Chapter 25

October 13th.

A few days ago, I was busy with the installation of the still and the distillation tests, but finally, I managed to stabilize the distillation process and returned to a more settled life.

That morning, as usual, I finished my morning practice and was having breakfast.

Suddenly, Nicholas and his wife Kate burst in.

"Lord! The soap, the soap is ready!"

Nicholas, who is usually calm, ran up to my father, holding a pot.

My father, surprised by the scene, was taken aback but quickly stood up in excitement, exclaiming, "Really?"

I also tried to stand up but, being in a high chair for children, I placed my hands on the table and stretched up to look at Nicholas.

Grandfather's words, "Calm down," made Nicholas bow to him, and my father, looking a bit embarrassed, sat back down.

"It has solidified from what we made last month. I believe it is complete..."

Nicholas seemed to have calmed down and, realizing I hadn't confirmed it, spoke with a hint of uncertainty.

My father, glancing at me, asked, "Have you confirmed it?"

"I shaved a little off and rubbed it in water. It produced bubbles, and it seems to remove dirt, so I believe it is correct."

My father, leaving his meal unfinished, took Nicholas to the water area.

I wanted to follow, but thought it would be unnatural to go before finishing my meal, so I finished eating and hurried to the water area.

(Soon, I should tell my brother. But did it really work?)

By the well, Nicholas was shaving the soap with a knife and showing it to my father.

"Try rubbing it in water. It should produce bubbles."

Nodding at Nicholas's words, my father dipped the piece of soap in water and began rubbing it.

It felt slightly bubbly, but it wasn't quite the clean bubbles we were used to.

I signaled Nicholas with my eyes and received a piece of the soap.

It felt similar to soap but wasn't as smooth as the ones we usually used. It was somewhat soft and a bit rough.

I followed my father's example, dipping it in water and rubbing it.

(It feels rough, but it does produce bubbles. Next, we need to check if it irritates the skin. Still, it really worked...)

My father, Nicholas, and Kate watched me rub my hands with serious expressions.

I nodded to my father, "It works, Father," and then bowed to Nicholas and Kate, "You both did a great job. Thank you very much."

They hugged each other in joy, and my father praised them, "Well done. You really did well."

Nicholas and Kate, with tears in their eyes, nodded to my father.

After they calmed down, the four of us went to Nicholas's house.

Once inside, we first checked the notes Nicholas and Kate had written down on the process.

Looking at the notes, I realized that the two instructions I gave in mid-September were the key.

These instructions were to change the source of lye from wheat straw to the aquatic plants from the Black Pool and to add salt.

Additionally, another step we added likely contributed to the success.

At the end of September, Nicholas reported something unusual. He seemed unsure of how to describe it.

"About ten days ago, the substance you instructed us to make was a bit different. It used to be like porridge, but this time, it was more like... cheese curds..."

According to his description, the consistency was different.

I decided to see it for myself and immediately went to his house to check.

(Indeed, it's different... It's more like tofu pudding?)

When I mixed the pudding-like substance, I felt a slight bubbling. I took a chance and rubbed it on a cloth.

At first, it felt slippery, and then it started to produce bubbles.

(Maybe it's liquid soap? If so...)

I thought that if we could remove the water from this pudding-like substance, it would become solid soap. To do this, I decided to try a method similar to making cotton tofu, where the substance is wrapped in cloth and slowly compressed to remove the water.

When I tried this method, the water slowly drained out, but it only became a gel-like substance. We decided to wait and see what happened. About half a month later, it finally solidified.

I remembered that Nicholas had used aquatic plants from nearby, inspired by the story of using seaweed. The salt was added on a hunch, without a clear reason.

I didn't know the exact components needed for soap or the precise method, so I couldn't determine what had worked. However, it was clear that Nicholas and Kate's efforts had led to the success.

I returned the notes to Nicholas and thanked him again.

"I really appreciate it. Thank you. Without you two, my half-baked knowledge would never have been enough. Thank you very much."

