My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 205 An Unintentional Success

Tong Hua quickly took the measuring cup from Jessica and looked at the distilled water inside.

Distilled water: Quality F, a product of purifying turbid water. In other words, it's the very foundation of alchemy. Recommended processing methods (cooking, alchemy).

"Huh? That works too?"

Tong Hua scratched his head. Did that mean that all the time he had been boiling water these past few months wasn't considered alchemy?

"Could it be related to the tools used?"

Because I used to boil water while cooking, I used kitchen utensils.

Is that why those operations are considered cooking, not alchemy?

Tong Hua thought for a moment, then looked at the measuring cup in his hand, and felt more and more that this must be the reason.

In the game "Baboon XIV," the so-called alchemy is more like a chemical experiment.

According to the game's description, alchemists are masters of science and natural knowledge, possessing the secrets of darkness and light.

They could transform ordinary raw materials into magical holy water and common herbal juices into powerful healing agents, thus ensuring their livelihood.

Their knowledge was mostly drawn from various herbalism and mysticism, so the things they made, besides various potions and inks, were mainly used to enchant all sorts of things.

Thinking of this, Tong Hua couldn't help but mutter to himself, "But this is good too. It seems that I only need to boil water three more times to unlock the Alchemist profession."

So, alchemy really does exist after all —

"What did you say?" Jessica turned her head curiously.

"Oh? It's nothing!" Tong Hua quickly waved her hand and poured the distilled water into the prepared container. "Let's move on to the next step."

Although Jessica was somewhat puzzled, she continued speaking.

"Next, we can try brewing wine. I see that your ranch seems to have plenty of sweet fruits and tree fruits, so why don't you make both mead and fruit wine?"

"Great idea!" Tong Hua's eyes lit up. "Then why don't we try more combinations of tree fruits? Anyway, our production here is basically only supplied to dessert shops."

It's completely overproduction.

As Tong Hua spoke, he waved his hand, signaling Tuotuo Yin to help fetch some sweet fruit and a large amount of tree fruit from the wooden house.

While waiting for the worms to be caught, Tong Hua curiously tried making distilled water again.

This time, he specially used glassware for alchemy to make it, and sure enough, he received a system notification when clear water droplets dripped from the condenser.

[Two successful alchemy attempts, achievement progress (2/3)]

"I see—" He stroked the measuring cup thoughtfully, it seemed that the tools used did indeed determine the type of processing.

"Hmph hmph hmph~" While Tong Hua was making distilled water, Jessica was humming a song as she poured the distilled water she had just made into a small bottle.

"Wow?" Two Celebi surrounded "Worm!"

Just then, the worm returned with the materials, and the foam squirrel nimbly stepped forward and sorted the tree fruits by color.

"Mmm~ It smells so sweet and fragrant. It seems that you've bred your honeybees very well."

Jessica opened the honey jar, and a rich, sweet aroma immediately filled the entire cellar.

"La-hua~"

The rabbis circled the honey pot in ecstasy, unable to resist taking a sniff.

"Hehe, to be honest, I didn't really take care of them much. I should thank the Queen Bee; she's been taking good care of the three honeybees."

Next, under Jessica's guidance, Tong Hua began making honey water.

"First, pour about half of the warm water into the prepared fermentation tank."

Next, pour the honey into warm water and stir vigorously to dissolve it completely.

Then add the remaining cold water, being careful not to fill it completely; leave some space. Stir again until well combined.

Jessica spoke, and Tong Hua did as she was told.

The warm water that was added was naturally distilled water that Tong Hua had just prepared.

The most important aspect of the entire process is controlling the ratio of water to honey. This ratio affects the initial sugar content of the honey water, which in turn affects the final alcohol content after brewing.

"For beginners, I recommend making dry honey wine, and the ratio should not exceed 1:1."

Tong Hua listened as he continued stirring. The water and honey he added were roughly equal, probably not exceeding a 1:1 ratio.

After the honey water cooled down, Jessica stopped Tong Hua.

"Okay, that's about right."

The next step is to add the yeast.

"Yeast?" Tong Hua stopped stirring and looked at Jessica curiously.

"Jiang Jiang!"

Jessica then took out a small bottle that she had prepared earlier, which she had secretly prepared while Tong Hua was busy making distilled water.

"These small bottles contain yeast liquid that has already been activated in warm water."

Pour these into the prepared honey water and stir —

Tong Hua took the small bottle and could see the milky white liquid slowly bubbling inside through the glass.

When he opened the bottle, a smell similar to fresh bread wafted out, and the ghats were immediately attracted, curiously circling around the bottle.

"These yeasts are superior strains that I specially separated from my own treasured collection," Jessica proudly explained. "The ones with gold caps are suitable for mead, and the ones with silver caps are suitable for fruit wines; they can make the wines purer."

Under Jessica's guidance, Tong Hua carefully poured the yeast liquid into the honey water and stirred.

Soon, a strange reaction occurred in the bucket.

"Pop~"

A tiny bubble bursts quietly, signaling that the fermentation process has begun.

"Look, bubbles are starting to form." Jessica pointed to the small bubbles gradually rising inside the fermentation tank. "This means the yeast has started working."

The foam squirrel excitedly lay on the edge of the bucket, observing, and occasionally tapped the bucket wall with its paw, as if cheering on the hardworking yeast.

"Now, it's time to seal the wooden barrel, install the air valve, and remember to observe the fermentation process every day."

After about one or two weeks, it can be transferred to new barrels for aging. When transferring, simply remove the top layer of sake, leaving the yeast sediment at the bottom.

Following Jessica's instructions, Tong Hua carefully installed the specially made sealing cap onto the fermentation tank. As he installed the air valve, he noticed that tiny bubbles had begun to emerge regularly from the valve opening.

"That's amazing."

Fairy Tale couldn't help but marvel at how she had learned a new skill.

Trying new things is always so exciting!

Afterwards, with Jessica's help, Tong Hua made several more barrels of fruit wine, and before they knew it, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.

"Gurgle————"

Suddenly, someone's stomach started growling loudly.

"Oh no, this is bad."

Jessica glanced at her watch and slapped her forehead. "I completely forgot to eat lunch!"

"There's nothing I can do about it," Tong Hua said, scratching his head sheepishly. "Brewing wine is just so much fun that it makes you forget about eating."

"In short, that's pretty much it. I suggest you don't age the first batch of wine for too long. Actually, it's fine to taste it immediately after transferring it to a new barrel."

The key is to accumulate experience, master the proportions for each brewing, and control the ambient temperature, humidity, and brewing time.

"Hehe, I'm sure you'll surpass me in brewing very soon, Xiao Tong."

Tong Hua felt a little embarrassed by what Jessica said, and was about to speak when her stomach made a loud "rumbling" sound.

This time, even the foam squirrel and the two Celebi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Looks like our stomachs are protesting." Jessica laughed as she packed up her tools. "That's enough for today. How about you treat me to a meal at your new house as a thank you?"

"Of course we'll invite you!"

7

Tong Hua nodded quickly, and the group walked out of the cellar chatting and laughing.