As Eleanor’s words fell, the attendants around her expertly poured a small glass of pale golden liquor for each guest.
A clear, sweet aroma instantly spread through the air, causing many guests to subconsciously lift their heads, their expressions tinged with curiosity.
“Oh? This flavor is really quite good.”
An elderly noble with graying whiskers sniffed the fragrance in his glass. “Just the scent alone is invigorating.”
“Give it a try.”
Another merchant guild leader raised his glass and drank it down in one go, then his pupils slightly contracted. “This wine… not only does it taste excellent, but I feel much more alert.”
“Indeed.”
A clergyman adjusted his glasses, feeling a warm current flowing through his body. “It’s as if some force is dispelling fatigue.”
The guests began to discuss eagerly, their praises rising one after another.
Some repeatedly expressed amazement, while others smiled knowingly, already calculating the commercial potential of this wine in their minds.
Eleanor stood before the table, lifting her glass with a gentle smile:
“This is the first batch of the finished product, so I invited everyone here to taste it. If the effect is truly as good as it seems, I intend to have the family’s merchant guild launch this new wine, to benefit the city and satisfy everyone’s demand.”
She paused, deliberately lowering her voice:
“Of course, this is also Father’s wish.”
“A wine approved by His Grace the Duke is naturally worthy of promotion.”
The old noble stroked his beard and laughed heartily. “Miss, you certainly have an eye for this.”
“I didn’t expect you to have such a talent.”
Another merchant’s eyes gleamed with commercial interest, and he couldn’t help but lick his lips. “I can already foresee that this wine will be a bestseller.”
The atmosphere of the banquet instantly soared to a climax.
Some raised their glasses in continuous praise, while others quietly approached Eleanor, offering funds and channels to help promote the new wine.
In just one night, the name “Dawn Dew” quietly spread among the city’s elite.
***
After the banquet ended that evening, Eleanor returned to the study and gently placed down the empty bottle.
She quietly gazed at the notebook in Lil’s hands, which detailed every guest’s attitude and reaction.
“Very good.”
The girl murmured softly, a strange glint flickering in her eyes. “The first step is a success.”
She lifted her eyes toward the window, the night dark as ink, while the Duke’s mansion remained brightly lit.
“Dawn Dew” would be the entry point from now on.
Next, once the commercial campaign was fully launched, this new wine would stir a storm throughout the city.
“Miss, in your plan, Dawn Dew is targeted at the nobles of the Upper District.”
Lil stared at Eleanor’s calm and elegant profile, hesitating for a moment before quietly asking, “What about the commoners in the Lower District? What will happen to them?”
“Don’t rush.”
Eleanor gently shook her head, her tone soft but resolute. “Morning Brew, as a lower-tier alternative to Dawn Dew, cannot be rushed.”
She turned her head, a thoughtful gleam in her eyes.
“After Dawn Dew’s reputation is firmly established, we’ll release Morning Brew, marketing it as ‘improved from Dawn Dew.’ That way, the commoners will naturally develop a desire for it.”
“Julius and the others are right. We still can’t be sure how many Abyss Cultists are lurking in the city.”
Eleanor gently stroked the notebook in her hands, her voice steady. “If we rush, it might all be for nothing.”
She raised her eyes to the sky outside the window, her brows knitting with deep thought.
“Better to wait patiently a while longer.”
When Julius returned with news that Eleanor had already pushed “Dawn Dew” onto the market, Helos finally relaxed a little.
She looked down at the recipe drafts spread on her workbench. The countless notes and annotations were finally settled—after endless blending, tasting, and adjustments, she had finalized the formula.
However, new problems arose.
The young woman frowned as she surveyed her workshop.
The space was cramped, equipment crowded; the tables and floor cluttered with various potions and instruments.
This place was suitable for personal research, but utterly unsuitable for mass production.
Worse still, the workshop’s location within the Duke’s mansion was too conspicuous. If they wanted to produce large quantities of liquor quietly, this would be the worst possible choice.
Helos gently set down the pen in her hand and rubbed her brow.
They had to find a new place, and fast.
The marketing campaign had already started, and if the first batch of products couldn’t be delivered on time, the momentum behind “Dawn Dew” would vanish into thin air.
Transitioning from small-scale experiments to finished product manufacturing was simply impossible relying on her manual crafting alone. She had to find a way to rapidly increase production.
Damn it, if only rapid production was possible.
Helos immediately thought of the Ultimate Alchemy Recipe Directory.
If she could invoke the functions within it, mass production wouldn’t be a problem at all.
She closed her eyes and focused, flipping through the pages of Ultimate Alchemy in her mind.
Familiar runes and engravings appeared before her, and her fingertips lightly traced through the air to call up the “Recipe Registry.”
Yet the list on the page was still empty, save for the familiar “Mana Core” recipe hanging alone at the very top.
So it wasn’t going to be that easy.
The girl furrowed her brow slightly, a twinge of helplessness rising in her heart.
If she couldn’t directly use rapid production, the only choice was to hire workers to manually brew and blend.
But that would greatly increase costs and the difficulty of secrecy. If the recipe leaked, all her previous efforts would be wasted.
Helos sighed, opened her eyes, and picked up the heavily annotated “Dawn Dew” recipe draft from the desk.
As she tidied up, she mulled over the dilemma of production and secrecy.
Then, as her gaze scanned the bottom of the paper, she suddenly caught something unusual.
“Hm?”
She blinked in surprise and unfolded the recipe to examine it closely.
At the very bottom of the page, faint and barely visible, was a line of small characters.
【Recipe Registry】
Helos’ breath caught slightly, her fingertip pausing just above the floating text.
The lettering seemed engraved in the air, emitting a faint silver glow as if existing solely for her.
She squinted, her brows slowly furrowing, a suspicion rising in her heart.
Could it be—
Without hesitation, Helos pressed her finger down, and the four characters suddenly rippled like waves of light, spreading out from her palm.
Hum—
The entire room seemed gently swept by an invisible current.
The air instantly stiffened, as if time itself slowed by half a beat.
The recipe in her hand was gradually consumed by the light pattern, as if burned by an invisible flame, until it completely vanished without leaving a trace of ash.
At the same time, in the Ultimate Alchemy Recipe Directory, the previously empty list silently gained a new entry—【Dawn Dew】.
“…No way.”
Helos stared dumbfounded at the newly added name, her mouth twitching slightly.
She slowly opened her mouth, eyes filled with disbelief.
“So this kind of recipe has to be manually registered by yourself?!”