The Minister of Finance had just poured the wine and prepared to have a drink with the Minister of Agriculture when he suddenly felt a slight chill behind his back.
He turned around and saw that he and the Minister of Agriculture had already been surrounded by the other ministers.
"Lord Wilson, Lord Hill, what are you drinking? Why does it smell so good?" someone asked.
Wilson was the surname of the Minister of Finance, and Hill was the surname of the Minister of Agriculture.
The Minister of Finance smugly raised the wine bottle and said, "It is wine, of course! My son bought it specially to show his filial piety to me!"
"Did Ange buy it?" someone asked with a surprised expression.
The Azoth Kingdom was just a small country, and the ministers generally had a good grasp of each other's family situations, not to mention that Ange was a prominent figure among the younger generation, so everyone naturally knew him.
"Yes, it is Ange!" the Minister of Finance nodded proudly.
Hearing this, someone immediately buttered up the Minister of Finance by saying, "Lord Wilson, you are truly blessed. Ange is not only an outstanding Trainer, but he is also so filial. It is so enviable! Unlike that brat of mine, who does nothing constructive except cause trouble for me!"
Hearing this, the Minister of Agriculture felt pleased on the inside while pretending to be modest on the outside. "Not at all. That kid isn't as exceptional as you say, you're exaggerating. Your Armand is pretty good, too."
The others chimed in, "How could that be an exaggeration? Ange's excellence is plain for all to see!"
"That's right! When my child comes home, they often have Ange on their lips, saying they want to take him as a role model!"
...
Amid the chorus of praise from his colleagues, the Minister of Finance couldn't help floating a little on air.
At that moment, someone tentatively asked, "Lord Wilson, I wonder if we might have the honor of sharing a drink with you!"
The Minister of Finance, who had become dizzy with all the flattery, readily agreed, "Of course, no problem!"
Hearing this, the crowd beamed with delight and quickly sat down next to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Agriculture.
"Then we will accept your hospitality without standing on ceremony!"
Minister of Agriculture: ...
One of them took the initiative to take the wine bottle from the Minister of Finance's hand and poured full glasses for everyone. Instantly, the rich aroma of wine permeating the air became even more intense.
The Minister of Agriculture was a wine connoisseur, and just by smelling the fragrance, he knew this wine was extraordinary.
Looking at the smug Minister of Finance, the Minister of Agriculture thought to himself: Let's just hope he doesn't regret this later.
In fact, after taking his first sip, the Minister of Finance did regret it.
The crisp wine liquid slid down his throat, and the rich, mellow aroma echoed in his mouth. That hint of spicy kick stimulated his taste buds, leaving a lingering, unforgettable aftertaste.
Holy crap! It's this delicious?
Although the Minister of Finance was not a master taster, he certainly knew quality when he saw it.
He glanced at his colleagues, who were likewise savoring the wine's aroma, and was instantly filled with immense regret over his rash decision to invite everyone to drink.
With wine this good, he should have brought it home to savor slowly by himself!
Although the volume of a single bottle of wine from Ange's place was quite substantial, it couldn't withstand so many people partaking. Therefore, everyone only had a tiny cup before the bottle was completely empty.
The group, still left wanting more, immediately asked, "Lord Wilson, where did Ange get such fine wine? It must not have been easy to come by, right?"
The Minister of Finance didn't hide it, either. "His Highness Ange's dessert shop opened today, and this wine was bought by Ange right from there!"
"I see. As expected of His Highness, whenever he makes a move, it is truly extraordinary!"
Everyone came to a sudden realization and simultaneously made a silent decision in their hearts to drop by His Highness's shop after getting off work.
After the wine tasting session concluded, the group departed one after another.
The Minister of Finance glanced at the paper bag in his hand, which still held a bottle of red wine and a bottle of fruit wine.
I mustn't squander these, he thought. I'll pack them away as soon as I get home.
He was even debating whether he should appropriate his wife's bottle of fruit wine for himself.
However, on second thought, he decided against it. If his wife found out he hijacked the wine their son bought for her, he would probably be in a world of hurt.
At that moment, the Minister of Agriculture was also preparing to head back to work, and the Minister of Finance hurriedly called out to him.
"Lord Hill, wait up!"
The Minister of Agriculture asked with a puzzled look, "What is it, Lord Wilson?"
"Come with me!" With that, the Minister of Finance pulled the Minister of Agriculture into an empty corner and handed over one of the bags he was holding.
"This is... the wine we were just drinking?" The Minister of Agriculture looked surprised.
"That's right!" The Minister of Finance nodded.
"What made you think of giving me wine?" The Minister of Agriculture looked perplexed.
"Didn't you always like wine? How could you miss out on fine wine like this!" the Minister of Finance said. "This wine was originally bought by Ange for me to share with my colleagues, but I figured rather than letting that bunch of roughnecks drink it, I might as well give it to someone who actually understands wine like you."
