Klei was naturally very interested in Vincent’s whereabouts over the years.
But since Vincent wouldn’t even tell Ethan, he was even less likely to open up to Klei.
Klei felt momentarily exasperated.
"You two brothers are really..."
He couldn’t find the words, so he downed a glass of wine, shook his head, as if to say, fine, I forgive you both.
"Actually, I’m here tonight on serious business."
"Oh?"
"What you did to Lewis today was really satisfying, everyone was very happy. Lately, Lewis has been making everyone earn a lot less, but... this is certainly not the end."
Ethan was also well aware of this.
Lewis was merely a mad dog let loose by the Prohibition Bureau; they would not be afraid or stop just because one dog was killed. On the contrary...
"The Prohibition Bureau will definitely have further actions. I’ve already heard that Marvin has transferred a very capable person over from the Royal Capital."
Hearing this from Klei, Ethan thought of the Albertine Court he met today.
That was indeed a guy to be wary of.
"Anyway, you must be careful. Also, Sandro is planning a meeting to discuss the next steps and the distribution of interests in the near term, tomorrow."
Ethan nodded.
He also wanted to meet those few people and take the opportunity to promote his newly developed grape bricks.
The three of them drank a little more before parting ways.
Early the next morning, Ethan was planning to go to the factory in the south suburb to pick up goods before rushing to the meeting, when he unexpectedly received a phone call.
The caller surprised him; it was Pupol himself.
"Master, why are you calling?" Ethan acted flattered and surprised.
"Because I want to visit you, when are you available?"
Although Ethan already knew that his paintings were very well received by Pupol, he didn’t expect Pupol to appreciate him this much.
Last night, El also did call to mention that Pupol wanted to pay a visit.
Ethan just thought the other party was merely saying it; after all, for a so-called master, performance is also an important part of daily work.
In his original plan, he would find a day to visit Pupol, get some guidance, and that would be a delightful story.
Who would have thought that Master Pupol seemed genuinely sincere.
"I’m afraid I can only be free in the afternoon, Master."
"Then this afternoon, how about two o’clock?"
Pupol sounded impatient.
Ethan could only marvel that, perhaps, this was the charm of Dali.
When he first got the theme for the painting, his first thought was of Dali’s famous painting "The Persistence of Memory."
Moreover, Pupol’s style is somewhat similar to Dali’s, so he left a sketch as a final draft.
Not only did he pass smoothly, but now it seemed there was enormous room to maneuver.
Perhaps the key to unlocking Wenster’s high society lay here.
But first, he had to attend the meeting.
According to the original plan, Ethan went to the craft factory to pick up goods, taking the opportunity to check on Walter’s progress in development.
With the incentive of a six percent share, Walter’s progress was astonishing. In just a few days, his product had rapidly iterated.
The cost of the grape bricks had now come down to about the price of slightly over a bottle of bootleg liquor, and the taste was even better and more stable.
If such a product were to be mass-produced and sold, people on the outside would go mad.
At 10:20 in the morning, on the third floor of the North Sea Star Hotel, still in the big conference room.
By the time Ethan arrived, everyone was already there.
But no one complained about Ethan’s tardiness.
Mostly because he had dealt with Lewis, a problem that had troubled everyone for a long time.
"Let’s toast to Ethan, celebrate him for getting rid of the scourge that has harmed our interests for so long."
Sandro even stood up voluntarily, leading everyone in applause.
The atmosphere was very enthusiastic, especially George; the Evans family had suffered heavy losses due to being targeted. If Lewis hadn’t been dealt with, he would have had to do it himself.
The applause ended, and the meeting began.
In fact, overall business had been smooth for the past month or so.
Even with the Prohibition Bureau causing trouble, interfering, it just meant earning a little less, and even the worst-hit Evans family, when all accounted for, was making money.
But...
"The coming situation will only be more severe. Lewis’s death is certainly delightful, but the Prohibition Bureau will not stand idly by. I’ve got the latest news that Marvin has brought in a person named Albertine Court who cleaned up Red Rock City’s underworld in six months. Definitely not a simple character, everyone must be cautious."
After the joy, John Hott poured the first cold water on everyone.
"Moreover, the Prohibition Bureau’s searches are becoming more frequent, more meticulous. Many previous hiding places for liquor and selling strategies are no longer effective. Does anyone have any good ideas?"
Danny took the opportunity to take over the conversation.
This was evidently a problem everyone had encountered.
Ethan had also heard rumors that a batch of specially trained, possibly even endowed with true name powers, prohibition agents had been added who could sniff out the smell of alcohol from afar, thus locating bootleg liquor.
However, Danny’s words were just the opening Ethan needed.
He didn’t speak immediately but waited for everyone to fall silent before gently clapping his hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps I could offer you a little help."
He first had someone bring a glass of water and then, in front of everyone, dropped the latest generation of grape bricks into it.
Soon, the grape brick dissolved into a purple sea in the water.
Ethan also had everyone smell the water. Aside from a faint grape fragrance, there was no other scent. This text is hosted at NovєlFіre.net
The people present looked at each other, unsure of Ethan’s meaning.
"If I were to tell you all, ladies and gentlemen, that this glass of water would ferment into wine in three days, what would you think?"
As soon as these words were out, everyone was breathless.
"Really?"
"How is that possible?!"
Ethan had anticipated this and just took out more samples, placing them on the table, saying: "True or not, everyone can take one back and try it, but I must remind you that you have only three days. Within three days, if someone finds me, I can still give them a friendly discount of 40% off. After three days, it can only be the original price, and no more."
Seeing Ethan’s confident demeanor, everyone was full of suspicion and wonder.
After all, if what Ethan said was true, the value of such a thing would be beyond imagination.
Not only is it extremely discreet, capable of completely evading the Prohibition Bureau’s investigations, but if operated well, it could even be turned into a legitimate business.
One must know, before its fermentation, it was not alcohol at all.
Is there really such a crazy thing?