At this young age, Otto rarely enjoyed a hangover.
He slept very deeply that night, and when he woke up, the sun had already risen.
Maybe it was because the distillation process had eliminated a lot of dirt. After waking up, he did not feel an unbearable headache. Instead, he felt a sense of emptiness all over his body, as if he had been rowing all day long and was exhausted. The feeling after a long day's sleep.
But when he thought of the ecstasy he felt after being drunk, he got up, ate some bacon, and hurried to Klavassen's blacksmith shop, taking away the last part of the distillation. liquor.
Since enjoying it for the first time, Otto has really fallen in love with it.
In the following days, the ale of the entire Ross tribe was concentrated in the hands of the leader.
Generally speaking, the market price of a barrel of ale in Roseburg is ten silver coins. If there is one with the richest taste, it is normal for the price to rise to twenty silver coins.
Usually prices are constant, but this year the situation has changed dramatically.
In this era, ordinary civilians obtain wealth either from accidents or from war dividends. Don't expect them to save. It is normal to spend immediately to improve their lives.
This is what Malos’ theory of spiritual needs describes. In layman’s terms, people need to eat enough and then eat well.
How to eat well? Eating wheat cakes and grilled meat every day, accompanied by ale wine, life is really full of joy.
The merchants deliberately raised the prices, and the Russians were also very powerful in fighting.
The earliest ales entering Hong Kong have been sold out long ago. Merchants took the opportunity to raise prices. After more merchants inquired, they began to spontaneously transport Malaren ales to Roseburg.
Otto bought ten oak barrels of ale at a price nearly half higher than the market price, which cost him one hundred and fifty silver coins. These wines were not good wines, but even if they were the most ordinary things, he felt that Klavasen was fully capable of turning them into vodka.
The so-called vodka today is just the exact name given by Rurik to the distilled liquor that the Russians processed themselves.
In Rurik's view, only something that is close to pure alcohol, has no aroma, and only has the smell of alcohol is worthy of being called vodka.
Inappropriately speaking, vodka can be said to be industrial alcohol without added acetone. Rather than a drink, it would be more appropriate to say the fuel that makes the car run wildly.
So, the burden of processing distilled vodka suddenly fell on Klavasen.
The unexpected work can be said to add fuel to the fire of this busy blacksmith family.
Is there any other way? That was the order from the leader of the tribe. The order was strict, but it also meant that huge benefits could be gained.
What mission did Otto give them?
That is, one oak barrel of ale must be processed every day and turned into flammable vodka in three glasses. profoundAlthough this was Tuo's first contact with real spirits, a real alcoholic's taste for wine does not need to be tested too many times. He would personally try to light the spirit to verify that the maker had filled it with water.
To be more precise, he also followed his son Rurik's explanation. The reason why ale cannot burn but the flame of vodka can burn beards is because one has more water and the other has less water.
Under pressure, what else can Klavasen do? It seems that the most important thing about distilling liquor is supervision.
He gave the student Kamnier the job of supervisor, and a magical thing happened under the pressure.
People in the White Tree Manor in Novgorod in the far east would never have imagined that Kamne, an orphan whose parents had died, was being trained by the Varyag people to become the best winemaker.
Good thing Otto did not indulge in personal enjoyment. He put the newly obtained vodka into water bags made from the stomachs of beasts, and then distributed them to his most important friends.
This is great, Klavasen’s reputation is even greater. Many good people learned about the source of vodka in the name of ordering swords. They still couldn't understand how ale became a "good wine that can burn". In short, the leader regarded lighting vodka as a miracle that could be played with, and by the way, he once again proved his son's nobility.
Otto was certainly not an alcoholic. He really longs to enjoy the nectar and jade liquid every day, but after all, he knows that his life will not last long.
"Burning Vodka" is a miracle. He is in the tribe, and his elderly cronies, who are also a very important group of people in the tribe, promote and display this miracle.
However, every night his father became a little drunk. Rurik looked at the old guy and couldn't help but worry.
Rurik certainly hopes that his new house will be built, and now the new house that imitates the Novgorod-style wooden house has finally reached a very critical stage. Over there, in the gaps intentionally left in the wooden wall, was stuffed with compacted moss. and laying wooden logs on hard wooden beams arranged in a herringbone pattern. After all, you still need to lay the moss and then lay a layer of logs to serve as the energy supply for the tiles.
