Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Soap
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“I... I'll fetch the owner, Heir.”
A moment later,
the owner came out.
“Why are you leaving like that?”
“I... I'm just overcome with emotion at seeing you, Heir.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“N... No, Heir.”
I glanced at the shop owner
and pointed to the lamp.
“What kind of oil do you use in this? Monster oil?”
“Yes, mostly monster oil. But today, it's Black Tree oil.”
“Black Tree?”
Black Tree,
a tree that grows on Monster Island.
It's a tree shrouded in black,
with black leaves and fruit.
I'd heard it thrives best where Demonic Energy is strong.
But it won't grow in lands without Demonic Energy, like on the continent.
In short, it's a tree of little value.
A tree that needs Demonic Energy to grow.
The fruit from this tree isn't edible for humans.
Oil extracted from the fruit of such a tree?
I recalled the oils stored in the workshop.
There was no Black Tree oil among them.
“Um... Heir?”
“Hold on, let me think for a moment.”
“S... Sorry!”
Why are vegetable oils expensive
and animal oils cheap?
Animal oils come from worthless animals.
In other words, extracted from monster carcasses.
Things that can't be eaten and would be discarded anyway.
Vegetable oils, on the other hand, come from valuable fruits.
That's why their price is high.
On top of the fruit's cost, you add labor expenses.
But what about Black Tree?
Black Tree is like a monster carcass.
1) There's plenty of it.
Just as monster corpses pour in daily,
Black Trees grow all over Monster Island.
2) It's cheap.
Monster carcasses have low value, except for certain parts.
No, they have no value at all. They're no different from trash.
The same goes for Black Tree.
Its fruit isn't edible.
So, no price either.
Why didn't I think of this? No, why didn't I bring any?
I picked up the lamp filled with Black Tree oil.
“I'd like to buy this.”
“Yes!? I... I'll give it to you as a gift!”
“No. That would make me uncomfortable. As for the price... the guard captain can cover it.”
“Me...? Right, of course I will.”
The guard captain handed money to the shop owner.
I patted the guard captain's shoulder.
“Remember, I've forgiven you.”
“Of course, Heir!”
“Then carry on.”
I headed straight to the soap workshop.
Using Black Tree oil in the design,
[Completion: 53]
“Yes!”
When mixing with animal oils, I couldn't exceed 40 completion.
But with Black Tree oil, it jumped straight to 53.
“Perfect, just perfect.”
The tedious design work suddenly became fun.
Each time I drew the blueprint, the completion rose bit by bit.
Completion 51
Completion 54
Completion 57
Completion 55
...
Completion 68
68 completion is about the same level as using olive oil.
“Finally.”
The problem that had plagued me for days was solved.
Just as I was rejoicing,
the soap maker entered.
“Heir? You're done already?”
“Oh, yeah. Come here for a sec.”
I asked why he hadn't brought any Black Tree oil.
He must have known it was used in lamps.
“You wanted soap for washing your body, Heir. Black Tree oil has Demonic Energy in it.”
“No. That's not it.”
Handling items with Demonic Energy doesn't harm your health.
The ground we walk on and the wood used in buildings are all infused with Demonic Energy.
Yet they have no effect.
The key is whether you ingest it.
And even then, small amounts don't matter much.
I dipped my finger in Black Tree oil and touched it to my tongue.
“Heir!?”
“This much is fine. So, it's good enough for soap too.”
With that, I handed him one blueprint.
Soap using Black Tree.
“This is?”
“Can you make it just like this?”
“Of course.”
“Then make it.”
The soap maker looked troubled.
“Why?”
“Well, Heir, we can follow the blueprint, but it would still take at least half a year.”
When I first arrived here,
the soap maker had explained the soap-making process.
What materials go in,
what tools to use,
and how it's made.
But there was something he hadn't mentioned.
“After fully mixing the oils, there's a curing process. That takes half a year to a year.”
I thought I was finally there,
but another obstacle appeared.
Got the materials, now it's time that's the issue?
Does soap on Earth take this long too?
Is it really such a drawn-out process?
For modern people who want it fast?
Unfortunately, I don't know about that part.
I can't go back to Earth to check.
But,
“They must have shortened the time somehow...”
Science and technology could reduce the curing period.
