129 Gump's Aged Wine
Read up to 15 chapters ahead on Patreon - patreon.com/Dark_sym
-----
"Ethan, there's a rule for drinking this wine-" Tom said to Ethan with a smirk.
"If you can finish it, you'll get 100 galleons," Tom announced loudly.
Many wizards who had never heard of this rule took a deep breath. One hundred galleons was a lot of money; they were even eager to try it now.
But the old drinkers who knew the rules smiled wickedly, waiting for Tom to say the following.
"Of course, if you can't finish it or spit it out in the middle, you will have to pay for all of us tonight!" Tom said to the people around him in a wildly exaggerated tone.
Tom has owned a bar for many years and is skilled at setting the atmosphere and mobilizing emotions.
Hearing that there may be free wine, many wizards clapped at the table, booed, and asked Ethan to take up this challenge quickly.
And Ethan was already eager to try it. He thought that he had already drunk so many potions that he could even hold on to the terrifying corrosive taste of the black blood potion.
Drinking some special flavored wine is nothing at all, and it can even be said to be bending over to pick up money.
"Bring it on, Tom! I accept the challenge!" Ethan exclaimed.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" the bar's wizards suddenly erupted into enthusiastic whistles and cheers.
Tom walked back to the bar, skillfully put a face towel on his face to cover his mouth and nose, and then removed a dusty oak barrel with a small faucet from under the bar.
Many savvy wizards, like Tom, have found a face towel to cover their mouths and noses.
Tom poured the oak barrel on the table in front of Ethan and threw a large bag of galleons on the table.
At this time, the wizards of the whole bar were gathered in front of Ethan's table.
The crisp sound of galleons hitting the table made the surrounding wizards breathless. They all wanted to know whether Ethan could succeed in the challenge and win the 100 Galleons.
Tom put a large glass under the wine barrel's tap and turned the tap gently. A brown liquor quickly flowed out of the barrel.
A strong and pungent smell suddenly filled the entire hall, and Ethan frowned at the smell.
The smell even retched several wizards around who were not prepared for protection.
Tom seemed satisfied with how the wizards around him smelled Gump's Social Wine. He smiled and pushed the glass before Ethan.
Looking at the glass's cloudy, pungent brown liquid, Ethan frowned and asked, "Tom, is this really that Gump-aged wine, not your footwash?"
Ethan's teasing made the surrounding wizards burst into laughter.
"If it were my foot wash, I would have earned the 100 gold Galleons myself!" Tom also responded with a big laugh.
When it was finally time to challenge, Ethan slowly picked up the wine glass, and the wizards watching by the side also held their breath, wanting to see if Ethan could succeed in the challenge.
As soon as the wine was ingested, Ethan couldn't feel his tongue for a moment. This wine was strong but had a strong sour, spicy, and sour taste due to over-fermentation.
Although Ethan drank countless potions, he could guarantee that Gump's Aged Wine was the worst thing he'd ever drunk.
Ethan finally understood why no one had succeeded in this challenge after hundreds of years.
He resisted the urge to spray the wine and forced himself to swallow it with his powerful willpower as if it were eating a flame directly.
More prolonged pain is worse than short-term pain; Ethan held his breath and began to pour the brown liquor directly down his throat forcefully.
Seeing Ethan's brave move, the other wizards around him clapped their hands and encouraged Ethan.
Finally, Ethan drank the whole glass of wine and banged the glass on the table, his eyes staring straight ahead.
Everyone held their breath; if Ethan could hold on for half a minute without spitting it out, his challenge would be successful.
The bustling pub was silent for a while, and everyone was waiting for the final result of the challenge.
Finally, after a long half-minute, Ethan succeeded in the challenge, and the Leaky Cauldron Bar gave a thunderous cheer that seemed to pierce the roof.
Several wizards patted Ethan's back excitedly to show their congratulations. It's okay if they didn't pat, and they patted the wine directly out of Ethan's stomach.
Seeing that Ethan's face suddenly changed, the people around him immediately realized what was about to happen, and they stepped back one after another, leaving ample space around him.
Tom also realized that Ethan was about to vomit, and he suddenly thought of something and screamed: "Ethan! Don't vomit! Hold on! The smell of this stuff on the ground won't disappear for weeks!"
While talking, Tom hurriedly helped Ethan find a container to hold the vomit.
The more anxious Tom became, the more he searched to no avail. In the end, he snatched the wizard hat from the onlookers.
"I'll pay for a new one!" Tom called to the wizard.
After that, he put the wizard hat into Ethan's hand, and Ethan, who couldn't hold back for a long time, vomited into the hat.
The terrifying smell caused the surrounding wizards to cover their noses and step back to prevent their guests from being swept away by the dreadful smell.
Seeing that Ethan had vomited, Tom grabbed the wizard hat, pulled out his wand, and cast several cleaning spells on the wizard hat.
Then, he directly used the Vanishing Charm to make the hat that smelled terrifying disappear without a trace.
Now, the air in the Leaky Cauldron has finally reached an acceptable level, and everyone can breathe freely again.
The young wizards who had just been eager to challenge Gump's Aged Wine had long since put away the idea.
The terrifying smell of this wine alone made them shy away.
"Congratulations! Ethan! You are the only successful challenger for this wine since its inception!" Tom exclaimed loudly.
After all, Tom put the bag containing 100 gold Galleons directly in front of Ethan.
The wizards around looked at Ethan with envy and awe. Ethan had obtained these 100 Galleons entirely by his own strength.
Ethan grabbed the bag and shook his hand as if to say something. His movements caught the attention of all the wizards present, and they were curious to hear what Ethan had to say.
"I'll invite everyone here to have a round of drinks!" Ethan roared in a hoarse voice.
There was a thunderous cheer in the Leaky Cauldron Bar again, and Tom also returned to the back of the bar with a smile on his face and started serving wine.
"To Ethan!"
When everyone got the wine they requested, they raised the glasses in unison, sending Ethan the most sincere tribute.
Everyone raised the wine glasses before them and drank them in their glasses.
