The season shifted to autumn.
When we sent the Affelpopp to the Grand Temple’s main sanctuary, the response was tremendous. Lord Dardale enthusiastically recounted the news to me.
Affelpopp is not sold in large barrels but in 750-milliliter unglazed ceramic bottles. Despite being unglazed, they are completely waterproof because the material includes slime gel. Slime gel truly is a versatile material!
The label prominently states that it is a product endorsed by the temple and boldly proclaims it as “The Sacred Wine of the Deuro God.” The price we charge the temple (through Lord Dardale) is 3,000 gazels per bottle.
Both Affelpopp and Horse King Ale bear the Roxfall family’s crest on their labels. For those supplied to the temple, the crest is made more extravagant with gold accents.
Streetlights were also installed in the village.
Blacksmith Bowman crafted the lamp posts, and we mounted focused-light lamps on them to illuminate the village’s main street.
“Sir Toma, may we install these streetlights at the temple as well?”
Lord Dardale often shows up in person whenever there’s something to discuss. His quick and light-footed approach hasn’t changed.
“The temple? I don’t see why not,” I replied, assuming he meant the village temple.
“Thank you! Including the main sanctuary, the Kuldia Kingdom has 3,000 temples in total. It will require tens of thousands of streetlights, but for now, let’s start with the village temple and the main sanctuary.”
It turned out that “temple” referred to all the temples, not just the local one.
Still, this large-scale project means we’ll have stable production work. The village has seen an influx of people lately, and there are new apprentices training under Bowman. We’ll need everyone’s efforts to ramp up production.
I immediately went to Bowman’s forge to discuss this.
“That’s… quite the undertaking.”
Yes, it is.
“Each streetlight takes at least two days to make. If the apprentices become proficient, productivity will improve a little, but initially, we can manage about fifteen a month, tops.”
“I’ve thought of a workaround. Let’s make the posts out of wood or mount them on walls. As long as the lamp and its cover can be affixed to either, you can focus on making just the lamp covers.”
“That would definitely speed things up!”
Lord Dardale approved this plan. The temple will provide the posts. If they want metal posts, they can commission their own blacksmiths.
Our role will be to focus solely on crafting the lamps and their covers.
“Make as many as possible; I’ll buy all of them.”
“Understood. Hey, everyone! For the young master! Let’s give it our all!”
“Yes, sir!”
I don’t expect anyone to work themselves to death, though…
Bowman’s forge has Bowman himself, his eldest son Gantz, and three apprentices. Occasionally, Ben helps out too.
Since it’s the only forge in the village, they can’t dedicate all their time to making streetlights. I’ve asked them to balance this project with the villagers’ other needs.
As time passed, winter arrived.
Two types of medicinal herbal liquor were completed. I gathered my father and the village elder to try them. Of course, Lord Dardale also showed up, having somehow caught wind of it. Oh well, I didn’t mind.
“This is meant to be consumed in this specific quantity once a day,” I explained, showing them a small 20-milliliter cup made of unglazed ceramic mixed with slime gel.
“Such a small portion doesn’t feel like a drink at all!” my father complained.
“Father, think of it as medicine rather than liquor. Its scent is also rather medicinal.”
“Sir Toma, what are the medicinal benefits of this?” Lord Dardale asked.
“There are two types. The first helps with fatigue recovery. It’s best taken when you’re tired or just starting to catch a cold.”
“It even helps with colds!?”
“Yes, but only in the early stages. The idea is to drink it early, then rest well to prevent it from worsening.”
“That’s amazing!”
“It’s truly wonderful.”
“Sir Toma, you’ve outdone yourself.”
With so much praise, introducing the second type felt a bit daunting.
For now, I let them try the first one. Their expressions revealed that it wasn’t exactly easy to drink.
“The next one promotes blood circulation.”
“And what are the benefits of improved blood circulation?”
“It helps with conditions like cold extremities, headaches caused by poor circulation, and reduces susceptibility to infections caused by severe circulation issues.”
“That’s incredible! My hands and feet get terribly cold—this will help alleviate that, won’t it?”
Lord Dardale was clearly enthusiastic. Considering that cold sensitivity is common among women, I could see why he found it appealing.
“Consistency is key, but don’t overconsume.”
“Of course, I’ll follow the recommended usage.”
I reminded Lord Dardale, who had eagerly downed the herbal liquor in one go, about moderation.
The fatigue recovery liquor has an alcohol content of 4%, while the circulation-promoting one is 2%. Both have low alcohol content, but they’re still alcoholic beverages. For those sensitive to alcohol, even 20 milliliters could cause intoxication.
“That’s why it’s important to consider your own tolerance,” I emphasized.
“Indeed. Those who are sensitive to alcohol should limit themselves to drinking it before bed. It’s not Toma’s job to manage everyone’s usage.”
“I plan to include a cautionary note on the bottles for sale.”
“If Sir Toma has thought of that, then there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Although the brewing process often involved scrunching up my face at the smell, the expressions on their faces made it clear that neither type was particularly delicious. But, well, it is medicine, after all.
The next day, both Lord Dardale and the elder came to tell me they felt better. It seemed a bit too quick for results, but I was glad they were satisfied.
I decided to name the herbal liquors and wrote to my grandfather, asking him to come up with names.
He ended up coming to the village himself.
Your light-footedness is remarkable, Grandfather.
