Chapter 54: The Eve

Wat watched as the purple brick slowly dissolved in the water, eventually turning the entire glass into a purple ocean, and could not help feeling a little intoxicated.

Such an achievement was enough to make him famous in the chemical world, and he could even publish papers in high-impact journals.

Even if the first author of the paper bore his boss's name, he could still be the second author.

His reputation could surpass even those classmates who looked down on him, and perhaps even his teacher.

What a pity...

This was a business that could not see the light of day, an achievement hidden in the shadows.

"There is no smell of alcohol."

Ethan sniffed carefully; indeed, there was not the slightest trace of alcohol scent.

"That's right, no alcohol smell."

Wat nodded with a hint of complacency.

Anya, watching from the side, was initially puzzled, but she quickly grasped the crux of the matter.

The absence of alcohol scent was the most crucial part.

This way, it could be guaranteed that the grape bricks were not alcohol at all when sold, meaning they could even sell this product legally.

"After fermenting in water for three days, they will turn into wine, and the taste is actually quite good."

"Good job, Wat, you truly are my master vintner." Ethan was reminded of the advertising slogans for grape bricks from his past life.

Strictly forbid placing the grape bricks in water for too long, otherwise they will begin to ferment and turn into wine.

When the time came, they could even use this as a promotional angle.

"What about the production cost?"

"The cost is still a bit high, but trust me, boss, I will get it down to a price comparable to brewing a bottle of wine. By then, none of us will have to brew moonshine with our hearts in our mouths." Wat yearned for that day, and also yearned for his three percent share of the profits.

Ethan, meanwhile, stared at the grape liquid slowly fermenting in the water, feeling the subtle stirring of his 'True Divine Name'.

Just as he had guessed.

As long as it involved elements related to violence, any creative manifestation on his part would trigger a resonance with the 'True Divine Name', thereby giving rise to a new divine authority.

Grape bricks, moonshine.

From an angle visible only to him, the heavy 'True Divine Name', as the instigator and protector of violence, slowly grew new tendrils.

The tendrils were purple, truly resembling grapevines, extending and bearing new fruit.

A dense mass of liquid continuously evolved, eventually forming a new true name and divine authority.

The Researcher and Alterer of Fine Wines.

Ethan directly utilized this divine authority on the cup of fermenting grape water before him.

The next moment, he picked it up and handed it to Wat.

"Take a sip."

"What is it, boss?" Wat looked at Ethan in puzzlement, unsure why he would do this, but he took a sip anyway.

Then he discovered that the cup of grape water in his hand had actually turned into exceptionally delicious wine.

How could this be?! Wat was shocked, unable to comprehend how the grape water, which had only just begun to ferment, had already transformed into wine.

Moreover, this flavor was at least equivalent to having been aged in a cellar for over a year.

"Boss, how on earth did you manage this?"

"Don't be so nervous, just a little magic trick." Ethan did not expose the truth, patted him on the shoulder, casually picked up a bottle of moonshine from a nearby crate, opened it, and took a sip.

The flavor had improved just as well.

But that was the extent of it.

This divine authority was still too chicken-rib-like in its current utility.

His energy was nearly exhausted just by improving the taste of that single cup of grape water and the two crates of moonshine beside it.

Such efficiency was far too low.

However, with the sales of the grape bricks, perhaps this divine authority would grow rapidly. If he could eventually bestow it upon Wat, combined with the man's research and development capabilities,

perhaps he really could monopolize the moonshine world.

"Wat, keep up the good work, get our grape bricks into mass production sooner, and I'll raise your share to six percent." Ethan upped the stakes once more.

And Wat's heart was already pounding with excitement. Six percent! Six percent!

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The days that followed passed swiftly.

Ethan lived his life methodically, following his established routine.

Aside from attending to his business daily, he focused on practicing his painting skills.

Through days of exercise, he had recovered the feel of his previous self, and coupled with the masterpieces from his past life stored in his mind, he was confident he could handle whatever prompt his opponent threw at him.

Worst comes to worst, he could just copy those famous works and act as a carrier of renowned paintings.

He refused to believe that by combining the powers of great masters like Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Dalí, he could possibly lose.

Of course, in the midst of it all, he also went to see Sophia once.

He and Sophia conversed happily; Sophia had a simple and gentle personality, and spending time with her brought no pressure.

Her painting skills were also quite good, and Ethan offered her some guidance.

By the time she left, she was already inviting Ethan to visit her home next time.

Everything was going smoothly.

What he could not obtain from John Holt, he could achieve through other means.

Only when he returned home that day, for some reason, Anya pressed down hard on the accelerator, almost jolting Ethan out of his seat.

The time finally advanced to the eve of the wager.

On this day, the great painter Pobal arrived in Winster.

Pobal was a figure renowned across the entire kingdom, and indeed, not just within the kingdom's borders; he enjoyed a stellar reputation in the Old Continent as well, standing as a prominent name in contemporary art history.

His paintings had once fetched a sky-high price of thirty million gold Reins at the Earl of Garod Auction House in the royal capital, hailed as the pinnacle of the collecting world.

The whimsical art style he created had swept across the globe, with countless devoted followers studying, imitating, and adoring him.

Major universities were scrambling to open specialized courses.

The arrival of such an artistic titan in Winster, a city relatively scarce in high art, naturally sparked tremendous attention.

Winster's major newspapers had begun warming up the event a month ago, and over the past two days, they had been reporting daily on news concerning Pobal and his past honors.

His itinerary was also densely publicized.

Ethan naturally received a notification from Winster University as well.

El called to inform him that his test had been successfully negotiated with Pobal, and the master was very interested in sparing two hours for him to showcase his painting skills.

However, the premise was that the prompt would be given on the spot, the painting executed on the spot, and witnessed and judged by Pobal, a panel of Winster artists, and the teachers and students of Winster University's Art Department.

This completely eliminated any possibility of cheating.

Unless Ethan already knew Pobal and the master was directly helping him cheat.

If that were the case, Ethan wouldn't have needed to be attacked and suspected by Ramon; he would have already made a name for himself in the art world long ago.

Time entered the final countdown.

The people of Winster went about their respective affairs.

They were either busy making a living, looking forward to witnessing the demeanor of the grand artist, or gearing up for the event.

On this night,

Palen had a dream.