Chapter 2

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There weren't many people on the Avenue of Heavenly Fire, as one needed qualifications to come here—more than just money, but also taste.

Passing all seventeen assessment items was required to have a chance at obtaining the Heavenly Fire Badge, of course, with a fee. The nominal charge was for the Avenue of Heavenly Fire Public Maintenance Fund.

Lan Jue walked out of Zeus, his face once again wearing a faint smile, seemingly unaffected by what had happened in the store.

He strolled to the opposite side of the Avenue of Heavenly Fire, where a Gothic building from the Shangyuan era stood.

With its towering spires, pointed arches, large windows, and stained glass depicting biblical stories, the building featured ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and slender clustered columns, creating a sense of lightness and height. The framework provided ample support for the top, making the entire structure renowned for its vertical lines, grand appearance, and spacious interior.

Compared to Lan Jue's Zeus jewelry store, this Gothic building was like a behemoth, and it was the most eye-catching highlight on the entire Avenue of Heavenly Fire.

Pushing the door open, Lan Jue touched his stubble, a hint of a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. He was about to be criticized by that meticulous guy again.

"Jeweler, you have arrived." A tall, beautiful girl with long golden hair and wearing a traditional French court dress greeted him with a standard French courtesy.

Lan Jue nodded slightly at her and said, "Hello, Eva. Is the Sommelier here?"

Eva smiled, revealing eight pearly white teeth, "Yes, the Gourmet and the Barista are also here."

"Oh?" A flash of surprise crossed Lan Jue's eyes, "The Gourmet is here too, that's great."

Eva smiled, "I'll take you there."

At a luxurious French court dining table that could seat twenty people, several people were seated. At the head of the table was an elderly man, around fifty to sixty years old, dressed in a well-tailored French suit with a wig, sitting upright and elegantly with a serious expression.

On one side of the long table, two people were seated. One was tall and slender, wearing a white shirt and black vest, with short hair that looked very spirited, about forty years old, and a gentle smile on his face.

The other was around thirty-five years old, of medium build, wearing a white suit, with neatly combed golden hair that fell to his shoulders, shiny and well-groomed. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, but the smile in his eyes was not serious, with a hint of mischief.

On the other side of the long table, three people were seated: an elderly man, a middle-aged man, and a young man.

Compared to the head of the table and the other three, they seemed a bit uneasy.

"Hmm, is it time for the assessment again today?" Lan Jue, led by the girl Eva, came to the long table and pulled out the chair next to the man in the white suit to sit down.

"Jeweler, you haven't shaved or groomed your hair," the elderly man at the head of the table frowned.

Lan Jue patted his forehead, "I knew you would say that. Alright, I was wrong. I just wanted to look a bit more rugged, to close the gap with you old folks."

The Sommelier said coldly, "If you're wrong, you must be punished. You know our rules."

The man in the white suit next to Lan Jue nodded coolly, "Support."

Lan Jue glanced at him and then looked at the Sommelier, "What are we having for dinner?"

The corner of the man in the white suit's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but laugh.

The Sommelier also laughed, "We'll talk about that later. Since you were wrong, why don't you interview these people? You're better at it than I am."

Lan Jue shook his head, "No, it will drain my brainpower."

One of the seventeen qualifications for entering the Avenue of Heavenly Fire is wine.

The Sommelier said, "If the interview results satisfy me, I'll treat you to wine tonight."

"Alright," Lan Jue said.

The man in the white suit pouted, "Can't you be a bit more reserved?"

Lan Jue said coolly, "Then don't drink."

The middle-aged man in the black vest, sitting on the other side of the man in the white suit, spoke for the first time, "Support."

The man in the white suit said不满地, "Gourmet, why do you always side with him?"

The Gourmet said, "Because he has better taste than you."

The Sommelier at the head of the table also nodded, "Yes."

Lan Jue then turned his gaze to the opposite side, "Let's begin. First one."

The elderly man sitting opposite immediately became serious, "Please ask."

Lan Jue said, "This is the Gothic Old Winery. Do you know where the wine here comes from?"

The elderly man, clearly well-prepared, immediately answered, "The Gothic Old Winery was one of the first merchants in Heavenly Fire City after the development of Heavenly Mars. It is famous for selling fine wines from various countries in the Shangyuan era. These wines are preserved using spatial technology, maintaining their state from around the year 2020 of the Shangyuan era. Their most precious feature is that each bottle, once opened, is one less. Therefore, they are highly valuable, but tasting these Shangyuan wines is a true symbol of nobility."

Lan Jue continued without comment, "What is your favorite red wine?"

The elderly man seemed to have become more fluent, "Château Lafite Rothschild. One of the five first-growth châteaux from the 1855 Médoc classification in the Left Bank of the Bordeaux region in the ancient French era of the Shangyuan era."

Lan Jue said, "If we were to share a bottle of Lafite among the seven of us today, and you were the host, what would you do? Be detailed."

The elderly man said, "I would carefully open it, pour a little to check its color and smell its aroma, then taste it to ensure it's not bad, and then share it with everyone to enjoy this fine wine together."

"You can leave," Lan Jue leaned back in his chair and said coolly.

"Did I pass?" The elderly man asked with surprise.

Lan Jue shook his head, "No, you're eliminated."

The elderly man was shocked, "Why? I didn't say anything wrong?"

Lan Jue frowned, "You were just reciting information, not truly enjoying it, and you don't know how to drink. Drinking a bottle of Lafite from the Shangyuan era the way you described would be a waste."

"Regardless of the vintage, Lafite is always stored horizontally. Before drinking, it should be stood upright in the wine cellar for three days to allow sediment to settle. When opening it, you should indeed taste it first, but not just to check if it's good. You should taste it to determine its condition and decide how long to decant it. Decanting is one of the most important steps in tasting red wine. A bottle of Lafite in good condition should be decanted for at least two hours. Otherwise, it won't taste much better than vinegar. It needs time to release its fragrance. Since you don't know this, it's clear you don't know how to drink, or you've never had good red wine. So, don't waste my time."

The elderly man said unwillingly, "But that's what the books say."

Lan Jue pouted, "The people who write about Lafite in books have never tasted it; they just assume. The idea of opening a bottle of Lafite and drinking it immediately is an insult to it. Drinking it that way might as well pour it into a humidifier."

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