Close Combat Mage
chapter-326

Chapter 326 – Finally Awakening Pt. 1

After evolving, the Diamond Dragon’s normal appearance had also changed. At the moment…while it was still only about the size of a pug or a large cat, and it was still chubby, it was no longer milky-white in color. Instead, it had changed into a translucent pale blue, like blue crystal.

If the Diamond Dragon adopted a pose and stood still, nobody would think that it was alive. Suo Jia believed that a work of art this unimaginably beautiful and refined would definitely be sellable for a good price. It was a pity…the little pet wasn’t artwork. Even if it was, Suo Jia wouldn’t be willing to sell it.

Its body color wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Exquisite, fish-like scales on the Diamond Dragon’s outer body reflected a brilliant blue light under the sun’s rays.

Suo Jia pulled out the refined potions from his interspatial ring and tossed them without any hesitation into the dragon’s mouth. It didn’t hold back either, and after clamping down on the four colored potions with a snap, it happily swallowed them.

Suo Jia smiled at the Diamond Dragon and opened his interspatial ring, prepared to place the dragon inside. But the next moment, Suo Jia was shocked to discover that no matter how hard he tried, the dragon couldn’t be put in!

It wasn’t that the Diamond Dragon was unwilling to enter. Actually, it was being pretty cooperative, as it also wanted to go back early and sleep However, both Suo Jia and the Diamond Dragon could clearly sense that a powerful resistance was pushing the dragon out of the ring, rejecting its entry.

Suo Jia stared doubtfully at the interspatial ring. But just then, he suddenly realized; although this interspatial ring could contain life forms, it would reject entry to a life form that had reached a certain level of strength!

Suo Jia stared at the Diamond Dragon and couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly. Fortunately…the Diamond Dragon’s normal state wasn’t very large–about the size of a pug–meaning it was very light, only 1.5-2kg. This weight was completely negligible with Suo Jia’s strength.

Of course, the little creature wouldn’t need Suo Jia to carry it all the time. Under normal circumstances, the little pet would dance around Suo Jia in the air. Although it still couldn’t fly for a long period of time in its combat state, flying was a natural instinct in its normal state.

They hadn’t traveled for long before Prairie Fire Plains finally appeared ahead of them. When Suo Jia looked over at the distant city, he couldn’t help but be overjoyed. After some calculations, he realized that that he’d run over 50km in the past 20 minutes. This speed…was crazy!

With the Diamond Dragon in his arms, Suo Jia entered the city as the sky was darkening. He randomly found an inn and the two of them were finally able to get a good rest.

The next morning, Suo Jia collected information around him and eventually found Prarie Fire City’s largest, as well as its most famous, Blazing Liquor brewery. He first sold the 200 bags of Xiangshui rice, and earned at least 200,000 Trade Route coins.

Then, Suo Jia found the brewery’s boss, a middle aged man with an extremely thick and solid body. He had a red nose and a large military stomach.

The boss looked at Suo Jia standing in front of him and asked in confusion, “Mister, I heard you’re looking for me?”

“Yea…” Suo Jia nodded and firmly said, “I’m a merchant, as well as the person that just sold 200 bags of Xiangshui rice to your place!”

“Oh!” The brewery boss couldn’t help but grow excited at this. To think that a merchant had come to them, how could he let this business opportunity run away? Breweries relied on merchants to help them sell their wines.

Suo Jia saw the boss’s excited expression and continued, “The reason I came here this time is actually to buy some Blazing Liquor and sell them in Icebound City. I hope that Boss thinks about the price a bit more. If the price is appropriate, I can help you sell the wines in bulk!”

Suo Jia feigned an expression of fury and said in a low voice, “People nowadays are becoming less and less sincere. You know, I want to some other breweries just now as well, but they all treated me as if I was brain-dead. With the prices they offered, they definitely treated me like I was an idiot.”

“Hehe…” The brewery boss couldn’t help but wipe his sweat and inwardly comment to on how dangerous the situation had been. If Suo Jia hadn’t said those words, the boss definitely would’ve also asked for a sky-high price. Now, he obviously thought it over again. After all…this city wasn’t the only one that could brew wine.

After some thought, the brewery boss cautiously asked, “Um, what kind of wine do you want? And how much?”

“Hm…” Suo Jia firmly replied, “It doesn’t matter what type of wine it is, it just needs to be fiery. As for the amount, that depends on the price. If it’s a lower price, then I’ll want some more; if it’s a higher price, then I’ll want a bit less. If it’s too high, I won’t want it at all.”

