Your Majesty, Wonders are Harmful to the Country!

A cup of what appeared to be colorless, tasteless sake was placed on the table.

"Sir, the liquor we serve here has an extremely high alcohol content. We suggest you take small sips at first to avoid discomfort."

Cario waved his hand dismissively, signaling the servant to leave.

What a joke!

I, Cario, have traveled across the Norman Empire for years what kind of alcohol haven't I tasted?

With curiosity, he lifted the cup just as he would when drinking beer and downed it in one gulp.

At first, the vodka felt refreshingly smooth as it entered his mouth, but within moments, he suddenly felt as if his tongue were being stabbed repeatedly by countless daggers. Though there was no discernible taste initially, a burning sensation spread fiercely.

From the base of his tongue down to his throat, it felt as if he had swallowed a red-hot iron brand. The intense burn made his face flush red.

"Cough! Cough—cough—"

Having never drunk such high-proof distilled liquor before, Cario immediately burst into violent coughing fits.

The beverages he usually consumed wine, beer, and the like rarely exceeded ten percent alcohol. So, when this fifty-proof vodka hit him, the shock was inevitable.

Moreover, since he had ignored the servant's warning and gulped it all down at once, he now felt as though his throat were on fire.

"Water… cough… water…"

The servant had not gone far, so upon hearing Cario's coughing, he quickly rushed back to assist.

Over the past few days, he had encountered many customers like Cario men who believed they had tasted all kinds of alcohol and thought they had nothing to fear from so called strong liquor. But after just one sip, they all ended up utterly subdued by its intensity.

It took Cario quite some time to recover, his gaze fixed blankly on the cup before him.

At first, he had felt as if he had been poisoned. But as the burning sensation settled and he carefully recalled the taste, he found that it carried a crisp smoothness un-like any other liquor.

No wonder…

They call this a strong liquor!

If vodka was already so unique, then what about whiskey, which was even more expensive?

With eager anticipation, Cario ordered a glass of whiskey.

This time, however, he had learned his lesson he wouldn't recklessly down it in one go.

Taking a cautious sip, he felt a slight spiciness the moment the liquid touched his tongue.

As the whiskey slid down his throat, he could detect the aged oak flavor buried beneath the bold taste, along with a faint smoky charcoal aroma and the sweetness of malt. Though intense at first, the aftertaste was deep and lingering.

After consuming two strong drinks, Cario felt warmth spreading through his body, his stomach burning and his head slightly dizzy.

In this moment of haze, memories of his past resurfaced…

All the savings he had accumulated over a lifetime of wandering… left behind in St. Lawrence…

"Another… one…"

Cario slapped his coin pouch onto the table. The rich whiskey allowed him to momentarily forget his worries and anxieties, granting him a rare moment of respite and peace in this vast land.

To Cario, Idar was truly a land of miracles…

While Cario was drinking himself into a stupor at the tavern, the key officials of Idar were once again gathered at the lord's castle.

However, unlike previous meetings, this time, an air of solemnity hung over the room.

Saltworks had been attacked by pirates!

The moment this news arrived, all of Idar was thrown into turmoil.

Cape Saltworks was of utmost importance to the territory!

Currently, the sun drying salt industry at Cape Saltworks had become one of the most crucial economic pillars supporting Idar's development.

Each year, Idar earned thousands of gold coins from the salt trade alone, and this revenue was steadily increasing as the saltworks expanded.

Thus, upon hearing that Cape Saltworks had been raided by pirates, everyone present tensed up immediately.

After all, the construction of the Citadel of Namur, as well as the extensive roadwork projects within Idar, required vast amounts of financial support.

Cape Saltworks played a pivotal role in this.

In fact, if anything happened to Cape Saltworks, the construction of the Citadel of Namur and the entire road network in Idar would be severely impacted.

Currently, while the Idar Highway connecting Mann Fortress and Idar City had been completed, several other roads were still awaiting construction.

This was a matter directly affecting Idar's development!

However, amid this crisis, there was at least one silver lining Idar had not suffered severe losses in the attack.

This was thanks to Bruno, who had previously stationed troops specifically to protect Cape Saltworks.

Even though the original saltworks guards had been reassigned to the Anti-Smuggling Bureau, Old Ford had not reduced the number of stationed troops, given the saltworks' significance.

As a result, when the pirates launched their sudden assault, they failed to gain the upper hand.

On Idar's side, the chaos resulted in the deaths of eight commoners and six soldiers, with another dozen soldiers injured.

Even in the Battle of the Grand Highlands, which involved over a hundred combatants, Idar had only lost three soldiers!

Thus, this attack on Cape Saltworks marked the greatest loss Bruno had suffered since arriving in this world!

This was an outright provocation pirates had come knocking on their doorstep!

"Can someone explain to me why there are pirates in Idar's waters?" Bruno asked in a deep voice.

From his predecessor's memories, Idar had never suffered pirate raids before. This had led Bruno to let his guard down when it came to maritime threats.

Just imagine if the pirates had targeted the unprotected fishing harbor instead of the well defended saltworks, how devastating would the losses have been?!

If these pirates had more ambitious goals, they could have followed the Idar River westward and struck directly at Idar City!

The fact that such a massive gap in Idar's defense had been exposed left Bruno deeply unsettled.