Chapter 277 - 256: Making Money is This Easy? Long Live the Governor

Chapter 277: Chapter 256: Making Money is This Easy? Long Live the Governor

Louis was dumbfounded.

He was going to use this Dream-Returning Wine to teach that guy Su Lu a lesson.

Who would have thought the wine would now have a rotten smell?

Unwilling to give up, he scooped up a little and tasted it. A single sip made him gag and spit it out.

Forget about having that special effect; it was completely unpalatable.

Louis immediately turned to the man in anger. "Damn it, how did you brew this? I gave you the formula, and you still managed to screw it up?"

The man’s expression soured. "Mr. Louis, I followed the formula’s instructions for brewing and steeping exactly. I checked everything very carefully. There’s no way I made a mistake."

"Besides, even if I did something wrong, one bad jar is possible, but it’s impossible for the entire batch to be ruined. You know my skill level."

Louis fell silent upon hearing this.

He was indeed familiar with the man’s skills. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically tasked him with brewing this Dream-Returning Wine.

’Did Professor Daler’s analysis have a mistake?’

’That’s even more unlikely.’

Professor Daler was the authority in this field.

He had started this winery, and many of his wines were the result of formulas reverse-engineered by Professor Daler.

"Brew it again. I’ll watch you myself this time," Louis said with a frown.

Seeing Louis’s determination, the man didn’t dare to argue. He could only begin steeping a new batch of Dream-Returning Wine right in front of him.

He meticulously followed the instructions on the formula.

This time, Louis watched him personally and confirmed that he followed the formula perfectly, without a single misstep.

The wine jar was sealed.

Louis returned and began an anxious wait.

「Three days passed.」

Louis arrived at the winery first thing in the morning. Seeing the man, he asked, "How is it?"

The man replied with a long face, "Mr. Louis, it’s the same as before."

"How could that be?" Louis’s face darkened. He rushed inside, and upon opening the wine jar, he was met with the same rotten smell.

This infuriated him.

This proved it wasn’t a brewing issue. That meant it was truly possible that Professor Daler’s analysis was flawed.

’But why would that happen?’

’Professor Daler is an authority; he’s never made a mistake before.’

He hurriedly grabbed the formula and left the winery, heading straight for Professor Daler’s laboratory.

As he passed an intersection, he saw an advertisement on an outdoor screen, and his expression immediately grew grim.

It was about Dream-Returning Wine.

"It’s unbelievable that such a wine exists in this world! The award-winning actor Mr. Feir actually spent 30,000 USD trying to buy a single bottle..."

Apparently, in this short time, Su Lu had already launched a full-scale promotion for Dream-Returning Wine, even reaching the level of a Hollywood star.

And breaking into the Hollywood entertainment circle was the same as breaking into the circle of the ultra-rich.

If this continued and he couldn’t get his hands on Dream-Returning Wine, things would get ugly.

With Dream-Returning Wine, Su Lu would likely reverse the advantage Weston had over him.

This made him even more anxious. He urged the driver, "Hurry up."

Upon arriving at Professor Daler’s lab, Louis rushed in to see him. Just as he was about to speak, Professor Daler saw him and said with a frown, "Mr. Louis, I was just about to contact you about something. Regarding that Dream-Returning Wine you brought me, I had a chance to drink some a couple of days ago. Its magical effect made me realize I might have made a mistake. When I analyzed it for you, there may have been a substance I failed to detect."

"Otherwise, a wine brewed with such simple ingredients couldn’t possibly have such a magical effect. So, I returned to the lab and re-ran the analysis. I discovered a special composite element. That element is very miraculous; it’s likely the reason Dream-Returning Wine has its unique effect."

Hearing this, Louis finally understood why his brewed wine smelled rotten—the formula from Professor Daler’s analysis was completely wrong.

He asked anxiously, "Professor Daler, can this element be reverse-engineered?"

Professor Daler’s expression was grim. He sighed, "Mr. Louis, I’m very sorry. I tried, but it seems that element cannot be replicated with my current technology. This is the first time I’ve encountered such a situation, and I have to admit, I feel a sense of helplessness. To truly crack it... it would probably take at least ten years, and the cost in money would be astronomical."

"???" Louis was utterly stunned. He couldn’t help but roar at the professor, "Professor Daler, you’ve ruined me! And I trusted you so much!"

"???" Professor Daler looked at Louis in confusion.

’I just helped him analyze a wine,’ he thought. ’I already apologized for the previous mistake, and now I just can’t figure it out. How did that ’ruin’ him?’

’My inability to crack the formula just means that you, Louis, can’t pirate this wine, same as before.’

With that thought, Professor Daler became annoyed. He stopped paying attention to Louis, turned, and walked back into his lab, leaving Louis reeling.

"..." Louis felt as if the entire world had suddenly turned against him.

An authority like Professor Daler had made such a mistake. And he had trusted him so completely.

Now, Su Lu had taken Dream-Returning Wine and was even rolling it out on a large scale. He knew exactly what this meant.

