BXBX NOVEL Chapter 80
Shinji immediately refused, so Kazura let out a big sigh . 「I understand . Then, I will entrust the materials procurement to you . If I have something else, then I will call you again . 」(Kazura) 「Ok . Don’t do absurd things too much, you hear?」(Shinji) Kazura cut the call and then put the handphone back to his trouser pocket . 「What do you mean by absurd, geez......」(Kazura) Good grief, he scratched his head as he walked towards the car parked in the front yard . He turned the key and started the engine before he booted the car navigation and searched for his destination . His first destination was a glass workshop in the city . There was a mountain of things that he needed to do in Japan, so he couldn’t do things too leisurely . He had already finished contacting the engineering firm for the water turbine generator he ordered before and he had arranged it to be delivered to the mansion on the noon next day . The first thing he was going to do now was searching and procuring the goods that Valetta asked and the goods that he intended to bring to Isteria, after that he would investigate the things he had in mind before . 「If it’s possible then it will be nice if everything could be finished by tomorrow morning . But let’s see how things go . 」(Kazura) Kazura confirmed the route that the car navi displayed before he stepped on the pedal . ✧✦✧✦ 1 hour later . Kazura had arrived at the glass studio and now he was examining the glass rod displayed on the shelves inside the studio . The shelves where various colored glass rods lined up were separated from the shelves where they placed the glass materials . There were two kinds of glass rods placed inside the studio, hard glass from the gas-oxygen torch and soft glass from the gas-air torch . [2]Then they were divided into the transparent colored crystal glass and the nontransparent soda-lime glass . The studio itself was a 3-storey building, currently Kazura was on the second floor, the first floor was where the completed manufactured glassware like glass beads was displayed, the glass rods and the glassmaking tools were displayed on the second floor . At the label placed on the stairway, the third floor was where the glass studio offered glassmaking class . 「Now then, which one should I buy?」(Kazura) While comparing the hard glass and soft glass shelves, Kazura was a bit confused on which type he should buy . Just by a glance, the hard glass had a more beautiful luster than soft glass . After this hard glass had been melted to some degree into a big lump of glass, then it could be struck on the ground to smash it into irregular forms, which Nelson could easily sell at the market . Next to the shelves where the glass was placed, was where the shelves for the special glass . The rainbow-colored dichroic glass or boards of iridescent glass that was shining beautifully, or glass rods with various patterned color like a Kintarou candy . [3] 「Wait . To melt this, a specialized burner would be needed...... So, I need to buy the tool set to process the form and size to what that side preferred . 」(Kazura) The glass rods that was displayed in the studio was mostly about 1 cm to 2 cm thick . As it is, not only their size was small but their current form was also too uniform, so Kazura needed to melt them into a lump of glass .
Kazura called out to the female clerk that was sitting behind the register and asked her for the explanation about the tools . 「Sorry, but I want the tools to process this hard glass . Can I ask you to choose the good tool set? Since this is my first try, I don’t know what is needed . 」(Kazura) 「I understand . The oxygen-gas torch is quite expensive, will it be fine for you?」(Clerk) 「How much? If it within my capacity then I can prepare the money . 」(Kazura) 「The torch and the oxygen concentrator to refine oxygen are quite expensive, even the small tools will cost close to 300000 yen[4] . In the case for the tools for soft glass, 40000 yen[5] is enough for complete set . 」(Clerk) It seems that there was quite a gap between the price for hard glass tools and soft glass tools . Of course, although it depends on the type of tools chosen, to choose the hard glass tools compared to soft glass tools would need a courageous amount of money . However, for the super nouveau riche like Kazura, it was an inconsequential matter . 「Ah, no, the oxygen-gas one, please . Then can I also ask you to explain how to operate it?」(Kazura) 「I understand . Please follow me . 