Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 200 Hops

As the atmosphere of the exchange reached a climax, the fruit, cold salad, and other items that were originally on the table were removed.

All sorts of hot dishes and delicious food were served up one by one by the young and beautiful maids.

Many of the dishes were presented in a way that Richard had never seen before.

For example, a main meat dish called "Suckling Pig and Chicken" is served on a huge plate with a diameter of nearly one meter. The upper half is a large portion of a suckling pig, while the lower half is the lower half of a chicken.

When the dish was served, Richard was puzzled. Could it be that such a creature really existed in the Underdark? No way, its shape was too inconsistent with the body structure of biological evolution.

Obviously, a chicken's two thin legs are completely unable to support the weight of a pig's upper body.

Seeing Richard's puzzled expression, the dwarf witch Fana seemed to understand something, chuckled, and introduced in a sweet voice:

"Master Li Wei, this dish is made up of two different ingredients. Compared to the rarity of the ingredients, I think the creativity is more commendable."

"The upper part of this dish comes from a low-level monster, a cub born within half a month of the cliff boar, while the lower part comes from a domesticated low-level monster, the moorhen. However, this moorhen must be a castrated rooster, and then it is carefully cooked for several hours."

"The flavors of the chicken broth are combined with the tenderness of the suckling pig. Master Levi, you should try it." Fana gestured to the maid beside her, who cut a large piece for Richard.

Richard forked a piece, tasted it, and found it to be truly delicious.

Even if it can't compare to my own golden horned frog eggs in terms of freshness, it's still meat.

The fact that they could produce something to this standard speaks volumes about the preciousness of the raw materials and the skill of the chef.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the downing of glasses of highly purified wine, the wizards became noticeably more talkative, and the atmosphere grew even more lively.

After a satisfying meal, the second part of the exchange meeting began in the afternoon: the free trading phase.

Each wizard, in turn, introduces the various items to be traded one by one, and can also state their needs, such as what they want to exchange. At this time, the trade cannot begin.

After everyone has finished introducing themselves, free trading can begin.

Richard was short of money because he had just bought a villa, and this was his first time attending a gathering and exchange among wizards, so he hadn't planned to buy anything.

But when he saw the various rare materials, he couldn't help but be shocked.

Apart from him, everyone else present was a high-level first-class wizard, most of whom had been official wizards for decades and had accumulated considerable experience.

The items they brought out were generally rare materials, magical artifacts, and so on, each of which was quite valuable.

Moreover, the other party usually seeks to barter; otherwise, if it is simply to exchange for magic stones, they can send most of the items to the auction house to obtain higher magic stone profits.

"Mimetic metal, 5359 grams, I'd like to exchange it for ten mana thistles," Angelis, a fellow grey dwarf wizard, said.

Mimicry metal? This immediately made Richard's eyes light up. Hmm, he had originally planned to wait until he was done with this busy period and then see if he could upgrade some of the advanced and top-tier witchcraft tools he had on hand.

After all, many low-level magical artifacts can be upgraded by modifying them with top-level magical tools.

Richard had this idea before; it minimized the cost while maximizing the improvement.

It's a bit troublesome, requiring the individual to be proficient in the relevant field. For example, if you want to upgrade weapons, shields, armor, or other magical artifacts and items, you need to be proficient in rune crafting. If you want to upgrade leather armor or other magical artifacts and items, you need to be proficient in elemental leatherworking.

Elemental leatherworking utilizes various elemental energies to create leather armor.

This is why Richard was initially quite interested in the fact that the blacksmiths in Greyfern Town could use rudimentary rune forging techniques to create weapons.

Perhaps, for an ordinary wizard, it would be quite good to master one or two fields in a lifetime, but Richard is different. With the Inspiration Panel at hand, as long as he has enough energy points, time and energy are not a problem.

Bringing his thoughts back to the scene, Richard guessed that Angelis's purpose in wanting to exchange for Mana Thistle was most likely to create a powerful flame protection agent.

This potent fire protection potion, when consumed, forms a spherical shield on the body's surface, capable of absorbing a considerable amount of fire energy, roughly equivalent to the defensive power of two to three fireballs cast by a formal fire-specialized wizard.

