Chapter 176 Glass
AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
If the Magic Association knew that his territory gathered so many "traitors" and "heretics," it would be a miracle if they didn't cause him trouble; establishing a branch was simply a pipe dream.
Walter nodded with great certainty.
"Very much so. Paper of this quality is enough to make any mage conducting research and requiring frequent writing tempted."
"Right?" Roger's eyes flashed with a merchant's shrewdness.
"I can provide paper to the Magic Association at cost. In return, they have to sell me magic materials and equipment at a discounted price."
If the Magic Association disagreed, he would sell it at a high price to make up for the difference.
And paper wasn't his only trump card.
Roger sent for the heads of the paper mill and the glass workshop.
The head of the glass workshop was Finger, who previously worked at a glass workshop in Valencia Imperial Capital. He offended a supervisor and was kicked out, nearly starving to death in the slums.
"My Lord, these are the glass bottles newly produced yesterday."
Taking the glass bottle Finger handed over, Roger frowned.
The inside of the glass was still full of dense bubbles, and its transparency was worrying.
"Has the bubble problem still not been solved?"
Finger awkwardly rubbed his hands. "My Lord, this is a problem that no glass workshop on the entire continent has been able to solve."
But glass on Earth had already solved the bubble problem long before automated production was achieved.
This shouldn't be an insurmountable technological gap, but rather a missing step in the process or a blind spot in understanding.
"Sit down. Tell me the production process in detail, don't miss a single step."
Finger sat down, flattered, and carefully explained each step.
"Reporting to My Lord, it mainly involves mixing quartz sand, soda ash, and limestone, placing them in a crucible kiln for high-temperature smelting. Once they melt into glass liquid, they are taken out with a blowpipe for shaping…"
Roger listened to the process, which was largely similar to the traditional glass-making techniques he knew from Earth, and suddenly caught the key point.
"Do the bubbles start forming when it melts into glass liquid?"
"Yes, My Lord."
Finger nodded, sounding very helpless. "Many bubbles are generated during smelting. We've tried extending the smelting time or adding some other minerals, but the results were not ideal."
"After the glass liquid melts, have you ever tried stirring it?"
Finger froze for a moment, looking puzzled. "My Lord, stirring the molten liquid? The liquid is so hot that even an iron rod would melt."
"Iron rods don't melt instantly. You can prepare several, use them in rotation. When one turns red, switch to another, and use the cooled one again. Try this method on a small scale first and see the effect."
Seeing that his Lord was so insistent, and had even considered specific operating methods and cost implications, Finger's doubts largely dissipated. "Yes, My Lord! I'll go try it now."
"Good, as soon as possible."
Mages have extremely high requirements for the purity and transparency of experimental vessels.
Currently, all glass on the market contains bubbles and impurities without exception, seriously affecting observation and experimental accuracy.
High-quality transparent crystal, on the other hand, is extremely expensive and simply cannot meet the daily large-scale experimental consumption of mages.
If they could stably produce pure, transparent, bubble-free, high-quality glass and make experimental vessels of various specifications, this would be an even more powerful and irresistible temptation than paper!
"Test it out as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, My Lord, it can be made tonight."
Finger patted his chest in assurance, then hurried away.
Roger looked at Kyle, who was standing by, having already noticed his impatient demeanor.
"What about you? What good things do you have to show me?"
"My Lord, look!" Kyle eagerly pulled out a stack of paper.
Roger took it, and the sensation at his fingertips made him raise an eyebrow slightly.
"Hmm?"
This paper was delicate and smooth, with excellent toughness. Compared to the paper produced a while ago, its quality was a world apart.
Kyle excitedly explained. "My Lord, we found a new type of tree! Its fibers have excellent toughness and are easier to separate and bleach! We used this tree, along with adjusted pulping and pressing processes, and this is the finished product!"
Roger carefully felt the texture of the paper, then held it up to the light to check its uniformity, nodding with satisfaction.
If the Elven race's "moonlight笺" scored 100 points, their previous batch of paper could at most score 75 points, while this new batch of paper in his hand could score at least 90 points!
"Is the tree you found abundant or scarce?"
If this type of tree was rare, they would first have to find a way to breed and propagate it.
"My Lord, this tree is common in the forest to the east."
Excellent!
Thus, its cost was far lower than "moonlight笺," which relied on magic and specific plants, making it more cost-effective.
Kyle excitedly suggested. "My Lord, should we immediately expand the production of this paper?"
Roger thought for a moment, then shook his head. "If it becomes too common, it won't be valuable."
He picked up the high-quality paper, rubbing it between his fingertips, and slowly said, "Scarcity creates value. We need to control production and make it a luxury item that only a few can afford."
Seeing Kyle's blank expression, clearly not fully grasping the concept of "luxury item," Roger couldn't help but smile.
If this paper could be easily bought, it would only sell for the price of ordinary paper.
But if production was strictly controlled and sold only to the wealthiest and most powerful nobles and mages, its value would multiply several times over.
An A4-sized "moonlight笺" costs 1000 crystal coins, so even if this paper was priced at 900 crystal coins, it would sell out instantly.
He decided to designate this new paper as the highest quality 'Grade 1 paper,' exclusively for royal families, great nobles, and top mages of various countries.
The previous batch of paper was designated 'Grade 2 paper,' aimed at wealthy merchants and ordinary nobles.
The next quality down was designated 'Grade 3 paper,' supplied to the common people.
Although its quality was not as good as the former two, those who couldn't afford expensive parchment would become loyal customers of "Grade 3 paper."
Thus, they could monopolize the entire continent's paper market.
From the powerful at the top of the pyramid to the commoners at the bottom, every class with writing needs would be their customer!
"You've worked hard. Everyone in the paper mill, your salaries will be tripled this month."
Upon hearing this, Kyle's face flushed with excitement. "Thank you, My Lord! I thank you for your generosity on behalf of everyone in the workshop!"
"You deserve it."
Roger waved his hand.
"As long as you work hard, you will be rewarded. Go, tell everyone the good news, and then quickly implement the tiered production. For now, the production ratio will be 2:3:5."
"Yes, My Lord!"
Kyle's voice was loud, filled with enthusiasm, as he turned and hurried away, ready to convey the good news to everyone in the workshop.