The Minister of Finance would certainly not tell the Minister of Agriculture that this wine was specifically bought by Ange to butter him up. Wouldn't that make him lose face?
Besides, if he just blurted it out directly, it would make his hidden intentions as obvious as Sima Zhao's plot on the street. Best not to anger Lord Hill.
Anyone would be furious if their precious little cabbage was targeted by someone else's pig!
Pfft, pfft, pfft—my son is not a pig!
The Minister of Agriculture desperately wanted to say, "Unearned favors cannot be accepted," but recalling the taste of that wine, he simply couldn't bring himself to refuse. After remaining silent for a long time, he finally said:
"Fine, I'll accept the wine. I won't forget this favor!"
It worked! The Minister of Finance felt triumphant inside.
Then, the Minister of Agriculture praised Ange, saying, "Ange is truly a good kid, still knowing to think of us old folks."
"Right? Exactly!" The Minister of Finance hurriedly farmed positive impression points for his son.
And so, the two ministers returned to their workstations, chatting and laughing.
Meanwhile, on Ange's end.
After the breakfast shop closed at noon, he didn't head back to the Nebel Plateau. Instead, he stayed behind to help Wobbuffet and the others.
After all, it was opening day, and he wouldn't feel at ease unless he stayed to keep an eye on things.
However, even Ange hadn't expected the business at the dessert shop to be overly good today, remaining packed to capacity almost the entire time.
Aside from the fact that Munchlax Home already possessed a deep customer base, the reason for this rush was that Lila had used her authority to broadcast an advertisement for Ange on the central building in the Royal Capital.
One had to admit that belonging to the privileged class came with massive advantages!
As one of the royal family members, Ange saw the public eagerly rushing over to taste the treats once they learned his dessert shop had opened.
Upon tasting them, they instantly became hardcore fans of the dessert shop, keeping Wobbuffet and the others busy all day long.
The shop's desserts sold out multiple times, relying entirely on the two Golett to run back and forth between Munchlax Home and the Nebel Plateau to fetch restocks.
It wasn't until the sun began to set that the customer flow in the shop gradually tapered off.
Ange had just seen a young couple out the door when he noticed a familiar face walking into the shop.
Upon seeing Ange, the person beamed a bright smile and hurried over.
"Your Highness Ange!"
"You are..." Ange wrung his memory dry trying to recall the person's name.
Noticing this, the man smiled and introduced himself, "Your Highness, I am Evans."
Hearing this, Ange immediately remembered. "Ah, yes, Lord Evans! Look at my memory!"
Evans was the Minister of Education of Azoth, and Ange had met him at royal banquets.
Evans said, "Please don't blame Your Highness. After all, I don't get many opportunities to meet you."
Ange asked, "What would Lord Evans like to eat? Or perhaps something to drink?"
Evans replied, "I'm here to buy wine!"
Hearing this, Ange had a sudden flash of realization.
True enough, someone of Lord Evans's age would naturally have a much greater interest in wine than in sweets.
"Then please follow me, Lord Evans!"
With that, Ange led Evans toward the direction of the wine cabinet.
Evans followed closely behind Ange, looking around the shop's interior. When he caught a faint, sweet fragrance lingering in the air, he thought to himself:
Should I buy some desserts to take back for my wife and daughter to try?
Before long, Evans hurried away carrying two packaging bags—one containing desserts and the other containing wine.
After Evans left, a succession of other ministers arrived, some of whom Ange recognized while others he didn't.
Without exception, however, they were all here to buy wine.
A considerable amount of wine had already been sold during the day, and coupled with the patronage of these ministers, the wine cabinet was soon left with only a sparse handful of bottles.
Out of those remaining bottles, four were fruit wine and one was white wine; red wine and beer were completely sold out.
In the Kalos region, people predominantly drank red wine, and Azoth was no exception, which made the red wine in Ange's shop the top seller.
After seeing off another minister and sitting down on a stool inside the shop, Ange heard the door creak open once again.
This time, the visitor was the Minister of Agriculture—the man who previously harbored the intention of marrying his daughter off to Ange. Ange's impression of him was deep to the point of unforgettable.
"Is Lord Hill here to buy wine, too?" Ange stepped forward and asked.
"Yes, Your Highness." The Minister of Agriculture nodded. Then, seeming to guess something, he asked, "Have a lot of ministers come to buy wine today?"
Ange smiled. "You could say that."
"It must be because Your Highness's wine is so exceptional that everyone is rushing over to get it," the Minister of Agriculture said cheerfully.
Ange replied, "Unfortunately, because of that, the wine in the shop has completely sold out. I'm afraid Lord Hill is going to make a wasted trip today."
