ITK C428: Alcohol Comeback Plan

While the mermaids’ celebrations continue, there are still unresolved issues smoldering under the farm.
In fact, there are many.

Today, we’re visiting the sake brewery to resolve one of them.

It’s one of the many facilities on our farm that produces all kinds of sake and vinegar under Bacchus’ supervision.
Working there are his Maidens.
They drink alcohol and believe it is the joy of life.

Bacchus, the god of alcohol and their object of faith, is said to be a demigod, born to a god and a man thousands of years ago.
Because he has the blood of a demigod in him, he is transcendent in many ways.
He is more immortal than a Lifeless King and wanders the earth forever, although his only reason for prowling is to drink.

At one point, when all the demigods had returned to the divine realm, he chose to stay on mortal soil for alcohol.
He discovers new alcohol, drinks it, and even creates his own kind.

He’s probably the first and last divine alcohol lover since he refused to officially join the gods.

Thus, Bacchus has taken up residence on our farm and brews alcohol.
It’s not that I asked him to do so. It’s just that when I noticed it, things were already like this.

As you would expect from a (demi)god. He’s too free to do whatever he wants.

But now, Bacchus is in low spirits and is hanging his head in the brewery’s corner.

“…Has he still not recovered from that incident?”

It has been quite a while since then.

Yes, Bacchus has been depressed lately.
He is a dynamic man, but he does not move, does nothing, and leaves the important work of brewing to his Maidens.

That’s why the brewery itself is running perfectly fine, but that’s no reason to leave Bacchus in the lurch.

“…Or maybe we’ve ignored him plenty enough.”

After all, he’s been like this ever since the expo ended.

You guessed that right; the expo is the reason behind Bacchus’ low spirits.
It was an event that took place in the Demon Kingdom last winter.

Our residents presented what they had cultivated, which was a great success.

Bacchus also exhibited at the expo.
The theme was, of course, alcohol.

He shared with the people here my world’s knowledge and the rare alcoholic beverages he brewed from our farm’s fine crops.

Naturally, it was met with great acclaim.

A long line formed at his Alcohol Pavilion, and tipplers from all over the nation marshaled to the event.
The visitor turnout was strong. Almost strong enough to compete with Letasreit’s Bean Pavilion and Veil’s Wheat Pavilion.

Alas, that did not happen.

Bacchus’ pavilion wasn’t crowned the number one attraction but rather vanished without joining the battle for the top spot.
He offers alcohol, after all.

When you say alcohol, you think of drunkards.
And the Alcohol Pavilion was teeming with them.

They got drunk and picked fights with other people, lay down on the roadside, or worse, threw up.

As expected, we couldn’t afford to disrupt the expo’s public order, so we had the pavilion closed on the same day.
Bacchus’ exhibit became a phantom pavilion that was held only on the first day.

This appeared to take a huge toll on him.
So huge, even now, long after the expo is over, Bacchus continues to feel depressed.

“My brews… No one could accept my brews…!” he cries.

That’s what he usually grumbles about.

“What went wrong? My brews weren’t meant to send people into a drunken frenzy… My divine alcohol leaves no aftertaste!”

They say our farm’s food and beverages are tasty like no other.
The alcohol is no exception, and the visitors drank more than their threshold, which made them drink more and more and end up getting drunk.
Such a pattern was repeated in abundance.

Bacchus, perhaps pretty fired up about the expo, brought all kinds of alcohol, including his famed wine.
Beer, sake, and even spirits with high alcohol content.
He also brought as much fruit wine as he could and even tried to put dragon wine on the menu, but I managed to stop him in time.

It was enough proof to show how enthusiastic Bacchus was.
And yet, his pavilion got canceled.
It’s understandable he’d feel shocked.

“If he had at least limited it to low alcohol content, we wouldn’t have had drunkard cases…”
“And you’re supposed to dilute whiskey and shochu with water! But everyone just chugged it straight down their throats…!”

Of course they’d be drunken stupor.

“Well, I also wanted the expo to be a success, so I couldn’t allow any trouble.”

We did receive numerous requests to reopen the Alcohol Pavilion, but we couldn’t comply.
After all, we had no guarantee no drunks or drunk-related incidents would happen again.

“Nothing is sketchier than a wasted person’s words.”
“So mean…! Alcohol can make the world peaceful! All the people could be friends through alcohol! And yet… And yet!!!”

You could say that all wrongs also stem from alcohol, though.

But, well, it’s heartbreaking to see Bacchus so discouraged.
It’s just that so many have been going on since the expo ended, such as Orkubo’s Castle, the arrival of Professor the Lifeless King, and Prince Arowana and Puffer’s wedding plan.

Now, it’s time for me to start encouraging Bacchus in earnest.

“Please, saint! I may have failed at the expo, but I still want to spread the wonders of alcohol to the world! Just give me another chance!”

But aren’t you just serving farm-made alcohol to the public again?

I can’t allow that because I can imagine history repeating itself and people getting dead drunk.
Some might even drink themselves unconscious; it’s ironic.

“It’s absolutely necessary to prevent drunk-related incidents. At the expo, the biggest damage was getting puked on. If it escalates to some bloodshed, there’s going to be serious repercussions.”

Then again, it’s not alcohol if you don’t get drunk from it.

It’s all a matter of moderation.
Getting drunk is okay. Just don’t get so intoxicated you cause problems for those around you.

…If everyone looked out for each other, life wouldn’t be as hard.
I mean, no one drinks themselves unconscious on purpose.
That’s just the horror of alcohol.

“That’s why I’d like to at least reduce the chances of intoxication.”

Why do people get drunk?
That’s because they drink alcohol beyond their limits.

How can we reduce the alcohol content they consume then?

“Ah.”

That’s right.
It’s only bad if you drink just alcohol.

“We can offer them something to eat or drink on the side. It was that simple!”

Thinking back, that’s exactly what happened at the expo—serving nothing booze.
Perhaps because Bacchus is the god of alcohol that his interests don’t go beyond that.

“Anyone would get drunk if all you serve them is alcohol!”
“Huh? So? What’s bad about that?!”

This demigod, I swear!

I found the solution to the problem: Offer more choices aside from alcohol!

Take a sip, eat something, and then take a sip again.
This cycle dilutes the alcohol in one’s system and prevents intoxication.

In other words…

“Finger food!”

Finger food must always be paired with alcohol!

Thus, we have decided on a course of action. As a first step in organizing an alcohol comeback event, we will create otherworldly finger food!

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