Through a fortunate connection, I recruited the bear cub nephews of Helkov: Renato the woodworker, Terenti the blacksmith, and Erast the glassworker. I introduced the three of them to Molly on another day.
"Oh, the little nephews. Have you informed the workshop?"
She seemed to know them. Their assessment was that their skills were mediocre—neither particularly good nor bad, not to the level of being entrusted with special commissions. The reason they had been told to return home was that, while not unskilled, they could at least be trusted with repairing daily necessities.
"First, we start with prototypes and model-making. From devising mechanisms that will definitely work. That's why I chose based on passion for creation above all else."
At my explanation, the three bear cubs all raised their arms to shoulder height and flexed like they were making muscle poses. A show of motivation, perhaps? Being cub-sized, they looked more cute than scary.
"Certainly. If you can make a furnace with stable heat, let's start small. Once it takes shape, I'll ask a discreet place that will take the work, and then move on to larger scales. At that time, may I pull all three of you out?"
"No problem. They've been saying they want to take in young apprentices."
"No problem here either. We haven't been getting any big jobs lately anyway."
"I'm just being kept around for odd jobs anyway, so sure, hahaha."
What's with Erast? Even with a bear face, I could tell he laughed very cynically.
"This is the only time I can slip away, but what about that?"
"Ah, th-that's not it. Dinker. We'll adjust things on our end for that."
Since Helkov is being evasive, I guess the details will have to wait until we return to the palace.
"I see. Then time is limited, so let's get to today's agenda."
Saying that, I started operating the distillation equipment that Molly had prepared. And I explained what function each piece of equipment served and the principles behind why it worked that way.
"Temperature is crucial. If it boils, the water turns to steam too. It defeats the purpose of separating and concentrating it."
"Wait. I can't quite keep up."
"Steam is like vapor, right? It doesn't come out unless it boils?"
"Isn't concentrating the same as boiling down?"
Ah, they're not getting it. This is on the level of Helkov's comprehension—in other words, zero basic science knowledge. I had to explain starting from the properties of gases, liquids, solids, and furthermore the characteristics of water as a substance. But they can still be craftsmen despite that? No, maybe you can do it as long as you know the specialized processes that lead to the result?
"I was only taught how to use this equipment without being told why it works that way. Heli, what kind of tutor does Dinker have? There aren't any famous alchemists nowadays."
"The terrifying thing is, he's right in front of you. An alchemist who will surely become famous. He got his hands on some alchemical equipment through connections and taught himself to do all this."
At Helkov's words, the bear cubs all looked at me together.
"Dinker, how old are you now?"
"I'm eight."
"How do you teach yourself?"
"Reading related books and steadily working through what I can do with the equipment at hand?"
"So why alcohol?"
"Because it's used in alchemy, and I thought if I made it drinkable, it might sell."
The cubs tilted their heads with the same expression, at the same angle. Helkov called out to his nephews.
"You've got it backwards. He's not doing this to make alcohol. Dinker is doing alchemy and uses alcohol in the process, then thought he might as well improve the taste and try selling it."
"I don't drink alcohol, after all."
Then Terenti tilted his head even more.
"Then what do you normally drink?"
"Ah, right. Beastmen use it in place of water, don't they... Tea, I suppose?"
"Now that you mention it, he was a noble!"
Renato covered his eyes with his fluffy round hands.
Water needs to be boiled, but using firewood just for drinking water is no small expense. So apparently, they sometimes hydrate with low-alcohol liquor instead. And tea is treated as much more of a luxury than alcohol.
"Well, leaving that aside. Why do we soak this in water? If we need water, depending on the size of what we're making, we'll need to select the factory location carefully. They say alchemy poisons the waterways."
"That's a matter of crisis management for alchemists. Ideally, I'd like a place where I can check on it personally. Hmm, if we're relying on alchemy for cooling too, there's a way that doesn't use running water."
When I looked at Helkov, he thought for a moment and realized.
"You mean that essence?"
"Yes, that. As long as you have the tools and materials, even Helkov can make it."
"Huh, Uncle can use alchemy?"
Erast fluffed up his fur with a poof.
"Apparently, alchemy is a technique that anyone can do regardless of race, as long as you don't mess up the procedures, tools, and materials."
"""Huhhhhh."""
Hmm, the awareness of alchemy is really low. Alright, in that case, I'll have these four here learn what alchemy is, and have them help improve its image a bit in my place.
