Chapter 213.2 - Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (2/4)
Chapter 213: Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (2/4)
The next thing I took out wasn’t something I was hoping to sell, but a vase that the feudal lord gave me as thanks.
From the attitude of the clerks who helped me pack it and take custody of it, it seemed to be really valuable.
I was planning on decorating the store with it, but before I proceeded with that, I want to know its actual value.
When I told Serge-san that and asked him about it…
“T-This is…” [Serge]
The moment Serge-san opened the box, his expression became solemn, and he hurriedly took out a pair of white gloves from his chest, and then carefully unpacked the vase.
The unpacked vase gently placed onto his desk was tinged with blue and had a brightly colored image drawn onto it.
It looked fairly impressive as far as vases went, but…
“Mu…” [Serge]
“Is this vase really that amazing?” [Ryouma]
“This blue texture and this brightly colored decorative feature… This is most likely an artifact from an ancient ruins.” [Serge]
“Ancient Ruins? What is that?” [Ryouma]
“It refers to the ruins of an ancient civilization said to possess advanced technology. They are rarely found throughout the world, but I believe one was found in Fatma Territory a long time ago.
So not only does this vase look expensive, its method of production is no longer actually being passed down, and as such can no longer be made in this age. It is extremely rare to find jars like this retain its shape perfectly. Historically speaking, this is without a doubt a treasure. I’m not confident I could put a price on something like this. If you really need to know its value, you would need to request an expert’s help.” [Serge]
“But why would the lord of the Fatma Territory give me something like this?” [Ryouma]
“I couldn’t possibly know that. But if he gave it to you as compensation for a job you did for him, then perhaps you simply did a work that necessitated that much compensation? Exactly what did you offer to Fatma’s lord?” [Serge]
But I didn’t tell him anything about those pearls or those shellfishes…
All I did was clean his hot spring for him and teach him how to prepare the poisonous fishes. When I told Serge-san that…
“I see. The Count of Fatma is known to be a gourmet and is well connected with people of similar interests. He was probably itching for news of new cuisines and was confident enough to be able to make use of such knowledge well. That dish called Gyoza could be the start to a favorable economic flow, and if his territory were to benefit from that in the next few decades, then… Gifting you a vase like this makes perfect sense.” [Serge]
I see… But if this vase is so prized, then I should prepare a special protective case for it before putting it up on display.
“Alright then, next up are my slime products.” [Ryouma]
“Ah, new slime products. Those do indeed make one curious.” [Serge]
The first thing I brought out was the acidic sticky liquid I used in the hot springs.
I also lined up a spool of thread beside it.
Serge-san’s eyes were visibly taken in by the threads.
“This acidic sticky liquid is formed by mixing the sticky slime’s sticky liquid with the acid slime’s acid. One needs to take care when using it, but it can be used to do away with filth weak to acid. For example, it could be used to rid of the yellow tint in toilets.” [Ryouma]
“Normal households would likely want to buy that product too, but I think the biggest demand for it will come from the inns. The actual demand will likely depend on what you mean by ‘taking care of when using it’. By the way, this thread is? It clearly looks different from the sticky slime’s thread.” [Serge]
As expected from Serge-san, he’s more interested in the thread rather than the acidic sticky liquid.
“This is a thread made by a slime that evolved just a few days ago along the way back from Fatma Territory.” [Ryouma]
“Ho ho, may I ask what kind of slime this is?” [Serge]
The slime that evolved was the sticky slime that ate nets. It evolved into Fiber Slime.
Based on the name, it seems that it wasn’t really the net it wanted to eat but the fiber that it was made from.
That sticky slime has always been particularly good at spitting out threads and was often tasked with making threads to sell wholesale to the Morgan Company. Perhaps that had something to do with it too. Upon evolving, it learned a new skill called ‘Fibrification’.
“With this Fibrification skill, the slime can take in a material into his body and dissolve it, then spit it back out as a thread-like material.” [Ryouma]
When I realized what this skill did, I was immediately reminded of the Rayon from my previous life.
Rayon is a regenerated fiber made through a method called Wet Spinning, where cellulose – the main component of plants – is dissolved in an alkaline chemical and spun in acid. Because it was made to imitate silk, it is also known as artificial silk.
The fiber slime didn’t use chemicals to realize its fibrification skill, but the process was similar to the production method of Rayon.
As soon as I realized that, I gave the fiber slime cellulose. There was also something on my mind regarding the production of the acidic sticky liquid, so to test it, I handed it the fluff slime’s fluff to serve as the cellulose, and the result was a 100% slime-made thread, this thread.
“I call it Slime Rayon! I only have one fiber slime right now, so I can’t mass produce it yet, but the only ingredients needed to produce it is the fluff slime’s fluff, so if needed I could give them a fertilizer to increase production. The ingredients will probably never be an issue. What do you think?” [Ryouma]