abcnovels
Chapter 45: Making a prototype mirror! Part 2
Chapter 45: Making a prototype mirror! Part 2
Chapter 45: Making a prototype mirror! Part 2
Clarissa was sitting on my lap and I was lecturing her on how to make a mirror using silver.
Right now we were mixing ammonia water with the melted silver.
“Be careful not to smell the ammonia water directly. In my previous world it was designated as potent poison.”
“Un, I understand.”
Clarissa as usually nodded disinterestedly. She was simply calmly looking and listening earnestly that I understand.
The proof of that is her facial expression when you see it from other side, she’s zealously devoting herself to the lined up ingredients.
She was very interested in the silver plating that I proposed to make a silver mirror.
I grasped Clarissa’s hands from behind and guided with those hands. (TN: ?? )
She proactively moves with my intention.
She’s eager to study and it’s easy for me.
I used her hands to lift the bottle with ammonia water and leaned it towards the silver.
And then I slowly poured the liquid.
“How much do we need to pour?”
After a while doing it she had a throbbing concern and asked.
She must be concerned about the mixing ratio of the materials.
I set out to look a bit into the bottle with silver liquid.
“Till there is little sludge.”
I was seeing little light brown things on the bottom.
Mixing it for a little bit more would be fine.
As expected, I cannot remember the detailed mixing ratios.
But, I remember the essence.
“On the bottom of the bottler there are brown things right? We’ll continue pouring until they disappear.”
“Understood.”
I said that, and she nodded in admiration several times and her eyes were set on flame with the intellectual spirit of curiosity.
“Now, that’s fine.”
Shortly afterwards I gave the signal.
Clarissa suddenly stopped leaning the bottle with ammonia water.
She looked at me with zealous eyes that asked “What’s next now?”
Sigh, the mirror won’t escape you know.
“Okay, let’s continue with the next set of action.”
I gave a wry smile.
Clarissa’s lips on the edge slightly were raised.
I know. That small alteration in her expression is her full smile.
At any rate, she was looking forward to what the next step would be.
If you look at carefully her legs were flopping.
“The next work will be the last and the most important thing in this final process is ‘speed’.”
I tried to explain it as simple as possible.
Clarissa pricked up her ears to listen as diligent as possible.
“Now, you mix the silver liquid with the honey it will react and start to extract the silver. Basically, the silver-plating will start.”
I point at the bottle with honey and move it towards the created silver liquid.
I felt that the girl’s were usual drowsy eyes were now open.
This operation is the ending one after all. It’s unreasonable to not be fun.
“But, the reaction between the silver liquid and honey is pretty fast. That’s why, if you mix it and leave it alone it for a bit it will become plated on the bottom. Before this happens we need to plaster the liquid on the glass plate.”
“How long will that be?”
As expected a question came from Clarissa.
It’s a good question. That’s right…
“First, let’s target for 20 seconds mark.”
“I understand. It’s not bad if it’s too fast?”
Fumu, truly excellent pupil.
“Nice pointing out. The reaction rate varies on the mixing ratio and the temperature. That’s why we can’t point out the correct time for the reaction to finish. The reaction doesn’t mean that it has to happen in the bottle.”
“!? I see!”
She was completely surprised on my explanation.
It’s like that.
I saw that she understood what I said so I continued my explanation.
“Anyhow, this is for plating on the glass plank. In a way plastering faster is fine aswell. Then we just wait for the reaction to continue on the plate.”
Clarissa’s cheeks were a bit flushed and nodded in admiration.
“Okay, this is the end for the explanation. To finish the silver-plating wash it away with water. Let’s try it immediately.”
Right now we were carefully reproducing the process we spoke of.
We poured honey in the silver liquid and quickly applied it with a brush on the glass plate without a pause.
For detailed work like this the dwarf girl Clarissa was really good.
This was the first time doing this yet she was spreading the liquid around equally and uniformly.
Watching it was mesmerizing and I thought she no longer needed my help.
With that reason I separated our hands
“Not allowed. If you seperate them it will go very badly.”
Without a moment’s delay a warning flew.
No matter how you think about it, she doesn’t need me as an assistant.
I cocked my head in puzzlement and said that.
“Not allowed.”
But the girl once more firmly refused it.
Un, what’s going on here.
Well, more than what I thought, the work itself continued with no delay.
We looked at the silver-plating and rinsed off the surplus with water.
Although it was somewhat uneven, it had an appearance that could be called a mirror with it’s brilliant silver colour.
