"Well? How is it?"
"Hmm."
Ian scooped up a ladle of wine, took a deep gulp, and then, under the gaze of the crowd, smiled and nodded. "Not bad!"
As soon as these words fell, the nervous crowd burst into cheers. "Great!"
"If Ian says it's good, then it must be good!"
"I just told you we would succeed! You know, Robin taught us this; how could we fail?"
"We won't have to be undercut by that profiteer this time."
"Quiet!"
Amidst the cheers, the equally excited Village Chief Martin immediately held out his hand while grinning widely. "We don't know if it can be sold yet! Everyone, quiet down."
With that, everyone realized what was happening and quickly stopped cheering. They, along with Village Chief Martin, looked at Ian with excitement and anticipation.
"Ian."
Village Chief Martin rubbed his hands and said a little embarrassedly: "These wines..."
"Let Robin contact Gini!"
Ian smiled helplessly; he didn't keep everyone waiting. He smiled and said: "Baiscaiborg Island is a commercial transit point in this area. Countless merchant ships pass through it every year. Let's try selling it there first. If it doesn't work out, I'll contact Captain Enchi."
"Good, but how could it not work"?
Hearing Ian's words, Village Chief Martin's worries were immediately put to rest.
With a look of joy and anticipation, he said: "The wine from the Sibia River Archipelago is so good, it will definitely be popular."
"That's right, our wine will definitely be popular."
"Ian is just too modest."
"Oh, right."
Looking at the excited crowd before him, Ian seemed to remember something and asked: "Are the oak barrels ready?"
"Robin has already asked Gini, and they're planning to order directly from outside."
Hearing Ian's words, Village Chief Martin, still grinning, said: "It will be delivered in a few days."
"Ordered from outside?"
Ian nodded. It seemed Robin had already arranged everything.
As expected of an educated person, she thought of everything.
Ian looked at the still excited crowd without interrupting them. Just as he turned and was about to leave to find Robin, Village Chief Martin stopped him.
"...?"
Is there something else?
Before Ian could ask, Village Chief Martin beamed and said: "Where do you think you're going, boy? We're holding a banquet later! Don't you dare run off!"
"..."
Another banquet?
How many times have we had this already?
At Village Chief Martin's words, Ian's lips twitched, but looking at the excited and expectant crowd, he didn't dampen their spirits and nodded, indicating he understood.
Well, since he had already had a great day, he might as well celebrate it.
This sea really loves to throw banquets!
… …
"Drink and eat as you please! Today's wine… Drink to your heart's content!"
"Awesome, Village Chief Martin!"
"At this time, you should address Village Chief Martin by his title, Executive Village Chief. Do you know how to show respect?"
Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the celebration of the winery's successful brew officially began.
The villagers, arm in arm, began to imagine the good times once the wine was sold.
And similarly... Zephyr, who was recuperating here, and his student Binz were also invited.
Only…
"Ain."
Binz, already immersed in the feast, looked at Ain, who had just arrived, raising his glass and cheerfully saying: "Where have you been? Why are you here so late? The wine today is excellent too. Come on, let's have a toast, um, to celebrate... The success of winemaking in the Sibia Village!"
"..."
Ain, who had just returned, looked at Binz in front of her and was speechless for a moment. She ignored him and turned to look at Zephyr, who was also drinking with the village leaders.
She was about to say something, but when she saw Zephyr enjoying the feast, she couldn't bring herself to say what she wanted to say.
After a moment of silence, she involuntarily glanced at the other seat. Her once serious expression suddenly broke into a smile when she saw Ian, who was frantically stuffing his drink.
Just then, a voice came from the side. "Why are you smiling at that kid?"
"...?"
Startled, Ain turned sharply, realizing Zephyr had somehow appeared at her side, despite a moment ago still drinking with others.
Just as she was about to speak, Zephyr chuckled and said: "You look like you want to ask me something. Is it about that kid?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ain opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't know how to say it.
