Hidden in plain sight

Wu Jiong: "Then let's try it again at home."

Jian Mo: "Okay, let's see if there are any other bulges?"

The presence of bulges indicates the presence of Eight-Mouthed Insect nearby; other bulges should be found there.

Wu Jiong: "Let's go, there are still a few Silverleaf Tree in the northeast."

The two continued walking and searching, and sure enough, they found several more bulges the size of watermelons.

When Wu Jiong removed the bulge, Jian Mo carefully held it, and could feel the liquid inside slowly flowing.

I wonder if it's because the syrup is quite thick.

They searched all day and found a total of six bulges.

Two of the buds broke open. Jian Mo tasted them, and the sap inside was as sweet and sticky as honey.

No wonder Jing Huo risked being stung to drink the tree sap.

Jian Mo carefully placed the two broken bulges in the basket lined with large leaves. They walked very carefully, and not much of the sweet juice inside the bulges leaked out.

The leaves of the big tree were not poisonous, Jian Mo didn't recycle the sweet sap that flowed out. Instead, she took it directly to Jiujiu's nest and fed it to Jiujiu as a snack.

Jian Mo planned to pour the remaining sap into a jar and collect it to enjoy slowly.

The syrup was too concentrated; he had been worried about whether he should heat it up, but now it seemed completely unnecessary.

High concentrations of sugar and salt water create high osmotic pressure, making it difficult for bacteria to survive.

Jian Mo hummed a song as she dissected each of the bulges.

When he was dissecting the fourth bulge, Wu Jiong suddenly stopped him. "Wait, the sap inside this bulge seems to be spoiled."

Jian Mo quickly moved the bulge off the jar, lowered her head and sniffed it. "Really?"

As he spoke, he actually detected a subtle smell of alcohol.

Jian Mo quickly found a large ceramic basin and cut open the bulge.

Upon cutting it open, the sap inside appeared slightly cloudy and less concentrated, lacking the viscous texture of honey. It resembled diluted honey water rather than honey, and a strong aroma of alcohol wafted out.

Jian Mo: "How could this be?"

Wu Jiong pointed to a hole in the bulge and said, "It's possible that when the sap first flowed out, it was eaten by Eight-Mouthed Insect, and then dew got in. As the bark slowly healed, the sap inside remained like this."

Jian Mo: "That's too much of a coincidence."

Jian Mo looked at the half-full basin of sweet water, reluctant to throw it away, and hesitated for a moment. "I'll try some."

Wu Jiong: "It's probably too late to drink it now."

Jian Mo: "Try it, and if you can't drink it, throw it away."

Jian Mo took out a clean, dry spoon, scooped out half a spoonful, and took a small sip.

The sweet and sour taste of the wine spread across his tongue. The sap inside seemed to have really fermented, perhaps fermenting into vinegar at one point and then fermenting into wine at another, which is why the taste was so strange.

Wu Jiong grabbed his wrist. "Be careful."

Jian Mo: "I only licked one drop, and it seems to really work. You should try some too."

Wu Jiong took a sip from his hand.

Jian Mo said, "Right? It just tastes like wine and vinegar, nothing else."

Human tongues are very sensitive, and orc tongues are even more sensitive; there's probably no mistake.

Wu Jiong: "It shouldn't be poisonous, it just doesn't taste very good."

Jian Mo: "It might have fermented improperly outside. Let me try to salvage it and see if I can."

Jian Mo went upstairs to find the jars they used to store the Snow Pearl Fruit.

They brewed several jars of Snow Pearl Fruit over the winter, and they've almost finished drinking it all. Jian Mo hasn't even washed the jars, just wondering when he can use this Snow Pearl Fruit as a starter for another wine.

After finding the jar, Jian Mo thought about pouring the tree sap in, but then said, "I'd better heat it up a bit to kill any bacteria before pouring it in."

Wu Jiong nodded in agreement. "That's definitely safer."

Jian Mo: "When it's brewed, let's catch a small animal to taste it for us, or we can just let a male Pack-Pack Beast taste it. If it's okay, then we'll drink it."

Since food safety is a concern, Jian Mo was still very cautious. In any case, the male Pack-Pack Beast had already mated and was not of much use for the time being.

However, that's a matter for later; let's focus on brewing the wine first.

I hope they succeed, otherwise it would be such a waste of this jar of sap.

Chapter 100 Dark under the lamp

After the tree sap wine was made, Jian Mo would open it and check on it every day when she came home.

Making earthenware jars is quite troublesome; you must be careful not to let the jars smell bad before the tree sap wine is brewed.

Given the porous structure of earthenware jars, if tree sap or wine gets inside, the jar will take a long time to dissipate the odor, making it inconvenient to use for storing anything afterward.

Jian Mo treated the jar of tree sap wine with caution, but the wine proved to be far more delicious than she had expected.

The sap wine in the jar had already taken on an alcoholic flavor by the very second day.

By the third day, the sap wine had developed a distinctive aroma, somewhat resembling floral and fruity notes, along with a hint of caramel; it smelled quite pleasant.

He never imagined that brewing wine could produce such a complex aroma, and his heart was filled with anticipation.

As the days passed, the tree sap wine slowly fermented.

In less than ten days, the various flavors had settled and become extremely subtle. Only Wu Jiong could smell the various aromas hidden beneath the slightly viscous liquid, while Jian Mo could only smell the alcohol.

Jian Mo couldn't wait. "Quickly open it and try it, I reckon it's ready."

Wu Jiong grabbed his waist with one hand and pulled him back. "This time, I'll taste it."

Jian Mo: "Okay, then you should try it."

Wu Jiong took a dry, oil-free wooden spoon, scooped up half a spoonful, and tasted it lightly.

Jian Mo looked at him expectantly. "How is it? Does it taste off? Is it drinkable?"

Wu Jiong brought the spoon to his lips. "There's no off-flavor, the wine is very pure, and the taste is quite unique."

Jian Mo wondered what was so special about it, then took Wu Jiong's wrist and drank the rest of the wine.