"Because anyone can use alchemy, if you do sloppy work, you'll cause trouble for everyone. If you're planning to brand it and start with a luxury approach, you wouldn't immediately say you're using alchemy, right?"
"Yes, exactly. We'll recover funds that way while developing equipment to make alcohol on a larger scale, and only go public after gaining a certain reputation. If inferior products come out and people say it's alchemy from the sidelines, the impression would be worse than if we disclose it ourselves."
Molly is positive about spreading the alcohol, including the fact that it's alchemy. I want her to do her best to get it on her own table too.
"It's amazing that you can make it on a desk like this, but certainly, at this size and quantity, mass production is impossible. Moreover, since these are specialized tools, it's difficult to scale them up."
"But simply making it bigger would be inefficient. That's why I want you to create new equipment from scratch."
Right now we're talking about desk-scale, but to mass produce, we need to industrialize. For that, simply connecting glass flasks like the current setup won't work. This requires repeating distillation to raise concentration, adding water for aging, adding water when selling—too much work—so right now we're limiting the number of distillations.
"Even making it in this form, the simplest way would be to connect equipment that repeats the previous process from here to distill the liquid produced here again."
"No, that would be difficult again. First of all, we need glass with uniformly thin thickness."
Erast the glassworker gave technical pointers with a groan.
"For the metal fittings too, screws that can be adjusted to support the glass without breaking. Can we do die pressing? Or would casting be better?"
Terenti the blacksmith also seemed to be thinking, but Renato the woodworker alone was troubled.
"Why am I even here?"
"Ah, that's because while we're using glass now, there are parts that could be replaced with barrels. Also, I want to consult about barrels for storing the alcohol after it's made."
Distillation is the process of removing everything except alcohol, so both smell and taste disappear.
"Honestly, something that's just been distilled isn't delicious. Aging is necessary to make it taste good."
This requires the same approach as whiskey—packing it in barrels and managing it, which takes time.
"Well, this is for after we can make it stably."
While I was talking while watching the distillation, the surroundings had gone quiet. When I looked up, everyone was looking at me.
"What's wrong?"
"I was wondering what I was doing at eight years old. Would I have thought that far just as a side thing?"
"I thought of that when Dinker was five."
Molly and Helkov nodded at each other as if sharing some understanding.
The triplets began muttering as if convincing themselves.
"People who make it big really are special from childhood."
"But since we're being relied on like this, we have to answer the call."
"On the contrary, it's precisely because he's a child, yeah, that's right."
They seem to have various thoughts, but anyway!
"Right now we can only make it on a desk. From here, we'll move to a form that can be made indoors. The equipment for that was made by ancient alchemists to secure quantity, and only the diagrams remained."
Distillation equipment to upgrade from desktop science experiments to kitchen level actually already existed.
I spread out the diagrams I had copied.
I want to build and operate this, and then scale it up further to factory production.
That was my plan.
Regular updates (changed to Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
Next time: Three Bear Cubs 5
Wait, I need to check the phrase "縁あって". This means "through a connection/fate/fortune". "Through a fortunate connection" works.
"子熊" - bear cubs. The text refers to them as "three bear cubs" (三つ子の子熊) and "triplets" (三つ子).
"ヘルコフ" - Helkov.
"モリー" - Molly.
"レナート" - Renato.
"テレンティ" - Terenti.
"エラスト" - Erast.
"ディンカー" - Dinker.
"獣人" - beastmen/beastfolk.
"錬金術" - alchemy.
"蒸留" - distillation.
"工房" - workshop.
"徒弟" - apprentices.
"エッセンス" - essence.
"ウィスキー" - whiskey.
"フラスコ" - flasks.
I should make sure the tone is appropriate for a wuxia/xianxia translation - professional, clear, maintaining the narrative voice.
One check: "ヘルコフが濁す" - "Helkov being evasive/vague". "Hemming and hawing" might be too casual. "Being evasive" is fine.
"口の堅いところ" - "tight-lipped place" or "discreet establishment". "Discreet" is better.
"粗悪品" - inferior goods/shoddy products.
"外野" - outsiders/onlookers/sidelines.
"心象" - impression/image.
"稼働させる" - operate/run.
"絵図" - diagrams/blueprints.
"写し取って" - copied/copied down.
"台所レベル" - kitchen level.
"理科実験" - science experiments.
"格上げ" - upgrade/escalation.
