Chapter 141 - 140: Firing the First Batch of Porcelain

Leia had barely slept well for the past month. She had spent almost every spare moment she could find weaving the silk scarf.

Although Ronin had said it wouldn’t matter even if she couldn’t finish it.

But as a servant, Leia believed it would be a dereliction of her duty if she failed to complete it and disappointed her Lord.

It was her first time handling a special thread like silk, but fortunately, she could draw upon her years of experience weaving woolen cloth and linen. During the first half of the month, she had already finished spinning the silk into thread and dyeing it.

She spent most of the latter half of the month weaving the cloth. Though the thread snapped countless times due to her inexperience, she grew more and more skilled as she went on.

Finally, on the ninth, she finished weaving the first piece of silk cloth.

The appearance of this pale blue cloth was of great significance to Ronin, and he came to inspect it in person.

It was extremely light and soft to the touch, feeling comfortable and gentle against the skin when held in his hand. Holding it to his nose, he could feel its excellent breathability and smoothness—a completely different sensation from woolen cloth.

From this first impression alone, he knew that silk would also be a high-end product in this world.

Now that she had the cloth, making the scarf was much simpler for Leia. She would definitely be able to finish it before Ronin left for Wushan Castle on the fourteenth.

At this moment, inside the tailor shop in Mountain Forest Castle’s Outer Fortress, Leia was busy at work while Tom ate his lunch to the side.

He had habitually taken off his mask at home.

"Mother, in two days, I’m going with the Lord and Guard Officer Macken to Wushan Castle to celebrate Marquis Lurans’s birthday. I heard from George and the others that Wushan Castle is incredibly luxurious. I can’t believe I’ll get to go inside!"

The last time, Wodun and George had accompanied Ronin to Wushan Castle. When they returned, they couldn’t stop talking about how delicious the food was and how magnificent the scenery was, making Tom yearn to go.

"Then you must cherish this opportunity and serve the Lord well on the journey!"

Leia glanced at her son, her hands never stopping their work. "Lord Ronin is a good Lord. If we follow him, we can all live good lives."

"Of course!"

Tom was absolutely certain of it. "It’s just that I won’t be able to spend the annual festival with you this year."

"That’s a small matter."

Leia wasn’t concerned in the slightest. "I know many people in the castle, and the Lord even assigned me three apprentices. You don’t need to worry about me. Just do your best to complete the tasks the Lord gives you."

As she spoke, she picked up the nearly finished scarf and examined it carefully under the light, marveling inwardly at this type of thread.

"Ever since the Lord came to Mountain Forest Town, the roads have become clean, people no longer freeze to death in winter, farming has gotten easier, and even the vegetable yields have increased this year..."

"And this magical thread the Lord discovered... His vision, ability, and profound knowledge are all so far beyond our reach!"

Leia looked at her son seriously and emphasized again, "Tom, you must follow Lord Ronin closely!"

"I know, I know. You’ve already said that three or four times in just a short while."

Tom said with a smile, "Actually, it’s not just me. All the Transcendents are unswervingly loyal to Lord Ronin!"

In fact, there were many people like Tom and his mother.

Every single one of the castle servants and their families sang the praises of their Lord’s virtues.

Mountain Forest Town wasn’t very large, after all. With so much praise, combined with the real changes Ronin had brought to the town, the people’s admiration for him grew ever stronger.

This change was subtle, and Ronin himself didn’t feel it deeply. He was just following his own instincts.

At that moment, he was in the porcelain workshop with Potter Jim, firing the first kiln of porcelain.

Inside the porcelain kiln, flames leaped, intense and dazzling.

They surged within the chamber, gradually raising the temperature higher and higher.

The glazed porcelain blanks had already been placed in the kiln chamber. As the temperature rose, their surfaces began to undergo a heaven-and-earth-shattering transformation.

It was everyone’s first time firing porcelain; no one had any experience.

All Ronin and the others could do was throw in more firewood and prepared charcoal whenever the fire dwindled, maintaining the combustion atmosphere inside the kiln.

The firing lasted for more than ten hours. After several more hours of cooling, it wasn’t until the evening of the next day that it was time to open the kiln.

To witness the birth of the porcelain with his own eyes, Ronin opened the kiln door himself. A faint wave of heat still washed over him.

The porcelain bowls, tempered by fierce flames, now lay quietly in the kiln chamber.

When Ronin saw the mirror-smooth surfaces, a brilliant smile spread across his face. The luster was very similar to what he remembered.

"Lord, how is it?"

Jim and his three apprentices, standing to the side, were also anxious to know the result. Their eyes were bloodshot; to prevent any mishaps, the three of them had barely slept.

Ronin reached in and took out one of the porcelain bowls. Jim and the others held their breath.

’So this is the porcelain the Lord spoke of?’

’Just from its appearance, it’s far more advanced than ordinary pottery.’

Pottery was generally simple, coarse, and rustic, but the porcelain now held in the Lord’s hand was so smooth and exquisite, like sparkling crystal.

’Did it work?’

Ronin turned the porcelain bowl around in his hand, and the smile on his face stiffened.

On the back of the bowl, there was an area that was not fully fired. The glaze was dull and the structure was raw—it was clearly a defective product.

Ronin handed the porcelain bowl to Jim and then took out the remaining ones from the kiln chamber. They all showed signs of being underfired.

So, overall, this firing was a failure.

’It’s really not that simple, is it?’

Jim and the others examined the porcelain bowl closely. Although they were still inwardly amazed by the bowl’s beauty, they could also see that their Lord was not very satisfied with the result.

Finally, Jim mustered the courage to ask, "Lord, did it fail?"

Ronin pondered for a moment. Seeing everyone’s solemn expressions, he realized he had made things too serious. He smiled to lighten the mood.

"While today’s firing wasn’t a complete success, we can’t call it a failure either. We’re most of the way there. Now we just need to keep trying and improving."

Ronin pointed to the unfired spot on the bowl and said, "I suspect the problem was that the kiln temperature wasn’t high enough."

He circled the kiln, examining it from all sides.

"We need to improve the kiln. First, we must fire bricks and use them for construction. We can’t keep using mud blocks. Then, when we build it, we need a thicker insulation layer to reduce heat loss."

"Second, we need to add a grate in the firebox to hold up the wood. This will allow for ventilation underneath, increasing airflow and improving the fuel’s combustion efficiency."

Although Jim and the others didn’t understand many of the terms Ronin used, they could fully comprehend the Lord’s objective from the context: to raise the temperature inside the kiln.

"You know so much, my Lord," they couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Even though Jim was a proper potter, his knowledge was nothing compared to Ronin’s. In front of Ronin, he was like an apprentice.

Ronin laughed. "Knowing a lot doesn’t mean you can do it. The work of exploration and experimentation still falls to you. Although we failed this time, as long as we learn from the experience, success will come one day."

As he spoke, he patted Jim’s shoulder. "I’ll be leaving soon, so I’m putting you in charge of firing the porcelain. Don’t worry about using up the kaolin and other materials. Use what you need; it’s okay even if some is wasted."

Jim felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. The pressure was immense, but he also knew this was an opportunity.

"Rest assured, my Lord. I will do everything in my power to live up to your expectations!"