Chapter 63: The Young Fox Who Brewed Wine

In the end, the lightweight leather armor that Vinigo prepared for Honey was crafted from the hide of the tiger-dragon. For vital areas such as the chest, abdomen, head, and neck, Vinigo used the sturdier, thicker scales from the dragon’s back, while the rest was fashioned from the softer, thinner belly skin, making the entire set exceptionally light yet with enough defense to withstand most attacks.

Honey specialized in divine arts, so there was no need for complex enchantments. Drawing inspiration from the synchronizing longbow, Vinigo devised a magic array linking the helmet, chest piece, arm guards, leg guards, boots, and gloves, with one sole purpose: extreme speed.

This armor allowed Honey, previously of average swiftness, to move quickly enough to catch up with Cait Sith. Unfortunately, her reflexes and dynamic vision couldn’t quite keep up, else she could have moonlighted as a nimble thief or assassin.

Still, as long as Honey was fast, it was enough. She could swiftly widen the distance, dodge attacks, and thus gain greater chances to survive on the battlefield and to unleash her powerful divine arts to control the tide of battle.

The tiger-dragon’s bones, hard yet light, were transformed by Vinigo into bone tablets engraved with magical sigils and imbued with alchemy. In this way, Vinigo acquired a batch of magical tools akin to spell cards: by activating the corresponding bone tablet, one could use the magic inscribed upon it—though such spells were typically of only minor effect.

Neither the blood nor the eyes of the tiger-dragon went to waste. Vinigo used them to concoct a magic-dampening potion capable of manipulating magical elements. A single vial could saturate an area of five hundred square meters, causing all magical elements within to riot and increasing the difficulty of spellcasting, multiplying the risk of failure.

All these potions were sold to Sir Tamp. Vinigo knew the knight was preparing to face off against the spellcasters of the Warlord’s Fortress, and these potions were just what he needed.

Vinigo thus fetched a handsome price. The armor he acquired from Invader, though its quality declined slightly after alchemical repairs, was still a fine piece. Sir Tamp had no use for it himself, but for his swordsmen, it was a precious gift.

Sir Tamp lacked much cash, so Vinigo proposed exchanging some of the gold coins for grapes from his lands and requested he send people to build a modest estate on the wastelands outside Free Paradise.

This would be Vinigo’s new base. He named it Prism Manor, symbolizing his own multifaceted abilities—like a prism refracting white light into a rainbow.

With a base established, Vinigo’s operations expanded. He turned the grapes sent by Sir Tamp into wine.

Brewing wine was not difficult. The local grapes were not tasty, so their price was low, but they sufficed for winemaking. Moreover, the grapes were unpolluted; after a quick rinse, they could go straight into the large clay vats.

Mash the grapes, toss them in the vat, then add the right amount of sugar—the key to Vinigo’s winemaking, since only he could produce pure white sugar from Nanoka’s culinary magic.

Thus, after a month or so, decent wine was ready. Because the materials were cheap, Vinigo could produce a large barrel of wine for about a single gold coin.

And this barrel, once bottled and adorned, could easily sell for two or three times the price. Even so, the drinkers would marvel at how affordable it was.

Sir Tamp’s men were mostly robust warriors with a high demand for wine, so Vinigo could easily extract a tidy sum from their generous salaries.

With this enterprise, Vinigo’s finances were comfortably secure, and he no longer had to worry about mercury.

He could have opened a shop himself, but Vinigo was not so industrious. Speaking of merchants... Lady Frith, the kingdom’s foremost trader, would be quite willing to take over.

A month later, after receiving the first payment for his wine, Vinigo generously handed eighty percent of the wine business to Lady Frith. She would handle production, packaging, promotion, and sales, while Vinigo simply collected profits—and supplied a little white sugar to prime the process.

As for Sophie, her life remained disciplined: training, resting, training, meals, training, resting... Meanwhile, Honey was busy playing with Cait Sith—or, as she put it, cultivating teamwork with the big cat.

Just as Vinigo was busy stockpiling white sugar and collecting payments, a visitor arrived.

The Storm Masters, wielders of the power of the Verdant Tyrant, the pinnacle of wind magic, sent a delegate from the magic guild known as the Verdant Throne.

