I Became a Food Developer in Another World

Chapter 35: Cider (3)

The arrival of cider was a refreshing change for the cola-obsessed Yureans.

“It’s refreshing!”

“Oh, this is refreshing!”

Cider’s crisp, cool, refreshing taste was hard to resist.

“Wow, there’s not a single impurity in it.”

“How can it be so clean?”

The crystal clear color was a surprise to him.

That’s understandable. Until now, the carbonated water from the springs that the Yuren people had been drinking had a lot of sediment and had a salty taste and an iron smell, so not everyone liked it.

Cider, however, had no sediment and no fishy or salty flavor, so anyone could enjoy it lightly.

“Wow, this is so refreshing!”

“Haha, I feel like my stomach is going to explode!”

The sparkling refreshment of the carbonation and the transparent color brought a cool and refreshing feeling.

“It’s a nice mouthful.”

“Really, it’s the perfect after-dinner drink.”

The lemon-lime flavored cider quickly won the hearts of the Yureans.

“I can sense the soul of the Yureans in this cider.”

“Really! The Sage of Gluttony must be one of us Yuren!”

The myth that Yuri was from Yuren spread as if it were a matter of course.

Of course, even Yureans knew that Yuri was a citizen of the Empire and had no connection to Yuren.

It was a “meme” of sorts.

“If the Sage of Gluttony who made cider is not a Yurean, then who is?”

“Haha, then I’m stateless!”

Yuri was considered an “honorary Yurean” by some of the cider-intoxicated Yureans.

And the cider’s unquenchable popularity led to the inevitable debate.

“Hmmm, it’s a nice mouthful, but that’s about it.”

“If you mean ‘black water,’ you’re right. Honestly, the impure color makes it slimy.”

“I said cider.”

“Hehe, you must be very tired to be confused about colors. Go get some sleep.”

“I’m not confused. How can you confuse ‘sugar water’ with Coke? I can tell the difference in my sleep.”

“…What, sugar water? Are we done here?”

“Honestly, cider isn’t ‘high sugar water’.”

“You’re kidding, cola is sugar water!”

“How can you compare sugar water to cola?”

The debate spiraled out of control as the Coke and Cider drinkers demeaned each other’s drinks as “high sugar water” and “black water”.

Of course, it was just a matter of taste, a small spark that would soon be extinguished.

“If you buy a coke, you get a cider!”

“If you buy a cider, we’ll sell you a coke for half price until tomorrow!”

Smelling the money, the merchants poured oil on the dying embers.

“You mean I have to buy black water to drink cider?”

“What a horrible thing to sell sugar water laced with coke!”

The merchants’ argumentative tactics naturally led to increased sales of both drinks.

“Let’s decide democratically, like Yureans!”

“Let’s see which one sells more!”

In taverns, bets were made on the sales of cider and cola.

Of course, there were also objective observers of both drinks.

“……Honestly, aren’t they both sugar water?”

“I asked Gold Tower for the ingredients, and they’re 90% the same, just different flavors.”

“Tsk, tsk, we’re fighting over the same thing.”

“If you drink it with your eyes closed, you can’t tell the difference.”

The Zero Cola drinkers categorized both cola and cider as the same “sugar water”.

Of course, there were those who didn’t understand.

“If you add sugar to Zero Coke, you don’t get fat, but it tastes just like Coke! I’m going to patent this. What do you think? Isn’t this crazy?”

“I think it is crazy.”

“This is insane.”

Sugar was taboo in Zero Coke.

*

Beverage preference was a matter of personal taste, and debating which tasted better was a pointless exercise.

But that pointless debate led to some amazing discoveries.

“…Huh? I poured cider and it removed the stain!”

“I knew it! Cider is a stain remover!”

As the cider and cola were brought to the service, they found other uses for them beyond drinking.

“I didn’t know goblins’ skin was so susceptible to carbonation……!”

“Cider instead of water in a vase makes flowers last longer instead of wilting. Plant-type monsters die when salt and cider are poured together.”

“…You, how the hell did you figure that out?”

There were some uses that made him wonder how he’d figured them out, but the important thing was that the creator was Yuri Grail.

“……The Sage of Gluttony even considered this when he made the soda?”

