Epic Of The Demonic Sage

Chapter 82 - False Ownership And Tax Evasion

Lucius was pleased with the reactions of his parents and was expecting this. With reactions like this, he reckoned they should be more open to his plan.

"I guess father and mother liked it?" Lucius questioned.

"Of course, this is very good! If we compare the strength of the alcohol, I think only the spirits of the north can compare with it. But there is no way they can compare the delicate taste that it has." Gabriel Judged.

"You made it very good, Lucius. Though how did you do it? Will we be able to balance the budget with all the fruits that went into making it?" Lita questioned.

"You don't have to worry about the cost of the fruits at all. The fruit that I used to make this wine is… Carom fruit!" Lucius revealed.

Gabriel and Lita were shocked to say the least, upon hearing that the wine that they had very much enjoyed was made from a fruit that made them wince in disgust.

"How… how did you make this from a vile fruit like this?" Lita asked, disgust and surprise mixing on her face.

"It took me a few trials before I was able to figure out a method by which the wine came out like this. The previous batches were either too bitter, or to sour. But this one had no bitterness and the sourness in accompanied by a sweetness brought by the fermentation.

Of course, the alcohol concentration is also quite high in this and should be twice as the normal Jezen wine we drink." Lucius answered.

"This…" Gabriel couldn't help but say in awe as he imagined the implications of this.

A wine made from a cheap fruit like this was sold, the profit margin would be quite good. One had to know, Carom fruits were seldom liked by people and were mostly eaten by peasants to fill their bellies as they didn't have anything. 

Most of the time it was not even eaten by humans and went into cattle feed!

But then Gabriel realized there was more to this than just the cost of the fruits.

"What are the requirements for making this?" Gabriel questioned.

"The requirements are quite less and the only thing that is a bit complex is the process. The main ingredients are mainly the Carom fruits, and baker's yeast. As for the equipment we just need a one-time investment in making large brewing vats and the concentrator vats. 

As for the process of boiling, it can be done in large pans similar to the ones we have in the kitchen but it would be better if we were to get custom made vats for this too." Lucius answered.

"I see… if it is like this then we can definitely sell this." Gabriel said.

"Indeed, father. But there is one thing I want to add to this." Lucius stated.

"What is it?" Gabriel asked, feeling curious.

"I think we should not let anyone know that we are the ones manufacturing it. Not only would it bring unnecessary attention to us it would also give our 'enemies' a spot to target. Instead of this, we can put a figurehead in control of this wine brewing business." Lucius suggested.

Gabriel thought over it and found it to be a valid idea.

"This is good. We will even be able to save up on the yearly tribute we pay to the kingdom. If it is not technically owned by us, they won't demand the tribute from us, leaving us with a greater share." Gabriel spoke.

Lucius nodded at this idea, which was pretty much tax evasion… but quite a simple one. He also wondered if the Grantz kingdom had some mechanism in place to prevent something like this. Though he hoped that they were ignorant about this, or the nobles were arrogant enough that they wouldn't lose the opportunity to brag about a business like this.

Soon the family of three, along with the addition of Kiana, discussed the specifics of the plan. 

There were many aspects that needed to be covered, such as procurement of land, sourcing the Carom Fruits in a way that did not seem suspicious and also getting the workers that would manufacture the wine.

  After all, Lucius couldn't do everything alone, could he?

Then came the part about the ownership of the brewery. They needed it to be someone that was loyal to them, but they couldn't be directly linked to them either. This was a complex mix and it took them an hour to figure out the person who would fit this criteria perfectly.

The person they finally choose was none other than Alessa, wife of Lieutenant John!

Ever since they had been blessed with the news about Cia's gift, they had been living in a new house that had been provided to them by the Inanis family. If everything went well, they would probably join the upper class and become nobles themselves in a few years.

But with the plan Lucius suggested, this would be sped up a lot. 

"John would be probably be shocked to hear about this later." Kiana chuckled.

"Indeed… he is a simple man, yet loyal. His wife is also a good woman, but she also has a fierce side to her." Lita commented, recalling her talks with Alessa.

"Perfect… but now comes the thing about location. Where will be the brewery located?" Gabriel questioned.

They didn't really have to worry about buying the land since everything was owned by the Inanis family by default, except for the parts that were taken up by the other lower ranked nobles.

Lucius smiled, a suggestion was already prepared in his mind.

"The empty fields outside the city seem the perfect choice. In the future, we will even be able to plant our own Carom fruits there and become self sustained. But for now, building a small warehouse should suffice." Lucius said.

"Alright, I'll get the paperwork ready and assign the steward to take over the construction. He should be able to get some craftsman to make it in no time." Gabriel replied.