Ch.85Internal Affairs (4)

“Distillation… technology, you say?”

“That’s right. From what I know, one of you knows how to practice alchemy.”

To this, Hassan carefully nodded.

In this war, the Muslim technicians had achieved great merit using trebuchets. Additionally, they earned recognition for creating pulleys to install trebuchets on hillsides, making their military contributions among the most notable in the ulus.

Because of this, they received the greatest rewards as soon as Western Xia was conquered. They were given fine houses in Xingqing where they were now resting.

In this situation, they were understandably surprised when I suddenly appeared with Xin Qiji looking for someone who knew alchemy.

“Y-yes, Great Khagan. Perhaps… are you trying to create gold…?”

Alchemy, considered the starting point of modern chemistry, was literally a discipline aimed at creating gold. I’d heard that using various reagents to turn cheap minerals into gold naturally led to developments in chemistry.

One invention created during this development was the still.

“No. I want to use a still.”

“A still… I apologize, but my knowledge of alchemy is limited. Khagan, may I call for Hamed Abu Ali ibn Sina, who is an alchemist?”

I thought to myself that the name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it exactly, so I decided I should meet him.

“Very well. Bring him here.”

“Thank you, Khagan.”

Hassan bowed and went outside. Shortly after, he returned with a young man.

“Are you Hamed Abu Ali?”

“Y-yes, G-great Khagan.”

Looking at his face, he was still a youth whose facial hair hadn’t even fully grown. I couldn’t help but tilt my head in wonder that such a young man could be knowledgeable in alchemy.

“You need not worry. He is a disciple of Sheikh Ibn Sina, who is acclaimed throughout the Western Regions.”

“Ibn Sina… Ibn Sina… Ah!”

I finally realized why the young man’s name had seemed familiar. His master was none other than Avicenna, who had compiled the medical canon.

The reason this person was famous was because he was such a genius among geniuses that he earned the title of Sheikh, meaning elder in the Islamic realm, at the mere age of 10.

He was such a genius that before reaching his twenties, he had thoroughly read Aristotle’s metaphysics dozens of times. Based on this, he established medicine, alchemy, and metaphysics, and his work, the Canon of Medicine, was even used as a textbook in European universities after being brought to Europe.

Anyway, being such an outstanding talent, it seemed he had many disciples.

Some of his exceptional disciples were recorded to have inherited Ibn Sina’s name.

Of course, this was knowledge I’d seen on the internet, so it wasn’t certain information. Still, it was clear that the Hamed before me was an outstanding alchemist.

“I know your name. I heard through Tangut merchants that your master is famous as an excellent physician and alchemist.”

Of course, this wasn’t true. But since I couldn’t say I saw it on the internet, I had no choice but to make up this excuse.

Conveniently, the Tangut merchants traveled between Hassan’s hometown and Ibn Sina’s hometown of Bukhara, so there was no particular problem in using them as my source.

“I am grateful for the Khagan’s interest. But… may I humbly ask why you called for me?”

“I heard your master created a steam still. Can you make one?”

Hamed’s master, Ibn Sina, was a person who used steam distillation. Though not the first, I’d heard he created such steam stills to extract essential oils from oil.

The steam still mentioned here was the prototype of the distillation apparatus easily found in modern laboratories.

“I have a steam still inherited from my master. If you wish for more, I can make additional ones.”

Hearing Hamed’s words, I smiled with joy and spoke.

“That’s fortunate. Then distill the alcohol in this jar.”

“Alcohol… you say?”

Hamed looked at me nervously, checking my reaction. This was understandable since drinking was prohibited in Islamic regions, even written in the Quran.

Therefore, Islamic scholars distilled not to drink alcohol but to create reagents for alchemy—that is, to make gold.

But my request was very clearly to distill alcohol, so Hamed couldn’t help but be perplexed.

“If you’re concerned about Islamic law, you need not worry. Chapter 5, verse 90 of the Quran says, ‘O believers! Intoxicants, gambling, idolatry, and divination are the filthy works of Satan. So avoid them, that you may be successful.’ It only says to avoid them, not that you can’t make them.”

The fact that I, born in Korea, knew the Quran was entirely thanks to my Muslim brothers. When I worked part-time at construction sites, whenever there was a pork belly dinner, the brothers would gently resist by quoting this verse.

But after they adapted, they would enjoy pork belly and soju, saying, “I’m in Korea now, so I follow Korean laws.”

Anyway, because of this, while I didn’t know the entire Quran, I knew this verse well.

When I mentioned the Quran like this, Hamed prostrated himself flat and immediately answered.

