Chapter 56 Blood from the gums
On the day of the birthday party.
Mrs. Ingrid sponsored Russell with one hundred gold coins for the improvement of reading glasses, so Russell planned to complete the work as soon as possible.
After inspecting the windmill, he sent the knight's retinue to invite the jeweler from the lamp shop, who happened to be brought over.
"Mondis greets you, Lord Russell." The gemmaker's legs were shaking a little. He was brought here on horseback, and it was the first time in his life that he was jolted on a horse.
"Hello, Mendis." Russell said gently, "Do you know why I came to you?"
"Lord Russell, please give me your instructions."
"It's about the two pieces of white crystal I asked you to polish before. After polishing them into single-lens reading glasses, my grandmother liked them very much."
"Ah, Mrs. Ingrid, do you like it? That, that is really my honor!" Mendis was very excited.
"But there are some deviations between the two single photos, so now I want to make glasses that are more suitable for presbyopia." Russell said, "I am very satisfied with your craftsmanship, so I plan to entrust you with the next work of polishing the lenses."
In fact, Russell wanted to recruit Mendis to work alone for him.
He had great ambitions to study glassmaking and create more, richer and more exquisite glass products.
However, reality does not allow it.
It is not a financial issue or a technical issue, but an energy issue.
As we all know, metals and gems come from dragons and wyverns, but in fact, energy also comes from wyverns. The burning coal and oil are all minerals that breed wyverns, and they need to be transported from other places to ensure the supply of the Youguang River Valley.
Every year, Baron Roman clears the trade roads in the snowfields to facilitate the caravans to transport large amounts of coal in from other places.
Unfortunately, firing clay into ceramics requires large amounts of coal.
Therefore, it was impossible for Russell to get extra coal, but how could he make glass without coal? This was his Achilles' heel.
We can't cut down all the trees in the territory and burn them into charcoal.
If you can't make glass yourself, you can only buy it from other places, buy a batch of low-quality glass with a lot of impurities and bubbles, and use this low-quality glass to create the desired glass products.
Not to mention the cost issue, the business constraints alone were enough to make the plan abort.
"The most important thing is patent protection. There is no patent protection in this world... I have worked hard to create glasses, telescopes, and microscopes, and others can easily imitate them later... Only if I can make glass can I be qualified to participate in the competition. "
so.
He didn't plan to delve into glass products until he picked up a wyvern that could produce coal and the like.
Invite Mendis to come over to make extra money and help you build a few pairs of reading glasses suitable for your grandmother. All you need to do is successfully settle the research funds.
"Buy more white crystals and spend thirty gold coins, and you should be able to make a pair of qualified reading glasses for grandma... As for the remaining seventy gold coins, just think of it as grandma's sponsorship of science. ." Russell thought.
It must be said that Mrs. Ingrid is quite generous and can give away a hundred gold coins with a wave of her hand.
It is equivalent to the crop output of the Black-rumped Snake Manor in several years - except for the magic potion.
After Russell was entrusted, the number of gold coins given to him by Fluorescent Castle was only fifty, and this already meant that the baron and his wife were very generous.
A serf family of three might only need ten silver coins to eat, drink, and have sex for a year.
In the Grand Duchy of Shadowflame, one gold coin is fixedly exchanged for one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin is fixedly exchanged for one hundred copper plates - metals are produced by dragons, so there is no need to worry about bad coins driving out good coins, and the monetary system has been operating steadily for thousands of years. .
Anyway.
Mendis readily accepted Russell's commission and used his spare time in the lighting store to build new reading glasses for Russell.
"When I purchase enough white crystal, you polish the white crystal into rough lenses, then follow me to Dafeng Manor, where I will measure and calibrate it myself, and then polish it on the spot." Russell arranged everything.
It’s just a pair of reading glasses, with little technical content. What is needed is the skill of a gemstone craftsman.
"As you wish, Lord Russell."
"Then it's settled."
…
Send Mendis away.
In the evening, another unexpected guest came to the manor's courtyard.
"Katie has met the adults." The person who came was none other than the older sister of the Wildcat sisters, still dressed in a black tights.
"You're welcome, let's have a cup of hot tea first." Russell has been keeping in touch with the wildcat sisters during this period, with Kevin, the golden and silver wolf dog, passing the message. But after all, it is just a phantom beast, and it is impossible to convey too complex information.
After taking a sip of hot water, Katie reported: "Catherine and I have successfully joined Lone Wolf Lisbon's team."
"Very good. He's not suspicious, right?"
"No, this person has...forgot about himself, sir." Katie shook her head and said, "His behavior in the Xiangshui River Cave became more and more arrogant, and he even had a friction with the Savage Cave, causing several quarrels. A life.”
Savage Cave is a cave in Crooked Blade Mountain, where hundreds of free people also live.
"If a dragon wants to destroy a person, it first makes him crazy." Russell used a famous saying on the earth.
"Yes." Katie agreed very much, and then said, "There is also good news, sir, the news that there is a mushroom bug in Lisbon has been confirmed, it is true!"
"Oh, what kind of mushroom bug is it?"
"Bloodtooth."
"Bloody Tooth Fungus?" Russell had never heard of it.
"Yes, that's what Lisbon called the mushrooms he grew. He crushed the blood-tooth fungus and made it into a bloody plaster called gum blood. After Catherine and I joined him, we were given gum blood."
After a pause, Katie said, "But I don't know where the blood-tooth fungus is. It seems that only Lisbon knows it. He accidentally let the name 'blood-tooth fungus' slip."
Russell nodded.
He must get the blood-tooth fungus and gum blood.
He thought for a while and ordered, "Katie, you and Catherine continue to follow Lisbon and lead him out as soon as possible... Of course, you sisters must be careful. After killing Lisbon and integrating the Xiangshui River Cave, you can walk in the manor openly."
"We sisters are always looking forward to that day, my lord." Katie smiled slightly, full of expectation.
"Besides being busy with the Savage Cave, has Lisbon done anything else recently?" Charles asked from the side, "Did he make any comments about the Lord's easy encirclement of the group of snow ghosts, or what does he think of the Lord?"
"Lisbon seems to consciously ignore the Lord, but occasionally, when I deliberately mention the Lord, I can see the jealousy in Lisbon's eyes."
"Jealous of the Lord? That's normal." Charles laughed, "The Lord is young and handsome, a graceful nobleman, and he is just a fat rat struggling in the cave. He got a mushroom worm by chance, but it was just a momentary negligence of the dragon. Sooner or later, it will return to the Lord's hands."
Katie echoed, "That's true."
Russell smiled calmly, "Having said that, we still have to pay attention to Lisbon. Katie, I hope you sisters will be more cautious in your plans. Compared with the little profit from the Xiangshui River Cave, you sisters are more important to me."
"Lord!" Katie's eyes were misty. Although she knew that Russell was just talking nice words, she was still moved.
After all.
A kind word warms you through the winter.