This is the wooden house, a wooden house with a stone fireplace. It may have been completed in the past few days.
Rurik gradually focused on the new house. It was obvious that his father was originally interested in the new house, but now he was focused on wine.
Finally, one quiet night, while his father was still in good spirits, he talked about his worries at the dinner table.
"Dad, you have been drinking too much during this time."
"Oh? Really a lot? I feel that during this time, every night, my soul They were all wandering around Valhalla. I...even saw Brunhild and the Valkyrie told me..." "Brünhilt?" Rurik thought it was ridiculous. , that’s just a legendary figure. The Rus generally recognize this deity, and it seems that no one except the priests can claim to be equal to this deity.God is on the line. Rurik deliberately asked: "So, what did the Valkyrie say?"
"Oh. He said that he would die in a war many years later and die as a true warrior."
Niya was startled when her husband said such words. She coughed twice: "Stop talking nonsense, you are a man who wants to die at home."
Otto shrugged. , didn’t take his wife’s words seriously. He looked into his son's eyes, and as a warrior, he carefully educated Rurik: "Do you know where the best destination for a man is?"
"It's the battlefield, I know! "
"You know?" Otto was greatly surprised.
Rurik really knew what his father liked to hear. He deliberately said: "A true warrior will die at the last moment of the last war. In this way, he will die in battle." , instead of aging like a dead branch and dying quietly."
Rurik just quoted a famous saying from a certain general a thousand years later, which really shocked Otto the most at this moment.
To be fair, the words he quoted are really shocking, and they are really meant for the soldiers.
The excited Otto suddenly stood up, and under the attention of his family, he suddenly raised his son high, with a happy smile on his face.
After a while, Otto reluctantly calmed down and continued the previous topic: "My soul did go to the door of Valhalla. It was not a dream. The Valkyrie told me that I will die in the war many years later, And you, Rurik, will take my place. Don't worry, these are all fate. The Valkyrie said, I enjoyed the wine of Valhalla in advance, which is proof that I have been chosen. Anyone who drinks this wine can become a heroic spirit after death. My son, do you know? Your uncles all feel that you have given them this opportunity!"
Rurik suddenly said! Opening his eyes, he felt that things were getting very bizarre.
Of course the old guy Otto was dreaming, but when he popularized the dream to his "uncles", that is, important figures in the tribe such as Haro Zuosen, the situation completely changed.
After so many years, Rurik has long recognized Otto’s fatherly role.
The current situation is also very clear. Although in the past, the Ross tribe selected its leader through public must-select, now, who has the courage to challenge "the person chosen by Odin"?
I will personally govern. Once the leader Otto dies, no matter what his age, he will definitely take over.
Rurik’s biggest need now is to have the greatest power of the tribe. Now Otto is becoming more and more addicted to the hallucinations caused by alcohol, while Rurik is increasingly enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by people and worshiping him.
Of course he will become a new leader, or even be upgraded to a prince, or a new title like Caesar or Augustus.
However, before that, Rurik felt that his father Otto must pave a broader and more solid road for his future.
In other words, the Ross tribe that he takes over must be strong.
So, Otto must not die suddenly because of drinking.
Seeing Otto's excitement and his mother Niya's wry smile, Rurik grimaced and righteously grabbed the sleeping bag around Otto's waist and pulled it off.
"Oh? Rurik, you want to drink too?"
"No, Dad, you can't drink anymore tonight."
"Why ?" Otto said in surprise: "I wish you would grow up a little bit so that we could drink together."
"Forget it. I'm just afraid that your soul will go to Valha if you drink too much. La will never come again."
"How is that possible?" Otto could tell that his son was afraid that he would die from drinking.
Drinking can kill people? Otto had no idea of the power of alcohol, and he found it ridiculous.
But Rurik refused to let go of the water bag, and said seriously: "Actually, Kanuf told me everything. You old guys are drinking, and Klavasen also told me My desire for vodka is so strong."
"What's wrong with this? We should have fun because we are noble."
"No! Although it is good, it will erode your heart and make you forget your responsibility as a leader. Dad, you should lead the tribe to become strong and prosperous, so that the poorest tribe members can have enough to eat and drink well. Having fun together is the most perfect thing."
Otto was a little embarrassed. Hearing his son's opinion, he felt that his son's words made some sense but he couldn't tell how.
Rurik was still holding on to the water bag: "Dad, I must limit your drinking from now on to make sure your mind is clear."
