Dream Life

January 29th.

Discussions have been held with the Marquis Clement Seawell, Viscount Ignacious Radford, as well as with Redley Sutherland and Bernard Darnton and five other key civil servants on measures to improve wine quality and sales strategies.

I finished talking about branding and then started explaining my sales and promotional strategy.

"This is where Seawell is known as the city of gastronomy, the city of wine, but I doubt it will be hard to imagine for people who have never visited it. So we're going to have an event labeled Wine Festival and we're going to have a look at this city..."

My suggestion is to hold a festival to celebrate the shipment of wine and bring in tourists.

"In doing so, I invite many people to drink and appreciate the wine. And they promote the most highly regarded wines throughout the empire as wines of the year. If this is settled, Seawell will become even more of a wine city."

In response to my suggestion, Lord Seawell said, "Interesting!" and raise your voice of approval. At the same time, however, it also expressed concern.

"But we don't have the know-how to do such events. We only do harvest festivals and summer solstice festivals held by city and village people."

Even if they do tell me to do a massive event all of a sudden, I'm just confused if they do.

"Until you get used to it, there's also a way to get a Blacksmith Guild official posted. Of course you'll be inviting some parents, but if you can count on the help of the Alliance staff, you'll be a success."

It's not the Blacksmith Guild staff's job, but if it's about alcohol entanglement, and planning the event I asked for, they'll work with me. And those guild employees should be able to do enough, even if it's a thousand-person event, as long as they give it a prep period.

"Sure, but can I count on you for that? Of course, I'm going to ask for it, too."

Answer Viscount Radford's words: 'Yes, I will help you'.

Liddy, who was beside me, poked me in the flank with her elbow and said, "It's okay. I can't have a dwarf festival in this city," he whispered. Did that word sound like Sutherland, "Dwarf Festival......" is stammering.

"I'm fine. I'll just ask the Plymouth and Ezarrington branches, and there's no distillery here. I don't think a hundred people would get together if it was just wine."

"But you're still going to make brandy here, right? If so, all over the empire... No, the Kingdom of Kaum is close, so it's not coming from Ars either. Are you sure you're all right?

I certainly didn't think about that possibility.

"I think it's okay. Well, unless it's going to be called a brandy sanctuary in the future, but twenty or thirty years is fine. The people here should be used to it by then. Maybe..."

I don't think there's anything like havoc because the Dwarves have too different impressions in the holy villages of Rasmore and Seawell.

Viscount Radford was leaking a bitter laugh at our conversation.

"Sure, it may take that long to catch up with the village of Rasmore where you are, but we're going to make Seawell Brandy a success sooner. Well, it's hard for the dwarves to overflow."

I only slightly regretted saying it the wrong way.

Generally, brandies age longer than whiskey. Of course, even Scotch has more than thirty years of maturation, but the high-end brandy has a strong image of more than thirty years of maturation.

"I can't say much because the aging period is still short, but I believe Brandy needs an even longer aging period than Scotch. The brandy I gave to His Excellency the Duke of Ezarrington the other day is eight years old, but I feel more rough than an eight-year-old Scotch. As far as I'm concerned, I think we should put him to sleep for 15 years or more."

My words were unexpected, the Viscount leans his neck.

"Though it didn't feel so different to me. The feeling of burning my tongue is the same for both of them, and I even thought brandy was easier to drink for the fragrance of grapes?

Surely you wouldn't know if you had only drunk what you have now. But I can't say that, I worry about how to explain it.

"Brandy sleeps in a large barrel for wine. This is to ensure that the maturation progresses slowly, but this is not to add too much barrel aroma. Though I think we should do the creativity around here from distillery to distillery, as far as I'm concerned, wheat may have a strong barrel aroma for the ingredients scotch, but I think brandy that leaves the aroma of wine is better not to add too much barrel aroma, just like wine"

"I see. Wines that do have too strong a barrel aroma are too distinctive. It's not delicious, but Brandy keeps more than ten times as much time in the barrel as it does in wine. So it takes 20, 30 years and time. I see..."

The Viscount convinced me of my painful explanation.

"Back to the event, the Wine Festival is held in this city, and there are other important sales strategies."

"What is that?," Marquis Seawell asked.

"It's a tasting in the consumer area."

"A tasting? I guess it means an event to give it a try and a drink. It's certainly not an effective hand."

"Yes. Suddenly your hands are hard on something you've never drank. They offer small amounts for a fee to ordinary people who have never had a Seawell wine before. It also creates opportunities for nobles and merchants to taste fine wines for free."

The Marquis tilts his neck at my explanation.

"Again something came up that I don't know, but the common people are paid, and the nobles are free but I wonder what their intentions are. I think I would either make it free or pay for it. Ignacious, do you know why?

"I don't know either," Viscount Radford shook his head to the side.

"The reason is that this is part of the sales strategy."

