182 Honest Out-of-Towner_1

"Oh, that is a Gusano worm, a type of caterpillar that parasitizes the plant used to brew this liquor called agave," Lin Ge explained to Lier with a smile, looking at the coral-colored larva inside the bottle.

Gusano, in Spanish, means worm and resembles a silkworm. It parasitizes on agave and is naturally white, but after being soaked in alcohol for a long time, its color changes.

Alcohol can preserve dead caterpillars in a lifelike state, similar to formalin. The longer they soak, the deeper their color becomes, eventually turning coral.

Just like a walnut that has been handled for over a decade, a coral-colored Gusano can make the bottle of liquor it rests in command a higher price.

Lier didn't immediately drink the Mezcal that Lin Ge poured for her; instead, she stared at the plump worm in the bottle. Now, she was starting to believe what Lin Ge had said—alchemy and mixology really did have commonalities, such as the use of bizarre biological materials…