Surprisingly, the Skyscraper Guild had a dedicated workshop and facilities for manufacturing tea.
Given the guild’s vast and expansive territory, it was a remote possibility, but I never imagined it would actually exist.
“We brand the tea made here and sell it directly, including exports.”
“Oh, I see. Does Yu Bihong personally oversee this?”
“Huh?! How did you know?”
Well…
From the passion he showed for tea earlier, it wasn’t hard to guess.
The fact that he assists both Ryu Wangjin and Ryu Cheon while also managing a tea brand… She’s really an impressive person.
“This is the manufacturing and research lab.”
As we stepped deeper into the workshop, a room that resembled a laboratory appeared.
Cutting-edge equipment was everywhere, yet in one corner, traditional methods were well preserved, creating an intriguing contrast.
Just then, guild employees arrived with the tea leaves I had handed over.
We immediately headed to the fermentation room with the leaves.
“By the way, Yu Bihong, I noticed that some of the tea leaves are roasted using machines, while others are manually processed. Are they different?”
“The machine-processed ones are sold as commercial products, while the handmade ones are classified as artisanal, commanding a higher price. In fact, handmade teas undergo careful tasting and quality control. These days, machines have advanced to the point where they’re gradually closing the gap in flavor.”
“Oh, I see.”
As we made our way to the fermentation room, I observed various tea-making processes.
I should ask later if I can take a closer look and learn more.
Soon, we arrived at the fermentation room.
It was quite large, with tea leaves drying in various spots.
This space functioned as both a room and an outdoor area, well-ventilated with open ceilings and walls that allowed ample sunlight to pour in.
“This process is called ‘shaiqing’. The tea leaves are repeatedly roasted and kneaded before being sun-dried and fermented.”
“I see.”
“But the true fermentation of Pu’er tea happens in the post-fermentation stage.”
“Post-fermentation?”
To be honest, at this point, it didn’t seem much different from green tea, which made me curious.
But post-fermentation?
“Even after Pu’er tea is completed, it continues to ferment while stored. The first Pu’er tea was discovered in the Yunnan region, where it fermented slowly under high temperature and humidity. Now, thanks to advancements in tea leaf selection and roasting techniques, we can create Pu’er tea in more optimal conditions.”
“Ah, I see.”
Yu Bihong had switched to her passionate mode again.
From what I gathered, Pu’er tea differs from other teas in that its final stage of fermentation occurs post-production.
So, is it similar to whiskey or wine?
Aged whiskey is expensive.
Since it has a high alcohol content and no living microbes, it doesn’t spoil.
However, I’ve heard that its taste doesn’t change significantly over time.
Wine, on the other hand, can lose its flavor or spoil if aged beyond its prime.
Does that mean Pu’er tea is closer to wine?
Yu Bihong continued her lengthy explanation, but eventually, Ryu Wangjin carefully stepped in.
“Forcing fermentation like this is a first for me. I’m eager to see the results.”
A roundabout way of saying, “Let’s move things along.”
Even someone as formidable as Ryu Wangjin was cautious around Yu Bihong when she was in her fervent mode.
Thanks to that, Yu Bihong snapped back to her senses and turned to me.
“Shall we begin the fermentation process with the tea currently in the shaiqing stage?”
“Of course.”
The tea leaves were drying under the sun.
We decided to test Cheong’s ability on a portion of them.
“Please process them at intervals of 7 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 4 days, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years.”
That many?
Judging from Yu Bihong’s eager expression, she probably would have requested a breakdown by the second if possible.
This was probably her way of showing restraint.
“Cheong, can you do it?”
“I can! Hehe.”
Our adorable Cheong responded cheerfully, moving his hands in small gestures.
Then, he declared, “All done.”
“Already?!”
Wait, didn’t Yu Bihong just request a huge variety of fermentation stages?
And he already finished all of them?
“I processed them separately by type.”
“L-Let me see!”
Yu Bihong rushed forward to examine the tea.
And sure enough, the differences in fermentation were clearly visible.
Once again, I was reminded of how incredible Cheong’s abilities were.
Honestly, using such powers just for fermenting tea or farming seemed almost absurd.
But, well…
It was my decision how to use his abilities.
“This is amazing.”
We carefully set aside the fermented tea leaves.
Then, Yu Bihong turned to me with another request.