Everyone doesn't seem to understand my intentions and is tilting their necks.

"If you give the common people a free tasting, they will even come for drinks that are not interested in wine. If you have large quantities of inventory and can expand the market infinitely, that would be nice, but as things stand, the supply is not as high. If you want to pay for it, you should give it to those who want to drink it, i.e., those who want to buy it, and pay for it."

The Marquis further questions whether he is still not convinced.

"Hmm. I see, but the fact that it's free for nobles and merchants doesn't explain it."

"This is also for sales strategy. Nobles and merchants are originally purchasing layers of Seawell wine. And what we're after is the development of the sales channels for the finest wines to be released in the future. As far as I'm concerned, I'd like you to choose Seawell Wine for a gift. To do this, I think it would be most effective to have a lot of people drink it and promote its flavour to the purchasing layer. It costs a little to advertise, but that's just a story to keep on top of the selling price of fine wines, so you won't lose anything."

"I see. Do you want more people to drink it so we can talk about wine? Gifts that are a common topic can be used to create connections…"

Lord Seawell immediately understood my intentions. That strikes me as a good politician.

Subsequently, traders' licensing systems, counterfeiting measures and even branding of cattle fed on the squeeze of wine were discussed.

■ ■ ■

After Zacharias' departure, the remaining Marquises of Seawell held further consultations.

"All Zacharias' proposals should be adopted. That is such a concrete proposal. They'll give us more details if we have time."

Viscount Radford nods loudly at the words.

"That's true. I guess Lord Zacharias has a clear vision in his head. I was wondering how far we could go to hear it and make sure we could do it would be the liver this time."

Darunton was blurry to hear the words of the two bosses.

(Is this all going to be my job... I just need to build a distillery... I need at least ten people attached to it...)

In the meantime, the story of the Marquis and the Viscount was progressing.

"I wonder how long he was supposed to be here"

"So far, we are scheduled to leave on February 7th. His Excellency the Prime Minister understands by arriving within February 10th."

"So, seven more days? In the meantime, we need to confirm where the distillery is scheduled to be built."

"Exactly. But why not ask them to go around other nearby villages whenever possible? If you suggest you pick your own wine to give this year, he'll be on the line. If we can hear the improvement of each village on top of that, we don't even wish for it."

"I like that," the Marquis nodded, giving instructions to Redley Sutherland and Darunton.

"Redley will be putting together a plan to improve the quality of the wine as soon as possible. We should also look at the development of laws. Bernard continues to act with Zacharias. Ask for opinions not only on how to build distilleries, but also on how to improve each village."

The two nod, saying "Your Will," but complain in the form Sutherland stands for.

"I don't have enough hands in my current state. I'd like to ask for an increase in the number of civilian staff."

In contrast, Viscount Radford replied.

"You sure do. Dear Miyagi, this is the most important issue for the Marquis Seawell family. Why don't you set up a new department, take Redley as head, and Bernard as its assistant?"

"Mm-hmm. That would be good. Don't worry about the budget. New personnel cannot be arranged immediately, but will be accommodated from each department whenever possible. Ignacious, please make arrangements."

The Marquis of Seawell Territory has a total population of about 30,000. Including Viscount Radford and other aristocratic territories, it will be 50,000. As a result, more administrative mechanisms are also developed to some extent, such as the Viscount Territory, which is an independent subordinate nobleman, but there are nevertheless only financial, civil life and security departments, which are not legally in place.

By the way, Viscount Radford is the housekeeper who oversees all of it, the Viscount Sutherland family is in charge of finance from generation to generation, and the Dalungton family is in charge of civilian life.

Little thought has been given to the civilian who does paperwork, and all together there are only about a hundred people. Few of those civilians were also involved in drawing up these plans. For this reason, scratching will take at least a few days to ensure that there is no obstacle to the operation of each department.

"People will scratch by the day after tomorrow, but until then, we'll have to do it with this personnel. I'm sorry, but hang in there for a while."

Sutherland and other civilians dropped their shoulders in disappointment at Viscount Radford's words.

"I will pre-coordinate tomorrow's inspection with Lord Zacharias. You guys need to wrap up the results of today's meeting by tomorrow."

That said, with the Marquis, he left the scene.

The remaining Sutherland groaned, "Tomorrow all..."

"Just making a draft would be five or sixty pieces. Tomorrow..."

"You'll have to do it. I have to do it," he returns to me in Darunton's words.

"Right. Okay, let's split up and get to work. Bernard is in charge of fixing quality improvement measures. I organize my sales strategy once…"

Civilians began to fight the paperwork together.

With the paperwork in his hand, Darunton unexpectedly remembered the neighboring kingdom of Kaum.

(With that said, you heard there was a law on the quality of distilled liquor in Kaum. There are those in that country who have been baptized by the son of the god of alcohol, like us...)

He felt an unspeakable sense of solidarity with officials from neighbouring countries whom he had never even met.