“Huh!”

Of course, the benefits were completely unknown to Yuri, but the Yureans accepted them as exactly what Yuri intended.

Even in the Gold Tower, the “functionality” of soda was being recognized for the first time.

And

“It seems that the Sage of Gluttony is staying in the Gold Tower!”

“Really! The Sage of Gluttony is staying in the Gold Tower?”

The citizens of Yuren flocked to the Golden Tower in droves to see the Sage of Gluttony.

“Where is the sage?”

“I heard the Sage is in the Golden Tower!”

But the Yuri that the people of Yuren sought so much was nowhere to be seen in the tower.

Soon after the cider was released, Yuri returned to the empire.

*

“…Yuri, where are we?”

“Isn’t this our tower?”

“Here!”

I and Ranya’s eyes widened as we returned to the White Tower after a long two months.

Gone was the familiar spooky exterior, and we were greeted by a pristine white tower that looked brand new.

‘They’re called dwarfs for a reason.’

The White Tower was as old as its long history, so in order to properly remodel it, it was necessary to hire dwarves rather than humans.

But even Ranya and I were surprised by the extent of the renovation, as we hadn’t expected the building to be transformed.

And the surprise grew as we entered the lobby.

“Yoo, yoo, yoo, what’s that?”

“…… It looks like a portrait?”

I stared up at the portrait on the front wall of the lobby, dumbfounded.

In an antique frame with a golden border, it depicted Ranya smiling benevolently.

Beneath it was a counter made of the finest oak.

Best of all.

“They even brought in a madongo?”

A large madongo filled with cider cola was the most prominent feature.

Next to it was a display case of Ranya’s favorite Pringles, arranged by flavor.

“Master, you’re back!”

The wizards greeted us in the lobby upon receiving the news.

Seeing familiar faces, including Zion and Aria, I realized that this was our tower.

“Awww, my heart is……!”

Ranya melted with uncontrollable joy, clutching the heart.

*

“How was the changed Tower?”

“It exceeded my expectations.”

I turned to the dwarf in front of me and thanked him.

“Thank you for the excellent remodeling.”

Dorian Foster, the Red Anvil Clan artisan who oversaw the remodeling of the White Tower.

“I hope you don’t mind that I’m here in her stead, as the Master of the Tower is in no condition to respond.”

“No, sir. You seem pleased, and that makes me happy.”

“By the way, I didn’t ask you to install the madongo or repair the underground workshop, but you did.”

“It’s a small service, nothing to worry about.”

Dorian Foster, with his full red beard, smirked.

But I couldn’t smile back.

This was too much for a small service.

‘The portrait was stunning.’

Ranya’s portrait was a work of art that couldn’t be bought.

There was a portrait of the Lord of the Tower in the tower, but it was smaller and in a different pose, and I wondered how it had been painted.

“I was a court painter in the Calunte Kingdom for a short time, two hundred years ago. I painted the king’s portrait.”

“…Oh, I see.

Being a long-lived race, the Dwarves were versatile in many ways.

Few dwarves were not craftsmen, and Dorian seemed to be one of the most skilled.

“Don’t worry too much about it. We got something, too.”

“…What?”

“Thanks to the White Tower, our clan’s image among the humans has been very good lately.”

“Thanks to our tower?”

I shook my head at the unexpected statement.

Dorian lifted the Pringles container. The watermark caught the light.

It was the face of the iconic Pringles man with a full beard.

“You put my tribe on Pringles.”

Dorian exclaimed, sounding pleased.

“Thanks to you, the number of requests has increased, so how could I not be thankful? Hahaha!”

‘…Uh, that’s not a dwarf.’

It seemed like a huge misunderstanding, but it was hard not to correct him when he was so excited.

“I’m glad to hear you’re happy.”

I shrugged and moved on.

“How would you like to be paid for the remodeling?”

The dwarves accept cash, but also minerals.

I was wondering if I should give him gems if he wanted them.

“I hear you’re good at making food.”

“Yes, that is true.”

“The best thing I ate when I came to the Empire was your chicken. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to a drink. Do you know how to make beer?”

Beer….

“Yes, I make it well.”

Dozens of beers flashed through my mind.