My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

"Of course I don't mind, but I'm sorry to trouble Manager Chen."

Li Shimin expressed his gratitude, his gaze shifting to the tray in Chen Mo's hands.

Both buckets of noodles were covered, emitting wisps of steam, and the aroma wafting from them made their throats tingle.

Next to the two buckets of noodles were several bottles... of black liquid.

"What is this?"

Li Shimin looked on with curiosity.

"This is called cola, it's a beverage."

Chen Mo chuckled.

He opened a bottle in front of Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling and gulped it down.

"Cool!"

After finishing the drink, Chen Mo looked refreshed.

Although the weather is not as hot as the dog days of summer, the coolness of autumn has not yet swept across the land.

Drinking an ice-cold Coke in this kind of weather is incredibly refreshing.

Seeing Chen Mo's expression, Li Shimin copied his previous action and opened a can of cola.

"His Majesty……"

Fang Xuanling opened his mouth slightly.

"It's alright."

Li Shimin spoke without any restraint, tilting his head back and taking a large gulp.

!!!

The next moment, Li Shimin's eyes widened suddenly!

An unprecedented, extremely stimulating taste and sweetness exploded in his mouth instantly.

Countless tiny bubbles frantically assaulted his tongue and throat, causing a tingling and numb sensation, along with a peculiar sweet fragrance.

The feeling was so strange and intense that he almost instinctively spat out the mouthful of "living" water.

But he forced himself to swallow it, frowning. A cool sensation rushed to his stomach, but it brought a strange sense of relief.

"...!"

Li Shimin didn't speak, but the expression on his face, a mixture of astonishment, discomfort, and a hint of novelty, said it all.

"Wow...wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"

He couldn't resist taking a second sip.

With this mental preparation, the stimulating taste seemed to become more interesting.

"This tastes like a thousand needles pricking your mouth at first, a delightful sensation, followed by an incomparably sweet and refreshing sweetness! How wonderful! Xuanling, try it!"

Fang Xuanling didn't stand on ceremony and took the cola, carefully taking a sip.

"Hmm!"

Fang Xuanling was also stimulated by the taste of cola, and his gray beard was covered with a few cool brown droplets.

He smacked his lips, savoring the strange taste.

"This thing has a truly strange and unusual taste. It's an excellent way to cool off when chilled, and its sweetness far surpasses that of maltose. It should be suitable for soldiers, but..."

Fang Xuanling looked at Chen Mo.

"I wonder how many cents this Coke costs?"

"Three yuan."

Seeing the puzzled looks on Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling's faces, Chen Mo pondered for a moment.

"Based on your prices back then, it was about three copper coins a bottle, right?"

"How much...how much?!"

Fang Xuanling's admiration froze instantly, turning into utter astonishment and disbelief.

He even doubted that he had heard correctly!

Three coins?

Did he really hear that right?

Li Shimin, who was standing to the side, had picked up his cola and was about to take another sip.

Upon hearing the number, my hand trembled violently, and the Coke in the bottle almost spilled out.

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open, staring intently at Chen Mo, his voice trembling.

"Three coins?! You mean... this cola only costs three coins?!"

During the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, a dou (about 12.5 jin) of rice only cost three to five wen.

A bolt of silk costs only two or three hundred coins!

These three coins are only enough to buy two flatbreads or a bowl of the most ordinary wine in Chang'an!

Chen Mo looked at his appearance and pondered for a moment.

"I don't know the exact price, but it's very cheap. Anyone can afford it. If you really want to calculate it, it should cost less than three coins, right?"

"Of course, this stuff is too sweet. There are about several dozen grams of sugar in just one bottle, so many people don't want to drink it."

Fang Xuanling: ? ? ?

Listen to this, is this even human language?

I don't want to drink it because it's too sweet and has too much sugar.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were many people who longed to eat sweets but had no chance to.

We can only splurge during holidays.

And here, they actually complained that it was too sweet!

Is this the world 1,400 years from now?

He also did some calculations.

At that price, his monthly salary as prime minister could probably buy enough Coca-Cola to flood this entire hotel and still have some left over.

But that's precisely why it's so terrifying the more you think about it.

Is this thing really only selling for three dollars?

"Manager Chen... Manager Chen, are you joking? This item, just the bottle itself, is exquisitely crafted; it's probably worth more than three coins, isn't it?"

Li Shimin also looked completely incredulous.

"Moreover, the miraculous water inside..."

Chen Mo looked at the two of them, their worldviews shattered by the price, and couldn't help but laugh and cry.

"Times have changed. Here, these cans are mass-produced by machines, and the cost is very low."

"This sweet soup is also mass-produced in a factory. It comes in large quantities and is filling, so it's cheap! It's nothing special!"

Machines? Assembly lines? Mass production?

Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

They stared silently at the Coke bottles in their hands.

For the first time, I felt so directly, through such a trivial price, the unfathomable chasm between eras.

It turns out that people in later generations have become so wealthy and efficient...

For a mere three coins, one can enjoy such a "miracle item".

Fang Xuanling finally let out a long, complicated sigh and smiled bitterly.

"Your Majesty... it seems we... truly come from a 'remote and impoverished place' and are somewhat ignorant."

Li Shimin remained silent, only tapping the still slightly cold bottle with his finger, a hint of shock still lingering on his face.

If this drink were taken to the Tang Dynasty, I'm sure there would be plenty of people willing to buy it for three strings of cash!

And here it only costs three yuan!

Three yuan!

Just how wealthy will people in the future be?