Super Zoo

Last time a large group of macaques and gibbons went to the distillery to help with a photoshoot, some of which involved scenes of wine making. After the shoot, Suming unexpectedly discovered that these monkeys seemed to have taken a liking to the job of "wine making"!

Strictly speaking, they enjoyed drinking alcohol.

Whether it was macaques, golden snub-nosed monkeys, or gibbons, all of them were drunkards. The Monkey Wine they brewed, except for the portion Suming kept to enhance his spiritual power, was completely consumed by the monkeys themselves. Moreover, their taste in alcohol was exceedingly particular; they would only drink the real Monkey Wine that they brewed themselves. The wines bought from the market, even prestigious brands like Maotai or Wuliangye, were sneered at; similarly, they also refused to drink any wine from the distillery that was improved using the formula for Monkey Wine.

Since monkeys can't possibly develop fatty liver from drinking too much, and since they love alcohol and would only drink what they brewed themselves, Suming simply set up a small "workshop" in the distillery, planning to have them brew wine on a regular basis for their own consumption.

As long as there were sufficient materials, aside from what the monkeys and he would drink, there would definitely be a surplus. And that would be genuine Monkey Wine, which at one point auctioned for over two million a bottle. It would be a real shame to waste it; it was perfect to serve as the highest-end flagship product of Great Sage Liquor Industry. It wouldn't be sold to the public, but instead sent to auction.

Of course, once Monkey Wine became a reproducible product, even if it was a limited edition with only a small number being auctioned each year, its price would be significantly discounted from the astronomical figure it fetched originally.

But think of the quantity! Even if it was just one hundred thousand per bottle, auctioning twenty or thirty bottles a year would still result in an income of a few million—money that fell from the sky, which would be foolish not to earn.

Two or three million for a bottle of liquor was beyond the financial reach of most people and likely rendered it unmarketable. But what about one hundred thousand per bottle? Even moderately wealthy people could afford it, and of course, they might not buy it for themselves to drink, but as a high-end gift, it was both prestigious and value-retaining; there was absolutely no worry about sales.

Sure enough, as soon as Suming mentioned that Monkey Wine would be regularly sent to Sotheby's for auction in the future, someone even took the floor to say that it would be less complicated to just hold the auction in Yangchuan City.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now that Mr. Su has promised that genuine and rare Monkey Wine will be on sale every year, all you need to do is wait patiently," the emcee said.

The role of the master of ceremonies was to ensure the event proceeded smoothly according to schedule; matters such as where exactly the auction was held clearly did not concern today's main topic. He quickly steered the topic back on track and then continued, "So, Mr. Su, next, please unveil the mysterious veil of Da Sheng Liquor for us!"

As the emcee and Suming turned toward the back of the stage, the spotlight that had initially been focused on them stopped, then suddenly split into two separate beams, each illuminating something behind them.

It was indeed a "mysterious veil"!

Behind the stage, there were two irregularly shaped 'objects,' about two meters in length and width each, covered in thin veils of greenish-blue and off-white.

Although the veils were thin, due to the lighting effects, it was impossible to discern what lay behind them from the outside. Just as the host had emphasized, they were like two "maidens shrouded in mystery."

Two ladies-in-waiting, dressed in red cheongsam, stood on either side holding silver trays. Suming took a long, gold-plated wooden rod from one of the trays and, like a bridegroom entering the bridal chamber, lifted the off-white veil on the left.

"Oh..." As the scene hidden behind the veil was revealed, a murmur of surprise echoed through the hall.

It was a miniature model of a rockery, with mist resembling flowing water and streams gently cascading down from the mountaintop, which reached a climax with an impressive bottle of the long-famed 'Da Sheng Pure Brew' placed at the very top.

Meanwhile, the large projection screen on the stage clearly displayed the Da Sheng Pure Brew bottle, designed with blue and white porcelain and adorned with an exquisite landscape painting. The scenery on it matched precisely with the rockery model.

Next, Suming lifted the other "veil."

This time, beneath the veil was the Da Sheng Hundred Fruits Brew. Dozens of monkey models with various expressions and sizes held different fruits in their hands, and right in the center there was a pattern of a fairy in flight, holding a bottle of 'Da Sheng Hundred Fruits Brew' in her hands.

Not until these two bottles, clearly presented in front of everyone, did the lights in the exhibition hall finally gradually brighten again, making the entire hall as bright as day.

"So what you're now seeing, are the current leading products released by Great Sage Liquor Industry: the Da Sheng Pure Brew, a strong-aroma baijiu, and the Da Sheng Hundred Fruits Brew, a low-alcohol fruit wine brewed from a variety of fruits. Now, please allow the comrades from Jiangjin City Liquor Testing Center to announce the random inspection results of these two types of liquor," said the host.

