Chapter 89: Untitled

Different cultural systems always held a strange attraction. Across ancient and modern times, East and West, human sentiments were truly no different. The charm that porcelain, that magical artwork, possessed in countries of Western origin was just like how, in the Celestial Empire in modern times, various goods labeled with “foreign” or “imported” received special attention from the people. It was the same reason why foreigners in bars were favored by some young ladies.

Of course, in the current Western Continent, not everyone could appreciate this charm.

For instance, right now, this exquisite porcelain set was placed in the center of a table. Under the light, the white porcelain glistened like jade. Yet, in terms of attracting attention, it still couldn’t compare to the young lady who was picking up one of the small cups to admire.

“These porce…lain pieces are indeed rare masterpieces, Baron Greenwich. That smooth, egg-white-like whiteness simply doesn’t seem like something human hands could create…”

This young lady’s face still carried a hint of youthful innocence and was lovely, but her figure was enough to make even the most fiery courtesan secretly despair. Especially the subtle, slightly widened neckline of her green dress, which allowed a glimpse of the formidable assets at her chest—assets so impressive they could make a bard praise the Creator. The gazes of all the males around were involuntarily and unwittingly drawn to that breathtaking cleavage.

“This porcelain is indeed a rare treasure. A set like this wouldn’t appear more than a few times a year, even in the best workshops of the Eastern Continent… The makers also regard it as a gift from the Deity.”

The young man who appeared to be the owner of this tea set spoke. This Baron didn’t seem much older than Constantine, but his healthy tan complexion and sturdy build made him resemble a young sailor who had braved storms for years. Yet, his slick tone was enough to remind one of someone who had been rolling in the business world for over a decade. “But naturally, it cannot compare to a true gift from the Deity like you, miss.”

The young lady who received the flattery covered her mouth with her feather fan and giggled lightly, causing the pair of high, surging peaks on her chest—utterly inconsistent with her age—to heave in a tumultuous wave. Several young nobles around immediately showed similarly distracted expressions.

“Such treasures must be quite valuable. But transporting them to Phoenix must have been even more difficult, right?” A voice tinged with some childishness interjected. The speaker casually picked up the teapot from the center, feeling that long-lost texture.

This somewhat rude action instantly drew everyone’s attention to the speaking boy. Glances silently crossed in the air, and in each other’s eyes, they saw complex expressions. This speaking boy was perhaps younger than everyone else present. His attire didn’t seem particularly special, but the strangely shaped emblem on his chest was enough to make everyone tense up.

Although their sources of information differed, leading to significant variations in the intelligence they could obtain, just that triple-pattern representing the Viscount status was enough to command respect from most. Though the noble youths gathered here were a leisurely bunch who didn’t need to worry about their futures or family interests, most were much older than this boy. Yet, none had achieved such a high noble rank, especially since this boy was clearly not yet an adult.

And that soaring, head-held-high Griffin was enough to let a few well-informed individuals know the true identity of this seemingly unremarkable child.

“So it’s Viscount Connalyvis… Are you also interested in these imported goods?” One tall young man elegantly bowed, also serving as a hint to those around him who weren’t as well-informed.

“I have a particular fondness for these exquisite items…” The boy smiled.

Actually, Constantine had other plans in mind… In his memory, porcelain, silk, and spices always traveled along the same routes. And the boy fully understood the immense business opportunity here. A ship loaded with fine silks, spices, porcelain, and such, brought back to the Western Continent, could represent profits severalfold, even tens or hundreds of times over… That classic assertion by old Marx: with three hundred percent profit, even the fear of execution couldn’t stop the desire for wealth.

Besides, he was quite interested in that distant continent, which bore many similarities to his memories… Perhaps one day, when he could break free from these complicated matters and attain true freedom, that “distant end” would be where he wanted to travel?

“Ah, pleased to meet you, Viscount Connalyvis. I am John Greenwich. My friends usually call me John.” The dark-skinned youth offered a smile and gave a slightly nervous bow. Thanks to certain rumors, Constantine was now quite famous among the nobles of Hayton City. “I am from the Greenwich Family. You might have heard of it…”

“The Greenwich Family, the Carriers of the Sea… This nickname might be a bit impolite, but it completely explains their position in maritime trade. They have always been dedicated to exploring the mysterious and vast oceans. Over half of the Empire’s sea routes were charted by the Greenwich Family… These exquisite porcelain pieces are the results brought back from this voyage of the Greenwich Family.” The noble youth who had spoken earlier now offered an explanation, also easing his companion’s embarrassment.

“So Viscount Connalyvis is also interested in these exquisite items from a distant continent… I must say, you are always full of surprises. Even your hobbies differ from others in your family.” Before Constantine could speak, someone suddenly joined the conversation. The voice seemed polite but carried some hidden malice. Constantine turned his gaze and found he had encountered an acquaintance.

A boy with dazzling golden hair, flanked by two Attendants, his chin held high making him appear taller than his actual height. It was that little blue-robed Mage from the Mage Tower, of the Stokes family. Only now, he had replaced his Robe of Magic with a well-fitted noble outfit of the same color. It must be said, appearance was quite important on certain occasions. Though he had lost some air of mystery, he projected more of a noble aura.

“Constantine, Greenwich, coincidentally, I also quite like these utensils from distant continents. But an even greater coincidence is that I happen to have something on hand that matches these utensils perfectly. I wonder if you all would be interested?” The golden-haired brat spoke arrogantly. At the same time, his attendant behind him presented a vessel still steaming with heat.

“Could this be… tea?” The young lady with the surging assets exclaimed in surprise, covering her small mouth with her fan. So, everyone’s attention shifted to that seemingly ordinary container. Constantine’s nose twitched slightly. His heart felt somewhat strange.

