Looking at the three big shots from the Imperial City who were stunned by the ordinary new wine served in this border town under his rule, Kramer felt a sense of accomplishment.
Sevilino also had a proud look on his face, as if the scene of him carefully placating the guest earlier was an illusion. He looked at the governor and they both smiled, sipping the wine in their glasses.
The magic Lafite was the main course. Before that, he could not drink too much.
Due to the feedback from the two elven women, Alan adjusted the alcohol content of Lafite. For those who could not drink alcohol, the Lafite that he brought out had extremely low alcohol content. This way, he could ensure that the drinkers would drink more.
Looking at the princess' expression, he knew that she was very satisfied with this Lafite, which even though was called wine, was more like grape juice. Even the little maid by her side was the same. The two women looked intoxicated.
However, the serious knight did not have many thoughts. To him, this wine was grape juice. The aroma of the wine at the beginning was indeed amazing, but the wine was not strong enough.
"Chief Knight Stanton, this Lafite is made for women. The alcohol content will be lower and the taste will be more like juice. If you need it, I can serve you and the other knights a wine that suits your taste better."
Alan scolded himself for his carelessness. He was only thinking about getting a wine that suited a lady.
He did not see that when other knights behind him heard this, their eyes immediately lit up.
The Chief Knight looked at the young man standing by the table. Under his gaze, he did not shrink back at all, nor did he look guilty. Perhaps he was just curious about the princess just now and was secretly sizing her up. Maybe he was not a bad person.
Therefore, he nodded and agreed with Alan's suggestion.
After Alan finished serving the people sitting in the hall, he retreated to the side and quietly waited for the guests to call out.
"Kramer, why did you not pay tribute to the Imperial City when such a delicious wine appeared in your city?" The princess questioned the governor after drinking two glasses of wine.
"Your Highness, this wine came about not too long ago. Not many people in Rock City even know about it. I just found out myself, and since you were passing by, I decided to bring you here." Kramer's white and chubby face was full of flattering smiles.
"Hmph, quibbling." Olivia snorted lightly.
"Hey, winemaker," She tilted her head slightly and said to the young man standing at the side of the bar counter, "close the tavern and return to the Imperial City with me. From now on, you will brew wine just for me."
Princess Oliveira had a bullheaded look on her face as she made a rude request to Alan.
The Chief Knight nodded in agreement, while Kramer and the administrative officer looked at Alan with worry.
However, Alan rejected directly. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I won't leave Rock City." He shook his head as he spoke.
The governor and administrative officer heaved a sigh of relief. After all, they knew about Alan's wine-brewing talent. In the future, he might brew more new wine and as long as Alan was still in Rock City, they would be able to drink his new wine sooner.
"Commoner, are you going to disobey my orders?" Princess Olivia frowned and said somewhat angrily.
Alan smiled calmly and remained silent. On the surface, he looked as if everything was in his control, but no one knew how perplexed he was in his heart.
The benefits given by the system were all in this tavern. If he left the tavern, he would not be able to brew any wine at all. Therefore, no matter how much the princess threatened and enticed him, he could only bite the bullet and refuse.
With a genial smile on his face and a determined look in his eyes, Alan met the princess' gaze without flinching. However, at the point where their gazes met, there seemed to be a few electric currents that sizzled in the air.
The sky above the tavern's lobby seemed to be covered by a black cloud, causing the atmosphere in the entire tavern to stiffen.
Seeing that the princess' anger was getting more and more intense, Kramer could not sit still anymore. He looked at Chief Knight Stanton as if he was asking for help. However, the knight had the same thoughts as the princess and completely ignored his pleading gaze.
The others turned a blind eye to him and ignored his request for help as well.
"Your... Your Highness... Alan still has a Lafite that contains magic power. Why don't you let him bring it out and have a taste first?" The governor who could not get the Chief Knight's help could only speak out to ease the atmosphere.
After Kramer finished speaking, the two people who were exchanging glances fell silent for a moment. Olivia was the first to give up. "Hmph, hurry up and serve me wine!"
Alan maintained a gentle smile on his face and turned around to prepare.
No one saw that when his back was facing everyone, Alan's face was filled with fear.
With Orina's suggestion, Alan changed all the magic Lafite that he usually sold into low-magic content wine.
But even so, when the princess and the Chief Knight took their first sip, almost at the same time, two pairs of scrutinizing gazes fell on Alan.
"What's wrong? Is this wine not to your liking?" Alan asked.
Olivia stared at the young man across from him, a thought forming in her heart. Regardless of whether he was willing or not, she would tie him up and bring him back to the Imperial City.
The Chief Knight's gaze was burning as he calculated in his heart. If this magic wine was supplied long-term to the Imperial City knights, how many low-level knights would be able to quickly advance to the middle-level?
Alan, who was facing two burning gazes, felt a little uncomfortable. He mocked in his heart, "Even though the princess is a little young, she is still a girl after all so it's fine if she is staring at me like this. But you are a big man, yet you are also staring at me like this. What do you want?" He was so frightened that a layer of sweat dripped down his back.
"As expected, you'd better come back to the Imperial City with me!"
"I don't care if you don't want to, I'll have Stanton kidnap you back!" The princess threatened Alan.
Hearing that she was determined to bring him back to the Imperial City, Alan could not maintain the gentle smile on his face.
"Rest assured, your highness. I'll definitely complete your request." Unexpectedly, the knight who was silent all this time also expressed his stance at this time.
Alan felt helpless. "Your Highness, I will not leave Rock City. I will not brew wine anywhere other than my tavern."
The atmosphere in the tavern was a little heavy. Alan withstood the pressure and repeatedly rejected the invitation from the Imperial City's most favored little princess. Beside her was a Chief Knight who was also eyeing him covetously.
"Sigh, what a pity..." the princess' prideful expression turned to one of regret.
She saw the determination in Alan's eyes to never leave Rock City. Even when she said that she would have Stanton kidnap him back to the Imperial City, he did not waver in the slightest.
Since she could not take Alan away even with threats and enticements, she could only give up. Although Olivia was known as the most favored princess and was used to being willful, she was also extremely intelligent. Otherwise, she would not have been able to hold on to the Emperor's favor for so many years despite her many brothers and sisters.
Since she could not take Alan away for her own use, befriending him was the next best choice.