Strictly speaking, it can absorb 110 degrees of fire energy.

A level 1 wizard's fireball spell typically has a power of 30 to 40 degrees, so it's not wrong to say that it can absorb the damage from two to three fireballs.

Unfortunately, I don't have either Mana Thistle or the formula for a potent fire protection agent.

It seems that this piece of mimicry metal, which weighs several times more than the mimicry wristband, is not for me.

"Oh, Angelis, are you making a powerful fire protection potion? What, are you planning to go to the Scorched Earth Secret Realm soon?" said a grey dwarf wizard with a maroon beard.

After the transaction was completed, it was around three or four in the afternoon, and Desol was still chatting idly on the side.

Richard, on the other hand, had just purchased a villa. Although it had once been the residence of a wealthy grey dwarf merchant and was luxurious in every way, everyone usually makes slight modifications according to their own style.

Although Fana is a dwarf woman, her eye for beauty shares many similarities with Richard's. For example, the entire hall's decor is exactly the kind Richard likes.

In addition to the decorations on the walls, various flowers are also planted in the corners. Since the hall is illuminated by flame stones of different sizes all year round, many of the flowers are varieties that are not common in dark areas. Many of them are the kind of flowers that need strong light to grow lushly, and their colors are naturally much more vibrant.

Hey! Richard casually walked past a few small green hydrangeas with white spots hanging from them.

Why does this look so much like hops from my past life?

Hops, also known as hops, are an important ingredient in brewing beer.

Out of curiosity, Richard stepped forward, smelled the fragrance, and immediately his expression turned serious. He picked a flower, rubbed it open, and examined it carefully.

Before long, although Richard's face remained calm, he was overjoyed inside.

He picked the fruit spikes from the female plant, which resembled green pine cones in shape and size. The most important part was the yellow powdery substance attached to the axils of the bracts inside.

Its smell, color, and appearance are extremely similar to hops from my previous life.

"Master Li Wei, what are you doing here? What, do you also like flowers?" At this moment, the petite Fana walked over.

Following Richard's gaze, Fana explained, "This is an unknown type of hemp grass, rarely seen in the Underdark. I found it near Tug City. It looked very rare and beautiful, so I transplanted it here."

Richard was taken aback, but immediately realized that hops prefer light, and in theory, most areas of the Darklands would not meet this growth condition.

On the contrary, in large cities like Tug City, where the radiation from the Flame Stone has been providing illumination for a long time, these few otherworldly hop plants were discovered.

That's rare!

"Yes, Ms. Fana, I am very interested in the various flowers you grow here. I wonder if you could sell me some?" Richard said with a smile. Of course, he couldn't just have one kind; that would be too conspicuous.

"Of course, no problem. It's my honor that you like it, Master Li Wei," Fana chuckled.

"Also, these are all ordinary flowers, except for being a bit pretty. Just take whichever ones you like."

"Thank you very much, Ms. Fana." Fana's generosity made Richard seem a bit stingy.

However, Richard thought about it again and realized that he already had a plan in mind, but now was not the right time.

"This one, this one, and that one... pack them all up for me," Richard said, turning to the grey dwarf noblewoman who had been accompanying him the whole time.

"Yes, sir." With his master's permission, the steward naturally obeyed and carefully began to transplant each plant into an individual flowerpot.

After the party ended, Richard returned to his villa and immediately took his hops and went into the newly built alchemy room with great enthusiasm.

Although many of the utensils and equipment were not procured, they were clearly sufficient to determine whether this otherworldly version of hops could actually produce the desired effect.

Half an hour later.

Richard had a smile on his face.

It's like searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly.

I never expected that attending a wizard gathering would bring such a pleasant surprise.

Although I was short of money and couldn't buy the mimicry metal, I did have the unexpected bonus of hops.

It can be said that what was lost on one front was gained on another.

Since meeting Dessol, Richard has discovered the Grey Dwarves' enormous alcohol consumption capacity, but the beer they drink most often lacks the light fragrance and sweet aftertaste that followed the bitterness of their previous life.

If I could add this otherworldly version of hops, the taste of the Grey Dwarf's beer would be greatly enhanced.

