Familial Wealth (2)

"Alcohol? I know the processes needed to create alcohol, yes, but I have never personally made it myself, Mistress. Might I ask where this is going?"

The Lamia seemed a tad confused at my question - as did both Yiksa and Renna - but when I replied "Renna opened up Domus Stella, and we were primarily - and still are - going to sell wine, right? But I think there is another, cheaper market available to us in the form of whiskey other hard liquors, which could get people drunk easily if that's the desired effect. It would be a fruitful endeavor, I think, selling off some strong drinks to people for parties and the like."

Renna frowned at that, the red head pursing her lips as she looked down at the ground for a few moments, thoughts racing through her head; meanwhile, Prixisia nodded slowly and said "I know how to make whiskey, yes, since it's a rather simple recipe. It takes time though, and you usually want to leave it aged for a better taste, but... if the idea is cheap liquor anyone could get, then that isn't a priority at all."

"That's correct~! Cheap wines and cheap liquor for the average person to have a good time, with some higher quality wines and liquor waiting for those with some more coin to spend. Flavors galore based on season and fads, and all of this is going to be found within a single store inside of Birchan."

"But... if we distribute hard liquor to everyone at a low price, wouldn't that... be problematic? The reason hard liquor is so hard to find is simple; most people make their own and get drunk on that, but if we provide even more to the city, won't we be increasing the people's alcoholism manyfold?"

Renna's concern was clear, and I could see where she was coming from in terms of worry since it was an obvious one; if we practically handed out strong alcohol for anyone who wanted it, the amount of drunkards would increase, which could be a problem for the city's peace, but...

"It's not really our concern. When someone opens a shop for provocative dresses and toys, does that mean the people who partake in sex more often are going to be going around and forcing themselves onto anyone just because now there is a store catered to their desires?"

"That's a loose correlation and you know it, Astra. Alcohol temporarily changes someone's thought processes and lowers their inhibitions! A sex shop doesn't mean someone feels entitled to sex from everyone! They are two separate things!"

"But simply selling something doesn't mean we are liable for someone's actions. Just because there is liquor to buy doesn't mean someone needs to buy it and drink it all by themselves, and all at once. So us selling alcohol isn't responsible for people being stupid. Besides, we could put up signs and warnings in the shop to let people know that drinking leads to being drunk~!"

She just gave me a small shake of her head before looking away, leaving it as is for now as I turned back to Prixisia, who was staring at me curiously.

"So, if I wanted to learn how to make whiskey, you could show me? I think it'd be a wonderful addition to Domus Stella. Ooh, and I was thinking, maybe we could do something themed around the creators of the wine, like special bottles or branding on the bottles to let people know who made which batch. And that made me wonder if you wanted to make a batch of wine, Prixisia? A batch that we would advertise as made by a Lamia?"

The orange scaled woman stared at me blankly for a few moments before raising a brow as she chuckled, shrugging her shoulders and causing her giant breasts to bounce slightly, those twin mountains catching my attention briefly and whispering to me to come over and make love to them...

"I wouldn't be against it, Mistress. I just don't know if people would care for a wine made by a Lamia. But the idea of selling batches of wine with the creator placed on the bottle somewhere is a good idea, especially if the wine is different from each person. So maybe only do it with the weaker, yet still flavored wines made with mana from each person here? I think that could be fun."

"Ooh! And then I can distill the wines to get a stronger version that I sell in special bottles unique to each person! Limited time, stronger, tastier wines that would be a collectable and a showpiece at the same time!"

That made Renna smile, the Duchess chuckling softly as she said "You and your limited time things... a clever tactic for marketing and getting people to buy something less they miss out on it."

"Correct~! Now, I guess we need to get working on stocking the shelves of the store, which means I need to make a whole lot of wine, start working on the bottles, and then get to work on moving everything from here into Birchan! And when we do, we have to go look around for some workers, Renna. We'll need a certain type of charm for the Domus Stella, don't you think?"

I smiled back at her, my lover rolling her eyes as she said "You mean you want a certain type of girl working the store that tickles your fancy, right?", which only made my smile widen as I walked around Shelur and placed my hands on Renna's waist, pulling her close to me.

"Well... not saying no to that, but~! You'll always take precedence in my heart, Renna~! Always and forever, I promise~!"

She pouted at that, her sky blue eyes flashing slightly as she mumbled "You used to be the one getting teased, and now it's me...", though when I leaned in for a kiss she readily accepted my lips, and when I pulled her even closer, she pressed her body against mine and let me do as I pleased.