He didn’t dare to linger. He rushed out of the lab and back to his company, where he immediately summoned his secretary. Clinging to a sliver of hope, he ordered, "Quick, contact the Xuanfeng Alliance. Tell them we’ll pay the deposit immediately to continue the previous contract. We’re willing to offer a higher ex-factory price."

"???" The secretary was astonished, suspecting there might be something wrong with his boss.

’It’s been so many days. Is calling them now even going to work?’

’Besides, he refused to pay the deposit before, and now he wants to increase the price? I really don’t get it.’

But since it was an order from his boss, he had no choice but to comply. He dialed the Xuanfeng Alliance’s number.

A moment later, the secretary said with a miserable look, "Mr. Louis, the Xuanfeng Alliance hung up as soon as they heard it was us. When I tried calling again, we’d already been blacklisted."

"..." Hearing this, Louis collapsed limply into his chair.

「Meanwhile.」

The people of the Xuanfeng Alliance were in an uproar over several announcements from the Governor’s Mansion.

Rai’Er Village.

Chen Long had already brought in an excavator with his crew.

He was the owner of a small construction company that specialized in building houses in rural areas. Many people who worked as migrant laborers saved up some money, but unable to afford a home in the city, they chose to build one in their hometown instead.

For the price of a 100-square-meter apartment in the city, one could build a large villa in their hometown. There were many such projects in the country, but the competition was also fierce.

This time, he had learned about the situation in the Xuanfeng Alliance from an old classmate. Using his classmate’s engineering company as a channel, he decided to try his luck here, even hiring a translator specifically for the trip.

The result, however, was a pleasant surprise. As soon as he arrived, he took on several projects. In Lair Village especially, several villagers wanted to build houses. Although they weren’t large homes and the jobs were small, it was a good start, and there were enough of them.

Chen Long saw a shirtless man come out. He walked up with a smile and handed him a blueprint. "Mr. Quidar, here is the design for your house. What do you think? Are you satisfied?"

Quidar took the blueprint. Seeing the beautifully designed house on it, his face lit up with joy. "Mr. Chen Long, the design is gorgeous! The Governor’s Mansion was right, you people from the Dragon Country are our friends. I’m leaving my house in your hands."

Quidar’s face was filled not just with joy, but also with hope for the future.

Before, he could only live in a mud house that was drafty and could collapse at any moment. But because the Governor’s Mansion was buying Qiuzi Grass for 250 Xuanfeng Coins a jin, his family could now harvest and sell over 500 jin a day.

Recently, he had been making 125,000 Xuanfeng Coins a day.

In this period, his family had earned nearly 2 million Xuanfeng Coins, so naturally, they wanted to build a better house.

Many others in the village had gotten rich from Qiuzi Grass, just like his family.

Unfortunately, the Qiuzi Grass on the mountain was about to be completely harvested.

Everyone was now discussing collecting Qiuzi Grass seeds to plant. Although the growth cycle would be long and they wouldn’t be able to harvest as much daily as they were now, at least there would be future income.

This was far better than before, when they couldn’t find any good work and earned very little no matter how hard they toiled.

They felt that the Xuanfeng Alliance had come to save them.

They also hoped the Alliance wouldn’t suddenly stop buying Qiuzi Grass.

"Quidar, let’s go! Time to make the delivery," his father and wife called out, pulling a cart down from up the hill.

"Coming!" Quidar quickly replied. He said goodbye to Chen Long and headed to town to sell the Qiuzi Grass.

Chen Long watched this scene, filled with envy.

He knew, of course, about this thing called Qiuzi Grass. It was a wild weed from the mountains that cost nothing to grow, yet it sold for 250 a jin.

The families in this village were earning over 10,000 a day just by harvesting this grass.

He was tempted to take his own men to harvest some, provided he wasn’t afraid of being chased off by villagers with sickles and hoes.

Quidar and his father once again pushed their cart of Qiuzi Grass to town. Having come every day recently, they knew the way by heart. They soon arrived at the Qiuzi Grass purchasing station.

When they got there, he saw circles of people crowded around the notice board, all seeming to be reading an announcement.

Quidar immediately pulled his father over to squeeze through the crowd, but he realized he was illiterate and couldn’t understand what the notice said.

"Friend, what does it say?" Quidar quickly asked a person next to him.

The person immediately explained, "We’re going to be rich! Someone just said the notice says the Governor has ordered a temporary 5-fold price increase for purchased goods like Qiuzi Grass, Drunken Beauty Root, sweet potatoes... and so on! The specific prices will be adjusted later depending on the situation."

"What?"

"Five times?"

Quidar and his father cried out in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.

They already thought the current price was incredibly high. Five times that... how much would that be?

Similar cries of astonishment rose and fell all around them.

They had never imagined earning money could be so easy. To them, it felt like money was falling from the sky.

They also understood that this was all thanks to the Xuanfeng Alliance.

It was the Xuanfeng Alliance that had made it so easy for them to earn money.

"Long live the Xuanfeng Alliance!"

"Long live the Governor!"

Suddenly, someone shouted.

The words instantly resonated with everyone, and even Quidar and his father began to shout along.

"Long live the Xuanfeng Alliance!"

"Long live the Governor!"

...

Clearly, in their eyes, the Governor was a savior sent from heaven!