Chapter 91

When I returned to Ivalice, as expected, Jiron had come all the way to the castle gate, crying, "M-Master!"

It seemed there were a mountain of problems to deal with.

I sighed and headed straight for the office. Seeing the pile of documents on the desk, I sighed again, but there was no choice but to handle each one.

I ordered coffee from Sati and resolved to pull an all-nighter. She already had a coffee cup in her hand, even without being asked. She truly was a professional maid.

I thought about telling Sati she could go to bed, but decided against it. Knowing her, as long as I was working through the night, she wouldn't go to bed before me.

There was no point in saying something that would be in vain. If I had the time to say such things, it would be faster to just finish the work.

I reviewed the documents and gave instructions to Jiron, the orc advisor. After repeating this process dozens of times and finishing my fifth cup of coffee, the documents finally disappeared from the desk. When I looked up, light was already streaming through the window.

"Well, well, it ended up being an all-nighter..."

It couldn't be helped, but this was part of my duties as a lord. After sending Jiron home, I yawned and said to Sati, who was waiting outside the office,

"Phew, finally done. Sati, you should go to bed too. I'm going to sleep."

She didn't respond but stepped away from the door. She was always so reserved.

When I returned to my bedroom, I fell into a deep sleep until evening.

As soon as I woke up, warm food was already prepared, as expected. She had a perfect grasp of my daily routine. It was truly professional work.

I ate the venison stew and rye bread Sati had made and thought about how to develop the city of Ivalice.

The population of Ivalice was approaching ten thousand, thanks to the increased agricultural and industrial productivity I had focused on. Not only had the birth rate risen, but refugees and migrants from other regions had also gathered here.

"This is all thanks to the four-crop rotation system you introduced, Master!"

Sati said happily.

"Also, the skills of the dwarven craftsmen that Gunther called are a big help,"

was Jiron's opinion.

"Yeah, well, there are no particular challenges in internal affairs."

Ivalice's food self-sufficiency rate exceeded 100%, meaning we were exporting to other cities.

Thanks to the farming methods and rice paddies I developed, we were able to produce enough to satisfy the growing population and still export to other cities.

"The industrial side is also going well."

Thanks to Gunther's call, the dwarven craftsmen were mass-producing matchlock guns. Our army's gun ownership rate was quite high, and we were even exporting cannons and crafts to the Southern Trade Alliance in exchange for spices and grains unique to the south.

"Thinking about it, we owe a lot to the dwarves."

Jiron remarked.

"Indeed, without Lord Gunther, Ivalice's current prosperity wouldn't be possible."

There's a saying in the bestseller from my previous life, the Bible, that "the one who turns the wheel will not go hungry." This means that people with skills will never go hungry, no matter the era. After reincarnating in this world, I realized anew the value of skilled workers.

"Thinking about it, I should repay Lord Gunther."

The words slipped out, and Sati and Jiron reacted.

"That's a good idea."

They said almost simultaneously, and Sati and Jiron looked at each other, both smiling. Seeing this, I muttered "approved" to myself and decided to follow their suggestion.

Now, about brewing. I was racking my brain about what to do. Ivalice was originally an agricultural city, so it should be able to produce wine.

When the grape harvest season comes, the grapes are packed into large barrels, and each year, selected maidens crush them with their feet.

Apparently, the most beautiful maidens in the city are chosen each year, and this year, Sati, Lili, and the elf Anemone, who recently joined us, would likely be the top candidates.

The sight of them lifting their skirts and crushing the grapes to produce wine was something to look forward to, but I doubted Lord Gunther would be pleased with wine. He was a connoisseur of high-alcohol spirits.

"Wine is no different from water" was his catchphrase.

It wouldn't make sense to offer him wine now. Perhaps industrial alcohol would please him more, but that was a joke.

"Well, if we distill wine, we can make brandy or cognac, but that's a bit too straightforward."

"Then how about making whiskey?"

This was Jiron's suggestion, and it wasn't bad. Fortunately, Ivalice had an abundance of the main ingredient for whiskey, grains.

However, whiskey takes time to mature, and good whiskey requires high-quality water, which is not readily available in the vicinity of Ivalice. To get good water, we would need to build a distillery outside the city.

Since we would be building a distillery outside the city, I wanted to make something unique rather than a common drink.

"That's not bad, but if possible, I want to offer Lord Gunther a drink he hasn't tried before."

"In that case, how about fruit wine? Soaking rare fruits and rock sugar can produce a very delicious fruit wine."

Sati suggested, and Jiron nodded in agreement.

"That's a good idea. We get various fruits from Zenobia, and the food storage is full of dried fruits."

"True, personally, I like plum wine, but I'm not sure if Lord Gunther would. He once said that sweet drinks aren't really drinks."

"Indeed, I also don't like sweet drinks."

"Then a rare and dry drink?"

In that case,

"Maybe we should make sake."

"Sake? What's that?"

Sati asked, looking puzzled, and Jiron was also curious.

"Sake is a drink made from rice."

"Rice can be used to make alcohol?"

"Rice is a grain, so it can be used to make alcohol. You can make alcohol from grains and fruits. It's probably harder to find exceptions."

"Is it easy to make?"

"Rice can be chewed and spit out to naturally ferment into alcohol. This method is called 'kuchikami sake.'"

"......"

Sati looked a bit taken aback, so I laughed and said,

"Sati's sake might become a local specialty."

I then explained the process of making rice.

"Polished rice is steamed and cooled. Koji mold is added, and it is kept at a constant temperature for about two days. During this time, someone must stay awake to maintain the temperature. This becomes the 'moto' or the starter for the sake."

Sati and Jiron listened intently.

"The moto is transferred to a large tank, and rice, koji, and water are added in stages to ferment. After filtering out impurities, it's complete."

"I see, it's quite a bit of work."

"Indeed. On the other hand, unlike brandy or wine, it doesn't get better with age. Once it's made, it can be consumed immediately. Also, it pairs well with seafood."

"I like drinking wine with dried cod."

"True, but seafood goes best with sake. Wine tends to bring out the fishy smell."

However, this is an inland city, so fresh seafood is rare. In that sense, sake might be a good export to the Southern Trade Alliance. The island cities of the south have abundant seafood, and there are many wealthy people who might have a demand for it.

Once a sample is made, sending it to Etruria, the leader of the Trade Alliance, for a taste test might not be a bad idea. She is a gourmet, and if she likes it, it might become popular among the wealthy through her recommendation.

Thinking about it, this could please Gunther and create a new specialty for Ivalice. In a way, it could be a two-for-one deal. If I mention this to Etruria, she might say, "You truly have a talent for business."

With this in mind, I gave Jiron instructions on sake brewing.