The Mafia Empire
Chapter 10: Chapter 10 Brewing a New Plan

Julian's initial reluctance soon faded away. Frank seemed genuine, and everything Graf had mentioned about the union rang true. Without further hesitation, Julian agreed to join. Frank took the fifty-cent membership fee, officially inducting him into the Workers Union, with the promise that his name would be registered with union headquarters by the end of the week.

Julian returned to the platform, where Graf quickly approached him. "How'd it go? Not too bad, right?"

Julian smiled and nodded. "You were right. They got me six dollars from Mr. Kreen."

Graf's eyes widened in disbelief. "Six dollars?" His gaze shifted to Julian's bandaged hand, and then, as if a light bulb had gone off, he slapped his forehead. "Wait here—I'm getting my six dollars from Mr. Kreen too!"

Mr. Kreen's face twisted in disbelief, as though he'd just witnessed the most upsetting event of his life. Already in a foul mood after losing six dollars to the union over a supposed work injury, he had spent the entire morning cursing them in his office. So, when Graf burst in, drenched in sweat and shoving his bandaged hand in Kreen's face, demanding compensation, it was more than he could handle.

Graf was caught off guard when Kreen didn't put up a fight. Without a word of protest, Kreen nearly threw six dollars at him and practically shoved him out the door. The union had shaken him so much that he seemed completely uninterested in arguing any further.

Julian and Graf, still shocked by their sudden windfall, decided to advance their plans for "market research." They had intended to save for an entire month, but now, with the unexpected cash in hand, they put on their best clothes and headed straight for the pubs.

In the wake of the post-war economic collapse and the lingering psychological trauma, people were desperately seeking outlets. Aside from women, high-proof alcohol became the most popular escape. Every pub was stocked with different liquors, sold in various states of dilution.

Graf led Julian into a bar called "The Workers' Friend." The bouncer, a hulking figure, gave them a once-over before letting them pass through the narrow, dark entrance. Inside, the stench—thick with sweat and vomit—nearly made Julian gag.

As soon as Graf entered, the bartender recognized him. Graf had clearly become a familiar face. "What'll it be today? Red berry wine?"

Red berry wine, the cheapest option for the working class, was little more than fermented fruit, sometimes tasting sour from overripe berries. It cost about eleven or twelve cents a glass, just cheap enough for most to overlook its unpleasant taste.

But today, Graf had different plans. Leaning forward, he spoke in a hushed voice, "A glass of 'Golden Sunshine' and one 'Lady in a Skirt,' please."

The bartender raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback. Graf and Julian were just laborers, and neither should have the luxury to afford these mid-range, high-proof drinks. Still, without question, the bartender turned to prepare their order. Everyone knew that the bar's owner had connections with local gangs, and no one dared refuse payment.

The drinks arrived—two square glasses, just over half full. One glowed with a golden hue, reminiscent of champagne, while the other was a deep orange. The bartender leaned in, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol, and said, "That'll be five dollars."

Graf slapped a five-dollar bill on the counter without a word. The bartender pocketed it swiftly.

Graf's excitement was barely contained. "Let's go," he said, lifting his glass. He took a long swallow, closing his eyes with satisfaction before letting out a contented sigh. "Just perfect." He pushed the glass towards Julian. "Your turn."

Julian took the glass cautiously, savoring a small sip. The moment the liquid hit his tongue, a fiery warmth spread down his throat, but the sweetness quickly followed, balancing the burn.

"This is rich," Julian said, licking his lips. "Strong, but sweet... and is that a hint of wood?"

Graf grinned. "That's dragon's bloodwood. It's the secret to high-proof alcohol around here. Without it, you can't make the strong stuff. No one knows exactly why, but that's what people say."

Julian found it fascinating. In this world, high-proof alcohol wasn't made through distillation like in his dreams. Instead, they enhanced weaker spirits by running them through dragon's bloodwood, a material that had become essential to the local liquor industry.

He then tried the "Lady in a Skirt." While it had a slight bitterness, it only added complexity to the drink, giving it depth. Julian found it even more enjoyable than the "Golden Sunshine." There was a subtle sweetness that lingered, like the bittersweet memory of a happy goodbye.

After finishing their drinks, they left the bar and returned to their rented room. Without wasting any time, they pulled out their homemade moonshine, eager to compare it against the drinks they had just tried.

They added syrup to their moonshine to cut the bitterness, but it still couldn't match the smoothness of "Golden Sunshine" or "Lady in a Skirt." The alcohol content was there, but the taste was rough, It lacked the refinement and polish of the more expensive drinks.

Golden Light and Lady in the Skirt cost two dollars fifty a glass, and their homemade liquor would maybe go for one dollar fifty at most. The difference of one dollar per glass became a gap three times as wide when extrapolated to the cost of an entire bottle.

"What now?" Graf asked, grimacing as he choked down the liquid. He was red faced from the booze. "We need a new plan."

Julian, recalling concepts of distillation that had come to him in a dream, pondered how it could be done with the tools at their disposal. He paused for a moment before offering, "I have two thoughts."

Graf's eyes lit up. "Let's hear them!"

"First, we could age the hooch in casks carved from dragonblood wood. If we hold it in the casks for a few months, it could significantly gain flavor."

"Second, we could infuse the vodka with fruit or berries to create a high proof fruit wine around 20% ABV. It would make it taste smoother and richer."

Graf shook his head before Julian could finish. "The first idea's out! I'm not waiting a year. But that second one—yeah, it's much quicker. Let's start with that and worry about aging later."

Julian nodded. They had just taken the first baby step into high proof alcohol. All that remained was execution.