Chapter 146: Glass Once More
Under the pear blossoms stood Kadal. The soft, white petals reminded me a bit of spring in Japan.
When I think of spring, I think of cherry blossoms and rapeseed flowers. We have the rapeseed here, but we don’t have cherry trees planted. There’s a bonsai cherry tree in the pantry that blooms, but I don’t particularly enjoy eating pickled cherry blossoms or their leaves. Still, cherry and plum blossoms somehow feel essential.
I wanted autumn leaves too, but aside from decorations, I couldn’t think of any dishes that used them, so they’re not in the pantry either.
I want to grow stronger and explore more unknown places. I’ll do my best.
“Kadal, it’s been a while.”
“Ah, in your flow of time, it has indeed been a long time.”
Kadal seemed to just realize it.
The sense of time for Spirits varies depending on which Spirit it is. For Kadal, the tree Spirit, it probably feels like we just met a moment ago.
“Thank you for the other day. Was it alright to make a contract with those two?”
“Indeed. It seems the details are working well, but it appears there aren’t enough hands to carry things.”
Ah, that’s true. I’ve always thought it would be easier with two people when working at the forge. I ended up having Retze help me pack the coils for the bed too.
“But it seems it was unnecessary assistance.”
“No, it was helpful. I appreciate the safety and grace period you provided until the contract was made.”
“Oh? You wish for the strongest contract?”
“Yes.”
Contracts are influenced by the strength of magic and prior preparations, but if we set that aside, the strongest contract is when the Spirit itself wishes to protect the other party or desires to be used by them at the time of the contract.
Making a contract with a Spirit sent by a strong entity depends on the power dynamics between the strong entity and the Spirit. Spirits can be quite capricious, and even as retainers, their commands are often lax.
Conversely, there are also seemingly eternal and solid commands, but Kadal probably doesn’t intend to bind those two too tightly. It’s more like a casual acknowledgment through the Oath Document.
While I’m drawn to a solid contract, I still feel resistance to being kept close against my will. I can’t tell the difference from what my sister did to me.
Also, since I didn’t give any orders to subdue the Black Spirit for the contract, that doesn’t count.
“By the way, how hard is the hardest branch of wood in this world?”
“It is hard enough that your crafted sword cannot cut through it.”
Seriously?!
As Kadal reached out, a map flew out from my belongings and unfolded before me.
“It grows here.”
A marked spot appeared where he pointed.
“Thank you. The fastest growing among these trees is the plum, but the Spirits are moving around the cherry trees. Once they bear fruit, I’ll share some with you.”
I know that the vegetables and fruits hybridized with the pantry’s plants through Ish and Pal have flavor.
And in a fantastical twist, the hybridization occurs as Spirits flit between the plants of this world and those in the pantry. I haven’t found plums in this world yet, so I haven’t planted any, and there’s no plum Spirit here.
Well, since the pantry’s plants change directly, it’s not the hybridization I’m familiar with.
“Indeed.”
Kadal, looking a bit pleased, vanished.
The map left in my hand felt like a treasure map, raising my spirits. But it’s quite far to the northeast, isn’t it? I wonder if it’s safe from Demon Beasts.
Ah, I need to work hard since I’ll be getting the Konkon Staff EX. I’ll gradually extend the locations for Teleportation. I’m looking forward to it.
For lunch, I fried croquettes and munched on shredded spring cabbage.
With a crunch, the crispy coating gave way to the soft, subtly sweet potato inside. The meat-filled ones also had a gentle flavor of beef that was delicious.
I didn’t feel much greasiness, but the soft spring cabbage was refreshing in my mouth. The sweetness of the spring cabbage was entirely different from that of the potatoes.
Dean really liked the croquettes, and Ash and the others said the potatoes in the pot-au-feu were good too. The fried potatoes were well-received as well, so I felt a bit relieved that the potatoes from Naruadeid would spread successfully.
Now, today, despite the gloomy weather, I diligently made glass. As I poured the melted glass into the pool of molten tin, it floated and spread across the surface of the tin.
Maybe it was amusing to watch, as the Spirits chased and tugged at the edges of the glass. I thought they might dislike it since they couldn’t pass through, but it seemed otherwise.
Since the surface of the melted tin is naturally level, a beautiful glass sheet formed. Here, the glass either resembled small, round shapes pressed against the bottom of a flask or, even as a sheet, was small and had a distorted surface.
This might sell well, but it’s hot, so I’m not inclined to make more than necessary.
Learning from the lesson of the colored glass last time, I prepared a variety of gemstones before starting today. Just kidding, I prefer transparency, so I used crystal and diamond. I wondered if it would be okay to place these before the Spirits, and when I did, they were smashed into the molten glass.
As a result, the glass mixed with crystal became opaque from one side, while the glass mixed with diamond turned into sturdy reinforced glass. It seems that when Spirits are involved, unexpected results occur, perhaps driven by imagination?
In this world, colored gemstones are expensive, while diamonds are incredibly cheap. Is this the path where I buy up diamonds and make diamond cuts fashionable?