」(Clerk) After Kazura said this, he followed the female clerk and entered the room where the torch tools were placed . Inside the room, there were many kinds of torches and there were several oxygen refining devices called oxygen concentrator were placed . The goods cost a considerable amount of money, there were many that was above 200000 yen[6] . 「First, the torch . The flame that comes out from it is different depending on the product . You can choose based on the degree of how much the nozzle flame size could be adjusted, how big the works that want to be made, or the quality of the flame that you seek . 」(Clerk) 「Hmm...... Which product that you recommend? If possible, a sturdy one that will not breakdown easily . 」(Kazura) 「If you seek a sturdy product, then it will be this one . It cost 250000 yen[7], not only it produced good flame but it was constructed sturdily so it will be rare for a breakdown to occur . 」(Clerk) When the female clerk explained, she pointed at one of the torches placed on top of the shelves . 「Is that so . Then that one please . 」(Kazura) 「Thank you very much . Also, for the oxygen concentrator, the cheapest one will be 100000 yen, a good Japanese made one will be 250000 yen . As for the efficiency......」(Clerk) After he had heard the female clerk’s explanation about the oxygen concentrator, he understood the gist of it . To simplify her words: The most expensive one have the best performance . 「Then, that most expensive one please . 」(Kazura) 「Thank you very much . How about an electric kiln? The best on is 350000 yen . 」(Clerk) Perhaps because she had concluded that Kazura was loaded with money, the female clerk began to explain about electric kiln . The purpose of the electric kiln was to be used in the 「cooling」 stage of glass making . If a glassware made from a mixture of several glasses was just left cooled in room temperature after the burning process, then it would be deformed due to the different coefficient of thermal expansion between the glass components . If the cooling speed was too fast, then the glass would reach the limit of its resilience and it would end up cracked .
In technical term, it would be called 「thermal shock」 . [8] 「Hmm, since it’s called electric kiln, then it will use a lot of electricity, right? A device that needs a lot of electricity is a bit......」(Kazura) 「I see...... The big one could use more than 20 amperes . Even without electric kiln, if you put the newly burned glassware into the slow cooling materials like this silica annealing bubbles[9], then generally it will end up fine . 」(Clerk) The female store clerk took a bag from a nearby shelve and handed it over to Kazura . Inside the transparent bag was a large number of white beads the size of rice grains . Though Kazura won’t necessarily made something from the mixed colored glass, this annealing bubbles might be useful . 「Then, that annealing bubbles please . 」(Kazura) 「Thank you very much . The annealing bubbles could be placed inside a container like an empty tin can . I think the size of a cookie tin will be enough . Or perhaps you can use a specialized container that this shop sells . 」(Clerk) 「A cookie tin...... Ah, it’s okay, I have just the right size tin can . Then can you help me choosing the other tools? It doesn’t matter even if they are expensive as long as they are the easiest one to use . 」(Kazura) 「Thank you very much . Then, first the goggles and tweezers......」(Clerk) And thus, just like what the female clerk told him, Kazura purchased one good after another . She also recommended a small propane gas cylinder, but if the gas ran out in Isteria, Kazura couldn’t immediately return to Japan . Although he thought that he wouldn’t use that much gas, it is better to have a surplus amount, so he decided that he would contact his father Shinji once more to procure a large-size propane gas cylinder . In the end, the final cost of the goods was close to 600000 yen[10] . ☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽ [1] The so called “Classic Bronze” . Weapons and armors from the Bronze age were made out of this type of bronze . [2] Hard glass is borosilicate glass, soft glass is just common silicate glass . [3] Just look at the picture in this site[4] US$ 2,723 or Rp 36 . 000 . 000 or 250 Light Novels (not including shipping cost)[5] US$ 363 or Rp 4 . 800 . 000 or 33 Light Novels (not including shipping cost)[6] US$ 1,815 or Rp 24 . 000 . 000 or 166 Light Novels (not including shipping cost)[7] Well... you can imagine the rest...[8] Let Me Wiki That For You (LMWTFY) [9] A real thing [10] 500 Light Novels (not including shipping cost)