What was unlocked alongside the wine barrel was the brewing system.
By placing different ingredients into the barrel, various types of alcoholic beverages could be brewed. For example, wheat could be used to brew ale, and adding a bit of honey would transform it into mead.
Water and apples made cider, adding plums created plum wine, and there were also carrot wine, corn whiskey, grape wine, rum, vodka, and many others, the variety of possible brews was quite extensive.
Different ingredients produced different types of alcohol.
Moreover, the brewing method was streamlined: simply add water, put in the ingredients, seal the barrel, and wait patiently.
The mountains of grain stockpiled in the territory finally had a proper use.
One day, under the curious gaze of the citizens, Garrett retrieved a large amount of construction materials and built a huge warehouse on an empty plot of land. He also excavated and modified the space beneath it to create a fairly large, multi-level underground wine cellar.
The above-ground warehouse was for storing raw materials, while the underground cellar was for brewing and storing the finished products.
The subterranean space wasn't enormous, he just dug a little and stopped, estimating it could store several thousand barrels of alcohol.
He spent several days working continuously in the wine cellar. By the time he came out, several hundred barrels of alcohol were already fermenting.
All the beverages had been properly categorized and organized, with separate sections and signs indicating which area could brew which type of alcohol to prevent confusion.
As the brewing time increased, the alcohol content in the drinks would gradually rise until it reached the natural fermentation limit. Opening the barrels before this point would halt fermentation, and the alcohol content would no longer increase.
Interestingly, with the support of the brewing system, some types of alcohol no longer required distillation, they could reach high alcohol levels through fermentation alone.
For example, vodka could reach up to 55% alcohol using this method.
One swig of that, and anyone would feel lightheaded.
After completing all this work, he emerged from the wine cellar just as dawn was breaking.
At that moment, Wade hurried over to report some recent developments.
"My lord, everyone asked me to inquire, would it be acceptable if we used some of the grain to brew alcohol?"
"Some of our folk learned brewing skills back when they were more prosperous. They've actually wanted to ask before, but since they'd never seen you drink, and there's been no alcohol in the territory, they assumed you disapproved and didn't bring it up."
After spending more time with Garrett, he had realized that their lord was nothing like the nobles he had encountered before, completely without pretense, and unconcerned with formal etiquette.
In fact, he still didn't know what kind of salute he should use when meeting Garrett, so he just fumbled through it with general courtesy.
But Garrett didn't mind at all. Frankly, he wouldn't understand formal etiquette anyway.
Because of Garrett's approachable nature, Wade gradually stopped being overly cautious, no longer worrying that a misplaced word or improper tone might provoke anger.
While still showing respect, loyalty, and discipline, he also began sharing more personal concerns from the people.
"Let them do it. You should already know what I'm going to say."
"I understand, my lord. Take according to need, just don't waste anything."
Wade repeated one of Garrett's common phrases, then returned to relay the message to the citizens.
Grain had always been precious, having enough to eat was already a blessing, let alone using it for other purposes.
But this place was different.
As long as nothing was wasted, it could be used freely.
The experienced brewers leaped to their feet the moment Wade brought back the news, rolled up their sleeves, and immediately began preparations. However, once they started, they discovered another obstacle: They lacked many of the tools and ingredients required for traditional brewing.
Tools and containers were manageable, they could craft those themselves since they weren't lacking in materials. But when it came to the actual brewing process, they weren't Garrett, they still needed additional procedures and steps.
With the skills these few people possessed, they actually met the requirements to become professional brewers. However, their current reputation wasn't high enough to reach [Artisan] rank, so they couldn't officially take on the profession.
Because of this, there were still some minor obstacles in the brewing process, specifically, they lacked several key materials.
Although Wayfort wasn't short on supplies and they could use whatever they needed, there were still some items that couldn't be synthesized and required time to produce naturally. But the citizens always found solutions: Traveling merchants.
