Chapter 119: The Brewery

On the training grounds, Rickon began to take his first faltering steps.

Ever since he had the wolf pups Shaggydog and Summer, Rickon had learned to walk without even realizing it.

The wolf pups Shaggydog and Summer guarded their little master Rickon, one on the left and one on the right.

Shaggydog bumped gently against Rickon's belly, causing Rickon to fall to the ground, where he hugged the two pups and let out a joyful laugh.

Domeric, Theon, and the wildling Osha were all cheering and applauding for Rickon at the edge of the training grounds. Sansa and Arya shouted Rickon's name.

Lady Barbrey said to Eddard, "Your youngest son is already walking; your House Stark can now be considered to have a flourishing lineage."

"A house is only lively when there are children," Eddard said softly. "Lady Barbrey, you are not young anymore; you should hurry and marry. You will surely be able to bear many children in the future. I think Fellan..."

"Fellan was once a stable boy in my house, and a horse thief at that," Lady Barbrey interrupted Eddard with a mischievous smile. "Don't be ridiculous, I am not considering marrying him at the moment."

After Lady Barbrey left, Maester Luwin walked over. "Lord Eddard, are you going to inspect the brewery today?"

The brewery occupied a row of workshops on Craftsman Street outside Winterfell. The manager, Luodeli, who was tall and stout with a beer belly, greeted Eddard outside the brewery, with Maester Luwin following behind Eddard.

"Lord Eddard, since we have the distiller, our blueberry wine..."

"It is Blue Noble," Eddard corrected.

"The quality of the Blue Noble has improved significantly." Luodeli led Eddard and Maester Luwin into the brewery, where the air was filled with a rich aroma of alcohol.

The scents of ale, cider, blueberry wine, mead, and beer were intertwined. Many apprentices and workers were busy; the distillers on the stoves were emitting steam, and the distilled spirits were being collected into barrels.

Alcohol was not only a necessity for the North to survive the long winter, but in Eddard's plan, it would also become a commodity for export in the future.

Luodeli was a resident of Winter Town and the most excellent brewer in Winter Town. Eddard had recruited Luodeli to the brewery and put him in charge of the brewing production in Winterfell.

"Lord Eddard, for our Blue Noble, we select only wild blueberries. I have also added some of our traditional Northern brewing techniques, and paired with the distiller invented by you, Lord Eddard, the quality of the Blue Noble produced is so high that even I, the brewer, feel intoxicated by it."

"Besides blueberry wine, we have also put effort into the selection of ingredients for our cider, beer, ale, and mead, using only the best fruits, oats, barley, and the honey from our Winterfell beehives, brewing with care."

Eddard patted Luodeli on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. Our fine wine from Winterfell should not only be enjoyed by the people of Winter Town and the people of the North, but in the future, it must sell well across the Seven Kingdoms and be sold to the Free Cities!"

Luodeli revealed a simple, honest smile, his beer belly shaking violently like pudding. "Lord Eddard, rest assured, I will certainly not let you down."

Eddard and Maester Luwin walked out of the brewery, bathing in the sunlight. Maester Luwin stroked his chain. "Lord Eddard, while the brewing industry is indeed profitable, fine wine requires a lot of grain, apples, blueberries, and even honey. Can the supply of these raw materials keep up?"

"Rest assured, the Stark Estate is promoting the curved plow, and our productivity will increase." Eddard pulled several structural diagrams from his sleeve. "The curved plow alone is not enough; this is a seed drill for sowing. You just need to manufacture it according to my design."

Maester Luwin looked at the diagrams, sighing in admiration. "Lord Eddard, the astonishing wisdom you display always shocks me time and time again."

If it were before, Maester Luwin would have questioned whether the seed drill designed by Eddard was practical. Having seen the fine salt extraction technology, the brewery distiller, and the curved plow invented by Eddard all succeed in practice one after another, Maester Luwin no longer dared to easily question Eddard's inventions.

Maester Luwin put the blueprints into his sleeve pocket and said, "Maester Norman told me that for the prescription you gave him to treat the common cold, he did not recognize many of the herbs, but after he tried them, the efficacy of these herbs was shocking. Maester Norman told me that Duke Eddard's knowledge in medicine is likely not inferior to Archmaester Anbuluosi of the Citadel."

"You must know that Archmaester Anbuluosi's ring, mask, and staff are all made of pure silver. In the Citadel, silver represents medical knowledge, and Archmaester Anbuluosi is considered the master of medicine at the Citadel."

Eddard lowered his voice. "Keep it low-profile! How could I compare to an Archmaester of the Citadel? Maester Luwin, whether it is our medical research or other technological inventions, it must be kept secret."

Maester Luwin smiled mysteriously. "Lord Eddard, I understand; knowledge is wealth. Our order of maesters must serve the lord of the castle, and we will follow Lord Eddard's instructions."

Initially, Maester Luwin had worried that Maester Norman, who excelled in medicine, Maester Fellan, who excelled in agriculture and minerals, and Maester Duosite, who excelled in mysticism and magic research, would not stay in Winterfell for long. After all, Winterfell was not the Citadel and was considered to lack knowledge and wisdom.

The original intention of these maesters coming to Winterfell was merely for the unicorn; once the research on the unicorn was completed, these maesters would leave Winterfell and return to the Citadel.

Now, Eddard had demonstrated his prowess as an inventor. Maester Fellan, Maester Duosite, and Maester Norman were all won over by Eddard, and they were all willing to stay in Winterfell long-term, just to witness "Duke Eddard's next great invention."

Eddard and Maester Luwin walked toward the gates of Winterfell.

"Maester Luwin, Catelyn complained to me a few days ago that the price of soap is too expensive. I think Winterfell should open a soap workshop."

Maester Luwin blinked. "A soap workshop? Lord Eddard, as far as I know, the soap used by the nobles and wealthy merchants of Westeros often comes from Pentos, Braavos, Myr, Lys, and other places; their soap-making craft is better than that of Westeros."

"In Westeros, only cities like King's Landing and Oldtown have soap workshops, and the income of soap craftsmen is no less than that of goldsmiths. It would likely be very difficult to invite them to Winterfell."

Eddard shrugged. "I didn't say I was going to invite soap craftsmen; I have decided to make the soap myself."

Maester Luwin shook his head with a smile. "Forgive my bluntness, Lord Eddard, but it will be very difficult for you to succeed. Soap is not like inventions such as the curved plow or the seed drill. The craft of soap-making was introduced to the Seven Kingdoms from the continent of Essos, and many of the soap workshops in the Seven Kingdoms are operated by craftsmen from the Free Cities."

"The soap-making craft has been passed down through the trials and practices of countless craftsmen before achieving success. The Citadel also attempted to make soap, but failed; the wisdom of the Archmaesters was ultimately tripped up by a small piece of soap. Lord Eddard, you lack the most basic understanding of the knowledge of soap-making, so how could you possibly succeed?"

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(End of chapter)