Any food, liquor, or beverage must pass inspection by the relevant quality supervision departments before it can be sold. Although the two Da Sheng Liquors had already passed inspection, since this was an unveiling event, the formalities still had to be observed. Two staff members from the testing center, dressed in uniform, stepped forward to publicly read the inspection results:

"According to the GB10345 and GB2757 health standards, Da Sheng Pure Brew and Da Sheng Hundred Fruits Brew produced by Yangchuan Dasheng Distillery meet national standards. The Da Sheng Pure Brew has a clear and transparent color, no suspended particles or sediment, color score is premium grade; it is soft and clean, the aroma harmonious, and the aftertaste long-lasting, flavor score is premium grade..."

From a national standard perspective, the quality of alcoholic beverages is divided into several categories: color, aroma, taste, and physicochemical properties, each category having Super Grade, First Grade, and Second Grade from the highest to the lowest.

Both varieties of Great Sage Liquor are of Super Grade.

Currently, there are actually quite a few domestically-produced liquors that have reached Super Grade status, typically the well-known brands that people are familiar with.

In other words, it's not to say that Great Sage Liquor is definitely the best liquor in the country, but based solely on the test results, it can absolutely rank among the top in the nation.

After the two inspectors recited their lines by the book, applause started below. Normally, this would be the time for them to leave the stage, but they glanced at each other, and one male inspector cleared his throat into the microphone as if he had something more to say.

The applause quieted down, and everyone in the audience looked at them puzzled. Typically when representatives from inspection and notary organizations attend such an event, they only do so as a formality, sticking to standard phrases without saying a word less or more, let alone improvising some impromptu speech on the spot.

"Well, additionally, in the process of inspection..." the male inspector apologized with a smile before continuing, "we found that both types of Great Sage Liquor contain an abundance of microelements. These aren't part of the national standard assessment, but out of responsibility towards the public and the producers, we collaborated with research institutions to conduct a secondary test for microelements in the beverages, ultimately confirming that the elements in Great Sage Liquor are beneficial to human health. They significantly aid in fatigue recovery, fighting common viruses, and boosting one's constitution, and the fruit liquor also has a decent anti-aging effect. Of course, as previously mentioned, since there isn't a unified standard in this area, we can only describe it with the uncertain term 'significant.'

Another, apparently more meticulous female assessor added, "For instance, when it comes to fatigue recovery, we found through multiple comparisons that two hundred milliliters of fruit liquor has an effect equivalent to that of a bottle of Red Bull."

The exhibition hall immediately became abuzz with chatter, it was the first time anyone had heard of liquor having these health benefits.

Doesn't that imply that the more Great Sage Liquor you drink, the more energetic you become?

Not only would it make you more energetic but also offer viral resistance and improve your physique? How could this be?

And as for skincare and anti-aging? Wasn't this more like selling cosmetics and health products? Find exclusive stories on empire

So much so that the people present suddenly felt a sense of disbelief, almost expecting that in the next moment, the two assessors on stage would earnestly ask, "Friend, do you know Amway?"

However, these terms, which would normally only be found in advertisements, were now coming from the mouths of two assessors representing national authority and professional institutions. That meant the peculiar effects were not exaggerated promotions but a reality!

Immediately, someone asked, "It's not hormones, is it?"

"No," the assessor shook her head, "It's purely natural microelements, not hormones. As for what exactly these microelements are and how they are brewed, this involves the trade secrets of Great Sage Liquor, which probably only Mr. Su of Great Sage Liquor knows."

Instantly, dozens of eyes turned to focus on Suming's face. If curiosity and questions could be turned into money, Suming would have struck it rich by then. He merely shrugged and said with a smile, "Sorry, a trade secret, no comment. However, Great Sage Liquor will soon be available on the market, and then everyone can personally experience these effects."

The so-called trade secret was clear only to Suming, even Zhao Yun wasn't entirely in the loop. The key came from the ancient creature whose age was unknown. Water infused by this creature and used as an additive was why Great Sage Liquor had these 'miraculous effects.'

Su Meng was the perfect example, having grown up drinking water soaked with this ancient creature, he became exceptionally robust, like a character straight out of a Marvel movie. It was completely within expectations that the diluted water additives would allow Great Sage Liquor to produce some rare but acceptable effects for the average person.

Even now Suming drank the water drawn from the ancient creature daily. Although it didn't enhance his spiritual power, he could actually feel his physical condition improving day by day.

"I think that with so many magical effects, Great Sage Liquor should be considered a health product, not just an alcoholic beverage…" At that moment, a discordant voice rang out from the crowd; Seibel stood there with a glass of red wine, speaking earnestly.

Seibel was known for her unique insights and discerning tastes, holding considerable standing in the culinary world. However, her comment was quickly disregarded after rows of monkeys entered carrying several bottles of Great Sage Liquor, inviting the guests to taste it. Everyone was too eager to try the Great Sage Liquor to bother listening to the foreigner's ramblings.

While everyone was tasting the liquor, Suming slipped away to a secluded corner to call Zhao Yun. That guy was too low-profile, being a major shareholder but not even attending the launch event.

"Young people like you should enjoy the spotlight. I watched the live broadcast on TV, and it looked quite impressive," Zhao Yun said on the other end of the phone.

"We're ready for mass production," Suming said with a smile.