"金具" - metal fittings/hardware.
"型押し" - die pressing/stamping.
"流し込む" - casting/pouring.
"樽" - barrels/casks.
"熟成" - aging/maturation.
"加水" - adding water/dilution.
"蒸留回数" - number of distillation cycles.
"連結" - connecting/linking.
"均一" - uniform/even.
"唸る" - groan/murmur (in thought).
"ふさふさ丸い手" - fluffy round hands.
"薪代" - firewood costs.
"馬鹿にならない" - no small amount/not trivial.
"嗜好品" - luxury goods/connoisseur items.
"水路" - waterways/water channels.
"危機管理" - crisis management/risk management.
"冷却" - cooling.
"思い至る" - realize/think of.
"毛をぶわっと膨らませた" - fluffed up his fur with a poof.
"種族" - race/species.
"認知度" - awareness/recognition.
"ブランド化" - branding.
"高級志向" - luxury orientation/high-end approach.
"資金を回収" - recover funds/recoup investment.
"安定的" - stable/stably.
"議題" - agenda/topic.
"蒸留具合" - state of distillation/how the distillation is going.
"通じ合う" - understand each other/share a moment.
"大成する" - make it big/succeed greatly.
"応えないと駄目" - have to answer the call/must respond.
"格上げ" - upgrade.
"写し取って" - copied.
"工場化" - factory production/industrialization.
"構想" - plan/concept.
The text seems complete. I'll format it properly with paragraphs preserved. Through a fortunate connection, I recruited the bear cub nephews of Helkov: Renato the woodworker, Terenti the blacksmith, and Erast the glassworker. I introduced those three to Molly on another day.
"Oh, the little nephews. Have you informed the workshop?"
She seemed to know them. Their assessment was that their skills were mediocre—neither good nor bad, not to the level of being entrusted with special commissions. The reason they had been told to return home was that, while not unskilled, they could at least be trusted with repairing daily necessities.
"First, we start with prototypes and model-making. From devising mechanisms that will definitely work. That's why I chose based on passion for creation above all else."
At my explanation, the three bear cubs all brought their arms up to shoulder height and flexed like they were making muscle poses. A show of motivation, perhaps? Being cub-sized, they looked more cute than scary.
"Certainly. If you can make a furnace with stable heat, let's start small. Once it takes shape, I'll ask a discreet establishment that will take the work, and then move on to larger scales. At that time, may I pull all three of you out?"
"No problem. They've been saying they want to take in young apprentices."
"No problem here either. We haven't been getting any big jobs lately anyway."
"I'm just being kept around for odd jobs anyway, so sure, hahaha."
What's with Erast? Even with a bear face, I could tell he laughed very cynically.
"This is the only time I can slip away, but what about that?"
"Ah, th-that's not it. Dinker. We'll adjust things on our end for that."
Since Helkov is being evasive, I guess the details will have to wait until we return to the palace.
"I see. Then time is limited, so let's get to today's agenda."
Saying that, I started operating the distillation equipment that Molly had prepared. And I explained what function each piece of equipment served and the principles behind why it worked that way.
"Temperature is crucial. If it boils, the water turns to steam too. It defeats the purpose of separating and concentrating it."
"Wait. I can't quite keep up."
"Steam is like vapor, right? It doesn't come out unless it boils?"
"Isn't concentrating the same as boiling down?"
Ah, they're not getting it. This is on the level of Helkov's comprehension—in other words, zero basic science knowledge. I had to explain starting from the properties of gases, liquids, solids, and furthermore the characteristics of water as a substance. But they can still be craftsmen despite that? No, maybe you can do it as long as you know the specialized processes that lead to the result?
"I was only taught how to use this equipment without being told why it works that way. Heli, what kind of tutor does Dinker have? There aren't any famous alchemists nowadays."
"The terrifying thing is, he's right in front of you. An alchemist who will surely become famous. He got his hands on some alchemical equipment through connections and taught himself to do all this."
At Helkov's words, the bear cubs all looked at me together.
"Dinker, how old are you now?"
"I'm eight."
"How do you teach yourself?"
"Reading related books and steadily working through what I can do with the equipment at hand?"
"So why alcohol?"
"Because it's used in alchemy, and I thought if I made it drinkable, it might sell."
The cubs tilted their heads with the same expression, at the same angle. Helkov called out to his nephews.
