134 5.23 Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. Generates Gold Coins in Return

As soon as I had finished my lunch, I hurriedly cleaned up the bento boxes and left it in the terrace to be picked up by the delivery boy of the inn. I soon left to continue my tasks at Hide-sama's house in which I had returned back close to dinner time.

"Phew! 2 houses done, another 2 more to go and that's it, I'm done for the week. I'm going to spend my 2 rest days to manufacture some of the parts for the Seijuro Tumbler and keep the costs down a little. With the broken weapon parts that Hiko-sama had brought back, I could make another 8 more batches of the hangers and brought it back to the real world from the Realm of Mind. "

I thought to myself as I walked back to Hiko-sama's house. As usual, around this time, the arrival of the 4 jars of sake had arrived and normally Hiko-sama would be able to consume 2 jars on his own. Seeing me arrived, he offered me a cup of yumeshu instead of calling it sake.

I accepted it and drank and felt its sweet sourness and a slight hint of liquor in it. It was not at all intoxicating but its fine for an 11-year-old to drink, I suppose. Its yumeshu for chrissake and not the actual sake! Hahaha. How can you let a juvenile consume alcohol!? It would be bad for the image, you know!

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"Sensei, I go and wash up first ok? Then we have supper and I will go and make the hangers in the Realm of Mind later. I would be producing about a hundred hangers later and tie them in a bunch so that we could store at my little bedroom."

"Ah... Okie, no problem, kid. By the way, look at the corner of your room. I had bought an adjustable wooden rack to keep your Odachi and Kodachi together. If you have a katana, the adjustable rack can be made to accommodate it as well. It fits two at the moment, so it's my present for you."

"Eh...a present for me, Sensei? Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!" I exclaimed as I totally had forgotten about the wooden weapons rack.

"Here, take these short linen ropes. This is for you to store 20 coins per rope and tie it at the end. So when you go to the bank, it's easier for them to count and store it for you."

Hiko-sama tossed a pack of 15 short linen ropes to me that's meant to thread through the square holes on the middle of the coins. I gladly accepted it since I was given a huge coin bag from the Blacksmith earlier.

"So when would you be producing the [Purified Iron] for the Blacksmith? It's 5 gold coins per ingot right? Any specific weight or size did the Blacksmith mentioned that day?"

"Yes, Sensei... Its 5 gold coins per piece. He didn't mention the piece but I think it should be the same size as the pig iron plates. Frankly speaking, our metal hangers were all made from [Purified Iron] which had a resistant to rust. Just a wipe down with a dry cloth every time should do it."

"I see... I don't know much about iron because it was the second tier for weapons and armour. The third tier would be steel and it is much costlier than iron but its much more durable, right?"

"That's right, Sensei. Survivability depends on the quality of weapons or armour. Even the highest grade of bronze equipment would still surpass the [Refined Iron] quality. And it depends on the Blacksmith alone. No warriors or adventurers know how to differentiate the grades but an appraiser would be needed if they wanted to trade or sell their weapons or armours."

"Ah...I see. But here, it is seldom to hear warriors exchanging their weapons and armours unless they are totally broken and proved to be useless. There are even warriors who wore a broken breastplate and used a mixture of leather to replace the missing parts."

"Hmm, it's a cheaper alternative... But I definitely won't be able to perform such miracles in making instant weapons and armour. Someone else sure did become a famous forger by the name of BlackFlame but he only exists in the Western Frontier of this world."

"You sure knew about a lot of things, kid. You are such a wonder... Alright off to shower, you smelly little kid. Be right back here after you had done sorting out your coins. We will wait here for our express food delivery from the yatai. Haa... Haa... Haa...! "

It seems Hiko-sama was also looking forward to having his supper outdoors. It would be nice to have some garden furniture so we could sit properly and eat, rather than at the steps of the terrace.

I excused myself and tossed the linen ropes into my bedroom and saw the wooden rack at the foot of my tatami mat. I went into the bathroom and took a quick shower. I was hoping to have a nice soap to accompany my bath soon and the feeling of sweet fragrance that would soon follow.

