Let go of that monster girl!

Molen paused for a moment, looking at the dark horizon in the distance.

He didn't really think that the White Dragon Maiden Society and the slave traders were on the same side.

If that dragon really supports slave traders, she's a dragon with magic powers.

They could have nuked the hill and Wolfsburg as soon as they got up, and then had enough time to go back to sleep.

With absolute power, who would bother with underhanded schemes?

The mouse girls looked at each other, their round ears drooping, their faces filled with worry.

"Hey, what's with that long face?"

Molen straightened up and patted each of their heads.

"Let's talk about some good news. When we get back to Aishan, we'll be able to catch the newly brewed mushroom wine."

"Mushroom wine!"

"I've had mushroom soup before, but what does mushroom wine taste like?"

Is it sweet?

"Mushroom wine? Can mushrooms really be used to make wine?"

“I have never drunk alcohol; slaves don’t allow it.”

"Then let's start drinking from now on!"

The atmosphere finally relaxed a bit, and the mouse girls started chattering about drinking.

The airship flew slowly through the eternal darkness of the lightless zone, the sound of the wind mingling with the soft laughter of the mouse girls.

The mouse girl on duty on the lookout tower was the first to spot the slowly approaching cluster of air sacs. She pulled the rope and rang the alarm.

"The airship is back!"

"The Baron is back!"

A large group of mouse girls emerged from the platform at the top of the mountain, waving their little hands. The fluorescent lamps were held high, forming a swaying pale yellow band of light in the darkness.

The airship wobbled and swayed as it approached the landing site at the top of the mountain.

The wind became turbulent near the mountain, and the boat suddenly veered sideways, nearly crashing into the rock face halfway up the mountain.

The flying mice hurriedly shut off their sails, started their propellers, and tried their best to gain altitude.

Finally, with a large group of rat girls desperately pulling it from the mountaintop, the airship crashed onto the landing site with a bang, sending stones flying everywhere.

The slave rats timidly peeked out of the cabin, watching as unfamiliar smiling faces surged towards them.

"Hello everyone!"

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Aishan welcomes you."

"Let's eat something first, you guys are so thin."

The rat girls from the dwarf mountain, without any hesitation, pulled the slave rats by the hands and led them into the cave.

As they walked, they stuffed mushroom cakes and small pieces of dried meat into their mouths, chattering away and asking all sorts of questions.

The slave rats, having just eaten these delicious treats, immediately covered their mouths one by one.

Wow, this is even worse than the grayish slurry from the slave market!

Moren jumped off the ship's side, where the flying rats were already directing a group of rat girls to begin unloading the cargo.

Bundles of cloth were unloaded from the ship's hold, and boxes of food and sealed earthenware jars were carefully passed down.

"Be careful, mercury is heavy, don't drop it and break it!"

Molen rummaged through the pile of goods and pulled out a few bags of candy and a package of dried fruit, tossing them to the mouse girls who had gathered around.

The cook ran out from the depths of the cave, her hair still covered in mushroom powder, her round-framed glasses perched crookedly on her nose, and her apron covered in handprints.

"Cook, bring out the mushroom wine we brewed earlier, so everyone can relax."

Chapter 42 Mushroom Wine and Distilled Mushroom Wine

Molen stood with his back to the strange contraption made of copper pipes and glass bottles, holding a small hammer and chisel in his hand.

A large wine barrel was rolled out of the wine cellar by four rat girls working together, and finally came to a steady stop in the center of the open space.

The area was already surrounded by rat girls.

Even though Morren explicitly ordered that only those on leave could come, at this moment, looking around, round mouse ears were densely packed together, and pairs of little hands were carrying all sorts of unbelievable containers.

Some mice were holding bowls, some were carrying basins, and some were holding teapots.

Moren even saw two rat girls rolling a dented acid fire pot together. The dents on its surface looked somewhat familiar; it might be the one that the blind bird had hit on the city wall last time.

Looking at the large group of little heads that only reached his chest, each one with an upturned face full of expectation, Molen felt a strange sense of guilt for giving alcohol to children.

"Your Excellency, shall we open the barrel? Now?"

"I've been waiting for so long, I've been dreaming about it for the past two months."

"I can smell it! I can smell the fragrance!"

Morren raised his hand and pressed it down.

"We'll just open this one bucket today, one cup for everyone, don't overthink it."

The rat girls, who were holding pots and pans, immediately deflated.

"Hmm, just one cup?"

"Did my basin discharge white fluid?"

Molen glanced at the basin and held up two fingers.

Two cups.

The rats cheered.

Molen tapped the barrel wall with his knuckles, listening to the echo to determine the thickness, and found a suitable spot to place the chisel against it.

One chisel, two chisels.

Wood chips flew everywhere, and a small hole appeared on the barrel wall. Clear, transparent liquid immediately seeped out from the hole, carrying a faint sweet fragrance.

