Chapter 189: New Source of Wealth

The newly built farm in Zhenbei City was located outside the city, near the military horse ranch. In Su Lun’s plan, this farm would raise more than three thousand domestic pigs to provide enough meat for the army. But he also had a strange sense of humor, naming the farm the Bright Spring Farm.

[Bright Spring Farm: A spacious and comfortable environment makes livestock happy. Plenty of feed allows them to grow fat without worries. Quick Growth+15, Reduced Disease+10, Delicious Meat+8, Prosperity+3, Carefree]

[Carefree: Livestock raised here grow without any worries.]

Although the farm was built, it took at least half a year before the livestock could be ready for slaughter. So, before that, besides hunting, Zhenbei City had to buy animals in large amounts from the Northern Provinces. Transporting many animals from Karlt City cost almost as much as the price of the animals themselves. The journey of at least three hundred miles made moving livestock very difficult.

When Su Lun only had those barbarian soldiers before, he didn’t think keeping an army was that hard. After all, barbarians only needed to be fed. But now, Zhenbei City’s army had grown to one thousand five hundred people. It definitely couldn’t be handled the same way as before.

Regular soldiers received ten Silver Naels each month, while the stronger ones got three to ten Gold Nars. Based on the standards he set, the Barbarian Warriors now basically received ten Gold Nars. Their strength had reached the level of Third-tier Professionals.

Their leaders, Jushi and Johnson, had even become Fourth-tier Professionals. Now, quite a few people in Su Lun’s territory had reached the Fourth-tier Professional level. This included two barbarians, one Drow Elf, one half-elf, and one succubus, plus Su Lun himself, who was a Legendary Tier powerhouse. The number of Third-tier Professionals was over two hundred, and there were even more Second-tier Professionals. With such strength, among the Northern Provinces, only Karlt City could match Zhenbei City; the other cities couldn’t compare.

Su Lun felt very excited about his territory’s strength, but the monthly expenses also made him feel the pinch. The Gold Nars Su Lun earned each month, after being used for immigration and paying the army, were almost all gone. There wasn’t even enough money left to buy alchemy materials for Heatherway’s laboratory.

Luckily, the underground world provided a steady income of gold every month. After having the mint turn it into Gold Nars, he barely managed to break even.

But to earn some reserve funds, Su Lun decided to take out some of his old collections to sell. Among the collections in the Lord’s Castle, many things had been given to Heatherway for alchemy materials, but there were still quite a few good items left. For example, after killing the Ragewind Magic Tiger, he had made dried meat from its flesh, kept its heart, and also kept the heart of the Frost Wyvern. The most valuable items were the Magic Tiger Whip and the Frost Wyvern Whip.

Whenever a Magic Tiger Whip or Frost Wyvern Whip appeared among the nobles, it was chased after like crazy. Things from high-level Magical Beasts had effects too strong for ordinary people to handle. The best way to use them was to soak them in wine.

Su Lun specifically had the winery prepare several large barrels of high-quality Rum. Then, after processing the Magic Tiger Whip and Frost Wyvern Whip, he put them in to soak. To make these Tiger and Dragon Whips work best, Su Lun bought a recipe for Dragon Tiger Wine from the System shop. He then found Heatherway and asked her to help refine it.

“Weren’t you pretty impressive last night? Why do you need something like this?” Heatherway looked at Su Lun strangely.

“What are you thinking? Would I use something like this? Who was the one begging to stop last night? The territory is out of money. This is for selling.” Su Lun reached out and ruffled Heatherway’s hair into a messy nest.

“The territory is out of money?” Heatherway said in surprise. “Aren’t the White Sugar Trade and the Rum trade very profitable?”

Su Lun glanced at her and said, “No matter how profitable, it can’t keep up with the three money-eating beasts: the army, immigration, and your alchemy laboratory.”

“Uh…” Heatherway shrank her neck guiltily. Since coming to Zhenbei City, her laboratory never had to worry about materials. She just made a list, and someone would buy everything for her. She had almost forgotten that these things were very expensive.

“Then I’ll try to save more? The laboratory won’t buy anything this month,” Heatherway said weakly.

“No need. Just carry on as usual.” Su Lun waved his hand. No kidding, Heatherway’s laboratory produced many magic items regularly. These were things that money couldn’t easily buy.

“First, help me make this Dragon Tiger Wine. The money from selling this wine will be enough for your laboratory for several months.” Su Lun gestured for Heatherway to come closer.

He took out several large barrels of Rum from the winery from his Storage Space. These barrels were made from high-quality nanmu wood. Each barrel was one point two meters tall and sixty centimeters in diameter, tightly bound with iron hoops. One such large barrel, when full, weighed over three hundred jin.

After Heatherway processed all the Tiger and Dragon Whips, they were soaked in these barrels. In about a week, the Dragon Tiger Wine would be ready. But this Dragon Tiger Wine still wasn’t something ordinary people could handle.