Yup, the dawn of a new era in showering would soon be coming in the next few chapters. I can't wait to share the experience of making scented oils and then mixing it with soap.

After I had showered, I went to join Hiko-sama at the terrace and at the same time I rummaged through the broken weapon parts. I decided to bring a bucket and place the smaller items into it and placing it in my room. After making several trips I had a pile of broken weapon parts in my room which I intend to smelt them down to make wire strips in the Realm of Mind later.

"I'm done, later I will smelt the pieces to make hanger later. You need not come into the Realm of Mind with me later. It is just an hour of smelting and pouring them into the moulding set. Later on, I would bring the rest of these weapon parts and smelt them down into iron ingots. It would definitely save a lot of time rather than hammering from red hot pig irons."

"Sure, kid. No problem. So... What do you want for dinner and supper? Want to try Okonomiyaki later? It's something new to try and kids seemed to love it."

"Sure, Sensei... That would be for our dinner and from now it's my treat for dinner and supper ok? I have sufficient money now and it would be able to last quite a lifetime.'

'Haa...! Haa...! Haa...! I appreciate it very much kid, thank you so much!" Hiko-sama was grinning widely as dinner and supper would be borne by me.

I went inside the room to extract 1 gold coin to exchange for silver and copper for our meals afterwards.

We sat down on the terrace and engaged in small talk about general things when the yatai sellers start to draw close to our district, selling and calling out their wares.

We bought a stick of Yakitori each with dipping sauce and ate at the terrace of the house. Then came the yakiniku seller and we bought 2 sticks each for supper. Finally, the wait was over for the Okonomiyaki seller had arrived and we ordered 1 each for us and asked for more meat and vegetable fillings. Soon we were munching the Okonomiyaki that was actually the same look like a pizza except there was no crust and it was laid on a rather fluffy soft sweet bun.

I went to make green tea and soon as it was brewed I brought it to the front.

"Sensei, do you think I would be nice to have outdoor furniture so we can sit outside and eat underneath a gazebo or open air instead? At least we won't be perched here on the terrace every time we eat or bento or dinner and supper."

"That's a good idea, kid. Since there's two of us and my Comrades also could sine comfortably outside. With the jars of sake... I mean yumeshu in the dining area, we have to move to the living area and terrace to eat. Maybe some tree trunks could serve as seats and a large table top on a tree trunk would also do fine. Any ideas on the design?"

"We could use small pebbles to use as a decorative part of the round table surface. And fill it with resin and once dry we can sand it off to make it smooth. It's simple and practical. We won't be able to find forest trees with a diameter of 1 meter to make the table top, right?"

"That's a rather swell idea, I will go to the local carpentry and see what they have."

"In that case, could we split the costs in 2? So it won't be so much of a burden for you."

"Ah... Another splendid suggestion there, kid. No problem, tomorrow I will go and hunt for such furniture. You want to come along tomorrow morning?"

"Sure, Sensei. I'd come along with you and look at what they have. Sensei, could I ask you something about pottery?"

"Sure, fire away, kid. Ask anything that you need."

"Do you have any pottery in your collection that you don't really need that you could drill some holes underneath and make a flower base instead? I intend to put on each end of this terrace and at least the sweet smell of flowers during the next season would be very welcoming and also beautify the place."

"I have quite a number of pottery that was unlacquered and also the very few pieces that I first made them. They were plain and was etched by making grooves on them instead of any intricate drawings. Come with me and I show you."

Hiko-sama gestured me into his personal room and lit up the oil lantern in there. He pointed to a few pottery pieces and I thought it would be great to turn them into flower pots during the next season. Now is to get the compost soil and then plant some lion head or normal jasmines at the front of the house.

It may look feminine but it would improve the zen of the house instead. By adding living forms in front of the house, it would bring positive aura to the household.

"I'd like to take these two but leave it here first before I get the jasmine plants, ok Sensei?"

"Fine with me, so you intend to grow jasmine inside it?"