"But you can't limit you. Father. My child, you should listen to me on this matter."
This is because Otto, the only son, is frankly doting on Rurik. In many things, he deliberately accommodated his son. Rather, it was entirely because of his son that Otto was extremely polite to the maid Rumia.
He was supposed to be a leader who spoke his mind, but as a result, because of Otto's deliberate laissez-faire, Rurik already had great freedom at a young age.
Rurik is actually already doing things that only the leader should have the authority to do, such as training the army! Even if those troops are just a group of **-year-old boys. Even in this way, sensitive warriors can foresee a future full of combat.
Rurik shook his head: "Dad, we should make a promise."
"What is that?"
"About how much you should drink every day The promise of wine."
"Okay." Otto breathed a sigh of relief: "Whatever you say is what you want."
"This..." Rurik had an idea. Thinking of a good idea, he hid his latest plan in his heart and returned the water bag to Otto for the time being..
Rurik pointed to the glass on the table: "One glass a day, no more."
"Oh! That's it? Too little."
"Isn't that enough? Dad, for three glasses of vodka, we took away the essence of a barrel of ale. If things go on like this, the ale in the entire alliance will not be able to withstand the consumption of us Russians. You must at least be restrained."
"Okay, okay, I won't argue with you. What you said makes sense. At least you want to give me an exception today, which can be regarded as my last indulgence?"
"Also Okay." Rurik shook his head helplessly, and then in shock he saw his father unscrewing the cork of the water bag and pouring strong alcohol into his big mouth.
This move shocked Rurik and even more shocked Niya.
Otto, he indeed enjoyed his last drinking binge of the day.
It was not simply a matter of self-restraint in response to his son's good intentions, but precisely because he really could not continue to indulge in drinking.
On the second day, Rurik only arranged for his men to conduct simple training in the morning and ended the training hastily. He ran to the blacksmith shop and explained his new plan to Klavasen.
A thing that makes Klavasen feel unreliable, but the prospect is quite promising.
To be specific, it was a brand-new invention that combined spirits and glasses.
Since Klavason invented the "suppressing glass and restraining the mouth of the bottle" in a short period of time, Rurik had the idea of instructing Klavason to make small glass bottles.
And, for the sake of efficiency, you should try blowing glass bottles.
The job of glassblowing is a test of skill. Indeed, if a person who lacks training does it rashly, the backlash of hot air can instantly destroy a person's lungs and eventually lead to a tragic death.
What if what is blown up is not a human lung, but an air sac?
In other words, the very existence of the lungs is an air sac. The birth of the lungs comes from the buoyant air sacs evolved by ancient bony fish. The essence of the lungs is retractable air sacs. Breathing with the lungs can be said to be an evolutionary operation that turned a side job into a main job.
Rurik thought of the technology of using the existing leather bag blower to blow air and make bottles.
Based on his own understanding, it seems that blowing glass bottles is no longer difficult.
Originally, Rurik felt that it would be difficult for Klavasen to make a bronze tube. Who would have thought that this old guy would first cast a bronze plate, forge it thinner, then curl it up and heat-weld it to become a pipe. This tube has now become the core component of the distillation equipment.
This time, Rurik simply acted as an engineer and called all the Klavassen family to the blacksmith shop.
Including the future sister-in-law Lilia, and the only valet Kamne.
Rurik ordered Lilia to sweep a piece of sand and gravel with a broom, and then he ordered everyone to sit down with leather cushions.
He was holding a wooden stick and drawing sketches on the ground.Li is also giving explanations.
Any craftsman has a very high level of logical understanding. He can even make up the appearance of the finished product in his brain just by describing it.
This is the case for Klavasen and Kawei, and even Lilia and Kamne also expressed some understanding.
No matter that Lilia and Kamne are children, they are still illiterate to be precise. Since they have been living as craftsmen during this period, the two have been exposed to a lot of practical knowledge.
Children’s imitation ability, determination to pursue excitement, curiosity, and need for a sense of achievement are all extremely high.
Lilia has become an expert at making glassware. Her hands also have a lot of calluses, and even some areas of her delicate hands have shed their skin due to contact with alkaline substances.
Kamne is even more incredible. This child has learned many skills and has now begun to supervise the production of distilled liquor.
Everyone present is a craftsman. Of course, Rurik is an engineer.
Rurik made several such requests.