When I bowed, Nicholas humbly replied, "We just followed your instructions, Lord Zacharias."

I thanked him once more and then explained the next steps to my father.

"For now, it's complete, but we need to check its effect on the skin before using it. I'll be the guinea pig, so let's observe for about a month."

Nicholas and Kate were surprised and said, "We can't use Lord Zacharias as a guinea pig. We'll test it ourselves."

"My skin is more sensitive, so it's more convenient for me. Besides, we have Liddy at the manor. If my skin reacts, she can treat it immediately."

They still looked hesitant, but I gave them the next instructions.

"Based on this successful formula, I want you to make slight variations in the mixing process and the proportions. This might not be the optimal formula."

They nodded, and Nicholas asked, "What about adding fragrances?"

Indeed, the soap had a strong, somewhat animal-like, and raw smell.

"Good point... Add extracts of strong-scented herbs to the base formula. The choice of herbs is up to you."

My father praised them again and returned to the manor with me.

On the way, he asked, "How many can you make?"

"Well, if we only use Nicholas's house, we can make about fifty a day. If Hector—Mel's father—and Guy—Sharon's father—help, we can double that."

"About three thousand a month... Even if we sell each for ten C, that's three million C in revenue..."

I reminded him, "We don't have enough materials for that."

"With the current materials, we can make a few hundred. We can buy fat from nearby towns, but the number of pigs and cows in this area is limited, so we can't make that many."

My father looked a bit disappointed but then asked, "Are you going to make this a specialty product?"

I had no intention of making it a specialty product, as the disadvantages of competing with the capital's merchants were too great.

"I won't make it a specialty product. This is for preventing disease. If it's deemed safe, distribute it to children and pregnant women with instructions on how to wash their hands. Also, prohibit the resale of soap and distribute it for free."

Hearing about free distribution, my father looked a bit reluctant but then reconsidered, thinking of the people.

"As the lord, I will order the use of soap for handwashing. But what if traveling merchants want it?"

"Tell them to apply directly to the lord. Set the price at one-fifth of the market price, two C, and sell in small quantities."

My father seemed unsure about the price.

"That's a bargain. It could be a bit higher... Why sell in small quantities?"

"Selling it cheaply will make people think we don't understand its true value. Selling in small quantities will prevent rumors from spreading too quickly."

My father still seemed puzzled.

"If there's only a little, merchants will be selective about who they sell to. Naturally, they'll sell to wealthy acquaintances. When the rumor spreads among the wealthy, it will reach the merchants they deal with. When wealthy merchants, who have the capital, come here, we can sell our stock in large quantities and make a quick profit."

My father seemed to understand and nodded.

I added that we would sell the manufacturing method.

"Once we've made a profit, we'll sell the manufacturing method to merchants. We'll provide the method to anyone who pays a certain amount, with no limit on the number of people."

Initially, I thought about selling it through an auction, but decided to make it public to anyone who paid a royalty.

My father seemed a bit greedy.

"Selling the manufacturing method seems a bit wasteful, but can't this be a specialty product of the village?"

"It might be possible for a year or two, but not long-term. First, we can't produce it in large quantities here. Second, powerful merchants from the capital might interfere to protect their interests. It's safer to pretend we don't know much about business and spread it quickly."

My father seemed to still think it was a waste but then remembered my secret.

"If we do something wrong, your secret might leak. Even if we try to do business, we can't compete with real merchants."

My father truly seemed to care about me, and I felt a bit choked up. I continued the conversation to cover it up.

"Yes. Therefore, selling the manufacturing method is more profitable. If we sell it to multiple merchants for about ten thousand C each, that should be enough."

"Ten thousand... Is that too high?"

"The current price of soap is ten C per piece. Depending on the production volume, the material and labor costs on a commercial scale should be a fraction of that. Most of the revenue will be profit. We don't know the demand, but if we sell at half the price, five C, we can recover the cost with about two thousand pieces. With a hundred customers, we can recover the cost in a year."