Beer is made from very simple ingredients, just like the Grey Dwarves. It is made from malt and water as the main ingredients, fermented by yeast to produce a low-concentration fermented beverage containing carbon dioxide.

However, because it lacks the flavor compounds of hops, it tastes a bit too sweet, and after a while, it also develops a slightly sour taste.

This is why Fana brought out high-proof wine at the wizards' gathering.

Even the finest beer in Tug City doesn't taste as good as high-proof wine.

Now that he has hops, Richard believes he will bring about a revolutionary change to the beer industry in the Grey Dwarfs, and at the same time, it means he can make a fortune.

The Grey Dwarves have a wide variety of beers, ranging from those suitable for ordinary people, costing only a few copper coins, to those suitable for the middle class, priced at one or two silver coins, to high-class beers supplied to wealthy merchants, nobles, and even wizards like Dissol, costing several gold coins.

Richard planned to start with premium beer. He had already done preliminary calculations and figured that if he could capture one-third of the premium beer market share in Tug City, he could earn several thousand gold coins every day.

Converted to magic stones, this translates to an income of two to three hundred magic stones per day. After deducting various costs and labor expenses, the profit margin is quite large due to the high-end nature of the beer. Richard estimates that at least 80% of the net profit should still be retained.

At first glance, two hundred magic stones a day may not seem like much, but its advantages are safety and the ability to accumulate over time. Even if it's only two hundred magic stones a day, it adds up to a considerable amount over a year.

Finally, there's the market share. If this beer sells well enough, the market share can obviously be expanded, and this is only in Tug City.

What if it could be expanded to other cities?

At that time, it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as making a fortune every day!

Even in the later stages, his reputation as an alchemist might not be enough to control the business, and he would have to rely on the powerful Grey Dwarf Brotherhood.

However, let's put that problem aside for now. What I need to do right now is brew a small amount of beer for tasting and attract a group of high-profile customers.

The large-scale cultivation of hops should naturally be left to professional nature wizards, but that can be put on hold for now.

Richard knew the general principles of brewing beer—crushing malt, saccharifying, boiling, adding hops, and then fermenting—but he wasn't very clear about the specific beer-making process of the Grey Dwarves.

Fortunately, Richard was not alone. He immediately summoned Stephena, Fingert, and Gorkan.

"Among the three of you, is any one familiar with beer brewing?" Richard asked, his gaze focusing on Fingart and Gorkan.

After all, both of them had served as prophets to an entire merfolk tribe. If the tribe had brewed some alcoholic beverages, they should be quite familiar with the process.

Fingart and Gorkan exchanged glances. Although they couldn't understand why their master had suddenly thought of beer brewing, they both shook their heads and said, "Master, murlocs rarely drink beer. The grey dwarves probably know this best."

Stephania also looked bewildered, but after a moment's thought, she said, "I'm not very clear about the brewing process for this beer either, but... Master, why don't you go ask that lecherous old man, Dissol?"

"He's an alcoholic, so he probably knows a lot about brewing beer, and might even have recipes and techniques for many different types of beer."

Richard closed his eyes and slowly tapped his fingers on the wooden armrests of the large chair.

Stephena and the other two knew that this was Richard's habit when he was thinking, so they immediately stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to make a sound, for fear of disturbing their master's thoughts.

Richard's original idea was to first produce a small quantity of beer using hops, and then invite Dessall over so that he could spread the word through Dessall's big mouth.

But now it seems I still need to go find him first.

It's not that the beer brewing process is particularly difficult, but Richard didn't want to waste too much time, energy, and most importantly, his energy on this matter.

He preferred to take a larger share of the profits at each stage, because if the market were really as large as expected, he, as a human in the Grey Dwarf region, would absolutely not be able to handle such a huge market with such high profits.

In that case, why not find some existing friends to cooperate with early on? And Desol, the wizard who loves alcohol, is one of the best choices.

"Fingart, go and inquire if Lord Desol is here. If he is, invite him over."

Richard initially intended to contact Dessol directly using the communication mark, but after some thought, he decided to have Fingart make the trip alone.

(End of this chapter)