First: Make a bronze tube. A ball of soft molten glass is glued to one end of the bronze tube, and the air bag blower is connected to the other end. Blow up with an air blower, forcing the liquid glass to become a hollow existence.
Second: Make a special bronze mold with the shape of a small narrow-mouth bottle inside. The mold can be split in two, and the mold can fit as the bronze tube pulls the molten glass into the hollow interior of the mold. Moreover, the mold cannot be large and the finished product must be very delicate.
After Rurik made some gestures, Klavasen realized what was happening inside just by imagining it. He naturally felt it was amazing, but he still had doubts about the wonderful results Rurik showed.
Doubtful? Then use the finished product to verify whether the suspicion is reliable.
In fact, there is nothing magical about Rurik’s request, because the mass-produced glasses of later generations all followed this routine.
That is a mechanical blowpipe, which blows molten glass into a bottle with a constant capacity in a metal mold. Because of this operation, the global mass production of glass containers began to explode at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
This is the power of industry!
Wouldn’t it be better to just make molds and fire clay? For now, nothing is faster than casting bronze.
The time is August 14. Rurik asked his father to stop drinking yesterday. This afternoon, when the sun went down, Klavasen had already made the mold.
In just half a month, the Russian winemaking technology has completed technological innovations, and even the wine vessels have changed.
This mold is really extraordinary!
This is because Rurik required that the clay molds be specially processed. In addition to having a special shape, characters were also engraved in reverse.
The clay mold used as the inner tank was chiselled with the Roman letters "RUS" and "VODKA". Rurik had no intention of engraving the Roman letters here.
No matterIn any case, the big trend in the future is indeed that the Roman alphabet will become the mainstream in the world. The reason is that it is the script of the Roman Empire, nothing more!
Besides, Rurik felt that the modernized Roman alphabet he knew about was a very mature alphabet system.
The Yin characters on the clay mold will become the Yang characters on the bronze as the casting is completed.
The words RUS and VODKA are raised!
Since the bronze mold cools down instantly after quenching and is formed, Clavarson is eager to experiment now.
To make a bronze pipe, this work was undertaken by Kawei.
There are two senior blacksmiths in the family, and they are also excellent smelting talents. When Clavarson completed the bronze mold, Kawei also completed the task.
The gaps in the bronze tube fused under the high temperature, and the tube can completely withstand the heat of the molten glass.
After all, Rurik asked for lead oxide to be added to the glass liquid. Of course, lead is poisonous. Since it is poisoning other people’s heads and he is just trying to make money, that’s what the saying goes. Besides, there is also a dosage issue.
This night, the Klavason family, who are extremely mobile, embarked on a great feat!
A viscous glass liquid, or a sticky hot substance, is attached to one end of the copper pipe.
The soft glass mass is placed into half of the mold, and the other half is immediately closed. Rurik was afraid that the glass liquid would escape from the gaps on both sides of the mold during blowing, so a stone was pressed against the mold.
Kawei, who controls the air bag blower, takes action!
This man with strong arms is good at rowing and blacksmithing. His wife Lilia admires his strength. Now, this is a slightly slow but absolutely powerful suppression, the strong air pressure from the air bag, Completely changed the appearance of the glass mass in the mold.
As a result, some soft glass overflowed from the entrance of the mold.
As the mold was opened, Rurik smiled...
Klavason smiled, Kawei smiled, Lilia and Kamne couldn't believe themselves for a moment eyes!
Because, a glass container is finished!
Klavason held the dagger and cut the glass attached to the bottle mouth along the copper pipe. Because the current glass is still very hot, its softness makes it easy for people to cut.
Besides, since a layer of carbon powder is applied inside the mold before blowing, the glass bottle can be released from the mold without any hindrance.
It’s good now. Rurik pinched his hairless chin and was satisfied that he could see the characters he needed.
"Rurik, this is good, I think we have succeeded!" Klavasen said excitedly.
"Yes, there are the characters you want. Is this proof that it comes from the characters of our Ross tribe? Or the characters of the Romans?" Kawei said in surprise.
"You are all right." Rurik grabbed a piece of leather and put it on his hand, playing with the bottle that could still scald flesh.stand up. Although the tower was scorching hot, it has now cooled to the point where it cannot be plasticized.
As long as the cold wind blows, it will cool down faster! This kind of glass bottle is easy to break, or it will collapse immediately after filling with boiling water.
However, there is no problem when it hits the cooled liquor.