Those noble lords had bodies worn out by wine and women. Their bodies couldn’t handle the very strong effects of this Dragon Tiger Wine. It needed to be diluted in a 1:5 ratio. That way, the Dragon Tiger Wine would work best for them.

Also, after being soaked, the Tiger and Dragon Whips still had strong effects. They could be used to make more wine. Only after being soaked five times would the effects finally be used up.

After all the ingredients were prepared and put in, Su Lun sealed the barrels and stored them in the wine cellar of the Lord’s Castle. After a week, Su Lun opened one barrel. Immediately, a rich wine aroma filled the air. The wine had an amber color, clear and bright. The aroma in the entire wine cellar became several times stronger.

Su Lun used a wine dipper to scoop a cup, then drank it all. The wine was cool and sweet, with a long aftertaste. After entering his stomach, a warm flow soon rose. This warmth spread throughout his body. Quickly, Su Lun’s whole body felt warm and cozy. His originally loose pants also felt a bit tighter.

He sealed the barrel again and left the wine cellar. He found Chris, who was still handling affairs, and directly pulled the Little Succubus upstairs to the room. He went straight to the point and tried out some intense, deep action.

Among Su Lun’s several maids, only the Little Succubus could fight back and forth with him many times. But she still wasn’t a match for him. Especially since Su Lun had his ultimate move: Plasma Cannon · One Shot, One Soul. So, even a succubus skilled in various techniques and with unique abilities was no match for him.

Two hours later, Su Lun left the room refreshed and in high spirits. The air still carried the smell of spiraea flowers. The Little Succubus had long run out of energy and fallen asleep. It seemed today’s affairs couldn’t be handled.

After trying the Dragon Tiger Wine, Su Lun started to blend the wine according to the ratio. One barrel of three hundred jin of Dragon Tiger Wine, after blending, became one thousand five hundred jin. Then he had craftsmen bottle it in half-jin bottles. The bottles for the wine were also specially made according to Su Lun’s requirements, designed to be exquisite and beautiful.

It took most of the day to bottle the three thousand bottles of wine. Su Lun casually picked up one bottle of Dragon Tiger Wine and checked its properties.

[Dragon Tiger Wine: A special wine made using high-level Magical Beast Ragewind Tiger Whip and Lesser Dragon Frost Wyvern Whip, along with more than ten precious Magic Plants, added to high-quality Rum and carefully brewed. After drinking, it can restore male vigor. Strengthens Yang+25, Enhances Health+10, Restores Energy+15, Dragon Spirit and Tiger Vigor+15]

After blending and bottling the four large barrels of Dragon Tiger Wine, Su Lun ended up with twelve thousand bottles of Dragon Tiger Wine. This wine definitely couldn’t be sold cheaply. The best Holy Blood Wine in the Florence Kingdom cost fifty Gold Nars per bottle. Su Lun planned to double that price for Dragon Tiger Wine. He would try selling it at one hundred Gold Nars to test the waters. If the response was strong, he intended to raise the price further.

When it came to making money from nobles, Su Lun was quite skilled. But now, he needed to let those nobles know about the wine’s effects. The best way was to let them experience it themselves. After all, no matter how good the description, without personal experience, it remained empty words.

Su Lun couldn’t leave Zhenbei City specifically to go sell medicinal wine in the Northern Provinces. That was too undignified. So, he decided to host a wine tasting event right in Zhenbei City, inviting all the caravan managers who came to Zhenbei City to attend.

To be honest, in this country, when merchants reached the level of a large business, they basically had nobles as backers. Merchants without backing couldn’t grow big; they would quickly be taken over by other caravans. So, if these merchants knew, then the nobles would know too.

All the merchants were very willing to attend the wine tasting event hosted by Su Lun. Many merchants coveted the White Sugar and Rum that Su Lun controlled. But Su Lun’s security was tight; they spent a lot but couldn’t get the secrets of White Sugar and Rum. As for trying to steal, anyone who dared would have ended up dead in the wilderness long ago. This wasn’t Florentia, where noble power was strong. Here in the Northern Wasteland, he was the one in charge.

Since they couldn’t get the recipes, they tried their best to get purchasing rights. Unfortunately, the two types of goods were monopolized by just a few caravans. Other merchants naturally wanted a share, but they had no chance. Now that Su Lun was hosting a wine tasting event, these merchants started to scheme.

After the wine event was announced, all the merchants started guessing whether Zhenbei City had another new product this time. They all prepared themselves, ready to compete when the time came.

Soon, the evening of Su Lun’s wine tasting event arrived. The banquet was held in the Lord’s Castle, and the food was prepared by the Halfling Frodo and his team of chefs. The banquet was organized in a buffet style like from his previous life, just without the fancy dressed maidens or well-dressed bands. Although the food at the banquet was delicious, these merchants had no mind to taste it. They all waited anxiously.