“These will have to go through multiple additional steps before they’re ready to taste. In the meantime, could we test with already completed Pu’er tea instead?”
“Oh, sure.”
Wait… weren’t we supposed to be making Pu’er tea from my leaves first?
Well, it doesn’t really matter.
The Pu’er tea made by the Skyscraper Guild was freshly packaged.
It was round and flat, resembling a thick plate.
Just like before, we initiated the fermentation process over various timeframes.
Crackle.
“Oooh.”
It was like watching a time-lapse.
Soon, we brewed the tea and began tasting it immediately.
“These were fermented for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, and 100 years. Let’s drink them in order.”
First, the 1-year tea.
It didn’t taste any different from what I had earlier—still fragrant and flavorful.
2 years.
No significant change.
But was the aroma a bit weaker?
Maybe my nose had just gotten used to it.
3 Years
Oh, the aroma has returned.
And it feels more complex.
5 Years
Now the scent has become noticeably richer and fuller.
This is quite good.
The five-year fermented tea was definitely better than the original.
10 Years
A slightly bitter taste became more pronounced.
The aroma was also overpoweringly strong, almost stinging my nose.
The teas fermented for 20, 30, and 50 years were an improvement over the 10-year batch, but they didn’t seem as refined as the five-year one.
Hmm…
So, five years might be the ideal balance?
It turns out a longer fermentation period doesn’t necessarily mean better quality.
The 50-year fermented Pu’er tea was nearly weathered away, crumbling easily and yielding only a small amount when brewed.
But then there was the final test—100-year fermented Pu’er tea.
As soon as it was steeped, a gentle aroma filled the tearoom, shifting my perspective.
“Huh? This one smells really nice.”
“Yes, it’s quite subtle.”
I took a sip.
Hmm?! This is…
“This is good.”
“This tastes like a completely different tea.”
Yu Bihong looked bewildered.
In contrast, the Ryu family members sipped their tea with immense satisfaction.
“This tea is incredible! The power of a hundred years is truly great!”
“It’s delicious.”
The 100-year fermented Pu’er tea had largely crumbled during the aging process, leaving behind only a small quantity.
Despite the massive amount we started with, there was just enough for six people to have a single cup each.
“Kyu-seong! Would it be possible to make more?”
“Of course. Cheong, would that be alright?”
“No problem!”
We then attempted fermenting Pu’er tea at a 100-year interval and even tried making a 1,000-year Pu’er tea.
However, after the 100-year mark, the flavors began to degrade.
Especially the 1,000-year version—it had disintegrated so much that there weren’t enough leaves left to steep a proper cup.
To compensate, we piled up around 100 kg of Pu’er tea and fermented it again.
In the end, only 20 grams of tea remained.
“This is truly rare.”
“But how does it taste…?”
Ryu Wangjin was already excited, thrilled by the sheer significance of tasting a tea aged for a millennium.
Even Ryu Cheon, usually calm, was watching intently, eyes gleaming.
“A thousand-year tea! And yet, it’s still younger than me!”
“Shall I make one as old as you, Ara?”
“Th-that is unacceptable! I must remain the eldest!”
Cute Ara.
Meanwhile, the thousand-year Pu’er tea finished steeping.
There was almost no scent.
It seemed like another failure.
At least, that’s what I thought—until I took a sip.
‘Wait…?’
A delicate, pure fragrance spread throughout my entire body.
But this was different from anything I had experienced before.
Up until now, tea aromas had been something I sensed through my nose.
But this…
It was as if my whole body was absorbing the fragrance.
The unfamiliar sensation caused a moment of cognitive dissonance.
‘W-what is this?!’
Yet, I didn’t find it unpleasant.
If anything, it was addicting.
I took another sip, unable to resist.
‘Wow.’
That strange feeling returned.
It wasn’t just aroma, nor was it purely taste.
It was an indescribable harmony of flavor, fragrance, and depth—all at once.
“This is the first time I’ve had a tea like this. Does something like this normally exist?”
Curious, I looked around, but everyone seemed too stunned to answer.
I had assumed it was merely an unusual taste, but apparently, this was far from ordinary.
“Haha! As expected of a thousand-year tea!”
Ryu Wangjin finally broke the silence with an excited exclamation.
Yu Bihong and Ryu Cheon slowly came to their senses, taking another deep breath and sipping again.
“This is truly… I never imagined such a tea could exist.”
