Time ran quickly, and soon the agreed-upon farewell dinner had arrived. Micc and the others had recovered, and surprisingly, Micc was the most boisterous one, as if he didn't lose a fully-functioning leg.

Of course, it could be that he was showing off so others wouldn't worry about him, and it could also be his pride, but regardless of which it was, no one dared show pity to an adventurer in what might be his last mission.

"Pshh. I'm a great earth mage! Maybe I use a skill to bolster me up every step or something, OK?!"

Look at this optimistic guy.

That said, while it was true that he could indeed cast spells, the challenge would still be mobility. Not to mention, it would consume mana, which could've been used for other lifesaving techniques.

Travelling in the danger zone was challenging enough, doing so with a disability was extremely dangerous, not just for the person but also for the entire team.

No matter how great an earth mage he was, he'd have trouble getting teams. Victor and the others would probably try, but it just wouldn't be sustainable. Everyone had to live, too.

Finn's eyes softened. "Well, seeing as everyone is well now…I have a surprise."

Tonight was particularly special, Finn made it so, because he absolutely refused to have negativity on these people's last night here.

Tonight… shall be the revelation of the first Inn-produced alcoholic drink!

Ta-da!

"Wait…is this…what I think it is!?"

"Smells goooood!"

"Holy brindlejaw—"

Finn chuckled as he allowed the (sample) bottle to be passed around, sniffed, and tasted bit by bit.

It was made of sunberries, veilroot, and duskmire truffle. The sunberry was the base, and then the duskmire truffle added a special kick to it.

The Sunberries were one of the most abundant ingredients he had in here, and were therefore the safest to experiment on. It provided a vibrant, naturally sugary foundation that was perfect for fermentation. It had a tart-sweet balance that kept the brew from cloying and gave it a crisp finish.

The veilroot was used sparingly during preparation, but when it was fermented alongside the fruit, it lent a faint aromatic bite that smoothened out the harsh alcoholic note. This was something they experimented on a lot, adding the veilroot at different parts of the process.

They then placed the bottles and vats in the [Quickcell Hex] for hastened fermentation. However, since they made sure this batch wasn't too alcoholic for everyone's safety, it allowed the fermentation time to be shorter and could thus be partially introduced today.

And…the result was even better than expected!

When he tasted it that morning, he wanted to gulp a bit more, but fortunately, he stopped himself (after a few more sips). And since he was sure he wouldn't get embarrassed with it, he wanted his friends to taste it too.

Overwrite the depressing memories of the last day with good ones.

And fortunately, all his guests loved the taste as well.

Marcus took a sip and made a 'pah' sound as he took in the taste. "This is too refreshing!" he yelled, taking another sip from the bottle. And another, but before he could, someone grabbed the bottle, afraid he'd consume everything.

They didn't know he had more bottles. He wanted to hear the reviews first.

Also, it was fun seeing them fight for the alcohol like this. He-he.

Anyway, the bottle soon reached the girls, who were also impressed. "It smells good! Unlike those in the tavern," Reesa said.

Victor was the one who took the bottle from Marcus, and he immediately handed it to his wife, who then distributed it to the girls first.

"There is no aftertaste…" Leiah said. She didn't drink much precisely because she disliked the aftertaste.

Miya seemed to have hearts in her eyes the moment she took a sip. "It's so smooth… I've never had alcohol like this!"

Finn grinned. Of course, it was smooth. There were no floating bits, no grit, and the acidity was balanced. He did this not just by choosing good quality fruits, but he also made sure to use sterilized barrels and clean yeast cultures using modern standards.

They did a lot of trial and error using different barrels and had come up with this.

He knew all about that because of alcohol-enthusiast Durgan. It was just wine though, but eventually he'd find a way to get distilled alcohol out there and target the super strong people who missed the feeling of being drunk!

Leiah even took out an appraisal tool to check, and the people next to her also took a peek. They found out this was actually an essence food as well.

[Trufflelight Brew (D)]

[Information: Fragrant amber mead from fermented sunberries, infused with roasted veilroot, and aged over rare duskmire truffle shavings. Grants 5% increased mana regeneration and grants a calm mind for a prolonged period of time, depending on metabolic rate. Consumed moderately, it can calm nerves without dulling the mind.]

They did not have the mind to study it more. They were too immersed in the taste.

Marcus scooted over next to him, giving him the googly eye. "Can I reserve a barrel?"

"Me too!" another said, making the finger gesture of "two".

"Me three!"

Finn smiled.

He looked cool and composed on the outside, but inside? He was rubbing his hand with a greedy look on his face.

And when he revealed that he still had a few bottles to give out, they cheered. Finn suspected that if he didn't run away on time, Marcus might have carried him up.

They gaped and gulped at the bottles. There weren't too many of course, limiting people to only get a few cups at most, but it only made them treasure each sup even more.

As always, with alcohol came chatters and gossip. They formed loose groups around the campfire, spending hours just talking to each other.

The past few days, the groups had become quite close, and there were adventurers who were so buddy-buddy with some half-kin that they were singing together when they got even a little drunk.

Finn grinned. This was the type of atmosphere he always wanted for his inn.

A place to rest after long days of training and danger. He wanted to help people get stronger and stronger, help them gain prestige and money, but at the same time maintain the type of lifestyle worth going through the dangers in the first place!

Because in the end, true hospitality wasn't just providing a shelter—it was giving people a reason to keep coming back alive.

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