Chapter 121 Making Soap

Valeria was unexpectedly a lot more capable than Ethan had expected. When he first bought her in the slave market, that was only because he could see that she was somewhat different from the rest.

Even in a difficult situation, she was a quick thinker, was fast to make decisions to attract his attention, paid attention to her surroundings, and did not hesitate to take critical risks. These were all the capabilities that Ethan was looking for in someone who could supervise all the workers and work on a ground level for his company.

This is why Ethan had paid a hefty amount for her. And she did not disappoint at all.

After Ethan bought her, he sent her to the outskirts of Adenberd where all the people he had bought from the slave trader were kept. He had then ordered her to get to know everyone around her and help the place gain their trust. After that, her next task was to determine the capabilities and qualities of all the slaves.

And the result of all that was in front of him. Inside the workshop at the manufacturing compound, about a hundred people were standing in front of Ethan. All of them were men and women with sturdy physiques and resolute, determined demeanors. The burly man from before was also one of them.

All the people were looking at Ethan with anxiety and anticipation. Ethan had told them that they were going to make something new.

Gerrick had been with Ethan the whole time. He too was rather surprised seeing all the slaves, he looked forward to what Ethan was going to do. While at the same time, he felt immensely gratified towards Ethan who had bought his drawing company and saved him from a catastrophe.

"Young Master, so how do we make this soap?" Gerrick asked the question that everyone had been wanting to ask.

"Let's begin!" Ethan said as he gave Albert a look.

Inviting the workers with him, Ethan moved where a large pot and other containers were kept in the workshop.

It was a very large pot, several large containers, a large supply of water, a long stick for stirring, and a mold.

As Ethan gestured, the clothes from over the containers were removed, revealing the ingredients inside.

"First, I will introduce the ingredients necessary to make a soap." Ethan began as he moved to the first pot.

"This is olive oil, one of the key ingredients. Then there is animal fat, we can use any animal's fat it doesn't matter. Then we need Iye, which is made by mixing water into the ashes of hardwood trees and allowing it to sit for several days until it has become a solution. This solution should then be filtered to remove impurities." Ethan said.

"The next step is to melt the oil or fat in the pot. Once it's done, we take the oil or fat mixture and the Iye and mix them properly while stirring it constantly. This is a strenuous and very important task. Then we add a remedy of certain herbs for health, and flowers for the scent into the mixture, and then pour it into the mold. Understood?"

Everyone nodded their heads understanding the procedure carefully, not even daring to blink. Gerrick was a bit doubtful as he had never heard of such a procedure before however, as a merchant, he was looking forward to making something new.

"The concoction then will be kept in the mold for several days for it to be cooled and hardened. After it's hardened and cooled off, we take it out of the mold and cut it into small bars. Then these bars will be left for weeks so that the excess Iye and oil are removed and the soap is milder. And finally, it will be finished."

"It's a long process…" Gerrick muttered dumbfounded.

"Yes, it can take up to half a month. Hard work and dedication will be needed and most of all, this process should not be leaked at any cost. If I find that anyone has betrayed my trust, then do not blame me for being ruthless."  Ethan said in a stern voice as he narrowed his eyes.

The workers bowed deeply hearing this as they all said in unison, "Master, Trust us! We will not betray even at the cost of death!"

"Master, we are not afraid of hard work either. We have suffered a lot more strain as slaves. This is nothing!" The burly man said.

With a smile, Ethan asked, "I trust you all, what is your name?"

"Brock, My Lord!" the burly man replied as he slapped his chest with a smile on his face.

"Good, now then, let us take this step forward and begin!" Ethan declared enthusiastically.

Immediately, everyone sprung into action and began making the soap with Ethan's guidance and supervision.

For the first batch, since it was a trial batch, Ethan only decided to create a bit of soap to show everyone the process and have them get some experience. He implored everyone to pay attention and learn quickly to the best of their ability.

Especially, he asked Valeria and Brock to learn the process very keenly.

As per the procedure, the melting of oil began first as the Iye solution was already available since Ethan had made preparations beforehand.

A large fire was ignited in a secure setting and the olive oil was poured into the pot on the fire. As the steam and fumes began were created, Ethan ordered everyone to secure their eyes and nose with a filtering cloth. The cloth had already been provided to everyone and so everyone obeyed promptly.

After several hours passed, the room was filled with steam as the temperature grew, after some more time passed, Ethan ordered for the fire to be put out.

Opening the pot, everyone saw the melted oil which had become a thick solution.

Now came the most important part which was mixing the Iye and the oil while stirring it constantly for a long amount of time.

Ethan had chosen some of the stronger men for this task. The one with the most tolerance as a lot of dedication was needed at this stage.

Around a dozen men surrounded the large pot while standing a few distances away from the pot as they held long storing tools to help them stir the mixture from a distance.

The stirring process soon began while the oil was still mildly heated. The Iye solution was mixed into the oil at above room temperature and the men immediately began stirring the mixture using all their strength.

Ethan was carefully monitoring the entire process in a close proximity as controlling the intensity of the fire and the temperature was very important so that the Iye solution wouldn't be burned completely.

There was a separate expert Ethan had brought from the city who was controlling the intensity of the fire as per Ethan's command.

While this rigorous procedure was going on, the other workers watched keenly as they did not want to miss anything. Everyone admired Ethan because he was going to such lengths for his goal. Naenna, Aria, and Albert were one of those who admired him.

As hours after hours passed, the men became covered with sweat but their determination hadn't wavered in the slightest. It was truly miraculous how their gratitude for Ethan and the wish to repay him kept them going with enthusiasm.

Gradually as time passed, the mixture became visibly thick.

It was morning when they had begun but now it was near evening when Ethan finally gave the command to stop the stirring.

Without wasting more time, Ethan gave the queue and Albert commanded the men to bring out the special remedy of Greenglow, herbs, and flowers that was prepared secretly beforehand.

The fact was that this remedy was the true secret ingredient that would be the identity of the soap.

After the mixture cooled off a bit, the special remedy was mixed into the concoction and stirred once again. Soon, a magical thing happened as the thick liquid began glowing green while the sweet scent of flowers and herbs flowed out.

Seeing this, everyone's eyes brightened as they finally thought that perhaps this 'soap' was truly something new and magical as Ethan had said.

After some time, the hot concoction was then poured into the mold, and everyone finally heaved sighs of relief. Ethan and everyone were tired but the work was finally done.

"Good.. G-good job… Please take a rest. Now we simply wait a few days and see what happens. Well done. I'm proud." Ethan said as he cleaned the sweat off of his face with a clean cloth and stumbled a bit in exhaustion.

Seeing him like this, Albert quickly came forward and advised, "Young Master should rest as well."

Naenna and others agreed wholeheartedly to this seeing Ethan so worn out. The workers, who were also tired, also begged for Ethan to rest.

"Alright. I will rest now." Ethan said with a smile and moved to leave with Albert's supporting arm.