The brewery boss gritted his teeth as he thought this through carefully. He knew that the price couldn’t be carelessly proposed. As soon as Suo Jia felt dissatisfied, he’d just leave. But if the offered price was too low, the brewery’s business would be affected as well.

After pondering this for a long time, the brewery boss finally made his decision. He abruptly raised his head and resolutely said to Suo Jia, “Our Blazing Brewery’s most popular alcohol is Blazing Liquor. As for the price, I’ll ask for 1000 coins per barrel. What do you think?”

“1000 coins!” Suo Jia couldn’t help but give a strange shout at the boss’s words. At the same time, his eyes locked onto the boss’s eyes. Whether the price was high or low could be discerned from his gaze.

The boss calmly stated, “This is the lowest price we can offer. If you’re still dissatisfied with this, then we can’t do anything about it.”

Suo Jia laughed and shook his head. “Boss, I don’t mean that all. I just hadn’t imagined that you’d give me such an advantageous price. Deal! I want the liquor, bring me to look at your goods!”

The brewery boss’s eyes couldn’t help but light up in excitement. Although the fee itself wasn’t high, and he couldn’t earn a lot of money from it, he’d still be able to profit if Suo Jia bought hundreds of barrels!

The brewery boss led Suo Jia into the strong of alcohol and casually opened a barrel. Immediately…the strong scent of liquor came flowing outwards. At the same time, the brewery boss took out a ladle and scooped some into a tiny bowl.

He passed the liquor over to Suo Jia and proudly declared, “Not to brag, but our brewery’s Blazing Liquor is the strongest alcohol. Moreover, the flavor is rich and mellow. If you don’t believe me, try a taste!”

After hearing the brewery boss’s claim, Suo Jia took a small, tentative sip. After lightly swallowing, immediately…a scorching feeling came from his mouth and down through his esophagus, quickly entering his stomach.

For a moment, Suo Jia could only sense his mouth, esophagus, and stomach burn up. Despite this though, it wasn’t painful; rather, it was a lazy, comfortable feeling. At the same time, a strong, sweet aroma circulated through his mouth and nose.

“Good liquor!” Suo Jia couldn’t help but sigh as he looked at the fine alcohol in the bowl with delight. He’d only lightly pursed his lips to take a small sip, a few drops, yet he was feeling like this. How amazing would it be if he took a large gulp?

As he felt his entire body warm up, Suo Jia knew that he’d definitely made it big this time. If he shipped such good liquor over to Icebound City, he’d be able to sell it for a good price.

Suo Jia cautiously lifted his head and looked at the brewery boss, “That’s right, Boss, you know how I want to ship these over to Icebound City and sell them there? Have…you sold your alcohol there before?”

“Haha…” The brewery boss shook his head with a bitter smile. “I wish, but you should know that there’s at least 400km between here and Icebound City. There are multiple magical beasts along the way as well. Even if I wanted to ship them there, I can’t!”

The brewery boss seemed to suddenly think of something as he continued, “Of course, there’s some occasional adventurers that come here and buy some liquor to ship back to Icebound City, but they only buy 1-2 barrels, or even just buy it by bottle. That’s why, while Icebound City definitely knows of Blazing Liquor, only a hundred or so people have probably actually drunk it.”

Suo Jia knew that these adventurers had definitely done so after receiving it as adventure missions, and couldn’t have possibly shipped them in batch. Sending 1-2 barrels in one trip was already reaching the limit. This business was not only harmless, but actually advantageous. It was precisely because everyone had tasted this heavenly taste before that it was so lusted after.

Suo Jia continued to ask, “That’s right, aside from here, what other places produce Blazing Liquor? I want to go ask…”

Before Suo Jia had finished speaking, the brewery boss interjected. “What are you thinking? The Blazing Liquor is our Blazing Brewery’s symbol and reputation. Aside from us, nobody else can brew it. Otherwise, on what basis would we be able to be the largest brewery?”

Suo Jia nodded in satisfaction and sized up the barrel. He then firmly stated, “Alright, in that case, give me 1000 barrels first. However…I still have another request!”

“1000 barrels!” The brewery boss gave a strange shout as he jumped up and stared at Suo Jia incredulously. Stuttering, he said, “Ok, ok, ok, go ahead and state whatever your request is!”