"Ah?" The Minister of Agriculture was dumbfounded.
"There are still a few bottles of fruit wine and one bottle of white wine left. Would you like those?" Ange asked.
Originally, he had expected this batch of wine to last for a while, never anticipating it would sell out in a single day.
Wine and desserts were different; desserts could be made on the spot by Magearna, and with Alcremie helping out, her efficiency was so high that running out of stock wasn't a concern. Brewing wine with Passimian, however, required time.
Especially fine wine, which demanded the sedimentation of time.
Hearing that only fruit wine and white wine remained, the Minister of Agriculture pondered for a moment before declaring,
"Your Highness, I'll take all of them!"
Even if it was fruit wine, the Minister of Agriculture felt that wine from His Highness's establishment had great collectible value. Collecting fine wine was his hobby, after all!
Ange nodded, then called out to Gothita, "Gothita, please pack up all the remaining wine. A customer wants them!"
"Gothi~~" Gothita acknowledged Ange's request.
Shortly afterward, the Minister of Agriculture secured his wine and departed with brisk strides.
No sooner had he left than the Minister of Finance arrived in a breathless hurry.
At that moment, Ange was just about to close the shop.
"Your Highness, wait! Wait!" The Minister of Finance cried out, clinging to the doorframe.
Ange reopened the door. "Is Lord Wilson here to buy wine as well?"
"Yes!" The Minister of Finance nodded repeatedly. "Please, Your Highness, give me 5 bottles—no... 10 bottles of red wine and 5 bottles of white wine!"
Hearing this, Ange gave a bitter smile. "Lord Wilson, forget about red and white wine, even the fruit wine is completely sold out!"
$(i\Delta i)$ The Minister of Finance suffered a heavy blow. "Ho... how can this be?!"
Ange advised, "You should come earlier next time!"
He decided he would implement purchase limits in the future; otherwise, the small amount of wine Passimian brewed simply wouldn't be enough to meet demand!
With that, Ange pulled the shop door shut, leaving the Minister of Finance standing there in disarray.
After closing the shop, Ange gathered Gothita, Wobbuffet, Girafarig, and the two Golett, preparing to head home.
Meanwhile, Gengar and Riolu arrived at the shop.
Their working hours had arrived.
After exchanging nods with Gengar, Ange returned home, where Munchlax and Inteleon had already prepared dinner waiting for him.
After dinner, Metagross suddenly sought out Ange to inform him that the food delivery app it had developed was now complete.
Hearing this, Ange's face lit up with surprise. "Really? Let me see!"
Magearna's dessert shop had opened, and now the food delivery app was finished—this was truly a double blessing!
Guided by Metagross, Ange downloaded the newly developed food delivery app from his phone's app store.
Because uploading an app to the mobile application store required completing various procedures and paperwork, it had taken Metagross quite a while to officially finish development.
This was largely thanks to the assistance of the Azoth royal family; otherwise, Metagross would have spent a considerable amount of extra effort getting its app listed on a public mobile application store.
Upon opening the app, Ange found the interface very simple, containing only three sections: Breakfast, Noodle House, and Dessert Shop.
Clicking into each section immediately displayed all the products sold by Ange's establishments.
Given that it only serviced Munchlax Home, keeping the content simple was entirely appropriate.
The version Ange downloaded was merely the customer-facing build. In addition to this, Metagross had independently developed a merchant version and a delivery courier version.
Naturally, the merchant version was designated for Ange as the owner.
Meanwhile, the delivery courier version was meant for couriers to accept orders.
Following Metagross's introduction, Ange tested out each version of the food delivery app along with their respective functions.
Metagross was truly brilliant; the app it designed was concise, user-friendly, and exceptional.
Metagross had named its food delivery app "An-Nibel", combining parts of the names Ange and the Nebel Plateau.
As the developer of the app, it naturally held the naming rights.
"An-Nibel Delivery..." Ange murmured the app's name, offering a satisfied compliment. "Wonderful! Just as expected of Metagross."
"Meta~ Meta~" Receiving Ange's praise made Metagross very happy.
"Thank you for all your hard work, Metagross!" Ange patted Metagross on the shoulder.
"Meta~" This is my job, it's not hard work at all! Metagross replied with a smile.
Now that the app was ready, the next step was to recruit delivery couriers!
With that thought, Ange fell into deep contemplation.
He still intended to use Pokémon as delivery couriers, but who would be suitable for the job?
Everyone on the Nebel Plateau already had their own assigned duties and wasn't suited to work as delivery couriers.
That meant he would have to recruit externally...
After pondering for a moment, Ange suddenly thought of the Tree of Beginning.
Countless Pokémon inhabited that location; could he recruit delivery couriers from there?
I'll go consult Mew about it tomorrow! Ange thought to himself.