Inside the room with its doors and windows tightly shut, a strong aroma of alcohol filled the air.
At the same time, a bubbling sound echoed as the wine inside began to boil.
"Come out, come out!" Gavin shouted excitedly as he stared at the amber-colored liquid slowly flowing from the copper pot.
Samwell, by contrast, was much calmer. After all, he had witnessed this scene countless times in his previous life. Still, his gaze remained fixed on the outlet of the copper pot, unblinking.
As more and more liquid streamed out, Gavin couldn't help himself and said eagerly,
"My lord, may I have a taste?"
"Yes."
With permission granted, Gavin immediately brought over a small cup, scooped up some of the freshly distilled liquor, and poured it straight into his mouth without hesitation.
The next second, the young steward squeezed his eyes shut. His facial features twisted together, his body trembled slightly, and then he couldn't help coughing violently.
"Cough, cough… cough… My—my lord, this wine is far too strong!"
Seeing this, Samwell also poured himself a small cup. He lifted it to his nose, inhaled the scent lightly, then took a sip.
The intense flavor exploded in his mouth like a surging flame, stimulating every taste bud.
In truth, freshly distilled wine didn't taste particularly good. It was too harsh, too sharp, and its aroma hadn't fully developed yet.
But Samwell laughed out loud.
Because this was exactly the taste he had been striving for.
After undergoing the two crucial steps of blending and aging, this distilled wine would absorb the rich aroma of oak barrels. Combined with the compounds formed through the oxidation of its own tannins, it would develop into the unique and exquisite fragrance of brandy.
He firmly believed that this flavor would conquer the nobles of Westeros—making brandy an essential feature of their banquets and a prized treasure in their wine cellars.
With the experiment confirmed as a success, Samwell finally relaxed and asked Gavin,
"Has Buso's son joined the guard?"
"He has, my lord. I personally handled it."
"Very good."
Gavin glanced at Samwell, hesitated for a moment, then spoke cautiously.
"My—my lord, I also slipped one more person into the guard…"
"Who?" Samwell's expression showed neither joy nor anger.
"A savage named Ucha…" Gavin grew increasingly uneasy as he spoke.
"From Huya Village?"
"Yes."
"Tell me. Why did you do it?" Samwell wasn't actually angry.
Gavin had been his attendant from the very beginning, and now he had risen to become the steward of the territory. As a trusted confidant, it was only natural that he enjoyed certain privileges.
Moreover, Gavin had taken the initiative to confess.
"He has an older sister named Oona. She treats me very well… and she even gave me a pair of tiger-hide gloves…"
Samwell immediately understood and said with a smile,
"So, you've taken a liking to this girl?"
Seeing that Samwell wasn't angry, Gavin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
"This is a good thing," Samwell said warmly. "Choose a date yourself. I'll personally host your wedding."
"Thank you, my lord!"
"After you're married, Oona will be responsible for operating the still."
"Yes, my lord!" Gavin instantly understood. "I'll tell her to keep it secret."
There was no helping it—Samwell truly lacked trustworthy people. He had no choice but to place his hopes on Gavin's future wife.
"Good. The raw material for making wine is mountain grapes. For now, you can have the leaders organize people to gather wild ones from the mountains. But you must start planning large-scale cultivation. You probably don't understand how to do that?"
Gavin shook his head.
"Then ask the savages. They should understand…" Samwell thought for a moment, then shook his head again. "Forget it. They probably don't either. I'll teach it myself."
"You'll be troubling yourself again, my lord."
Samwell waved his hand and continued,
"Go and gather the married female savages from recent days. I'll personally teach them how to cultivate mountain grapes, as well as the later steps—harvesting, juicing, and fermentation. After that, your Oona will handle the distillation. When the scale expands in the future, I'll find some assistants for her. As for storage, I'll first have the carpenters make a batch of oak barrels. Then you'll arrange people to fill them."
After finishing his instructions, Samwell paused for a moment, then added seriously,
"Additionally, each step must be handled by different people, and wherever possible, assign blood relatives to the same step."
"Yes, my lord." Although Gavin didn't fully understand Samwell's reasoning, he nodded and carefully wrote it down.
"This minimizes the chance of anyone figuring out the entire brewing process," Samwell explained briefly.
Of course, in truth, he wasn't worried that someone could easily replicate brandy.
The process looked simple, but in reality, it was filled with countless subtle details—each learned through years of practice. Even a small mistake could drastically alter the final flavor.
Anyone inexperienced was destined to waste enormous time and effort taking detours before achieving anything close.
What's more, Samwell alone possessed the method for crafting the core component of the still.
The blacksmith Buso would never be allowed to leave Yingzui Island.
Gavin could sense just how seriously Samwell regarded this brewing technique, so he reminded him cautiously,
"My lord, the blacksmith who made this distiller is a leader from Highland City. If he returns to the Mullendall family after a year…"
"Don't worry. He won't be returning," Samwell said with a smile. "Not just him—everyone who comes to Yingzui Island will become my people."
"But Viscount Martin of Highland City may not agree…"
"He will," Samwell replied calmly, "because I'll give him an offer he can't refuse."
Gavin scratched his head. He seemed to grasp something, but didn't dare ask further.
Samwell didn't elaborate. Instead, he said,
"I'll be heading to Qingting Island in three days. While I'm gone, you'll be responsible for handling the daily affairs of Yingzui Island."
"O-okay, my lord," Gavin replied, feeling somewhat nervous.
Although he was now Samwell's steward, Gavin had long been accustomed to following his lord's instructions in everything. Suddenly having to make decisions on his own made him understandably flustered.
"Don't be nervous," Samwell said with a smile. "Just handle things as usual. If anything's unclear, wait until I return."
"Yes, my lord." Gavin hesitated, then spoke with concern. "My lord, if the savages attack again while you're gone, I'm worried that—"
"Then you need to spread the news of my departure as soon as possible."
"Ah?" Gavin froze, confused by the unexpected answer. After a moment, realization dawned on him. His eyes widened. "My lord… are you pretending to leave just to lure those restless savages into attacking Yingzui Island again?"
"Yes. If they're smart, they won't come. But if they dare attack again, I'll use this opportunity to eliminate this hidden threat once and for all."
Gavin visibly relaxed and said with a grin,
"Understood. I'll spread the news immediately."
Samwell added another reminder,
"However, I truly do need to go to Qingting Island. The food and daily supplies in the territory are nearly exhausted, and with the growing population, we need a stable supply line."
Gavin nodded in understanding. "My lord, are you planning to transport supplies from Qingting Island by sea?"
"Yes. My territory lies within the Crimson Mountains. Land transport is too costly—sea routes are the best option."
In truth, Samwell also wanted to have a proper discussion with Earl Paxter, the lord of Arbor Island.
The pirate route Lady Olenna had arranged for him earlier must have involved Earl Paxter's participation. After all, it required ships and sailors from Arbor Island.
Naturally, Samwell no longer needed such arrangements now—but there was always room to discuss investment.
Moreover, as the most famous wine-producing region in Westeros, Arbor Island was the perfect place for brandy to make its debut.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
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(End Chapter)