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Chapter 331: Popping Corks

Lan Jue dialed in the Keeper’s com number, and shared the situation in a few short sentences The Keeper answered with a single, irritated sentence: “These idiots – they only ever spoil what they touch” He cut the connection, and Lan Jue knew the situation was handled

Originally, Lan Jue had planned to visit the Wine Master tonight and explain the situation with the wine However, upon second thought he decided to get hiet everything done together, and would instead spend the night eating so froress had quickened He felt stuck at the edge of ninth rank seventh degree, but if this trend continued he would reach ninth rank ninth degree at his brother’s age As an Adept with two disciplines, that would h the night, solidifying the electrical power that had strengthened around his Core after the recent battles When he awoke, he had a glass of water and two pieces of plain white bread He didn’t want anything tasty that ht influence the wine he was about to enjoy He finally left for the Gourmet’s small residence

The roster was the same; the Gourmet, the Sea anxiously for this moment

The ht! Everyone’s here, let’s get to drinking”

The Gourmet nodded He rose and approached his wine cabinet, extricating the Cros Parantoux fro the knife or fork” It ine no a means to open a bottle of wine Traditionally, one would use a corkscrew to achieve the desired result, but using two forks or knives inserted in the edges worked just as well Thesure that one removed the whole cork

The cork itself was a type of oak bark So long as its integrity remained, the wine inside was protected Sadly, those bottles which had been poorly corked may find the stopper broken, or reduced to pulp The residual cork in the wine and it’s aeration pro bottles was a delicate art, and in a group of friends it was always the one with steady hands who handled the bottle

In the new era, good corks from fine were a pricey commodity This was of course especially true for the cork froendary wine like the Cros Parantoux Both it and the bottle would fetch a good price at auction They were, after all, rare antiques There was no small number of people ould pay handsomely to add these to their collections

The Pauper raised his hands, as though to ward him away “They call me Cork-Killer for a reason, so don’t hand that to ry people to contend with Can’t you use your Discipline to remove it?” the Pauper asked

The Gour wine like this requires a process It’s like a pilgrie The path is pure, with only the tools they used in the old days How could we defile thisour Disciplines? It’s a shame the Wine Master isn’t here – he’s the s In all honesty I don’t entirely trust myself to open it! Jewelry Master, what about you?”

“Remove the foil and let’s see what condition the cork is in,” Lan Jue said

“Alright,” replied the Gourmet

The foil was a thin sheet of aluminum metal wrapped around the bottle’s neck It’s purpose was to help seal the bottle for future consu from the look, the Henri Jayerthat a bottle froundy was much harder to properly store than Bordeaux

The Gour its several functions had a knife specifically for re, with a cover that looked sins Lan Jue could recognize immediately that it was ly rare even in the former era

There were other differences as well The corkscreas longer, specifically designed for opening older bottles Often the older ones had longer corks A corkscrew had to almost fully penetrate a cork to extricate it successfully

Two quick circles of the serrated knife, and the glass beneath was revealed They could see the cork inside When they saw it, all four onlookers’ faces changed

“It perer brown, as one ht expect Noas a puce hue The botto period, seeped in to the cork Thankfully the contents looked clear – a turbid ould have caused Lan Jue to fear for it

Any wine that had toowould spoil Too aged, was the phrase used often – directly saying a wine had gone bad was disrespectful to the wine

The Gourmet plucked up a clean towel fro with the black condensation on the cork It wasn’t dirt, but old wine that had penetrated through

“Should you or should I?” he asked

Lan Jue took a deep breath “Let me” In the moment of truth, Lan Jue took on the responsibility He didn’t have the culinary mastery of the Gourmet, but when it came to wine he had a wealth of experience This wouldn’t be the first rare bottle of wine he’d opened

The Gourmet handed the bottle and utility knife to Lan Jue