“No way such tech exists here. But instead...”
If Earth has science,
this world has magic.
“Can you make it up to the curing stage right away?”
“Yes. We have plenty of lye, and Black Tree oil is easy to get.”
“Good. Make it for now.”
“Yes, Heir!”
Only then did the soap maker's face brighten.
.
.
I filled boxes with the mixture of Black Tree oil and lye water.
Then loaded them onto wagons.
“Heir, where are you off to now?”
Isaac asked worriedly.
“I need to visit the Gray Mage Tower. Take care of Plain while I'm gone.”
Vampire's Territory.
Gray Mage Tower.
I explained to the Vice Mage Tower Lord what I wanted.
“So, you want it cured quickly.”
“Can you do it?”
The Vice Mage Tower Lord smiled faintly.
“Of course, Heir.”
He brought out a contract.
The top listed my request,
and the bottom specified the mage's fee.
“This much?”
Even at my surprised tone, the Vice Mage Tower Lord remained calm.
“As you know, a mage's time is gold, Heir.”
I'd cut material costs,
now mage fees cropped up.
But it's just for six months' worth anyway...
In six months, I can make soap without mages.
I just need enough to use until then.
Biting back tears, I signed the contract.
“Thank you, Heir.”
For some reason, the “Heir” he tacked onto every sentence sounded like “mark”.
In any case,
magic was amazing.
The six-month curing was done in just three days.
The Vice Mage Tower Lord saw me off at the Gray Mage Tower entrance.
“Please take good care of the next batch when it arrives.”
“I'll cure it perfectly, Heir.”
“Ah, um... you don't have to say 'Heir' at the end every time, Vice Mage Tower Lord.”
“Haha, that wouldn't be polite, Heir.”
With the cured mixture,
I returned to Plain.
City of Plain.
Soap workshop.
“It's fully cured. We can make soap right away now.”
The soap maker got to work.
He'd shown some shortcomings at times,
but when it came to making soap, he was a true expert.
“His eyes are alive.”
We'll need to keep making soap from now on.
For that, we need a soap artisan.
“What's your name? Do you have family?”
He was so focused he didn't hear my question.
Only after spreading the mixture on the floor did he look up.
“What's your name? Do you have family?”
“I'm Klein. I have a wife and three sons.”
“Any other family?”
“My parents passed early, but I have siblings.”
“Eh, siblings don't matter. Want to come to Iron? I'll build you the world's largest soap workshop. Work with me?”
Klein's eyes glazed over.
As expected.
I'd felt it while he made soap—this was his calling.
“The world's largest soap workshop?”
“Yeah. Some cities make special soaps, right? Let's make even better ones. Together.”
A few days later,
Klein and his family left for Iron.
And the soap workshop was left full of the soap he'd made.
I picked one up and held it to my nose.
A fresh fragrance, different from regular soap, tickled my senses.
“Finally complete.”
I had someone distribute soap to the refugee village.
.
.
For the first time in a while, I walked through the refugee village with Isaac.
Unlike before, people were using the soap.
They rubbed their hands with it without hesitation.
“Wow, smell this scent!”
“It really smells great!”
“Washing with soap made my skin so moist.”
The soap didn't just clean.
Thanks to Black Tree's properties, it had good moisturizing too.
That's why it was popular even among women.
“My lord, this is great. Everyone's using the soap well.”
“Yeah... But aren't they using too much?”
“Pardon...?”
“Never mind. Just talking to myself.”
Lately, with tight finances,
the distributions felt skimpy.
Still, how much does that soap cost?
For the next six months, we'd have to use expensive soap.
Only after that could we make cheaper batches.
In that moment, a conversation that soured my mood drifted over.
A woman slapped her cheek and knelt.
“We thank the Goddess of the Earth who bestowed this soap upon us.”
What? Why's the Goddess of the Earth suddenly involved?
Then another woman knelt beside her.
“We thank the Goddess of the Earth who gave the soap recipe to the Heir and allowed us to use it.”
No, the Goddess gave the soap recipe? I've never even heard her voice.
“My lord, the Goddess of the Earth is truly merciful. She let us farm on Monster Island, and when disease spread, she gave us fragrant soap too.”
Isaac, not you too?