Wasteland Lord: Starting from Thirty Days to Live

When it comes to a bountiful harvest, it must be a vast expanse of golden yellow.

When Vittorio arrived at the fields outside the castle, this was the scene he saw.

Many farmers were busy in the fields, usually holding long sickles. Wherever the sickles passed, the wheat ears fell flat in unison.

This sickle is not the one they originally used, but rather an upgraded version by Vittorio.

Initially, they used short sickles for harvesting, which required frequent bending over and were inefficient. Therefore, Vittorio popularized the use of long sickles.

Since they acquired long sickles, harvesting has become as easy as cutting grass, with swathes of wheat falling down.

The farmers here are very particular about harvesting; they only cut off the topmost ears of wheat, leaving the stalks behind.

The leftover straw can be used to fill houses. The tops can also be burned, or buried in the soil as natural fertilizer.

The farmers were all beaming with joy, clearly having not seen such a bountiful harvest in a long time.

"This year's harvest is at least three times that of the past. Even with so many more people, it's enough for us to get through the winter, and we might even have some to spare."

"These fields can't be left idle after the wheat harvest; we need to plant soybeans quickly. The lord says it's called... yes, crop rotation!"

Such discussions can be heard from time to time in the fields and villages.

Looking at this thriving scene, Vittorio felt gratified, feeling that his efforts in the first half of the year had not been in vain.

Old Martin was deeply moved by the sight. He felt that although this place could not compare to the prosperity of Zhakou City, everyone here had a spirit of striving for progress—a belief that tomorrow would be better.

This further strengthened Martin's resolve to stay.

Seeing this, Vittorio knew that the brewing project was halfway done, so he immediately made a decision to get a small portion of grain from old Mohr, who was in charge of the grain, enough to not affect everyone's livelihood, and allocated it to old Martin for brewing.

The brewing workshop was located in the basement. After the last adventure, Vittorio had ordered his men to quickly repair the large hole in the basement.

This place is currently vacant, which is perfect for using as a winery, and the basement is very cool, which is helpful for preserving the wine.

As for the winemaking, old Martin was an expert and didn't need much guidance from Vittorio. Vittorio only suggested a few ways to improve it.

That is to add a distillation process during the brewing process. The pure alcoholic liquid is distilled off to obtain clear liquor.

As for the distillation of alcohol, it's quite simple.

First, the harvested and sorted barley seeds are soaked to germinate and then dried.

Then crush the barley and rinse it with hot water to extract the malt extract.

Finally, boil the wort and add hops and various herbs, which serve both as preservatives and flavorings.

Finally, the wine is bottled and fermented using yeast, which is usually yeast left over from previous brewing processes.

Old Martin happened to have brought just such a bucket with him.

Old Martin was holding a small barrel in his arms, looking at the empty barrel with the eyes of someone looking at a treasure. He patted the barrel and said, "This is my treasure, my lord."

"Mr. Martin, if I give you this grain, could you turn it into fine wine?"

"Leave it to me, my lord. We'll see in two months."

Upon hearing the two-month timeframe, Vittorio couldn't help but sigh; he had hoped to end all of this before winter.

But now it seems unlikely.

Time is still time.

He desperately needs time right now.

Fortunately, he had figured out Lina's trump card. Lina was not good at fighting at all; she was just bluffing.

Even if Lina attacks, he is now confident that he can keep her outside the castle.

With this confidence, he decided to calm down and first get the artillery and distilled liquor matters sorted out.

…………

……

Two months later.

Old Martin stood in the basement brewery, carefully staring at the still in front of him.

The still itself is a large round copper flask, covered with circular hammer marks, evidence of its handcrafted nature.

The distiller flask has an outward-flaring water trough at the mouth, with a cap with a small opening for connecting the gas delivery tube.

The vent tube extends out like a swan's neck, first straightening, then drooping down in an S-shape, and finally leading into a circular condenser.

The condenser has a hidden feature inside: a serpentine tube flows through it, while the outside of the tube is a hollow space filled with cold water to cool the vapor passing through the serpentine tube.

The condenser has two outlets, one at the top and one at the bottom. The top outlet drips out the condensed wine, while the bottom outlet is a tap to drain the heated water.

At the bottom of the serpentine tube outlet above the condenser tank, there is a row of small words engraved in the Imperial Common Language (the former Empire unified the writing system, which is still used by various countries today) – “Water of Life”.

Now, old Martin stared intently at the novel vessel before him, which he had already spent some time learning about, took a deep breath, and began to operate it.

The first step is to pour the pre-brewed barley wine into the still. The cloudy, slightly sour liquid with a fermented aroma is all brewed by him.

The second step is to place firewood under the still and light it to heat it.

The third step is sealing. Pour water into the trough at the top of the still, then put the lid on. With a slight plop, the lid of the still sinks into the trough at the edge, forming an airtight seal. This was a very small part of the blueprints the lord gave him, and he only understood its secret after trying it repeatedly.

No matter how airtight the container, it cannot prevent water vapor from escaping, and the precious essence of the wine always slips away through the gaps in the lid.

Adding a water trough between the lid and the bottom as a seal perfectly solves this problem; this is known as the "water seal method."

The third step is cooling. Old Martin directly emptied a large bucket of water from another bucket into the condenser. This water was spring water that he had prepared in advance and was very cold.

As soon as the water enters the condenser, it condenses into cool water droplets on the outer wall of the cylinder.

The final step: waiting.

Listen closely, listen to the churning and boiling of the steam in your stomach. Listen to the water droplets gradually condensing and sublimating in the liquid.

Finally, it flows into the serpentine pipe and exits from the outlet above, which may bear the words "Water of Life".

Old Martin sensed it was time, so he quickly picked up a cup and placed it under the exit.

One drop, two drops...

One drop after another of pure, transparent liquid flowed from the outlet, seemingly unrelated to pure mountain spring water, yet it emitted a strong smell of alcohol.

After taking a small sip, Old Martin set it aside. This was the "head" of the liquor the lord had mentioned; it was extremely strong, and even a sip would make someone who wasn't good at drinking dizzy.

Then he switched to a larger glass. He filled it to the brim, and this time it was his real achievement.

After filling the glass, he picked it up and carefully examined the liquid inside. It was crystal clear and exuded a strong aroma. Even for someone as fond of wine as him, he had never seen a more captivating liquid in his entire life.

What does this cup of liquid actually mean?

As a former tavern owner and a seasoned brewer, he understood the significance of this better than anyone.

Old Martin looked at the liquid inside, and his hand holding the glass trembled slightly.

This is distilled spirit—the water of life.