Chapter 4 of 10
Chapter 4
5 min read1,181 words
Let's use this chapter of the Heavenly God's Legacy Pearl to kick off our first ranking push for the Heavenly Fire Avenue. Brothers and sisters of the Tang Clan, please give us your monthly votes and recommendations!
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She looked to be around eighteen or nineteen, with skin as fair as jade, neatly styled deep red wavy hair, and a white French romantic and elegant court floral embroidered long skirt that perfectly outlined her figure.
However, at this moment, the young girl seemed somewhat flustered. She lowered her head, her fair face and swan-like neck slightly flushed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and her face full of remorse.
"I'm sorry, I'm late."
The sommelier looked at the girl standing beside the table with a stern face and said coolly, "You can leave. Being late is an unforgivable mistake."
"Why not give her a chance?" Lan Jue's voice sounded.
The sommelier remained seated, "Being late means disrespect."
Lan Jue said, "We young people all have a love for beauty. How about giving her a chance for my sake?"
The barista in a white suit said, "He said we're old." He smiled, as if to say, I'm not the one stirring up trouble.
The sommelier frowned.
The gourmet then said, "Jeweler, for the sake of the bottle of wine in your hand, I support you this time."
The sommelier subconsciously turned to look at Lan Jue. When his gaze fell on the wine bottle in Lan Jue's hand, he couldn't look away.
The usually calm and serious sommelier suddenly stood up, his lips and the finger pointing at Lan Jue trembling almost simultaneously. "I just told you to grab any bottle!" He almost gritted his teeth as he said this.
Lan Jue said seriously, "I'm not a random person."
"Give it back!" The sommelier took a step forward and snatched the bottle from Lan Jue's hand.
Lan Jue didn't dodge. The wine was in the sommelier's hand, but in his hand was a complete cork, emitting a faint wine aroma.
"Damn it, you actually opened it!" The sommelier said angrily.
"Swearing is an unforgivable mistake for a noble." Lan Jue waved the cork in his hand at him.
The girl in the white dress also lifted her head and saw the bottle of wine. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with light.
The sommelier's breathing was heavy, and after several deep breaths, he snatched the silver metal block from Lan Jue's other hand, "Eva, warm water, white bread slices. Seventy-two-month-old Spanish Iberian ham, sliced."
"Yes, sir."
"Wait a moment." The gourmet called out to Eva. He stood up, looking at the sommelier who was tightly gripping the wine bottle with a smile that was not quite a smile, "So you have seventy-two-month-old Iberian ham. You usually don't bring it out."
The sommelier said fiercely, "The ancestors brought only nineteen pieces, and there are currently fourteen left. This was originally for my own enjoyment. You're getting a bargain."
The gourmet smiled, "Don't be angry. Enjoying fine food and wine requires a good mood. Besides, a piece of ham can be eaten many times. Eva, bring the whole ham, a larger porcelain plate, and twenty candles. I'll handle it."
Eva looked at the sommelier, who nodded at her. It seemed he had listened to the gourmet's advice, and the angry expression on his face gradually faded.
Lan Jue returned to his seat and looked at the girl who was quietly swallowing her saliva, "Do you recognize this bottle of wine?"
The girl nodded vigorously.
Lan Jue smiled, "Tell me about it."
The girl said without hesitation, "This is the world's wine king, Romanée-Conti. It is also the king of the Burgundy region in France. Burgundy is proud to have it. A sommelier once said that Burgundy can defeat the eight great chateaux of Bordeaux with just one Romanée-Conti. In the Upper Yuan era, it was the most expensive red wine in the world."
Lan Jue said, "Tell me about its taste."
The girl's eyes instantly showed a look of intoxication, "It is a taste that penetrates the taste buds, the gums, and seems to seep into every cell of the body. The aroma is rich and lasting, the flavor is refined and full-bodied, the tannins are fine and powerful, balanced and concentrated, with a velvet-like texture that is smooth and elegant, almost embodying all the virtues of top-quality Pinot Noir grapes. It is an irreplicable dream wine. After the environmental changes and past destruction on the mother planet, no true Romanée-Conti has been produced since 2025 in the Upper Yuan era."
Hearing the girl's words, Lan Jue, the sommelier, and the gourmet all showed looks of surprise.
The sommelier said, "Have you tasted it?"
The girl nodded shyly, "I once had the honor of tasting a glass of 1981 Romanée-Conti from the Upper Yuan era. Although it wasn't its best vintage, that taste is imprinted in my soul."
The gourmet smiled, "A girl with taste. It seems the jeweler was right again."
Lan Jue looked at the sommelier, who nodded, "For the sake of Romanée-Conti, you pass the test. Remember, as a noble, you can never be late, no matter what the reason."
The girl bowed deeply, "Yes."
The sommelier said, "You can go. Eva will handle the procedures for you."
"Thank you." The girl bowed again. She hesitated for a moment, as if gathering her courage, and asked, "If I get the Heavenly Fire Emblem in the future, can I come here to buy Romanée-Conti?"
The sommelier coldly waved his hand, "I only serve Romanée-Conti to friends."
The girl's face showed a hint of disappointment. She bowed again and turned to leave.
Several waiters brought four Pinot Noir wine glasses, a plate of white bread slices, four cups of warm water, and a huge ham about a meter long and thirty centimeters in diameter at its thickest point, along with a square white porcelain plate.
The sommelier looked at Lan Jue coldly, "I won't let you help me with the assessment again."
Lan Jue smiled slightly, "Sommelier, learn to be tolerant. Sharing good things with others is fun."
The sommelier grunted, picked up the Romanée-Conti, inserted his thumb into the indentation at the bottom of the bottle, and supported the bottle with his index, middle, and ring fingers, lifting it with one hand.
Looking at the label on the bottle, he muttered, "2005 Romanée-Conti, you're too ruthless!"
Lan Jue looked at the glass in front of him, "I saw a 1990 vintage."
The gourmet's eyes narrowed, "Why didn't you take it? 2005 is a top vintage, but 1990 is a legendary year for Romanée-Conti!"
Lan Jue said solemnly, "One must leave room for others. I don't want to be on the sommelier's blacklist."
The gourmet arranged the twenty candles with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Don't worry, others might, but we won't."
The sommelier said irritably, "Do I owe you something?"
Lan Jue and the gourmet exchanged a smile and said almost in unison, "A good drinking companion is hard to find."