be released to the public yet.

With Chu He's current strength, he couldn't protect them.

Second, the brewing process couldn't differ too much from the grain-based methods the winery already used.

Processes like distillation and filtration differed greatly from those used to brew Spirit Wine, so they'd have to be changed on the new production line.

Finally, there was the question of obtaining the ingredients.

Not every ingredient used to brew Spirit Wine needed to contain Spirit Machine, but the main ingredient did.

As for brewing time, complicated additives, and how much profit it would make, those were minor concerns by comparison.

After considering everything, Chu He realized that Passion Fruit Dew was indeed the best fit.

In fact, this Wine Recipe and Red Blood Wine's were quite similar; they were part of the same series.

Red Blood Wine used the hearts of monsters of different levels and species as its main ingredient. The supplementary ingredients and additives varied according to the kind of monster heart used.

No matter which ingredients were used, the resulting Red Blood Wine had essentially the same taste and effects.

Passion Fruit Dew, on the other hand, used any kind of fruit containing Spirit Machine as its main ingredient, with the supplementary ingredients and additives changing accordingly.

The difference was that Passion Fruit Dew's flavor varied with the kind of fruit used, and its effects changed according to the properties of the main ingredient as well.

Of course, most of those effects were things like improving one's complexion or nourishing one's vitality.

The effects wouldn't be too noticeable, but drinking it regularly could improve one's appearance and bearing.

The only tricky part was finding enough main ingredients.

"Mom, do you know where there are any large Fruit Orchards?"

"Fruit Orchards?" Xu Qingqing thought hard for a while, but couldn't think of any near the Base City.

"Fruit Orchards? Why are you asking about that all of a sudden?" Chu Tianxiong came down from the second floor, yawning.

The night before, Chu Tianxiong had spent half the night thinking about how to expand the winery and restaurant to the six Base Cities. He'd gotten up late that morning.

Chu Tianxiong didn't think to ask for details. Still half asleep, he answered, "There used to be quite a few Fruit Orchards around here in the Northeast. These days... I remember there was a temple in Shenyang Base City that used to be full of peach trees. Would that work?"

"A Peach Blossom Forest?" Chu He's eyebrows rose. That could work!

Peach Blossom Wine!

It detoxified, improved one's complexion, dispelled the cold, and enriched the blood. It was perfect for the elderly, women, and children.

But whether to use peach blossoms to brew Peach Blossom Wine or peaches to make Honey Peach Dew depended on which of the two ingredients contained Spirit Machine.

He'd have to wait until he got back from this trip to check for himself.

"Dad, don't worry about expanding to other Base Cities for now. Look for some Fruit Orchards or places to lease them around Northeast Base City and the eight nearby satellite cities."

As he spoke, Chu He left behind several Wine Recipes.

Besides one using peach blossoms as the main ingredient, there were recipes for Spirit Wine using peaches and honey, as well as several other common fruits.

"Oh, and while you're at it, set up a Medicinal Herb Planting Base for the supplementary ingredients, and upgrade the winery's brewing methods."

After taking care of all that, Chu He didn't stay any longer.

The vines in Mist Residential District were waiting for him to collect them!

If he got there too late, even Spirit Nourishing Technique might not be enough.