Chapter 321 Rome Stories March 3 New Share |
Leon could understand where Sophia’s confidence came from. Blue Moon Wine was indeed a hot seller. From the information he’d gathered, it was basically the Maotai of this world’s wine industry—high-priced, famous, and coveted. It was hard to imagine just how wealthy Sophia must be as its vintner.
“By the way, if you’re moving back to Stardew Valley, what’s going to happen to the vineyard you had near the outskirts of Grampleton?”
Since Sophia had returned to Stardew Valley, it meant she was planning to rebuild her vineyard and winery here. Leon was curious how she intended to deal with her previous assets.
The matter was important to him for one reason—wine casks. He didn’t know if the casks Sophia used were the same as the small ones available through his System, but if possible, he wanted to buy a few to experiment.
After all, he was still far from reaching Farming Level 8, the requirement to unlock the small wine casks in the System. And damn it, leveling up Farming was painfully slow.
“I gave it to Scarlett. She’s my best friend. She doesn’t know how to make wine, but she loves eating grapes. So I decided to hand over the vineyard to her so she can eat as many grapes as she wants,” Sophia replied with a smile.
“Hiss—”
Leon sucked in a sharp breath. Once again, he was reminded of just how solid Sophia’s rich-lady persona was. She could just gift away a vineyard, all to indulge a friend’s love for grapes.
I like grapes too, Leon thought wistfully. Maybe I could score a free vineyard… but no, that’s something he couldn’t say aloud.
“Wine casks? You mean the small ones? I’ve already gotten rid of them. They were too old, and the seal wasn’t great anymore. I plan to order a new batch,” Sophia explained.
Then she seemed to realize something. “You’re thinking of buying some to start making wine?”
“Yeah.” Leon nodded.
“In that case, you can just buy them directly from the Traveling Merchant’s Guild. That’s where I got mine,” Sophia suggested.
“Oh? They sell those?” Leon was genuinely surprised—he had never considered going through the Traveling Merchant’s Guild for casks.
“Of course. The Traveling Merchant’s Guild has everything. As long as you’re willing to pay, they can deliver anything to your doorstep,” Sophia added. “I work with them a lot, and I’ve never seen them fail to get something I wanted. You know, there was this one time I couldn’t find the complete set of Pink Princess Crusader figurines on the market. They were limited edition, sold out immediately after release. Later, a merchant I know well, Mrs. Loretta, got me the whole set. She’s the one I work with from the Guild.”
“I see. Then I’ll check with them,” Leon said, now quite pleased with this discovery. If he could get casks from the Guild, he could start winemaking right away.
He didn’t have much fruit at the moment, but vegetables could be turned into juice. Even strange, unusual vegetable juices would sell for more than the raw produce. All it would cost him was time.
“By the way, do you actually know how to make wine?” Sophia asked, unable to hold back.
“Nope,” Leon replied bluntly. In the game, all you had to do was toss fruit into the cask and wait. In reality, he had zero experience.
“Then how do you dare start buying casks to make wine? Aren’t you afraid you’ll ruin everything and waste the casks?” Sophia looked at him in disbelief.
“You can learn,” Leon said with a grin. “I’ve got plenty of time. As long as I’m willing to put in the effort, no matter how many mistakes I make, I’ll learn eventually.”
“Well, good luck then.” Sophia didn’t try to dissuade him further. Winemaking wasn’t particularly difficult, but mastering the craft to produce richer, more fragrant wine depended on both talent and luck.
“I thought you’d offer to teach me,” Leon teased.
“I could. But you’d have to wait a while. I need to clear the land, set up trellises, and replant the grapes. I won’t start making wine until the first harvest, which will take at least a month and a half. Are you willing to wait?”
Leon hadn’t expected her to consider it seriously. “Sure. But I’d like to try first, see where I make mistakes, then note them down so I can discuss them with you later. That way, I’ll learn faster.”
“All right. Once I’m ready, I’ll let you know. You have an email address, right?” Sophia asked.
“I do. But I have a question—grapes are a summer crop. If you plant them in spring, won’t they fail to grow or even rot in the ground?”
Leon was thinking about how seasonal crops worked in this world. Out-of-season crops would just wither once the season changed. So how could Sophia plant grapes in spring?
“That’s a secret,” Sophia said mysteriously. “This world is full of hidden secrets. Once you see the other side of it, you’ll understand why I can ignore the seasons when planting grapes.”
“Starfruit?” Leon asked, giving her a look.
“How did you know?!” Sophia’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth in surprise.
“Maybe because I’ve seen a lot more of this world’s ‘other side’ than you think,” Leon replied with a sly grin, echoing her earlier words.
Judging from her reaction, he was right. If it was the special effect of Starfruit, he could understand why Sophia could plant grapes in spring.
Such mysterious powers defied logic. If Sophia claimed she could plant grapes on molten lava after eating Starfruit, Leon might just believe her.
Don’t ask why. The answer is—superpowers!
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