The Verdant Throne was one of the kingdom’s largest magic guilds, controlling the creation and sale of most wind magic tomes, and so was quite wealthy. Vinigo had caught their attention because he had never purchased any tomes but had unleashed a formidable tornado at Silver Helm Fortress.

Curious, the Verdant Throne dispatched an envoy.

The envoy was polite; though representing a powerful faction, there was only a gentle arrogance in his manner, never crossing into rudeness. They courteously requested Vinigo to explain the nature and origin of the tornado spell, offering to reward him in exchange for the secret.

Vinigo did not withhold knowledge, responding with equal courtesy and explaining how to construct a miniature tornado core to stir the air and summon a whirlwind. However, he noted that the method required specific weather and environmental conditions.

Only environments prone to strong convection could produce tornadoes. Vinigo clarified the method’s limitations, though he did not delve into the physics, merely offering some practical examples.

Such a diluted form of magic hardly impressed the Verdant Throne, but they nonetheless showed ample goodwill and bestowed a fair payment.

Both sides appeared amicable, so the Verdant Throne invited Vinigo’s team to undertake some simple tasks for them.

For example: eliminating traitors, clearing out mines, and so forth. Vinigo made no objections, accepting all requests. With Sophie and Honey in tow, he easily completed a series of commissions and thus gained the Verdant Throne’s friendship.

—And, of course, gold; Vinigo was no altruist.

Though troublesome for ordinary folk, these tasks posed little challenge for Vinigo.

After the battle with the tiger-dragon, Vinigo’s power had clearly increased, breaking through a certain bottleneck and unlocking new roles with excellent performance. He also found greater flexibility in adjusting his character builds and more options available.

Now, Vinigo alone could handle ten warriors from the Silver Helm outpost, and even if he met Invader again, he was not without the strength to fight.

Prism Manor, the reception room.

“This is the commission for this time.” The young swordsman respectfully handed over a letter, sent by Sir Tamp.

By now, Vinigo, Sophie, and their group were well acquainted with Sir Tamp, Lady Frith, and Sir Newton. These luminaries frequently sent commissions of various sorts. Clearly, their status made it inconvenient to get involved in certain affairs, so hiring a free agent like Vinigo allowed them to keep their hands clean.

Yet this meant Vinigo was inevitably drawn into the tangled affairs of the High Council. With the Eight Giants’ increasing reliance on him, he would gradually come into contact with hidden secrets—once the Eight Giants lost interest, Vinigo might face the threat of being silenced.

Although he had some confidence in the Eight Giants, Vinigo had no intention of entrusting his fate to others. He hoped to possess his own power.

Power to protect himself.

“What’s the job this time?” Honey asked, sidling up and clutching Vinigo’s shoulder with a mischievous grin.

“Most of Sir Tamp’s commissions involve dealing with formidable foes,” Vinigo replied. “Powerful, but not suitable for his army to confront directly—usually enemies with troublesome abilities... Hmm, this time seems particularly tricky.”

“How so?” Sophie entered, carrying her greatsword.

“Mr. Merak’s squad, though strong, has been trapped and needs rescue. Sir Tamp admits he underestimated the enemy, so he wants us to aid Merak’s team,” Vinigo explained. “It’s not far; with Ramen’s help, we should reach them in a day or two.”

“Fox brother, you’ve accumulated many interesting things lately—let’s make a splash!” Honey clapped her hands.

“No time to waste, everyone prepare yourselves, and meet in the central garden in five minutes,” Vinigo said, handing the commission letter to Sophie. She nodded, stowed the letter, and departed.

They moved quickly, assembling in the courtyard in moments.

“Ramen!” Vinigo snapped his fingers, and Ramen pierced through the planes to appear at his side, as usual headbutting Vinigo and sending him flying.

“Oh, you…” Vinigo sighed, rubbing his forehead, then angrily tossed his large backpack onto Ramen’s back and secured it with special straps.

“Let’s go.” Vinigo snapped his fingers, pointing ahead. Ramen perked up, wagging its head and tail as it set off.

The destination was a bit far, and relying solely on Ramen was not ideal, so when they reached the main road, Vinigo tossed down two gold coins, temporarily “commandeered” a carriage, and used it as transport.

Their journey had begun!