“The Khagan’s will is the same as the Prophet’s will. Therefore, I will follow the Khagan’s orders.”

After bowing, Hamed left. Once he was gone, Xin Qiji, who was beside me, looked at me and spoke.

“Great Khan, what is distillation?”

“It makes alcohol cleaner.”

To be more specific, it was the process of heating liquid to create gas, then cooling it back into liquid. Though it’s well-known in the modern era, even taught in middle school science classes, it was an unfamiliar term in the Central Plains where it hadn’t yet been introduced.

So I had no choice but to answer simply like this.

“What improves when alcohol becomes cleaner?”

“There’s less of a hangover.”

At the mention of less hangover, Xin Qiji opened his eyes wide in surprise. For a drinker like Xin Qiji, alcohol with less hangover was practically a treasure.

* * *

We returned to the house where Xin Qiji was staying. When Xin Qiji and I arrived, Bekhter and Wang Dalun, the working staff, seemed to have finished their conversation well, as there was a warm atmosphere.

“As expected of the Khan of Western Xia. Your discernment is excellent.”

“I only regret that a merchant like you is in the Song Dynasty. If you came to Western Xia, I would like to give you a high position so you could enjoy wealth and honor.”

Seeing them exchange such pleasantries, it seemed that trade with the Song Dynasty was practically a foregone conclusion.

In this pleasant atmosphere, when we appeared, Bekhter and Wang Dalun bowed and looked at us.

“By the way, did you finish what you were doing?”

At Wang Dalun’s question, Xin Qiji looked at him with an expression that said “don’t ask twice.” Then, as if treasuring a sacred object, he pointed to the jar tucked under his arm and spoke.

“Wang Dalun. I may not have a keen eye for goods and know little about commerce. But even someone as ignorant as me can tell this alcohol is an outstanding product.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t this the alcohol we brought?”

“Rather than explaining with words, it’s better to show you directly.”

Saying this, Xin Qiji boldly opened the jar. Immediately, a sweet grain aroma gently filled the room.

“What is this… where did that musty smell go?”

“Hahaha! The Great Khan made it. So, Wang Dalun, have a taste.”

“The Great Khan…”

Saying this, Wang Dalun accepted the cup of alcohol Xin Qiji handed him. Then he was surprised once again.

“Is… is this possible? The alcohol is clear and pure like water, like a calm lake!”

At Wang Dalun’s extreme reaction, I felt like curling up inside. This situation was just like a scene from an isekai novel where surrounding characters are amazed by food made by the protagonist.

Of course, I hadn’t made it myself, nor was I using technology from the future. Even within China, freeze distillation already existed—freezing alcohol and then separating the settled spirits to drink.

However, that method took a long time, and as the Song Dynasty was pushed south, they could no longer use it, so distillation itself was inevitably unfamiliar.

Considering this situation, Wang Dalun’s reaction was perfectly natural. It was just hard for me, as a modern person, to bear this reaction.

“The aroma has become even more intense. Drink it before the aroma escapes, Wang Dalun.”

“I… I will…”

With that, Wang Dalun immediately brought the alcohol to his lips. His eyes grew enormously wide.

“This… this taste! It’s like the pure tears shed by a dragon spirit that slept for a thousand years in a lake before ascending to the heavens. It’s as fragrant as cherry blossoms, as sweet as licorice, and the freshness of white buds envelops the tongue! Drinking this alcohol, I feel as if the Immortal Poet is beckoning to me, laughing heartily while tilting his cup under the bright moon!”

“…”

The words “this is embarrassing” kept trying to escape my lips. But because of Wang Dalun’s extreme emotion, I had to push these words back inside.

Not knowing what I was thinking, Wang Dalun continued to present his additional impressions. Then, finally coming to his senses, he suddenly bowed before me.

“Great Khan! This mere merchant Wang Dalun dares to make a request of the Great Khan of Mongolia!”

“Sp-speak.”

Seeing his eyes that bordered on madness, it was a situation where I couldn’t refuse.

“Please! Sell this alcohol to me! No! To the Song Dynasty!”

“Sell the alcohol?”

“Yes! This alcohol is excellent enough to shake the world! As a merchant who has lived for 40 years, I dare guarantee this before the Great Khan!”

I wondered if distilled liquor was really that impressive. This thought suddenly overlapped with scenes from alternative history novels where Westerners go crazy over ballpoint pens made by the protagonist.

Right.

This is an opportunity.

“Very well. I permit it.”

“Thank you! Thank you, Great Khan!”

“But there are conditions.”

“I am prepared to accept any conditions.”

At Wang Dalun’s words that he would accept any conditions, I smiled.