After a pause, she nodded, then shook her head. This odd expression piqued Zephyr's curiosity. "What's wrong with you?"
"Zephyr-sensei, I..."
Ain paused, her eyes were complicated. "I think I understand what you mean by the heart of the strong."
"Are you still struggling with this? What's there to worry about? Even if you don't have the heart of the strong, you will still become strong when the time comes. The sea will push you forward, and all you have to do is train hard."
Hearing Ain's words, Zephyr, holding his wine glass, felt a slight sense of relief.
Honestly, that complex expression just now, especially the one Ain had while looking at Ian, almost made him think his student was going to compete with the Devil Child for a man!
After downing his drink, Zephyr looked at Ain again, and a thought crossed his mind: "You must have secretly watched that boy's training, huh?"
"...?!"
"I'm not blind. How could I not see that blazing light at noon?"
Looking at Ain, who looked a little surprised, Zephyr shook his head and said with a smile: "I thought you had secretly seen it a long time ago. I didn't expect you to wait until now. What did you see?"
"The mountain... was split apart."
"The mountain was split apart? Mountain-cracking training?"
Zephyr was startled by Ain's words, but quickly recovered and said cheerfully: "Not a bad training method. That bastard, Garp, also did the mountain hammering training back then."
"No, the mountain was completely split apart."
However, facing Zephyr, who wasn't surprised at all, Ain had a complicated expression.
She shook her head and said seriously: "From top to bottom... The entire mountain was completely split apart."
"The entire mountain? Completely split apart?!"
As soon as those words fell, Zephyr, who had been laughing moments ago, finally understood Ain's meaning. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at her: "You mean to tell me that kid already has the strength to split an entire mountain? From top to bottom, completely split apart?"
"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes."
"...?!"
Zephyr finally came to his senses after receiving Ain's confirmation. He turned sharply and looked at Ian, who was still feasting.
Then he burst into a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! I didn't expect this kid to be so fast!!"
Then he looked at Ian with a serious face: "Did he already become a great... Swordsman?"
...
"Achoo! Ugh!"
"Eat slowly, kid! Why are you eating so fast today?"
"Thank you."
Ian took the drink that Robin handed him, gulped down a mouthful, and finally swallowed that chunk of meat.
Only then did he smile at the approaching Village Chief Martin and say: "I came across something good, but forget it, not worth talking about. Why aren't you enjoying the banquet? What had you come over here for?"
"To ask something."
Seeing that Ian was alright, Village Chief Martin sat down. A look of worry in his eyes, he spoke furtively: "I've been meaning to ask you for a few days. Are you alright, kid? What were those three guys doing here? Especially that one named Zephyr, who seems to be a big shot at Marine Headquarters?"
"He's a big shot, but don't worry."
Hearing Village Chief Martin's words, Ian smiled and shook his head, reassuringly saying: "That guy just came to our village to recuperate!"
"Recuperate? What's there to recuperate in our village? Is there really nothing wrong?"
"Don't worry! It's okay, and..."
Seeing the still-worried Village Chief Martin, Ian's eyes rolled, as if he suddenly thought of something.
"It's a good thing this guy's here. You know, he's the Chief Instructor from the Marine Headquarters, and he has trained many important figures in the Marines. What do you think would happen if he were to teach the children in the village?"
"Even if he doesn't, just think, if word gets out that the Chief Instructor of Marine Headquarters likes our wine so much that he comes here just to drink it, what do you think would happen to our wine?"
"What would happen? Of course it would sell like crazy!"
Hearing Ian's words, the previously worried Village Chief Martin slapped his thigh hard, shivered a little, then squinted at Ian with a sly look: "You mean..."
"Exactly!"
"Hehehe…"
Robin: "..."
At that moment, under Robin's helpless gaze from the side, the two of them looked at each other and broke into deep, knowing smiles.
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