"Yes, Sensei. The smell of jasmine in the late evening and early mornings would be very nice."

"Oh, earlier you mention that you wanted to have another project that targets the women here in Kitakata, right?"

Hiko-sama asked as we walked back to the terrace after he had extinguished the oil lantern in the small room.

"Yes, Sensei. I asked about perfumes and body soap known as bodiroshon if its in liquid form. The perfumes cost about 2 gold coins and the scented soap known as Kao was around 1 gold coin. It is very expensive for commoners to buy. If we could manufacture these, then we can sell it at a very low price that women would intend to buy at least one for each scent. It is cheap to manufacture and a few drops of the perfume would do it. I intend to make lavender, lilac, jasmine and Rose scented perfumes first."

I explained to Hiko-sama about the process to make the perfumes and then to make the soap. This will be made in bulk in the Realm of Mind as it would generate side income and it could be distributed to some of the neighbours here through word of mouth.

Hiko-sama's eyes glinted with anticipation as he thought of women patronising his house to buy this scented bodiroshon for their baths and definitely, it would be a hit.

"So what do you need? I could help you out indefinitely."

"Well, I need a small barrel of olive oil and a small barrel of unscented coconut oil. Then I need about a barrel of lye. These will be placed in my room and I will bring it to the Realm of Mind once the products are there. Also, I need about a basket of flowers each that I had mentioned. Let me know the price for everything and I will bear them totally."

"Considered it done, kid. Tomorrow I will go to the carpentry and at the same time, I will look for the sellers for the olive and coconut oil and lye and have it delivered to the house immediately. Also for the 4 kinds of flowers in 4 large baskets, right?"

"That's right, Sensei. One day we might even need a small shed to perform our work because it would be a hassle if we need to bring it up and down the house. A house is a place to live in and not to set up as a workshop, do you agree with me, Sensei?"

"True... True... True... What you said I can't disagree with it. At the meantime, we just concentrate on your current project of making the hangers first. Let the yumeshu accompany me first as you set out your tasks of making a hundred hangers."

I nodded and I went into my bedroom where 2 buckets filled with weapon parts were waiting for me. I soon went into my meditative state and visualised 10 moulding sets with 10 5 millimetres strips grooved into each one of them. Then I visualise a small dipping tool to take the contents of the molten metal so I could slowly fill in the grooves.

As soon as I entered my Realm of Mind, I saw the Blacksmithing tools and the 10 moulding sets before me. They were set at an angle so I could pour the molten contents from the edge and it will slowly fill up the gaps. Excess molten metal will be collected at the end of the groove that could be easily snapped off and thrown inside the smelting pot again.

I soon started to get to work and pumped the bellows until the coals were red hot. Then I placed the large smelting pot in the centre and buried it midway. I dropped in the whole bucket of broken weapon parts that had been wiped down to prevent any impurities from mixing.

I pumped the bellows and channelled the heat of the furnace as I took each breath the same time as I pumped the bellows. The pieces of metal soon melted inside the smelting pot and turned into a mass of boiling and gurgling Molten lava of metal. As this time I used my channelling powers, the molten metal gleamed with higher quality.

Once everything was melted down, I took the small dipping scoop and took a small portion of molten metal and poured at the top of the grooves as it slowly streamed and sizzled down the grooves. I repeated a hundred times and scooped the molten lava until I had filled up the 100 grooves.

Since there was a half balance of molten metal left, I decided to make ingot plates instead and I visualise a mould with at least 5 equally size depth for an ingot plate.

It measured 3 centimetres by 5 centimetres and a depth of 3 centimetres. This would be an ideal size of an iron ingot. I visualised 10 of these moulds and soon I would be able to make 50 pieces of such plates.

I soon poured the balance of the molten metal inside the moulds and filled it up on a flat surface. I had made about 35 iron plates and that would be sufficient for the moment. Since it would take 3 hours in the Realm of Mind equivalent to 1 hour in the real world, I decided to log off from my meditative state and return.

