[center][h1][color=f26522]Carnatia de Valmont[/color][/h1][/center]
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[quote=@Deide]
[color=ed145b]"I did not use grapes. With enough sugar,yeast and umami, i can make wine directly out of Champignon mushrooms,which is the reason for your seeming familiarity with it. It's far sweeter than most wines i have tried,and the distinct mushroom taste gets covered by the manifacturing process,while still keeping it's syrupy and sweet flavour."
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[color=f26522]"No grapes...?"[/color]

Cultivation of premium wine grapes were one of the main things that drive up production cost for wines. If she was able to make wine of such quality without grapes...well, making it strictly from mushroom was a bit too out there for it to be marketable, people wanted something 'authentic' after all, but if she could bring out the flavour to this extent without premium grapes, then it would be possible to manufacture botrytised wines of high enough quality without using the premium grapes, thus allowing the wine to be competitive in prices especially for low to middle-income consumers, which was a market segment hitherto untouched by botrytised wines because of its high price due to production cost. That was not to count the possibility that since this much flavour had been brought out without the premium grapes if she were using the premium grapes, the flavour of the wine might be even richer, which would be a competitive advantage even for higher-income consumers.

[color=f26522]"Miss Amanita, I find myself intrigued by these wines you manufactured. I think they would make for a promising business venture in Westernant. As you may have heard, I own a Barony in Westernant. After this expedition is over, I would be delighted to welcome you to my land and be your patron, if you are interested."[/color]

Leaving Amanita with the proposition, Carnatia excused herself with a small curtsy before mingling with the rest of the room's occupants.

[quote=@Mas Bagus]
"It is because of The Council." Carmen's expression, a bit somber just a moment ago, now changed to disgust. "They are afraid of making any significant action concerning anything related to Tretagor, and would rather urge everyone to stay their hands. It is for the good of all, they said. What a bull! How could you say it is for the good of all if you let ordinary people be murdered, their homes burned and their wives and children sold off to distant lands? Paladin Thomas was the only one who saw beyond their shortsightedness, but what do they do to award his sacrifice? They branded him as an illegal trespasser, peace breaker, and risk maker." He thumped the table and shook his head. "And worse, most of our cardinals bow down to their so-called wise recommendation!" 
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Carnatia chimed in, [color=f26522]"Well...to give the Council the benefit of the doubt, International Politics are rarely that black and white. Being a remnant of a once mighty empire, Tretagor's provinces that are now fighting among themselves are prime target for their neighbouring nations to absorb as part of their own territory. I presume their reasons for preventing interventions from other nations is to avoid circumstances such as the one we now face with Paladin Thomas and his entourage. If it turns out that the cause of Paladin Thomas' disappearance is the local of Sielse, in the worst-case scenario, it would be held against the local authorities to make them culpable, in the worst case depending how involved they are, it could be casus belli to declare war on the local authorities of Sielse.[/color]

It's definitely something Carnatia could see Westernant do. Of course, at first, Westernant would try the diplomatic approach of sending troops in from Dragon's Maw as a peacekeeping troop. But should the local authorities reject the proposal, she imagined that Westernant would declare the local authorities in Sielse to be despot and send their troops to 'liberate the people of Sielse from their despot rulers'.

She continues, [color=f26522]"Of course, if say, Westernant were to do that, Helvetia would not simply stay put and allow Westernant to expand our sphere of influence by annexing Sielse and thus the conflict will turn into a proxy war with Helvetia backing the local authorities, which could potentially lead to a larger war breaking out in the future. Which is why I do agree that rather than preventing any interventions whatsoever, the Council should have declared Tretagor a failed state and facilitated multilateral talks among the nations as to how its provinces ought to be distributed as protectorates among the other nations under the supervision of the Council. It is not ideal, of course, but pragmatically speaking taking into account the realpolitik tendencies of the nations, that is the best-case scenario for all. It would return order to Tretagor and prevented the rest of the nations from fighting each other in open conflict for Tretagor provinces."[/color]

It would, of course, be a bitter pill to swallow for the rulers of Tretagor, especially those who seek to uphold the monarchy. But in Carnatia's opinion, those who were charged to rule had the obligations to do what was best for their people, and sometimes that meant swallowing their pride and knowing when to capitulate and bend the knee, pursuing diplomatic avenues to keep their autonomy as much as possible.

[@Mas Bagus][@Deide]