When evil gods hold a meeting in my head

By this time, Dansha had already left. Although Richard really wanted to tell Dansha about his idea for the cocktail, he couldn't see him for the time being, let alone discuss it... He stood behind the counter, staring at the bottles for a long time, when he suddenly caught sight of Logan, the clerk who was clearing the table.

"Logan, I have a question for you."

Richard asked the clerk who had initially greeted him, "What's the typical male-to-female ratio of our tavern's customers?"

Logan paused for a moment: "Most of them are men—sailors, dockworkers, and merchants. There are women too, but not many…they usually come with the men."

He thought for a moment and added, "Occasionally, single ladies come in, but they just sit and drink a glass of water, seemingly trying to hook up with rich guys... They rarely order alcohol."

That's because the drinks at the tavern didn't suit their taste...

Richard curled his lip: "Then why didn't they order drinks?"

Logan was stumped by the question. He scratched his head and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, "Maybe...maybe it's because she doesn't like to drink? The liquor here is pretty strong, and women aren't used to it."

Yes, that's the problem!

Everyone knows this, but no one tries to change it. If we don't even try... how can the tavern's business possibly be good?

Richard pointed to the row of bottles and said, "Look, we only have expensive business liquor and cheap spirits here. Ladies usually just want something that tastes good but isn't too strong, but we hardly have any of those in the bar, so they just sit there or drink water. Can we blame that entirely on the customers? I don't think...and they probably won't come back!"

Logan listened blankly, his eyes slowly widening.

"Now that you mention it, sir... it does seem to make sense..." he murmured.

Richard walked out from behind the counter, went to the row of bottles, picked up a bottle of white rum and a bottle of cherry juice, and weighed them in his hands.

"If you mix several types of alcohol together, add some fruit juice or honey, and create a drink that looks nice and doesn't taste too strong, do you think anyone would drink it?"

Upon hearing this, Logan excitedly leaned closer: "This...this can work? I've never seen anyone do this before..."

"How do you know it won't work if you don't try?"

Richard placed the wine bottle and juice on the table: "Come on, give me a hand."

Logan rushed over, his eyes filled with excitement.

Richard thought for a moment and decided to start with the simplest thing.

He picked up a clean glass, poured in some white rum, added some cherry juice, and then a spoonful of honey.

He stirred it gently with the stirrer, and the liquor turned a soft pink under the light.

"Try it."

Logan took the cocktail, took a sip, and couldn't help but exclaim, "This... did you develop the recipe for this yourself? What's it called?"

"Chicken...tail?" Richard asked hesitantly.

In fact, he had never thought about how to name this wine.

However, since I'm just borrowing from others, I might as well borrow from them to the end...

At this point, Logan continued to praise Richard:

"Oh! What a perfect name. It's thirst-quenching and has a hint of cherry flavor. I think my sister would love it; she's told me about a similar taste, but unfortunately, she can't find a drink like this in any tavern. I think... you've found a business opportunity that could make the tavern a few sacks of gold!"

Holding the cup, he asked again, "Sir, how did you come up with this way of mixing it? I've worked here for so many years and I've never seen it drunk like this before..."

Richard gave an awkward laugh: "I was just giving it a try."

Logan took another sip, his face full of rapture: "If this wine were sold to the ladies, it would be a hit... Sir, you have such a talent..."

Richard waved his hand: "Ahem, let's try something else. Let's put this bottle aside for now."

After saying that, he picked up a bottle of gin, poured some in, and then added some lemon juice and honey. This time, the resulting drink was a pale yellow liquid, which was not very appealing.

It even looks a bit like excrement...

Richard then added some more blue base liquor, and the color improved somewhat...

Despite the somewhat bumpy process, Logan's expression of shock remained after taking a taste; the word "delicious" was practically written all over his face. This gave Richard the illusion that he indeed had a talent for bartending...

After trying several different cocktail recipes...

Suddenly, a bell rang at the door.

Richard looked up and saw a woman in a long black dress. She wore a wide-brimmed hat with the brim pulled low, obscuring most of her face. The neckline and cuffs of her dress were adorned with intricate lace, giving it a very classic style…

She walked in, sat down at a table by the window, and then looked around the tavern.

Logan quickly went to greet her, a professional smile plastered on his face: "Madam, what would you like to drink?"

The woman's gaze swept over the liquor cabinet, her brow furrowing slightly. "Do you... have any milder liquors here? I have business to discuss later and don't want to get too drunk, but I can't help but want to savor the taste of alcohol again..."

Upon hearing this request, Logan was momentarily stunned, and he instinctively glanced back at Richard.

Richard emerged from behind the counter, carrying a freshly mixed pink cocktail.

"Madam," he said politely, "I just mixed a new drink here, it doesn't have a name yet, but if you don't mind, you can try it. It's free, just to let us taste it."

The woman looked up and glanced at the glass in Richard's hand: "What kind of wine is this?"

"I made it myself," Richard said. "White rum, cherry juice, and a little honey. It's not too strong, perfect for sipping slowly."

The woman stared at the cup for a few seconds and nodded.

"Okay, I'll try it."

Richard walked over and placed the cup in front of her.

The woman picked up the cup, first looked at the color, then brought it to her nose to smell it, and then took a small sip.

She closed her eyes and savored the moment for a long time.

He then slowly asked, "Did you mix this drink?"

Richard nodded.

"Not bad! It's sweet but not cloying, with a fruity aroma, but it doesn't feel cheap at all. It suits my taste perfectly."

Hearing the praise he wanted to hear, Richard immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you for your kind words."

The woman glanced at him, her gaze filled with a hint of inquiry.

Suddenly, she took something out of her small bag, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Richard.

Richard looked closely and discovered... it was a piece of parchment.

It looks like it's been around for a while; the edges have turned slightly yellow.

Before he could even reach out to touch it, a familiar scent wafted into his nose.

It smelled like the first time I opened Alice's box, and like the scent of the turquoise necklace...

"This paper contains something extraordinary!"