The merchants from Dorwinion had given them inspiration.
If other traveling merchants could come to Wayfort to sell goods, then couldn't Wayfort also form its own trade caravans to visit other places and conduct business?
Some of the citizens had already begun discussing the idea. They wanted to request the lord's permission, if he approved, they would form a small trade caravan to visit other settlements and exchange goods.
Fortunately, there were several citizens who had visited larger towns before and had a general understanding of current market prices.
The proposal quickly received Garrett's approval.
With the community's support, a small trade caravan of eight people was soon formed to represent all of Wayfort in external commerce.
When they prepared to depart, many people entrusted them with shopping requests, all of which were carefully recorded.
Even though Garrett didn't impose any strict regulations, the citizens made their own agreement: whatever the people needed, the caravan would bring back, no more, no less.
Shortly after, under the watchful eyes of the townspeople, this improvised trade caravan pulled a small cart of goods and set off from Wayfort.
Of the eight members, four were former hunters, skilled enough to handle most types of trouble on the road. Though honestly, simply mentioning their lord's name would be sufficient to keep most trouble at bay.
For some reason, from Bree to Weathertop and then to Wayfort, orc and bandit activity had become extremely rare. Perhaps in years past, orcs and wargs would occasionally roam the area.
But starting this year, this entire region had become a forbidden zone for orcs. Even wargs didn't approach.
Sometimes, even when pursuing a rabbit, if the creature happened to flee into this territory, the wargs would only growl reluctantly from the boundary, letting their prey escape rather than stepping into dangerous ground.
As for bandits, ever since word spread that Garrett was active in this region, they had completely vanished. Even the usual ruffians in Bree began to restrain themselves. Some quietly returned to farming, others sought honest work, living in ways they had once scorned.
They didn't misbehave anymore.
If the lord of Wayfort happened to be in ill humor one day and decided to clean house, no one would speak in the bandits' defense. In fact, the townsfolk might even applaud him for it.
After all, no one sympathizes with thugs.
If you've already chosen the life of a criminal, and people still regard you as a decent person, then what's the point of being a criminal?
That once-proud label of "ruffian" that allowed them to swagger around town had suddenly become a sword hanging over their heads, ever since that man had passed through twice.
There were even rumors that the so-called "Bane of Evil" harbored particular hatred for thieves and swindlers. Not long ago, he had personally intervened to resolve a property dispute in the Shire.
He was a righteous champion who wouldn't let even hobbits escape consequences for minor offenses.
So it was terrifying to imagine what fate would await a group of thugs if he ever discovered all the petty crimes and bullying they had committed in the past.
For the time being, all the ruffians were conducting themselves properly, even if only temporarily.
The caravan's journey proceeded very smoothly. In just a few days, the eight reached Bree. However, it quickly became clear that Dorwinion's merchants had already preceded them there, meaning most of their goods didn't sell well.
The townsfolk had already purchased what they needed from the earlier caravan. With no alternative, the group continued toward the Shire.
This time, they had much better fortune. For one, the Shire contained numerous settlements, and even if Dorwinion's merchants had passed through earlier, there were always some places they hadn't reached.
Secondly, most of the goods the caravan brought were fruits, vegetables, and meat cuts, items that hobbits showed great enthusiasm for during the winter.
Certainly, hobbits were known for stockpiling food, and every home maintained reserves. But provisions that had been sitting in storage for months could hardly compare to fresh produce and meat.
This was why Bilbo, during his first meeting with Garrett, had chosen to purchase food at the market instead of serving him stale stock from his pantry.
Thanks to the hobbits' enthusiasm, the small cart of goods was completely sold out in the first village.
The small trade caravan had achieved their objective, whether through barter or spending their newly earned silver, they managed to acquire all the goods the citizens of Wayfort had requested.
They departed with a cart full of goods, and returned with a different cart full of new merchandise. And thus, this experimental trade mission concluded successfully.