Chapter 291 - 234 Accidental Fortune_1

Words : 2101 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Chapter 291: Chapter 234 Accidental Fortune_1"You might have been looking in the wrong place. The entrance to the wine cellar isn’t here but is in the winery. How about I give you a tour?" Estelle, being the mistress of Weizemay Manor, knew the place better than anyone, even if she hadn’t been favored before. "Alright," Gaven and Darnell agreed in unison. But each had different thoughts in mind. Gaven wanted to explore his family estate to see if there were any places he had missed. Darnell, on the other hand, was deeply interested in the wines stored in the estate’s cellar, the unique taste of which was unforgettable. Since the fall of Weizemay Manor, the Weizemey Crystal Wine that was still circulating in the market had been hyped to astronomical prices by the cunning merchants of Sambia. A bottle from the year 1348 was priced at three hundred Gold Coins and people still scrambled for it. When it first went on the market, it had cost no more than twenty Gold Coins per bottle. Estelle got up and led the group towards the main entrance. Seeing the direction, Gaven and the others realized why they had missed it. Their main focus had been the main building and the stables, places related to the crime. They hadn’t paid much attention to other constructions, especially the winery because it was an outdoor construction and had been inadvertently overlooked. It was less a winery and more a series of half-rotten huge barrels with wooden props on both sides, used for stomping grapes with feet. The method to enter the wine cellar was quite special too. It required three people to simultaneously step into three specific wine barrels, using their weight to slowly pull open the secret door to the underground. Due to over two years without use and being exposed to the elements, any traces of the mechanism were long concealed by layers of dust and weeds. The mechanism only opened a small crack, just enough for one person to squeeze through, before getting stuck. Clearly, the chains had rusted due to lack of maintenance. Just as Estelle was about to enter, Darnell called out, "Madam, let us go first, please!" The three Holy Warriors were ready, each with a Warhammer in one hand and a shield in the other, assuming a combat stance. Estelle paused, then quickly understood the situation and stepped back, saying, "Gentlemen, after you." The wine cellar was a place they hadn’t entered yet. And since the entire Weizemay Manor had once been pulled into the Shadow Plane, no one knew if there were any Ghost Monsters still lurking inside. Darnell turned to Gaven and said, "Since your relationship with them is so close, I’ll leave the safety of the two women in your hands, Brother Gaven. Hopefully, nothing unexpected will happen." When he mentioned the possibility of an accident, Darnell’s expression was somewhat meaningful. Gaven’s little antics during the music performance hadn’t escaped Darnell’s notice and now, Amanda was clinging tightly to Gaven’s hands, no longer shrinking behind her mother but behind Gaven. Not only was Gaven somewhat surprised and helpless, but even Estelle found it incredulous. Gaven, having no other choice, simply agreed. He couldn’t just push Amanda away. Compared to Estelle, Amanda was more unstable. As long as she was calm, there shouldn’t be any problems. He didn’t even draw his weapon. The three in front of him could freely come and go during the time Weizemay Manor was enveloped by the Undead Vengeance realm and had cut their way through several times. Even if there were any remaining Ghosts in the wine cellar, they probably wouldn’t be enough challenge for them. Just looking at the formation they made was enough to understand. Darnell was facing outward, while David and Dick were facing inward, their peripheral vision on Estelle and Amanda. They were more worried about Estelle and Amanda causing trouble than encountering other Undead. Well, these Paladins’ vigilance wasn’t ordinary at all. Indeed, it was precisely because of such vigilance that they could walk the edge of danger safely, living longer lives. It wasn’t just them who were on guard. Regina was also keeping an appropriate distance. On the contrary, it was himself who seemed to have accepted Estelle and Amanda a bit too quickly. As for Anna, she was clearly lacking in adventure experience and didn’t have much wariness, or perhaps she trusted Gaven too much, believing whatever he said and staying close by his side. Another benefit of having the three Paladins taking the lead was that they didn’t need torches. Their armor lit up with a holy glow, illuminating the pitch-black underground as if it were daylight. "Hiss!" Upon seeing the scale of the wine cellar. Everyone gasped in shock. Gigantic fermentation barrels standing over two people tall, lined up in four rows with ten in each row. All sorts of large, medium, and small barrels were numbered in the hundreds. At the very end, there were two rows of wine racks, with bottle after bottle of wine on them, easily a thousand in total. Even Darnell, who wasn’t greedy for money, couldn’t help but remark to Gaven, "Brother Gaven, I’m starting to have regrets. I should’ve never given you the entrance ticket. Instead, I should’ve raced to summon others from the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice. This whole cellar’s worth of wine, now in Sambia, would be worth at least a hundred thousand Gold, and still be in high demand." "Sir, my promise still stands, and you won’t have to wait until next year. When you leave, I’ll prepare a cart of wine for you," Gaven said with barely concealed elation, as unexpected wealth was welcome to everyone. No one had imagined that beneath Weizemay Manor lay such a treasure trove. "I’ll gladly accept the wine, but not tomorrow. Keep it for me or, when you have time, send it to the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice. We have other business and won’t be returning directly to the monastery," Darnell refused with a shake of his head. Transporting a cart of wine would be a hassle; they’d have to stick to trade routes, which would detour them