Leon observed the set of combination casks for a while longer. Seeing no issues, hearing no unusual sounds, and unable to spot any clues, he sensibly averted his gaze and began to think.
In the game, vegetables and fruits had different brewing times. Vegetable juice took around three days to ferment, while fruit wine required seven days. As for prices—without any profession bonuses—vegetable juice sold for a little over 2.2 times the vegetable’s base price, while fruit wine was triple the value of the fruit.
In reality, Leon wasn’t sure if this time would be extended. And if it was extended, would it, like crop growth, be multiplied by three? Combined with the combination cask’s description, it might take even longer than a regular cask to finish brewing.
That thought made him glance toward the combination cask currently fermenting coconut wine. Would the green light mean it had been over a month since it started?
But without proof, all of that was just speculation. Once the coconut wine inside finished brewing, everything would become clear.
Putting the cask out of mind, Leon returned to preparing his dinner. After eating his fill, he tidied the kitchen, cast one last glance at the combination cask still showing a red light, and headed back into his cabin.
After a shower, Leon dug out all the money he currently had, counting it carefully—28,450G left.
Over the past while, he’d spent heavily: repairing the vault, ordering a bunch of miscellaneous items, and fixing up the coop. If not for occasionally selling his catch from fishing, his savings would have been even smaller.
And Leon wasn’t planning to save the 28,450G. He intended to spend it all on casks. Just like today’s trial order, he would buy both special casks and regular casks in pairs. For 1,400G, he could get a set to make one combination cask. With 28,000G, he could buy twenty such sets—twenty combination casks in total.
It was a hefty investment. For Leon, it was practically all his assets. But the profits from casks and the prices of wine were enough for him to take the gamble.
With Sophia’s Blue Moon wine as reference—even her lowest quality bottles sold for 300G, while regular quality fetched 600–700G—there was no reason Leon’s wine would be that much cheaper. Even if it couldn’t match her prices, surely he could get 100–200G a bottle.
That meant twenty-one combination casks could bring in at least 2,000G per batch. And since it was sustainable, the 28,000G outlay wasn’t a big deal.
For now, the only way to get casks without unlocking the crafting recipe was to buy from the Traveling Merchant’s Guild. It was a bit costly, but getting a head start meant he could begin brewing summer hops and starfruit wine earlier. The sooner he started brewing, the sooner he could start making money.
Not to mention, once his wine hit the market, he could announce his entry into the industry and grab some early market share.
If the quality turned out well and he made a name for himself, maybe he could even build his wine into a brand as famous as Sophia’s.
“Let’s do it!” With that thought, Leon gritted his teeth and decided. He picked up the phone and dialed Django.
“Hey, Mr. Leon, is there a problem with the cask?” Django answered quickly this time, skipping any greetings and going straight to what he suspected might be the reason for the call.
“The casks are fine, I’m very satisfied. I just want to scale up my order,” Leon said quickly.
“Ah, that’s fine of course. But Mr. Leon, it seems you’ve only just entered the wine industry. As much as I want to do business with you, out of concern for you, I think it’s best you use those two casks first to familiarize yourself with the process. Once you’ve mastered the techniques and can produce wine steadily, then expand your scale.”
If Leon didn’t have the system’s unreasonable black-tech advantage, he would have thought the same way as Django. But with the combination casks, he truly wasn’t worried.
He could feel Django’s goodwill, though, so his tone softened.
“Mr. Django, because I think you’re a decent guy, I’ll be honest. I am new to the industry, but I have outside help. You know the winemaker of Blue Moon wine, right? She’s agreed to guide me. Do you think I still need to worry?”
“Oh, right. Miss Sophia did move to Stardew Valley, near Pelican Town. I forgot about that. If she’s guiding you, then you’re hardly a newcomer anymore. In that case, I can do this deal with you without any reservations.” Django realized immediately.
For outsiders, the winemaker behind Blue Moon wine might be a mystery, but big merchants in the Traveling Merchant’s Guild knew she was a young woman. And since Django was friends with Loretta, Sophia’s wine agent, he knew Sophia had moved to Pelican Town intending to restart Blue Moon wine production.
He just hadn’t expected Sophia to be close enough to Leon to teach him her brewing techniques.
“So, I want to order twenty sets of regular casks and special casks. About the price—can you give me a discount?” Leon stated his order first, then began to bargain.
After all, business without haggling had no soul.
“Twenty sets? That’s 28,000G. This is a big order. Whether for the amount or your importance as a client, I’ll make sure you get the best service. How about this—the special casks are full price, but I’ll throw in the regular ones for free. Twenty sets for 24,000G. How’s that?”
Django thought for a moment, then offered his best price.
“Hahaha, deal.” Leon didn’t push further. Saving 4,000G in one go was already a great bargain. Any more haggling would be impolite.
“Alright, I’ll get the stock ready. The latest I can have them at your farm is by noon tomorrow. I’ll deliver them myself. See you tomorrow, Mr. Leon.”
“See you tomorrow!”
After hanging up, Leon prepared 24,000G in cash, tucked it under his pillow, and went to sleep.
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