Chapter 56

Amber seemed to be getting used to the orphanage. For the first few days, Anna and I took turns to check if she was studying properly and not causing any trouble with the other children, but it seemed she was doing just fine, and even Ms. Miel gave her the thumbs up, so now we let her go on her own.

Amber is so strong that she can even defeat a dragon alone, yet when she proudly shows off the letters she has learned, she looks just like any other child. Yes, it must be very exciting to be able to do something new that you couldn't do before.

"Amber can now write all the capital letters in Weld without looking at anything!"

"Wow, I can't believe you started studying just the other day."

"Yes, indeed. She must have practiced a lot at home to learn so quickly."

"Hmm-hmm."

She proudly showed the letters she had written on a stone tablet to Anna, who was knitting. After that, she showed them to me again, so I praised her without saying I had already seen them. At first, I thought about using a notebook and a pencil, but as Mr. Fred advised, "Are you going to give the same thing to the children at the orphanage? If so, they might feel it's hard to use a lot and learn easily," so I'm glad I went with a stone tablet and a stylus.

"That's right. The heroes who are remembered in stories were also very smart. Especially the most famous 'Hero,' whose biography was written based on his diary. If you're a hero, you should keep a diary of your deeds."

"Even if I don't listen to Fred, that's true. For a strong person like Amber, it's necessary to record her deeds."

Fred, who was on dish duty tonight, called out to her with his back turned. He's good at handling Amber. I should take a note from him. Not just the advice, but Fred is also good at talking.

"Riana, you're preparing to open your alchemy shop today, right?"

"Yes, I plan to make the items to be displayed in the alchemy shop."

"Right... Ah, but I did say, 'This isn't nearly enough,' but don't overdo it? Anna is worried too."

"Don't worry! Thanks to my hard work, I've managed to prepare twice as much as last time."

"Are you serious??"

I promised to go with Amber to look at stationery when I pick her up on the way back, and we talked while heading towards the Alchemists' Guild. When I puffed out my chest to reassure him, I ended up surprising Fred a lot. I was confused by the unexpected reaction, thinking he would just say, "If that's the case, I'm relieved."

"I know Riana isn't the type to joke like that. That's why... aren't you working at an unreasonable pace? Are you really okay? I'm not an expert in magical artifacts, but I know they're not easy to make..."

Fred's worries didn't go away, and he ended up coming to see my workspace at the Alchemists' Guild. He was supposed to take a day off from adventuring today, so I felt bad. But I really wasn't overworking myself. It's just a matter of repeating the same process, shortening what can be shortened, and improving with each repetition.

"Well, the book I planned to buy is on hold, so I can pick it up on the way back. Besides, Riana is more unpredictable than the book... Yeah, it sounds interesting."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

It's nice of him to worry about me to the point of making up unnatural excuses. I think he's exaggerating a bit to provide more shock than an entertainment book.

"Let me tell you, I'm not exaggerating. Even Anna would react the same way. I'll bet on it."

Fred said this with a serious face, while I laughed it off. So, that serious...?

I guess I really am out of touch with common sense... I made a mental note to ask Anna in private what was so surprising about our conversation when I get home tonight.

"Hmm... Then I'll try making it the same way as before."

"Then I'll just watch."

I recalled the last time three people came and helped me. When I was at home, Anna or Lady Cornelia would assist me in her laboratory. It's similar to cooking together, which I enjoy, but working alone at my own pace is also good.

"It's just a matter of improving efficiency. Look, I have the children at the orphanage where Amber is staying grind the junk magic stones into powder, which makes a big difference."

"You're having the children at the orphanage where Amber is staying do that, right?"

"Yes. They need to grind the stones by hand without using magic, but since they don't generate enough heat, the result is actually better."

I pay them for the work, of course. Some children in the city earn pocket money, but the demand is less than the requests. In addition to the tools and gloves for grinding the magic stones into powder, I've set up a temporary workspace with a tent to prevent the dust from spreading, masks to prevent inhalation, and gowns to protect their hair and bodies. I also conduct weekly health checks for all the children at the orphanage, but this is just a necessary precaution.

To prevent the dust from damaging their skin or eyes, I provide soap and fuel to boil water for bathing after the work. I suggested that even children not involved in the work should take a bath to avoid wasting the hot water, but I think this is a necessary expense. It's really a waste otherwise.

Since I had already explained this to Fred once, I judged that it wasn't necessary and continued working silently. First, I dissolved the ground junk magic stones in purified water, which had been stripped of all impurities, both physical and magical. I poured it into an alchemical quartz flask, sealed it, and shook it well.

Then, I added a viscous blue liquid that can be made from the body fluid of a common slime, mixing it thoroughly to ensure no lumps remained. I plan to delegate this part of the process to others in a commercial production line, as it's a simple task that can be automated with a magical device, but I think it's better to hire people.

Once the mixture was well blended and formed a stable suspension, I quickly poured in a pre-measured amount of a pink liquid extracted from the body fluid of a different type of slime. This was a race against time.