"You've got it backwards. He's not doing this to make alcohol. Dinker is doing alchemy and uses alcohol in the process, then thought he might as well improve the taste and try selling it."
"I don't drink alcohol, after all."
Then Terenti tilted his head even more.
"Then what do you normally drink?"
"Ah, right. Beastmen use it in place of water, don't they... Tea, I suppose?"
"Now that you mention it, he was a noble!"
Renato covered his eyes with his fluffy round hands.
Water needs to be boiled, but using firewood just for drinking water is no small expense. So apparently, they sometimes hydrate with low-alcohol liquor instead. And tea is treated as much more of a luxury than alcohol.
"Well, leaving that aside. Why do we soak this in water? If we need water, depending on the size of what we're making, we'll need to select the factory location carefully. They say alchemy poisons the waterways."
"That's a matter of crisis management for alchemists. Ideally, I'd like a place where I can check on it personally. Hmm, if we're relying on alchemy for cooling too, there's a way that doesn't use running water."
When I looked at Helkov, he thought for a moment and realized.
"You mean that essence?"
"Yes, that. As long as you have the tools and materials, even Helkov can make it."
"Huh, Uncle can use alchemy?"
Erast fluffed up his fur with a poof.
"Apparently, alchemy is a technique that anyone can do regardless of race, as long as you don't mess up the procedures, tools, and materials."
"""Huhhhhh."""
Hmm, the awareness of alchemy is really low. Alright, in that case, I'll have these four here learn what alchemy is, and have them help improve its image a bit in my place.
"Because anyone can use alchemy, if you do sloppy work, you'll cause trouble for everyone. If you're planning to brand it and start with a luxury approach, you wouldn't immediately say you're using alchemy, right?"
"Yes, exactly. We'll recover funds that way while developing equipment to make alcohol on a larger scale, and only go public after gaining a certain reputation. If inferior products come out and people say it's alchemy from the sidelines, the impression would be worse than if we disclose it ourselves."
Molly is positive about spreading the alcohol, including the fact that it's alchemy. I want her to do her best to get it on her own table too.
"It's amazing that you can make it on a desk like this, but certainly, at this size and quantity, mass production is impossible. Moreover, since these are specialized tools, it's difficult to scale them up."
"But simply making it bigger would be inefficient. That's why I want you to create new equipment from scratch."
Right now we're talking about desk-scale, but to mass produce, we need to industrialize. For that, simply connecting glass flasks like the current setup won't work. This requires repeating distillation to raise concentration, adding water for aging, adding water when selling—too much work—so right now we're limiting the number of distillations.
"Even making it in this form, the simplest way would be to connect equipment that repeats the previous process from here to distill the liquid produced here again."
"No, that would be difficult again. First of all, we need glass with uniformly thin thickness."
Erast the glassworker gave technical pointers with a groan.
"For the metal fittings too, screws that can be adjusted to support the glass without breaking. Can we do die pressing? Or would casting be better?"
Terenti the blacksmith also seemed to be thinking, but Renato the woodworker alone was troubled.
"Why am I even here?"
"Ah, that's because while we're using glass now, there are parts that could be replaced with barrels. Also, I want to consult about barrels for storing the alcohol after it's made."
Distillation is the process of removing everything except alcohol, so both smell and taste disappear.
"Honestly, something that's just been distilled isn't delicious. Aging is necessary to make it taste good."
This requires the same approach as whiskey—packing it in barrels and managing it, which takes time.
"Well, this is for after we can make it stably."
While I was talking while watching the distillation, the surroundings had gone quiet. When I looked up, everyone was looking at me.
"What's wrong?"
"I was wondering what I was doing at eight years old. Would I have thought that far just as a side thing?"
"I thought of that when Dinker was five."
Molly and Helkov nodded at each other as if sharing some understanding.
The triplets began muttering as if convincing themselves.
"People who make it big really are special from childhood."
"But since we're being relied on like this, we have to answer the call."
"On the contrary, it's precisely because he's a child, yeah, that's right."
They seem to have various thoughts, but anyway!
"Right now we can only make it on a desk. From here, we'll move to a form that can be made indoors. The equipment for that was made by ancient alchemists to secure quantity, and only the diagrams remained."
Distillation equipment to upgrade from desktop science experiments to kitchen level actually already existed.
I spread out the diagrams I had copied.
I want to build and operate this, and then scale it up further to factory production.
That was my plan.
Regular updates (changed to Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
Next time: Three Bear Cubs 5