Eguchi Ren: There are all kinds of liquor here and we ended up with a very long chapter

Excellent, now that those goddesses are gone, let us get started.

Thats right, thats right, lets start.

Yes, yes, I clicked on the option for Tanakas Liquor Store and wow, as expected of a proper liquor store, from the tabs alone, I could see the products separated into Beer, Wine, Sparkling Wine, Whiskey, Brandy, Spirits [9], Liqueur [10], Shochu, Sake and Others. [5] [8] Can you see the menu here? I asked.

[8] Woah, thats just different categories of alcohol?! there was awe in Hephaestus-samas voice. [5]

There are actually more, but lets not mention this for now. Please calm down and look at the menu slowly. There should be more than a hundred brands of alcohol under each category. [6] I might as well let them get used to this idea first. [5] Although, I must say that this shop seems to specialise in western type alcohol, considering that 7 out of 9 categories are typically considered western style alcohol. [5]

m-more than a hundred? Youre saying there are more than 100 types of whiskeys?

Yes, [7] I said in my most normal and business-like tone.

Uwoooohhhhh!!!!!

[6] I had to shake my head to get rid of the shout ringing in my head. Yes, yes, I get that youre very happy, but please calm down.

We did it, God of War!

We hit the mother load, God of Blacksmith!

Liquor and alcohol! We can taste hundreds of different types of other world alcohol!!

Yes! Yes! Up till now nearly everything had been delicious. However, there might even be more delicious alcohol out there!

[5] Excuse me, Im sure everyone is very excited. However, please be reminded that your budget is 1 gold coin per week per person, I said with my best professional smile. [6] I feel like a sweetshop cashier with teenage boys clutching 1,000 yen to their chest. [5]

Ah,

Oh yes, theres that. [5] [6] Thank you, I said firmly.

[8] If thats the case hmm, we already had beer, wine, whiskey and brandy-

[8] -and sake,

[8] And sake, so I guess we should try types of liquor we havent had yet.

I see, hold on, let me explain a little, Im a typical beer drinker who isnt familiar with other kinds of alcohol at all. Luckily, the explanation for each type of alcohol was included in the tabs. So

Sparkling wine is an effervescent wine with a crisp taste. Spirits is distilled liquors with high alcohol content. Vodka, for example, is a type of spirit, so are Gin, Tequila and Rum. Liqueur is spirits flavoured with herbs, fruits and often very sweet. Shochu is a type of distilled liquor made from rice, but it could also be made from wheat or potatoes.

Hmm, what about that last one? The Others?

My, my, Vahagn-sama has really sharp eyes.

I cant really tell, so I clicked the Others open and have a look.

Hmm, under Others we have Shaoxing Wine from a country called China and Makgeolli [11] from Korea. These are pretty famous traditional wines from their respective country, I said thoughtfully.

Is that so? Are there over 100 types of each as well?

Well, I scrolled down the list and found myself getting a bit dizzy at the number of choices. Thats a lot!

[8] I quickly switched over to open the tab for Whiskey. Ahem, why dont we look at whiskeys first? to my surprise, the single tab cascaded into five different options: Scotch, Irish, American, Canadian and Domestic.

[1] Since its been divided into places of origin, why dont we take it from the top? without waiting for the gods to answer, I confidently clicked Scotch and this time, the tab cascaded into: Highland, Speyside, Roland, Islay, Campbeltown and Island.

[6] whaaaatttt

[8] I vaguely remember that Highland? Or was that Speyside? Has a distillery. Nevertheless, I continued to speak in my serene, polite sir-let-me-show-you-our-products voice, The country further subdivided into region. Scotch Whiskey could taste different depending on which region it came from. Now, let us see what Highland has to offer.

This time, a list of whiskeys spread across the screen, showing their clear amber liquid suspended inside elegant slim bottles.

Uwooohhh

Their exclamation was rather hushed, almost reverent.

Ahem, these are some of the selections that could be found here.

.

.

[8] Hello? Is something wrong?

Ah, ahem, no, nothing. Its just so mesmerizing

[8] All those whiskeys

Well, I guess if youre that into liquors, its probably an incredible sight.

Well, what will it be?

All of them! Ah, but our budget

Yes, the budget is 1 gold coin per week. Unfortunately, that is the limit, personally, Im glad for the limit. Otherwise [5]

Hmm, its not like we can ask you to increase it, those four stupid goddesses will probably make trouble for us, Vahagn-samas voice sulked into my head.

I did not hear that.

God of War, a council!

Yes, we must have council!

The two began whispering to each other. [5] I sat back and closed my eyes. I dont care about whatever decision they make as long as they make it quick. Meanwhile, Im going to take a short snooze

Still, their whisperings buzzed in my ears like annoying mosquitoes.

that one

what? But we must.

surely

yes

kun

er-KUN!

