HLM – Chapter 860 Changes at the Lakeshore

Atulu hadn’t exaggerated. Wang Bo took a sip, and this sweet potato wine had none of the previous sourness. Sweet and fragrant, it carried the natural glutinous aroma of the sweet potatoes themselves. The alcohol taste was muted, making it almost like a beverage.

Na Qingyang took a sip and frowned slightly. Wang Bo said, “Not satisfied yet? Brother, don’t be so pretentious.”

Hani sipped as well and nodded contentedly. “I agree with the boss. It can’t get any better than this sweet potato wine. It’s absolutely perfect!”

Na Qingyang smiled. “I find it strange. The flavor of this sweet potato wine is too good. It’s my first time brewing, and I thought just being able to drink it would be satisfactory, but it’s unexpectedly delicious.”

He hesitated, furrowing his brow. “Could it be true what my grandfather said on the phone? That I have the family genes for brewing sweet potato wine… and that I’m a brewing prodigy?”

Wang Bo snorted. “Brother, you sure know how to joke. That’s hilarious! Hahaha.”

These sweet potatoes came from the garden. Last year’s harvest was abundant, with excellent yield. He hadn’t planted much, yet ended up with enough to fill an entire cellar.

Because New Zealanders didn’t have a habit of eating sweet potatoes, Wang Bo hadn’t bothered cooking them, and they had been stored for almost half a year. The “Garden of the Heart” had improved the sweet potato quality. He should have roasted them to eat, but now that he had a method for brewing sweet potato wine, it seemed even better.

This batch produced half a wooden barrel of sweet potato wine. One barrel held fifty liters, so that meant twenty-five liters. Within just two days, it was all gone.

Sweet potato wine became a signature product of the castle. Later, Wang Bo had Na Qingyang and a group move all the sweet potatoes from the cellar to brew into wine.

For a week afterward, the whole castle was filled with the enchanting aroma of sweet potato wine.

Bee King Tata became a fan of the sweet potato wine. Previously, he only came to the castle when delivering honey, but now he came every day with a small homemade barrel, like refugees getting clean water—he would leave with a barrel each visit.

He even had an innovative way to drink it: adding a little honey to the wine. Alcohol dissolves honey well, and adding it made the wine sweeter, perfectly complementing the alcohol.

This gave Wang Bo an idea. He tried adding honey during brewing, but the result was not as good, since the honey couldn’t evaporate and much of it was wasted.

The castle staff felt a bit regretful, as there weren’t many bees left in the hives, so honey production was low. Especially after the storm, most of the flowering plants were destroyed, and many bees had died. Now, daily honey production was only seven or eight liters at most.

Honey had become a staple for Wang Bo and his team: used in tea, with bread, roasting meat—there was never enough.

By mid-December, in the evening, work was done.

Wang Bo stood by the office floor-to-ceiling window, watching the western sky filled with colorful sunset clouds, and slowly sipped some sweet potato wine.

He used to enjoy coffee at sunset, thinking about the town’s development plans. Now, with sweet potato wine, the alcohol’s stronger stimulation of the brain helped him think of better ideas.

Looking at the brilliant red clouds, he was planning how to host Kaplan and his group when his phone rang.

It was Bowen. Wang Bo answered curiously: “What’s up?”

“Come to the lakeshore, boss. Someone discovered something astonishing! Hurry, there’s a surprise waiting for you!”

Wang Bo instantly perked up. He remembered he had planted a Lakeshore Heart last week but had been too busy brewing sweet potato wine to check on it.

Fortunately, the Super Dune Buggy “Plains Tyrannosaurus” was parked behind the office. Wang Bo jumped in and sped off.

The vehicle looked imposing. As soon as he appeared on the street, people started taking photos, and some cars chased him, probably wanting to race.

The Plains Tyrannosaurus excelled on sand, though not as fast on flat ground compared to cars. Wang Bo swerved into the uneven grasslands.

The red Toyota had no chance now.

The buggy was like a racecar: low center of gravity but high clearance due to its three large wheels, giving it excellent off-road ability on the grass, unlike ordinary cars which could easily scrape the underside.

“Cheating!” a girl’s angry voice came from one of the cars.

Wang Bo glanced back. Are you kidding me? Am I racing you? This is a three-wheeler! Wait until I fly a helicopter if you want a real race.

He drove to the lakeshore. Many people were resting on picnic blankets. Since it was dinner time, most families were eating, and there were barbecue grills everywhere.

The lakeshore allowed barbecues but required people to maintain cleanliness. The sand had been artificially created and lacked the regenerative ability of natural beaches, so digging and lighting fires directly in the sand was prohibited. Fires had to use grills or fire pits to contain coals and trash, or else heavy fines applied.

The Plains Tyrannosaurus drew attention. People took photos and whistled. Bowen waved from afar, standing at the edge of the lakeshore with a young couple.

New Zealand’s population was limited. The lakeshore was popular, but except on holidays, it wasn’t crowded. The edges had poor views, so generally, no one stayed there.

Wang Bo stopped and asked, “Hey Bowen, my brother, you said there’s a surprise waiting for me? What is it?”

Bowen raised a hand. “Stand there, don’t move. Take off your shoes and walk over; I’ll show you the surprise.”

Wang Bo, puzzled, complied, removing his socks and shoes to walk barefoot on the sand.

New Zealanders liked walking barefoot, and this was an easy way to tell locals from tourists—locals usually wore shoes on the beach.

It was mid-December and warm. The sand, artificially imported, was fine and comfortable to step on.

The further he walked, the hotter the sand felt. Wang Bo asked curiously, “What’s going on? It’s warm today, but why is the sand so hot this late?”

The young man with Bowen laughed. “This is the surprise. The sand is hot, but it has nothing to do with the weather. I suspect there’s a volcano beneath this beach.”

Wang Bo was astonished. “What? The beach itself is causing this?”

Bowen handed him a shovel. “Come on, boss. Dig down. The surprise is about to reveal itself!”

The sand at the lakeshore edge was shallow. After four or five shovelfuls, Wang Bo reached the lakebed soil