Driven out of my home in the apocalypse, I built a fortress in return.

Chapter 523 Tobacco Making!

"Cigarettes? A cigarette after a meal! Pure bliss! Is it really that magical?"

Hearing this, the women became even more curious and wanted to try the taste of the cigarette.

Even though Xinglan knew it wasn't food, she still looked at Xiao Yu with curiosity.

"Xinglan, you should all learn from this."

Xiao Yu smiled and didn't explain further. Instead, he instructed, "The products made from this tobacco will become another major pillar industry in Longcheng in the future. Learn how to make them and then pass them on to the tobacco workers."

“Okay, I’ll write it down.” Xinglan nodded immediately.

Yao Yao, standing to the side, nodded her head repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, holding a small notebook in her hand, ready to take notes.

Since Xiao Zhuo awakened his mind-reading talent, he has spent even less time returning to the city lord's mansion.

Most of the time, she wandered around the food court, serving tea and water to people.

The guests already knew her and knew her identity; she was one of the confidants of the Dragon City Lord.

Xiao Zhuo's enthusiasm made them like Longcheng even more.

Naturally, no one could have imagined that Xiao Zhuo was actually deliberately getting close to them.

Because Xiao Zhuo's talent can only be used within a range of about ten meters.

Beyond ten meters, she can no longer hear what others are thinking.

Therefore, most of the time, Yao Yao is the only maid in the City Lord's Mansion.

"The first step is to roast the tobacco leaves..." Xiao Yu said seriously.

With a thought, a crystal clothes rack appeared out of thin air.

He reached out and pulled out a piece of tobacco that the slime had already cleared away.

They've all floated up and are now hanging on the clothes racks.

"First, use a small fire to smoke it and evaporate the moisture, then increase the heat..." Xiao Yu snapped his fingers, and a small fire appeared under the clothes rack to roast the tobacco.

A hissing sound rang out as leaves burned.

The women watched as the tobacco shreds changed from their previous fresh green color.

It was baked until it turned a dry, yellowish-brown color, and then it became charred.

"Smell~ What a wonderful aroma! It's intoxicating!" As the tobacco leaves gradually turned yellow, a faint fragrance wafted over, and all the women took a deep sniff.

This scent may not be as pleasant as that of luminous trees or other plants.

However, they seemed to be mesmerized, completely captivated by the flavor.

“Normally, making cigarettes requires several days of baking, but today we’re just trying it out, so I’ll use my abilities to speed up the process…” Xiao Yu said, giving instructions as he operated the equipment.

With a thought, he intensified the fire below, raising its temperature even further.

Immediately, the aroma wafted out, becoming increasingly rich, and the color turned a golden yellow.

It's very attractive just to look at.

"The second step...after the tobacco leaves cool, wash them again, wet them, and then dry them with high-temperature steam..."

"Oh, oh." Xinglan listened and watched at the same time, her hands quickly taking notes.

Yao Yao, on the other hand, was not as quick.

If they hadn't taken notes properly, they would peek into Xinglan's notes and then copy them down.

Although we still don't know what cigarettes are actually used for.

However, these are invaluable teachings from the city lord, and must be memorized.

"Keep the good leaves and throw away all the flawed ones."

After Xiao Yu finished roasting the tobacco leaves for the second time, he collected them all onto the winnowing basket in front of him.

He glanced at it, then casually waved his hand.

Good tobacco leaves remain untouched on the winnowing tray.

Those that were flawed all fell to the ground.

"Little monkey, it's your turn to perform!" Xiao Yu said to the little monkey in a telepathic message.

"Chirp chirp chirp..." The little monkey hopped over and jumped around Xiao Yu.

"Hehe, you've been working hard brewing wine lately." Xiao Yu reached out and touched the ancient ape's smooth golden fur, teasingly saying, "If you don't show up and make your presence known, the readers will almost forget about you."

"Alright, use your special skill to help me ferment it."

As he spoke, he had his maid Yao Yao bring over a crystal wooden bucket. Then, with a swift stroke of his knife, he cut the re-dried tobacco leaves into countless 1-millimeter-thick shreds, which fell into the crystal wooden bucket.

Pick out the tobacco stems from the tobacco and throw them away; this makes smoking smoother and more mellow.

Then add a certain amount of honey, cooking oil, and bay leaves, and then push it in front of the little monkey.

Strictly speaking, the initial processing of tobacco leaves has already been completed.

The process of adding honey and spices now is to increase the richness of the tobacco.

Additionally, you can add some high-proof liquor.

But this is the first time making it, and Xiao Yu is not very skilled, so we'll keep it simple for now.

"Chirp chirp chirp..." The little monkey patted its chest excitedly.

It waved its limbs like a shaman, indicating that it was committed to completing the task.

Then, it placed its two furry paws on the barrel rock and began to exert its power.

Clearly, after being kept out of the public eye for so long, it wants to make an appearance.

A pale yellow aura emanated from the little monkey's palm and poured into the crystal bucket.

The tobacco in the bucket immediately became damp, and the aroma became even stronger.

The girls subconsciously sniffed, finding the fragrance even more enticing.

They were completely captivated.

"As for the cigarette formula, I'll have to think about it..."

Xiao Yu looked up at the sky, searching his memory of cigarettes from his past life.

In his past life, when he was under too much work pressure, he couldn't help but smoke one cigarette after another and pull out handfuls of hair. After working overtime all night, the ashtray would be filled with dozens of cigarette butts and handfuls of hair.

When he was bored back then, he searched for cigarette recipes online.

You definitely won't find brand-name cigarettes, but there are plenty of simple ones.

"Found it, this is it!"

Soon, Xiao Yu retrieved a recipe from his mind.

Then, the basic allocation began.

If it were a past life, with only a simple recipe, it would be impossible to prepare it.

But now, he learns everything incredibly quickly, and soon he can add the ingredients and mix them perfectly.

"Finally, there's cigarettes."

The tobacco has been produced, so making the paper rolls is quite simple.

After all, the paper industry in Longcheng is now relatively mature.

Based on quality and thickness, they can be divided into five grades.

The third grade of paper is about the same thickness as cigarette paper.

Xiao Yu directly rolled up a small amount of tobacco with third-grade paper, then twisted it into a ball with silk to make a filter. He then wrapped the silk with second-grade, coarser paper to make a filter.

And so, the first cigarette in the other world was made!

"Is this done?"

The women's eyes lit up when they saw Xiao Yu pick up a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

"Hmm, that's about right. I'll try the taste first."

Xiao Yu nodded and said, seeing that all the women were looking at him expectantly, he smiled and waved his hand, "You all step back a bit, secondhand smoke is not good."

Smokers don't feel it, but secondhand smoke is really uncomfortable.

"Oh, oh." The women were somewhat confused.

They nodded, but then took a few steps back.

Xiao Yu's mind stirred.

A small flame appears on the index finger, which lights the cigarette.