My head jerked and I snorted.

Wha-

Oi! Whats this? How dare you fall asleep!

Oi! Get up, you!

[5] [6] I blinked my eyes against the glare of the [Net Super] while two voices continued to yell at me.

I sat up, still more than half asleep, Im awake, Im awake,

Humph, maa, whatever. After our council, we have decided. We want something above the Best Whiskey in the World. [5] [5] [8] Sure, I couldnt care less what they wanted. Im just happy they have made up their minds. Right, lets look up the Worlds Best Single Malt Whiskeys first. Thats always a good place to start.

Lets see:

Worlds Best Single Malt 5 Silver

Worlds Best Single Malt (12 Years) 1 Gold 2 Silver

Worlds Best Single Malt (18 Years) 4 Gold 2 Silver

[5]

I scrolled further down out of morbid curiosity and saw this:

Worlds Best Single Malt (25 Years) 32 Gold

[8] Hephaestus-sama, Vahagn-sama, are you seeing this?

[8] Wh-what are those prices?

[6] The voice was so high pitched I couldnt tell which god was speaking.

Well, it is said that whiskey gets better the longer it is aged. Thats why the prices go up accordingly.

crazy,

That kind of price

for liquor?

Surely since its up there for sale, someone has to be buying it?

I wonder

what it tasted like

Gulp.

I had better stop that dangerous train of thought.

Ahem, with your current budget, if you pool your money together, you can get the 12-year-old Single Malt Whiskey. Well, what will it be?

Gunununu, God of War, a council!

A council!

[6] Meanwhile, I entertained myself by reading the descriptions describing the deliciousness of these crazily expensive whiskeys.

[5] 10 minutes later

Oi, it is unfortunate, but Im afraid we shall have to pass up the expensive whiskey this time.

Such a shame, but since you just got this liquor tenant, we should enjoy many other types of whiskeys

Both sounded very bitter, but I applauded them for their practicality. The prices of these old Japanese Single Malt Whiskeys are just too incredible.

This single bottle is $16,999.99 or 1,850,000 Yen at dekanta.com. In fact, [Net Super]s price of 32 gold = 320,000 yen is a super bargain!

https://dekanta.com/store/yamazaki-25-years-old/

Well choose a few from the whiskey list,

[8] [5] Ah, good. However, Im not very familiar with whiskeys wait, I just noticed something that had appeared among the tabs showing Beer, Wine, Sparkling Wine [5] etc was a tab called Managers Rec.

[6] When I tapped on Managers Rec it bloomed into Managers Recommended Gifts.

Below this page were the Beer, Wine, Sparkling Wine [5] etc tabs. This Managers Rec also has option for gifts. If you specify the item as a gift it will be gift wrapped for free.

It certainly sounded convenient. Especially if youre a noob buying liquors for people who knows their Shochu from their Sake.

Theres even a ranking system!

Nice.

I tapped on that and immediately it cascaded to show the Best-sellers of the day, week and month for different categories of drinks.

Very, very nice.

[8] Hephaestus-sama, Vahagn-sama, I believe its best to choose from this list. These are the drinks recommended by the manager and shows the best type of drinks according to their category.

Oh? A recommendation?

Oh, are those the ones recommended by the manager?

There were five recommended whiskeys.

[Managers Rec 1]

Speyside Single Malt Whiskey

Bestselling whiskey from Scotland

Great beginner drink with its fruity aroma and aromatic flavours. A great gift for lovers of whiskies.

Price: 3 Silver

*This whiskey is completely fictional (probably)

[Managers Rec 2]

Single Malt Whiskey

Also known as Queen of Islay

Features a smoky flavour with the subtle notes of lemons and honey. Sweet, rich and balanced. Best introductory drink amongst the other products of Islay.

Price: 3 Silver 8 Bronze

[Managers Rec 3]

Blended Whiskey

Prince of Scotch

Characterizes by its nutty vanilla flavours and carries notes of ripe apples and honey. Mellow and gentle. Comes in 1 litre bottle, great for the friend who loves alcohol.

Price: 3 Silver 2 Bronze

[Managers Rec 4]

American Premium

Most famous Tennessee Whiskey in the world

Mellow with a well-balanced notes of vanilla and caramel. Very reasonably priced.

Price: 2 Silver

[Managers Rec 5]

Irish Whiskey

From the worlds oldest distillery in Northern Ireland

Irish Whiskies are characterised by their smooth texture achieved from multiple distillation process. This one carries notes of malt and sherry from the original cask.

Price: 2 Silver

Hmm, Managers Rec seemed to contain a lot of introductory drinks [12]. Well, if they are meant to be gifts, I supposed its best to get something that would please a bigger crowd and not those special items. The prices were very reasonable too.

