Chapter 24: With an Exceptional Item in Hand, the World Is Mine

Wu Qingsong could effortlessly reel off a laundry list of items that would be considered divine artifacts for someone transported to another world, cement, glass, gunpowder, soap, steel, perfume, high-proof alcohol, flintlock guns, mirrors, refined sugar, anthracite coal, and so on. His mind had ample time to wander while he had been imprisoned by Kleine, which left him idle for hours on end.

However, he had also dismissed the majority of these items from serious consideration.

While he had a general understanding of the underlying principles of these items, the specific details were hazy at best. For intricate processes like cement production, gunpowder refinement, or steelmaking, he felt he could only offer generalized guidance rather than any actionable steps.

Were he a powerful figure overseeing a territory, he could have mobilized the world’s skilled craftsmen and artisans, offering them his basic knowledge and high bounties to encourage broad and extensive experimentation, thus ultimately finding the right methods. However, considering his current situation, such endeavors were entirely out of reach.

Given his limited resources and manpower, his actual options were quite limited. After wandering the streets of Umber a few times, he quickly crossed out items like glass, perfume, high-proof alcohol, mirrors, and refined sugar from his list.

This world had its magic, a significant branch of which was alchemy. The mages here might very well exceed the scientists of his previous world in their understanding and study of the world around them. After all, their longer lifespans provided them ample time for in-depth learning and research.

The only barrier preventing this world from advancing at the pace of Wu Qingsong’s original world was the lack of dissemination of this knowledge. In some instances, secrets were deliberately guarded to amass wealth.

Though glassware and mirrors were readily available in shops, they came at a steep price. Wu Qingsong had no confidence that he could produce low-cost glass on his own. In fact, armed only with basic knowledge, he would likely spend an exorbitant amount of time and money to produce even the first batch of glass, with both the cost and quality remaining uncertain.

Methods for alcohol refinement were already well-established, as they were commonly employed by mages to purify their experimental materials. Similarly, techniques for refining sugar, salt, and many other substances were also available.

The array of products in stores was dazzling. Perfumes, floral waters, essences, a variety of aphrodisiacs, and magical potions lined the shelves. The overwhelming variety dashed any hopes Wu Qingsong had of making his fortune in this avenue.

So what remained that would demand a small investment but yield quick returns? Perhaps only soap and anthracite coal.

In reality, this world had already developed a substance similar to soap, accidentally invented by a mage during an experiment. Yet, just like many other discoveries, the elite mages, who had their specialized spells for personal cleansing, deemed it of little value and never pursued its potential, merely recording it as an insignificant outcome.

It wasn’t until many years later that this overlooked invention was discovered by the mage’s steward, who astutely recognized its commercial potential.

Beastfolk had a significant need for cleanliness, especially during the hot summer months. Nobody enjoyed the sensation of sweat, oils, and other bodily secretions matting their fur, let alone the added discomfort of dust and dirt. This was particularly true for the affluent.

The destitute, struggling on the edge of starvation, had neither the time nor the luxury to worry about such trivialities. And no one else was concerned about them, either. Yet, in cities like Umber, most beastfolk took a bath at least once every day or two, explaining the high presence of public fountains aimed at making urban life slightly more comfortable.

While the impoverished could only cleanse themselves with plain water, the middle class and wealthy longed for a product that could not just clean but also fragrance their fur.

Thus, soap–an enhanced version, based on the mage’s original experiment–came into existence and quickly established itself as a high-end luxury item in shops, carrying a premium price tag.

Wu Qingsong had no delusions of capturing the high-end market, but he was optimistic about breaking into the middle and lower tiers among the beastfolk.

Crafting handmade soap wasn’t complicated. One of his cousins, who had plenty of spare time, enjoyed making soap for her personal use and often gifted it to friends and family. While Wu Qingsong hadn’t made soap himself, he had been a spectator to the entire process during visits to this cousin’s home.

The basic ingredients consisted of various plant or animal oils, caustic soda, and water. His cousin even liked to add different essential oils for fragrance. However, given the steep prices of these materials in this world, Wu Qingsong chose to use the inexpensive fish oil readily available at the docks as his primary fat source. For the caustic soda which was an alkaline component, he decided to procure it through a reaction between lime paste and the wood ash used in fur treatments.

Although the latter was somewhat costly, it was fortunate that the fur processing industry was one of Umber’s cornerstone businesses. The refined wood ash was in abundant supply, being a key commodity that surrounding villages sold to Umber, so sourcing it wouldn’t be a problem.

Fueled by the dwindling funds in his wallet, Wu Qingsong moved quickly. The minimal list of necessary ingredients helped as he was able to purchase everything he needed within a single morning.

Liuli, attracted by the scent of the heating fish oil, sneakily left her training to tail Wu Qingsong.

“Meow~ Wu, what are you cooking? Can I help?

“How did you get here? Get back to your training,” Wu Qingsong feigned sternness.

“Meow~ Liuli trained all morning and is so worn out,” the catgirl lamented, “I can hardly lift my paws anymore.”

“Sigh~” Wu Qingsong was familiar with the adage that strict teachers yield exceptional students, while indulgent mothers spoil their children. But when confronted by such an adorable catgirl, he couldn’t bring himself to burst her bubble.

“Alright, you can help me melt down the fat, but no nibbling, understood?”

Before long, Ling also sneaked away from her tasks to join them.

Just as Harold had observed, neither of the two beastwomen had any inclination or aptitude for martial arts. They would never have considered undergoing such training if Wu Qingsong hadn’t insisted. Their true expertise lay in domestic tasks like cleaning, cooking, and laundry.

Seeing Ling’s facial expression, Wu Qingsong couldn’t help but sigh. “Alright, let’s take today off. Why don’t you both come help me with this project?”

The faces of both beastwomen instantly lit up in cheers, while Harold could only shake his head and walk away. To him, Wu Qingsong was squandering both time and money. He’d already voiced his reservations, so he felt that any further stubbornness on Wu Qingsong’s part was none of his concern.

The beastwomen were vastly more proficient in the kitchen than Wu Qingsong, not to mention significantly more efficient. This freed him up to concentrate on preparing the lime mixture. He carefully added the refined plant ash to initiate the chemical reaction, and then cautiously extracted the clear liquid that floated to the top for further concentration.

The resulting liquid would undoubtedly contain numerous unknown impurities, but its main components should still be sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. Given that he wasn’t aiming to produce a high-end product, this level of quality would be sufficient.

The subsequent step involved blending lukewarm fish oil with the alkaline solution. They heated it in a water bath and kept stirring. Thermometers being a luxury in this setting, Wu Qingsong had to rely on his senses for these tasks, once again reassuring himself that targeting the low-end market excused such imperfections.

The trio took turns stirring the pot’s mixture. Liuli occasionally sneaked a piece of the remaining fish and chewed it with evident enjoyment. Neither Wu Qingsong nor Ling reprimanded her for it.

Eventually, the mixture in the pot became a uniformly blended, semi-transparent gel. Wu Qingsong told Ling to cease stirring and carefully poured the mixture into a pre-prepared wooden mold.

“So, what’s next?” Liuli asked as she surreptitiously munched on more fish remnants.

“What’s next? Now we wait,” Wu Qingsong responded, unable to resist affectionately rubbing her ears and head until she let out delighted meows, only then did he stop.