"What are you going to do next? Just hold the wine?" Klavasen asked comfortably.
"Of course! It has to be filled with wine, because it is engraved with VODKA! If it is filled with something else, we will have to modify the mold." Rurik said enthusiastically, "Then we will wait for it to cool down naturally. We need to wash the inside of it, and then pour the distilled wine made today into it.”
“Is it for the leader to enjoy?” Klavasen asked with a smile.
"Of course! I made an agreement with my father. In order to prevent my father from being addicted to wine, just like the Bona who was killed by him, I can only do this to restrain him!"
Clavason didn’t care about Rurik’s decision. He continued to mutter: “In this case, in order to restrain the leader, why make such a unique bottle? So that we have learned a new skill.”
p>“Of course it’s to make money!”
“Yo! You are really not humble at all.”
“Of course.” Rurik got angry. : "Klavasen! Kawei! Do you know what I think?"
"Selling alcohol? You can't put vodka in a bottle and sell the bottle together?!" Kawei simply said It’s because you know what you’re asking.
"You are absolutely right." Rurik immediately introduced the bright future: "I just want to sell wine! You know Gould's glass bottle, which is the treasure of the Romans. For Gould spent thirty gold coins to get it! What’s more, the Romans also had some methods of making good wine, but they were not as clever as us. A bottle of Gould’s wine is worth at least forty gold coins. What do you think about us?"
"This..." The excited Klavasen's heart almost exploded: "We also sell it for forty gold coins?"
"No need. Not many people can afford the price. In my opinion, ten barrels of ale can be processed into one barrel of vodka, which is enough for fifty bottles."
Rurik's estimate is not bad. To be precise, it is completely reasonable for ten barrels of ale to be turned into 50° vodka. The capacity of the glass bottle he created is about 200 ml, which must be said to be a real small bottle.
It is precisely because of its small size that it looks very delicate, which exactly caters to people's needs for babies. Baby, it should be small.
Besides, it is a treasure and a good daily necessities.
Those who own this bottle can use it to hold honey, ordinary ale, or even pure water.
Especially pure water. At first glance, others may think it is filled with fine wine!
In this way, Klavasen made five such small bottles in one go. They did not undergo annealing at all and were all cooled naturally very quickly.. Experience and a theory he didn't fully understand led him to conclude that the bottle was not heat-resistant for the time being.
Anyway, it’s just a bottle of wine, and it’s an experiment anyway, so it doesn’t require too much.
As a result, five glass bottles with the words "Ross Vodka" printed on them were completely filled with the spirit obtained from a barrel of ale distilled today. Its appearance does look a bit like a glass coffee bottle that Rurik remembers being sold in a supermarket. When the oak stopper is closed, its appearance gives Rurik a strong sense of dislocation at all times.
It is as if a product of the post-industrial age of a thousand years appeared in the barbaric ninth century.
Take a look! There are still traces of mold on it! There is a dark line that runs through the entire bottle, which is the closing line of the two-part mold, and also shows its manufacturing principle. Of course, only the best craftsmen realize how it was created. There are probably only a handful of people like this in Eastern Rome.
And this was the gift Rurik planned to give his father. Then tell Otto to drink one bottle every day.
Although it is only one bottle, it is equivalent to two or two Guotou.
But Rurik even thought of its commercial value.
They are all selling wine, so they must reap more profits.
What are the costs here? Finished ale, distillation labor costs, glass bottle production costs, packaging costs, and sales costs, etc.
So adding all of these together, a bottle of wine should be sold for 150 silver coins, right?
After all, just the glass bottle is worth another hundred silver coins.
Just one hundred and fifty silver coins? Is it still too expensive? If I only sell to big businessmen, it will be difficult for me to make money from small businessmen.
Rurik is still undecided, but he has already made an agreement with Klavasen, which is to mass-produce new glass bottles and make distilled liquor as much as possible.
Rurik thought he could set up a company called "Ross Vodka", and the inscription on the bottle would be his trademark!
As for the price, he made an acceptable range, which was one hundred to one hundred and fifty silver coins for a bottle of spirits.
It is indeed very expensive. One bottle of wine is enough for an ordinary man to live for four years! Anyway, spirits are not something ordinary people can enjoy.
Prices can also be reduced in the future, but the prerequisite is that production capacity must explode!
Production capacity explosion? He feels that food production capacity must first explode, otherwise everything will be delusional.