My father seemed to struggle with the concept.

"At first, they might hesitate due to the high price, but as more merchants come to buy, they'll accept it. Knowing it's profitable, they won't sit idly by and let their competitors get it."

My father finally seemed to understand.

I explained my predictions for future price trends.

"If I were a merchant, I'd start at five C per piece and sell in bulk to regular customers for about two C. The goal is to create a steady demand. As competition increases, prices will gradually drop, but they'll likely stabilize at about one C per piece. At that price, the customer base will expand, and we can make a profit through high volume, low margin sales."

My father seemed to understand but was still unsure.

"I don't fully understand, but I'll leave that to you and Nicholas. What concerns me is whether the soap will irritate the skin. You said you'll be the guinea pig, but are you sure it's safe?"

My father truly seemed worried.

"Some components might not agree with the skin, and lime itself isn't good for the body. But we have Liddy, so it should be fine. I can predict the symptoms."

I smiled to reassure my worried father.

Over the next few days, I used the soap, and there were no signs of itching or skin irritation, so I decided to let the maids Molly and Tricia use it as well.

Since they always use water and their hands are often rough, if it worked for them, it should be safe.

After a month, no one, including me, showed any adverse reactions, so I decided to distribute it to the retainers' families as well.

During this time, Nicholas and Kate continued to improve the soap, successfully adding fragrances like lavender and chamomile.

They also found the optimal quality, and the soap was finally satisfactory.

November 15th.

I explained the proper use of soap to the retainers.

First, I explained how to wash hands and emphasized using it before meals and after using the toilet. I also instructed them to wash their hands before touching infants, though we don't have any in the manor.

"Using soap won't eliminate all diseases, but it can significantly reduce them. Pay special attention to your fingertips and under your nails, where germs tend to accumulate. You can use it for dishes and clothes, but make sure to rinse thoroughly to remove any residue..."

I wasn't sure if they understood, but they all nodded, so I continued.

"If this works well, we'll distribute it to the villagers. Nicholas will explain it, but I want you to remember the proper method. If you have any questions, ask me, Nicholas, or Kate."

I planned to distribute five pieces to each household and observe for the rest of the year.

Starting next year, I intended to distribute soap to the villagers.

Reflecting on this experience, I realized that starting a project with half-baked knowledge can burden those involved.

Nicholas is helping because of Grandfather's order, but if it weren't for his respect for Grandfather, he might have given up long ago. Conversely, Grandfather's command can make him do even the most difficult tasks.

I asked my father to cover the costs of materials and equipment, but Nicholas and his team are essentially working for me. They are essential to the village's operations, and I regret the time they've spent on this.

For the next project, I want to minimize the burden on Nicholas and his team.

In this regard, the dwarf Beltram is similar, but for him, creating something new is a joyful challenge for a craftsman.

For the next reform, I plan to focus on Liddy, who seems to have free time.

On a completely unrelated note, something significant changed after we started using soap.

My father shaved his beard.

When I explained that using soap for shaving was clean and painless, he shaved it off the same day.

It turned out that my mother didn't like his beard, and he shaved it at her request.

Without his beard, my father, with his brown hair tied back and clear blue eyes, looked quite handsome.

(I can see why Mother prefers him without a beard. If this makes her fall in love with him again, maybe we'll have more siblings...)

Inspired by my father, five days later, on November 20th, Enos, the son of the head retainer Walt, also shaved his beard before his wedding to Nicholas's daughter Jean.

Shaving made him look younger, and his light blonde hair, inherited from his father, looked great.

(A beard can make you look older. Enos is only in his early twenties, but I thought he looked about thirty the first time I saw him. Maybe shaving will become a trend in the village...)

Finally, the soap is complete, but I'm not entirely confident it will work (if it doesn't, we can credit Nicholas's perseverance).

The information about seaweed and salt came from the web. I'm not sure if freshwater plants will have the same effect...

I look forward to your comments and feedback.