As soon as I had returned, I walked out of the room and went to fetch some more weapon parts.

"Wow...! Are you done already? Topping up more weapon parts, it seemed. Did you run out of supplies? It's not even an hour had passed and you're returning there?"

"Yes, Sensei. I'm going to finish up my tasks first and then come back to rest and have supper. See you in about an hour."

With that, I carried one bucket full of weapon parts back to my room and entered my Realm of Mind once again and repeated the process to melt these useless metal into iron plates. Once I had melted the metal and poured out the rest, I still had a balance of molten metal and I visualise a couple of plates mould and poured every single drop. A total of 60 metal plates and 100 metal wires were ready to be cooked and collected after an hour in the real world.

I soon logged off from my meditative state and returned with the buckets to the terrace. I discovered that I had only used a quarter of the weapon parts from the hand cart.

"Sensei... Could you do us another favour?" I used the term us since we both are contributing to our projects somehow.

"Sure, what is it?" said Hiko-sama as he was fully immersed in doing this trade.

"After you had gone to the carpentry and also the marketplace to purchase those bodiroshon ingredients, could you visit the Blacksmith and informed him to prepare 300 gold coins as I've prepared 60 pieces of [Refined Iron] for him, priced at 5 gold coins each?

Hiko-sama's eyes widened as I mentioned 300 gold coins and 60 pieces of [Refined Iron] and he can't help but open his jaws upon hearing it.

"300 GOLD COINS!!! That's the total earnings of close to 3 years of service in the samurai shogunate! And this kid alone manages to earn this within an hours work in the Realm of Mind!! That is super mind-blowing and hard to ingest by someone who does not know about this Realm of Mind! 300 GOLD COINS!!! Using a quarter of scrap weapon parts! "

Hiko-sama was so shocked that he was lost for words and the cup of yumeshu he was holding suddenly fell to the floor.

"Sensei, are you alright? Is everything OK? You are not feeling drunk aren't you?"

"Errr... No... No... I am feeling alright. Do you know how much is 300 gold coins? It is like you have to work daily for 3 years before you can collect this amount. Even when I retired from the shogunate, I only got about 360 gold coins and no further for my compensation. But you... Turning these useless scraps and into gold coins is truly unfathomable and I really salute you, kid."

"Alright ...Phew! 300 gold coins you say, right? Don't worry, I'd inform the Blacksmith tomorrow. He would be better be borrowing money elsewhere if he does not have that amount in his savings. But he could be seeking it higher for a profit for each iron plates, right?"

"Yes, Sensei. 300 gold coins for 60 pieces of [Refined Iron] plates at a value of 97% purity. Ask him if he wanted to get his hands on the [Purified Iron] at 99% purity at a price of 15 gold coins each. Tell him, he would have to accept 3 batches of 60 [Refined Iron] plates first before he gets his hands on the [Purified Iron] plates."

"In short, the Blacksmith would spend 900 gold coins first before he gets his hands on the 1st batch of [Purified Iron] at 15 gold coins for 60 pieces that would come exactly o e month after his last purchase. This would give him time to forge as many weapons and armours and sell them off for a profit or simply sells those plates as a profit as well."

"Whatever he does, it is up to him. We don't want to put up control on these prices, so let him be. He knows the quality of the [Refined Iron] so what he wishes to do is up to him. Thanks to you I've got 200 gold coins just by showing up and hammering on a piece of pig iron that became a [Refined Iron] there and then."

"Alright kid, I'd see to it and he will prepare his 300 gold coins for this purchase and another 600 for the upcoming 120 pieces of [Refined Iron] plates."

"Please excuse me, Sensei... I would like to take my rest before I take a few of this wonderful yumeshu. If you don't mind, Sensei, could you fill my cup?"

Hiko-sama laughed as he poured me another cup and I soon gulped it down. Taking a few hits of yumeshu this fast surely gave me a slight buzzing feeling as I walked to my bedroom and laid my weary body on the Takamura. Soon after I drifted off to dreamless slumber.