by several hundred kilometers. "Very well, I’ll hold onto it for you," Gaven readily agreed. Had Darnell agreed, sourcing a cargo cart at this juncture would have been rather troublesome anyway. He chuckled and said, "But tonight’s wine must be plentiful. Come on, let’s carry this barrel up. We won’t return until we’re drunk." The cask Gaven chose was a medium-sized one, thick enough to be hugged by a person and half a person tall, capable of holding at least a hundred kilos of wine. Darnell shook his head and said, "A small taste will suffice; this cask should be enough." The one he picked up with one hand was a small cask, which could hold at most ten kilos. "That’s fine," Gaven didn’t press further, judging by the other’s cautiousness, not to mention getting drunk, he guessed that Darnell wouldn’t drink much later on. Seeing a set of crystal glasses next to the wine rack, Gaven directly took a set down. The spirits had no interest in these wines. A thorough search of the area brought no sight of a ghost’s shadow. Gaven and the others then took their wine implements and the grape wine back upstairs. Once they were seated around the fireplace again, the barrel was popped open with a bang. "Huh!" Darnell couldn’t help but exclaim softly, leaning in to observe the wine flowing from the barrel. The wine flowing out of the cask was neither red nor crystal clear, but black, and Gaven could distinctly feel the temperature in the glass he held drop several degrees. The temperature of the black wine was much lower than room temperature. "Let me see," Darnell requested Gaven’s glass of black wine. "Here," Gaven handed it over without a second thought. Taking the glass, Darnell’s hand glowed with a dazzling white light. In an instant, the black wine began to boil, continuously bubbling, with threads of black mist drifting from it and dispersing into the air. This didn’t last long, and when the wine settled down again, it had turned crystal clear from black. No explanation was needed; everyone present understood what had happened. The wines had been filled with negative energy due to the special circumstances at Weizemay Manor. "Can we still drink this kind?" Gaven poured himself another glass of the black wine. Darnell shook his head and said, "I have never heard of this before, so I’m not sure, but we’ll find out after a taste." Saying that, he took the newly poured glass from Gaven again, but this time, instead of activating positive energy to purify it, he brought it to his lips and took a small sip. Darnell couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise again. It seemed the situation exceeded his expectations. He couldn’t resist taking another sip, then another, and one more until coming to his senses, by which time the glass of black wine had already been emptied. At this moment, Darnell’s state was quite strange. His body involuntarily shone with white light, and threads of black mist wafted from his body. Seeing this, Gaven was in no hurry to ask about the outcome. Darnell spoke up again, "Don’t sell the wine in your cellar to anyone else. A flat rate of two hundred thousand, and we at the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice will take it all." This statement was the best answer. The black wine was not only drinkable but had also seen its value skyrocket as a result. Gaven, concealing his inner joy, frowned and said, "Sir, that’s not how business is done. Just for the help you’ve given me in reclaiming the manor, I wouldn’t sell it to anyone else even if you offered fifty thousand, let alone two hundred thousand. But I need to know the reason." "Sit down, and I’ll explain." Darnell not only poured himself another glass of black wine but also poured several more glasses for the others. Once seated again, Darnell went on to explain, "You probably guessed why the black wine changed color; it’s infused with pure negative energy, devoid of any impurities. You should also know that one of our sources of strength is positive energy, which fills our bodies. However, this is not purely beneficial. The constant abundance of positive energy inside our bodies is also a burden to us. The glass of wine that contained negative energy just now perfectly neutralized the excess positive energy, making me feel better. It’s as though the positive energy throughout my body has come alive, flowing more smoothly. Isn’t that how you feel?" While he spoke, his two disciples had already taken several sips of the black wine. Unable to contain themselves, they nodded repeatedly in agreement, "It feels great, better than it has ever been." Their situation provided further proof of the principle of balance between yin and yang. Even for paladins, occasionally using negative energy to cleanse themselves was beneficial, provided it wasn’t too much. Gaven’s curiosity was piqued by their actions, and he too took a glass of black wine and sipped it. The first sensation was refreshingly cool. Sёarch* The nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. It was like ice had been added, just beginning to melt in the drink, giving a cooling sensation without being too harsh on the taste buds. This feeling didn’t fade after swallowing, but lingered long in the stomach, pervasively cooling from the inside out. It was truly a natural refreshment. In a scorching summer, a glass of this black wine would be incredibly soothing. Just based on that, Gaven could assert that if this wine were put on the market in the coming summer, it would be highly sought after even among ordinary people and could occupy an important place in mixed drinks. Now confident in his assessment, Gaven’s merchant spirit began to stir. He smiled at Darnell and said, "I agree to the price of two hundred thousand for all the black wine in the cellar, but I disagree with trading it exclusively to the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice because it would be a bad deal for you. How about we try a different way of trading?" "Oh?" Darnell didn’t show displeasure but leaned forward with his drink, an attentive look on his face, and said, "Let’s hear it."

Chapter 291 - 234 Accidental Fortune_1

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