“Amazing… I’ve seen such a beautiful looking mirror before… It’s like looking at a jewel.”
Clarissa said that surprised and her usual half-closed drowsy eyes were now open like circles.
But, to be satisfied by this much is troubling.
“No, it’s far from over, Clarissa. We have one more silver plating to do.”
“Eh? Once more?”
She tilted her head confusedly.
Fumu, as I thought she didn’t understand.
“Please look at it carefully. On the surface there is still some unevenness? If it’s only done once, then the thickness of the plating will vary on the place. So doing it once more the unevenness will go away. With doing this it will become even more beautiful!”
“Even more beautiful…”
Clarissa became shocked at my explanation and was dumbfounded.
Fumu, seeing her reaction in this world the silver plated mirror will sell enough.
“Just a little bit more. Let’s work hard till the end!”
I was calculating in my head and said that while preparing for the plating.
“Yea. To be able to make such an amazing mirror is more deserving than this dwarf. I’ll do it hard until the end!”
She accepted my words and boldly replied back with spirit.
Like this we repeat the work up to now and apply the silver plating once more on it and with this the prototype is complete.
Since honey contains impurities I worried that it wouldn’t go well but unexpectedly it went pretty well.
When I let Clarissa give her opinion about the prototype.
“As it is it’s plenty enough to be able to be put in the market.”
That’s what she said.
For that reason, we were discussing our future plans about our successfully created prototype with a relaxed feeling.
By the way, for some reason Clarissa hasn’t come off from my knee so she’s still sitting there.
Now, concerning the contents of the contract I didn’t intend to make them complicated from the start.
First, putting the production on track is the biggest priority.
Since there will be a failure, we’ll have to make a budget with reasonable margin.
The additional deposit is half a million and after that the suggested amount for reward of one sold mirror will be 10,000.
It should be a reasonable division between the reward money and including the sales and supply of ingredients.
Well for the time being it’s going to be put in the market for 50,000 to 100,000 giels as a luxury item.
But…
“Masatsugu. I think the reward money is too high. We should do it half.”
For some reason it was proposed to reduce reward money from which I consigned earlier.
“Oi, oi why would you handicap yourself on purpose?”
I cocked my head in doubt.
“I’m Masatsugu’s thing, so no need to treat me as a stranger. That’s why there’s no problem for it to be cheap.”
She opened her mouth and said it disinterested.
Un, there is the part where I don’t understand because of her being a child of few words… Perhaps this time the contract details are hiding the technology and sharing a lot with each other, so a long relationship is forming. That’s why there’s a discount on the reward money.
Good grief. You shouldn’t worry about it and just be an honest girl.
“Ah, I only have one request. If I say it’s Not allowed then it’s Not allowed.”
With a slightly blushing expression she stared diligently at me.
Hearing those words relieved me.
I’m glad. It’s easier this way when there’s a condition.
I wonder what it is. Increasing the deposit, or is it a proposal for increase of the reward volume?
“I also want to go to Masatsugu’s orphanage to play and stay there. Since I have the store constantly will be impossible, but sometimes I would want to stay near. Is it bad?”
She said that with an anxious expression.
I see, so it was about that.
I agree to it.
Certainly if you have a store you won’t be able to meet and play with people of your same age.
On that point there are Lucia and the others in the orphanage so she can become friends with them.
She as I thought is also a young girl. Being alone is lonely.
In the first place Clarissa is an orphan so there’s no issue in accepting her.
“If it’s like that, there’s no problem. It’s okay living here too. You’re welcome anytime.”
I replied so.
“Really!?”
Clarissa at my clear acknowledgment became surprised and almost immediately a smile floated on her face.
There’s nothing special to be happy so much over coming to play.
“Aah, that’s natural? Besides, I won’t lower the reward to that much. You should just receive the things you receive. You might not have use of it now, but accumulated money is always good. There might be a use for them in the future?”
Clarissa at first was confused but then all of a sudden as if she thought of something she hit her hands with a *Pon*.
“Is that so… If we become together in the future it will be the same.”
She was murmuring and nodding un-un to herself.
Fumu, I don’t understand but I see that she agreed.
I’m glad.
“Ah, that’s right. It doesn’t have to be immediately, but won’t you come to see the orphanage that I manage? You weren’t able to talk much with Lucia and the others, right?”
To become friends you need a lot of time to talk to each other.
“Yes, I want to go to Masatsugu’s orphanage.”
As I thought Clarissa replied in a manner that pointed out she was very interested.
Like this I decided for once to go back to the orphanage with Clarissa.