Ive heard that there are some whiskies that smelled a lot like Seirogan [13]. Only people who liked this particular type of whiskey would be happy if you gift this kind of thing to them. Oh, and it looks like the Managers Rec is updated every month. Nice. [5]

Uhmm,

Hmmm,

Umu, were getting all five. What do you think, God of War?

Hmm, since the shop manager itself recommends it [5]

Then, would that be all five bottles each? I prompted.

Yes!

Excellent choice, I praised. Theres still some budget left after taking all five whiskies, so I checked out something called Daily Rec at the bottom of the page. I tapped it.

[Managers Recommendation of the Day]

Manager-san loves whiskey and enjoys sharing his drink of choice for the day.

Todays drink is:

Today, is a lovely day and it only gets better with a smooth and gentle whiskey with a hint of floral notes. Enjoy this wonderful whiskey slowly as you admire nature at its best.

I stared, a little mesmerized by the sight of the beautiful 24 side cut bottle design. The glass was crystal clear with a gorgeous stopper.

Truly, great example of Japanese craftsmanship.

It cost 5 silver coins.

Its a bit expensive, but it sure looks good, someone sighed.

A whiskey thats meant to be enjoyed slowly

I decided to use my trump card.

By the way, I said casually. This whiskey is made by the same company that made that Worlds Best Whiskey you like so much.

Whaaatttt!!!

God of Smith! We must get this one! This one!

Umu, true. A company that makes the Worlds Best Whiskey cannot make a bad whiskey!

This one!!

Nice, in you go. As for the budget, You have 1 silver coin each, what would you like to do with it? [5]

There was some hurried whispering, but then Vahagn-sama said, Well get a vodka, 2 silver coins worth.

Vodka, eh?

I went to the Spirits section and was a little loss until I found the option to sort the items by prices and scrolled until I reached the 1 silver coin section.

Nice.

I stopped at one promising item:

Polands pride [14].

A friend of mine told me that this vodka is made from herbs, dried fruits and other stuff that gave it a delicious scent similar to sakura mochi. It also has a mellow taste and cost only 1 silver coin so I got two of them.

Finally, I checked out the items and sent them off to the gods.

Please accept my offering, Hephaestus-sama and Vahagn-sama,

A cheer went off in my head.

Haaahh, its finally over. I turned off [Net Super] and was about to go and sleep when voices shouted. Hold it!

what now?

Please let me sleep.

For the sake of future purchases, we would like to know what else is on the recommendation list.

Yes, yes, and the price ranking, thats very important.

You-!!

I was on the verge of shouting, but I was just too tired.

Please, Ive just gotten out of a Dungeon Challenge, cant you just let me sleep?

Umu, I guess

[8] tch, this guy doesnt know how to appreciate things. Anyway, at least let us look at the page for the Best Seller product,

[8] Oh, thats a good idea,

Tiredly, I called up [Net Super] again and set it onto the page where the Best Seller for the day, week and month were set.

Then, I lie down as the sounds of bottles rattling echoed in my head interspersed with dialogue and the occasional pop. Whatever, I dont care anymore.

Its so wonderful to look at different kinds of liquor while enjoying some, yes?

Hmm, the ultimate pleasure

I say, this green bottle whiskey is delicious. As expected from the manager,

Umu, nice and mellow, fruity but also complex

Lets drink all night, God of Smith!

Lets!

I wonder how long I can sleep before Fer and the others wake me up for breakfast

[Gumihou: Gumi has actually cut out over 800 words, and maybe added 400 back For some reason, Mukouda suddenly couldnt show the details on Net Super to the Gods and had to read everything out, making everything extra loooonnnggg]

[1] Structural Change: Combine 2 paragraphs

[2] Structural Change: Combine 3 paragraphs

[3] Structural Change: Combine paragraph & dialogue

[4] Structural Change: Change passive sentence to dialogue

[5] Delete Repetitive or Pointless Information

[6] Additional Information for Aesthetic Purpose

[7] Add Dialogue Tag

[8] Creative Licence Taken

[9] Definition of Spirits: Also known as liquor is a type of alcoholic drink, whether grains, fruits or vegetables, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Considered a hard drink.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquor

[10] Liqueur: Not to be mistaken with liquor: Is spirits + flavourings, generally sugar, fruits, herbs spices and is typically heavily sweetened and unaged.

[11] Makgeolli a type of fermented rice wine. Milky and often a little fizzy with a complex profile. Could be sweet, sour, even slightly bitter taste.

https://kimchimari.com/makgeolli-korean-rice-wine-what-how-to/

[12] Introductory Whiskeys: I do believe a lot came from this link

https://www.liquor.com/best-scotch-for-beginners-5115466

[13] Seirogan Famous medicine for diarrhoea in Japan

https://japan-lover.com/life-culture/daily-necessity/seirogan/

[14] Polish herbal vodkas

https://www.deliciouspoland.com/blog/5-must-try-polish-vodkas