“Yes, these are some favorite items of my grandfather, also from that distant land. Today, I am honored to share them with everyone.” The boy smiled arrogantly, then had his servant pour the dark red liquid from the container into the teapot. Those around immediately erupted in a stream of flattering praise.

“Indeed, only the original vessels can blend with the tea to produce the corresponding flavor. This is truly supreme delicacy…” “Such a unique sensation…”

“It’s too bitter…” Amidst the murmurs of enjoyment, Constantine couldn’t help but frown slightly. He raised his cup, barely touching his lips, then set down the teacup, unconsciously muttering a low complaint.

Without further tasting, he knew this tea was made from brick tea. This kind of roasted tea was easy to transport and could be stored for a long time, but the raw materials were usually not tender tea buds and leaves, but rather old leaves processed into bricks. And it seemed the method used wasn’t steeping, but boiling in a pot. Tea made this way was terrifyingly strong and needed to be balanced with milk, lemon juice, or the like. While it could still be considered a decent luxury, for Constantine, it was not to his taste.

And perhaps to display wealth, this pot of tea was boiled especially strong. Constantine couldn’t even sense a hint of tea fragrance, only a mouthful of bitterness mixed with the flavors of cream and mint, creating a rather odd sensation.

“It seems the Viscount finds it hard to appreciate the merits of this drink… It appears the remote Western Frontier has inconvenient travel and a frugal life. Marshal Connarivis, as a famed general of the Empire, must enforce thrift and self-discipline quite thoroughly…” The boy’s complaint was very soft, but the person who had been waiting for him to slip up immediately seized the topic. On the surface, these words sounded grand, but in fact, they were mocking this boy from the frontier for lacking sophistication, having never tasted tea before. Simply put, it meant: you bumpkin have no need to get used to our upper-class consumption level.

“My grandfather is very fond of this drink from afar. A saying from the tea’s place of origin claims that drinking tea can slow aging. On that distant continent, there are even elderly people hundreds of years old. Unfortunately, for us, this effect isn’t very obvious. However, for those lacking sleep, tea’s ability to rescue them from sleep’s grasp has indeed been proven. And in my feeling, tea seems naturally paired with mint. Adding a drop or two of mint to a pot of tea makes it perfect. Tea also aids digestion. Mixing tea with milk and some nuts can be called the best post-meal beverage.”

The boy chuckled smugly, beginning to show off his knowledge. However, after just a few sentences, his endless chatter was interrupted by Constantine. One reason was that the other’s attitude annoyed him; more importantly, flaunting knowledge about tea in front of him was a bit like teaching Confucius the Three Character Classic.

“Then did your grandfather never consider that his yellowed, decaying teeth, backaches, and such ailments might be related to tea?”

“How did you know…” The young man’s voice instantly showed full surprise. This child before him shouldn’t have met his elder relative, but these symptoms had indeed troubled that old man for a long time.

But soon, he intuitively guessed the other was just making random connections—though not many knew about his grandfather’s ailments, they weren’t deliberately hidden either. So he immediately retorted with a cold laugh, “My grandfather does have such issues, but as far as I know, most elderly people have such symptoms to some degree. It shouldn’t be due to tea…”

“If that’s the case, then dizziness, numbness in hands and feet, cramps, or joint pains in limbs shouldn’t necessarily be must-haves for the elderly, right?” Slight resistance invited greater pressure.

Regarding tea, Constantine hadn’t studied it much. But as someone from that land, among the elders were naturally some old hands. Through daily exposure, he knew quite a bit about the basics—drinking tea did have health benefits. Especially for some nobles of this world, since they consumed more meat and dairy and fewer vegetables, tea could help digestion, cut greasiness, and supplement various vitamins and trace elements the human body needed. Hence, “better go a day without food than a day without tea.” It was only natural that brick tea became a necessity in their lives.

But the brick tea they used had a much higher fluorine content than other tea types. Long-term consumption of large amounts of strong tea could cause cumulative fluorine poisoning. Drinking excessively or too strongly could lead to dizziness, numbness in hands and feet, cramps, and joint pains in limbs. Fluorosis, osteoporosis, and back and leg pains would come unbidden sooner or later. Besides, it could also cause neurasthenia.

“As far as I know, being too obsessed with tea as a beverage often leads to additional effects like insomnia, vivid dreams, and intermittent headaches. Moreover, this stuff has a slight addictive quality. Once addicted, it’s hard to quit. So, though tea is good, for the sake of health, it’s better to drink less.”

“Then wouldn’t all people on the Eastern Continent have such problems?” The noble boy clearly wasn’t willing to admit defeat. He launched his final counterattack.

“Probably due to the processing methods… As far as I know, the tea they drink is harvested within a fixed timeframe, absolutely no more than three days. And it must be the tender buds from the very tips of the tea plant’s main stems, with only three leaves…” Constantine casually tossed out some extravagant, seemingly unbelievable rumors. Asymmetry of knowledge had always been the best weapon for transmigrators to bully others. “And their collection method is also unique. They require girls no older than sixteen to go up the mountain at dawn, pluck the tender buds from the tea plant tips with their mouths, then descend directly to proceed to the next steps of stir-frying and processing…”

In fact, we know this is a collection method used only for something like “sparrow tongue tea,” which has always been exclusively supplied to entities like the Emperor… But obviously, no one present had such knowledge. So this alarmist talk stunned most of them—not to mention the strict time and variety restrictions, just the fact of foreign young women using their mouths as collection tools was enough to make them gape and, incidentally, trigger considerable imagination.

“It’s no surprise such tea could have life-extending effects. I think even the lofty Deities wouldn’t use such a luxurious method…”

The boy’s words left everyone in silence. Only after a long while did a noble murmur a sigh of admiration.