“It’s delicious.”
Ryu Cheon had been repeating that same phrase for a while now.
I wondered how the others would react.
Gulp.
“Ahhh!”
No difference.
Still downing it in one go.
As I observed the reactions, Yu Bihong urgently turned to me with a request.
“Kyu-seong! Would it be possible to make just a little more? The thousand-year Pu’er tea!“
“Oh, well, sure. It’s not difficult.”
Cheong’s ability was practically limitless.
I had asked him before if using this power took a toll, but he had reassured me that it felt no different from playing with dirt.
If anything, it was about as exhausting as idle play—meaning, not at all.
Yu Bihong brought out several tons of Pu’er tea.
Even I was taken aback when he asked to ferment all of it for 1,000 years.
Thankfully, Cheong handled it effortlessly.
And just like before, all those tons of tea condensed into just two packs.
“All that, and it only resulted in these two?”
“But these two packs are infinitely more valuable than all the rest combined! One of them will be used for research and experiments, while the other will be…”
Yu Bihong suddenly paused, then hesitantly handed one to me.
“T-this is for you, Kyu-seong. We could never accept this after all you’ve done.”
“No, it’s fine. You can keep it.”
“W-what?! Really?!”
“Yes. I mean, as long as I have Cheong, I can make more anytime. Plus, I can always experiment with my own tea leaves.”
“Sniff… Thank you so much!”
Yu Bihong expressed her gratitude with tears.
Seeing her this happy made it clear—she was a true tea fanatic.
“She’s not happier than when Ryu Cheon was healed… right?”
I smiled awkwardly as I accepted her thanks.
Just then, Ryu Cheon spoke up.
“What about the tea leaves Kyu-seong gave us?”
“Oh, I already gave instructions. Since the process involves repeated roasting and kneading, it won’t be ready today, but it should enter the shaiqing stage by tomorrow.”
“That sounds good. Hmm…”
Wait a moment—do we really have to wait?
Couldn’t we just try fermenting the green tea that the dungeon rabbits had already processed?
I took out some green tea from Bokkeum.
Then, right there on the spot, I attempted a 1,000-year fermentation.
“Huh?! That small amount won’t be nearly enough—”
I had taken out about a basketful, roughly 3 kg of green tea.
Of course, considering that 1,000 kg of Pu’er tea had yielded only 20 g, this 3 kg might not leave anything behind.
Poof—
“Huh?”
“…Did you really ferment it for a thousand years?”
“Yes!”
Cheong shouted indignantly, as if offended by the doubt.
But the confusion was understandable—the tea hadn’t decreased in volume at all.
It looked a bit drier and more brittle, but aside from shrinking slightly, it was almost completely intact.
“A thousand-year fermentation?”
“Yes! It was for a thousand years!”
Cheong repeated, sounding exasperated.
That meant my green tea could undergo a full 1,000-year fermentation without deteriorating?!
“Hah, let’s steep it and find out.”
I immediately began brewing the tea.
Unlike the Pu’er tea, a refreshing fragrance filled the air.
‘Hmm, so it’s not as shockingly different as the Pu’er was…’
Or so I thought.
Until I took a sip.
“!!!”
“?!!”
Everyone froze.
Not just surprised—stunned into speechlessness.
“N-no way… This flavor is…”
“…Delicious.”
No, it wasn’t just delicious.
What was this?!
It was entirely different from Pu’er tea, but equally astonishing!
Even Yu Bihong, looking completely bewildered, took another sip—then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha… Haha… Hahahahaha!!”
“…Yu Bihong, are you alright?”
Even as I asked, she couldn’t stop laughing.
She remained silent until she had finished the entire cup of tea.
Then, lost in deep thought, she finally turned her gaze toward the remaining 1,000-year fermented green tea leaves.
“W-wait a second! If it’s still perfectly intact after 1,000 years… doesn’t that mean we could ferment it even longer?!”
“If it worked for 1,000 years, then what about 2,000 years? Or 3,000 years?! Couldn’t Kyu-seong’s tea leaves endure even longer fermentations?!”
There was no guarantee it would taste good…
But all our eyes simultaneously turned to Cheong.
At that moment, he, now with a full and satisfied belly, was patting his round stomach.
Noticing our stares, he flinched—then quickly clung to Ara’s arm.
“U-uwehh?”
Cliche Novel 