I sealed the flask again and shook it vigorously. When the mixture became a smooth, runny liquid, I immediately poured it into a prepared mold. It was a uniform purple color, yes, it had dissolved properly.

I poured it in quickly to avoid air bubbles and placed my hands on the edges of the frame. I circulated a weak magical current from my left hand to my right, treating the poured liquid as an extension of my hand. I could feel the crystals of the ground magic stones aligning in detail as they followed my magical current. It's easy to tell when they are aligned because the resistance disappears.

Once the resistance was gone, I channeled a large amount of the same type of magic for a moment, and the process was complete. The liquid, which had been viscous a moment ago, solidified in response to the magical pressure. Yes, it had solidified properly.

"Really... It's a lot faster than before..."

"I adjusted the reaction time to be shorter. The required magic is also less. I've become more efficient with the process, and the time it takes to align the crystals with a steady flow of magic has significantly decreased."

"No, no, that precise control of magic isn't something you can just do. If it's a bit off, the crystals won't align, right?"

"I think it's not that difficult once you get used to it... It's like holding your breath and drawing a straight line without a ruler."

When the crystals align, the entire mixture can be treated as a single large magic stone. I named this product "artificial magic stone" and decided to sell it.

The process and principles are not complicated, but the technique of continuously flowing a steady amount of magic to align the crystals of the ground magic stones (which won't work if the properties or strength are inconsistent) is something other alchemists haven't been able to replicate. Therefore, I plan to sell the artificial magic stones rather than the technique itself. I expected that it would be quickly imitated or surpassed by a superior technology, so I was a bit nervous about producing so much inventory, even with Fred's advice. However, I've already received many orders through the lord of Lindemen, so I think the business will be sustainable for a while.

I took out the artificial magic stone from the mold and wrapped it in a sheet of magical insulator. Although it had solidified, it was only as strong as a very hard pudding, so it could break if handled roughly. If it breaks, it will only produce output proportional to the size of the broken piece, just like a regular magic stone, so it needs to be handled with care.

Fred was involved in the decision to sell these. When we discussed becoming a valuable alchemist to be protected by the lord, I decided to focus on alchemy, which has the fewest practitioners. It's said that alchemists can find work anywhere because the training is expensive, and I aimed to be an alchemist who could be retained and be useful.

When I was making prototypes of various magical artifacts, such as a device that projects images on the ceiling for children to enjoy and a recording device that starts instantly and is less likely to miss recordings, I realized that while there was demand, the alchemists who made them wouldn't be particularly valued.

I didn't think I could create a hit product, but I planned to produce a large number of items in the hope that one might unexpectedly sell well.

The turning point came when Fred pointed to the initial type of artificial magic stone I used to power the alchemical equipment and asked, "What's this? This is where you channel the magic power to make it work, right?"

When I explained what it was, Fred became very excited and shouted, "Sell this!!"

Honestly, I didn't think there would be any demand. I created it to supplement the magic power needed to power the equipment because I couldn't use all my magic power on alchemy alone, and using magic stones for everything would be a waste of money.

I didn't create it; I found a combination of elements in ancient magical rituals that could provide the necessary power and managed to shape it through trial and error. I just combined existing elements because I could read ancient texts and decipher the magical circuits used in the rituals.

If I were to use my magic power only for alchemy, it wouldn't have been a problem, and if I had the same vast magic capacity as my father, I wouldn't have needed to go through the trouble.

When Fred suggested, for the first time, that this could replace larger magic stones if made on a larger scale, I reconsidered.

I made some improvements because simply making it larger wasn't enough, but the basic principle remained the same. Theoretically, it could produce more output, but that would require even finer grinding of the junk magic stones, which is a technical challenge. I plan to review the grinding process, starting with improving the mortar.

However, while a natural magic stone of the same output could be the size of a child's fist, the artificial magic stone I made was much bulkier. I had to make it in a long, snake-like shape to increase the output, but it needed further improvement to be more practical.

Magic stones are in short supply globally, so even if this artificial magic stone is bulky and has limited output, there will still be demand if it can be produced consistently. The number of large magic stones from monsters has been decreasing over the years, and only dragons can provide the power needed for city defenses. Even among dragons, only some individuals can produce such stones, making them rare and valuable.

Dragons are now protected, so it's difficult to get permission to hunt them.

In modern times, the only way to get large magic stones is to hope for a large, high-quality stone to be found in the country's mines. The demand is so high that there's almost no surplus to export, and people are waiting in long lines for domestically produced stones.

It's almost impossible for individuals to obtain them. Even famous alchemy shops can't get them. To get one, you need the backing of a country.

"Really, this will disrupt the supply and demand of magic stones. It's going to be a big deal... But Riana herself doesn't seem to fully grasp the impact..."

Fred concluded with a slightly exasperated tone, saying, "Even if you don't fully realize it, be careful."

While I don't say it out loud, I feel he's being a bit overprotective. But from my experiences, I know my sense of things is a bit different from the norm, so I should be more cautious about things like technology leaks.

However, I still feel that selling it under the name of the marquis family, with the lord of Lindemen as an intermediary, is a bit too grand.