Several mouse girls rushed forward at the same time, each holding a bowl, causing a chaotic scene.

"Excuse me! I got here first!"

You stepped on my tail.

The foreman reached out and grabbed the ear of the first female rat, and with his other hand he grabbed the tail of the one behind, forcefully pulling the little creature back.

The cook squeezed out from behind the crowd, holding a brass faucet in her hand, and calmly screwed it into the small hole.

The sweet wine flowed from the tap into the wooden cup she held in her other hand, releasing a wonderfully sweet aroma.

The rat girls finally quieted down and, with the foremen's help, lined up in several neat rows, one after another stepping forward to receive their wine.

Two glasses of wine were poured into various oddly shaped containers.

Bowls, basins, pots, and even a crucible were handed over.

"So sweet, so delicious. Like honey."

"Young master, this cup is for you."

The cook handed Moren a glass of clear liquid that emitted a sweet aroma.

Molen never drinks alcohol.

In Molen's view, alcoholic beverages only fall into two categories: unpleasant to drink and extremely unpleasant to drink.

But for miners and farmers who toil all day and don't know if they'll have a tomorrow, eating and drinking well and humming a few words in bed are all they can do to relieve stress.

In the dark areas, food is precious, and most settlements have strict alcohol prohibitions.

The rim of the glass touched my lips, the liquid went down my throat, the sweetness was clear, followed by a faint taste of alcohol.

The sugar solution derived from wood hydrolysis is almost entirely composed of glucose and water. It lacks the richness of wheat and the aftertaste of berries, and can only produce a cup of light wine in less than two months.

However, it doesn't taste bad.

It even tastes pretty good.

The rat girls are only 1.4 meters tall, although they have an almost superhuman tolerance to toxicity.

But after two large glasses of sweet wine, blushes rose on both of their little faces, and their voices became slurred and sticky.

"It tastes so good..."

"It's so delicious, can I have a sip of yours too..."

The rat girl at the back of the line stamped her feet anxiously to urge them on, while those who had finished drinking at the front refused to leave. The foremen were busy carrying the sleeping little ones back on their shoulders.

"Hehe, switching shifts to drink the first round was definitely the right choice."

"Hehehe, I can drink as much as there is."

Molen smiled and poured the remaining sweet wine in his glass into the copper bottle at the very top of the device behind him.

The structure of this simple distiller is not complicated. A sealed copper bottle sits on a small stove, with a soft stopper connecting the bottle mouth to a bent copper tube pointing downwards.

The copper tube is wrapped with a damp cotton cloth to act as a condenser, and a small cup is placed below the tube opening to collect the distillate.

The flames ignited, licking the bottom of the bronze bottle.

Instead of waiting for the wine to boil, Morren picked up a kettle and slowly poured cool water onto the outside of the copper bottle to control the temperature and prevent the wine from boiling.

The aroma of the wine gradually wafted out, ten times stronger than that of sweet wine.

The rat girls' ears perked up immediately, and they all gathered around with pots and pans in hand.

"It smells so good! This one smells even better than the one before."

The clear, water-like liquid dripped down the cooling copper tubes into the small cup below, carrying a strong, almost pungent, aroma of alcohol.

A bold little mouse girl stretched out her finger, dipped it in the water, put it in her mouth, and licked it.

The next instant, her little face scrunched up, and her tongue stuck out.

"Squeak! It's so spicy! It's killing me!"

"Your Excellency, what is this?"

"This is vodka."

Molen poured another glass of sweet wine into the copper bottle and continued the temperature-controlled distillation.

Vodka, a distilled spirit.

Although the thermometer was invented by Galileo in the 16th century, thermometers at that time were not accurate at all.

Fortunately, alcohol has a boiling point of 78 degrees Celsius, while water has a boiling point of 100 degrees Celsius.

The two differ by more than 20 degrees, and the sugar and other components in the wine hardly evaporate.

Simply keep the liquid close to boiling but not boiling, and you can easily obtain alcohol with a purity of over 60%.

The distillate contains almost only pure alcohol and distilled water, and is clear and transparent. Therefore, in another world, it is called voda, which means water.

The glass in Moren's hand is probably the strongest liquor in the entire Mouse Girl Kingdom's history.

He actually really wanted to rename it "Shutejia".

Never mind, that was a bit stupid.

The pure vodka circulated around the mouse girls' little hands. Each of them cautiously leaned in to sniff it, and then all pulled their heads back in unison.

We looked at each other, and neither of us dared to take a second bite.

They chickened out at such a low level? They really are a bunch of shorty.

Molen smiled and poured the remaining liquid from the copper bottle after distillation into the basin held by the first rat girl.

She lowered her head and took a big gulp, her eyes immediately lighting up.

Wow, it's so sweet!

"Give me a sip too!"