kscans

Chapter 124 - The Yuri Village Renovation Plan 7. Inside the Glass Door ~Glass Window~

"Alright then, let’s get started."

Yuri stood before his materials with a rare look of determination. The materials before Yuri were silica sand obtained from the forest near Chippo Village, or more accurately, quickly refined using Earth Magic from the mountain sand he had gathered and brought back. In other words, the raw material for glass. Yes, Yuri was about to begin the production of glass.

To avoid any misunderstanding, it should be added that he had already succeeded in making glass vessels from refined silica sand, with reference to the notes left by Bunza. Yuri's alchemy was little more than amateurish, but he had accumulated a fair amount of experience with Earth Magic. Therefore, he was capable of refining mineral materials by dissolving them in water, stirring, and removing impurities. Of course, his chemistry knowledge from his past life may have contributed somewhat to this. The first step in alchemy was the separation and extraction of substances, and since he had a decent amount of experience with this, Yuri was able to master the basic techniques quickly. ...Though at present, he was only using it to remove salt from his fermented meat paste. He had also become able to melt the refined silica sand and create vessels relatively quickly, perhaps because he had seen a glassblowing demonstration in his past life. However... what Yuri was about to make now was not just a glass vessel, but a transparent sheet of glass... in short, a window pane.

As for why he was trying to make window panes, he had initially intended to build something like a greenhouse. The plan was to raise the internal temperature to promote fermentation and accelerate the prototyping and development of fermented seasonings. However, for one reason or another, that plan had missed its mark, and the greenhouse project was postponed for the time being.

What came into focus instead was the window pane. In this world where Yuri had been reborn, or reincarnated, window glass was made, but it had yet to move beyond the realm of a luxury item. Naturally, it was not used in the farmhouses of a remote region, and the house Yuri lived in had what are known as awning windows, or casement windows. The top edge was attached to the lintel with hinges, and the door, pushed up to open, was propped open at an angle with a stick to act as an eave. Those windows were also relatively small and insufficient in terms of letting in light. As someone who grew up in modern Japan, Yuri had always wanted to do something about this, and now that he had obtained an alchemy guide and silica sand in Laurenzen, he was finally able to begin making improvements in his fifth year.

"That said... it’s a bit unsettling to just switch to glass windows when there are no storm shutters. Maybe it would be better to keep the current awning shutters and add glass windows on the inside?"

How to install the newly added glass panes? He could make as many hinges as he wanted with Earth Magic, but maybe it would be a good idea to add a lintel and sill and make it a sliding door.

"But... an inward-opening door would get in the way, and if both the wooden door and the glass window are awning-style, opening and closing them seems like it would be a hassle..."

So, should he change the storm shutters to a sliding type that can be stored in a door pocket, and make the glass window a casement window?

"...But then I’d lose the eaves function..."

Adding eaves to a door pocket would be a quietly massive job.

"...It’s a hassle, so I’ll just leave the wooden door as it is and make the inner glass door a sliding one."

He would need to add a lintel and sill to the inner wall, but he could do that with the `Wood Reinforcement` and `Wood Transformation` he had just learned. He would probably need to reinforce the wall around the window to support the weight of the glass door, but that wouldn't be much trouble if he used magic.

"If the sunlight from the window is too strong, I might need to add shoji screens. Lace curtains would be nice too... but I probably can’t get my hands on them..."

Once the verification of Earth Magic construction progressed and his Wood Magic improved a little more, he might be able to create something like a bay window.

"Or... should I just build a new house from scratch?"

Depending on the results of his tests, he might be able to manage it on his own if he made full use of Earth and Wood Magic. Of course, he would need to acquire architecture-related skills before that...

"Maybe I should look for someone with those skills next time I go to Laurenzen... Well, either way, there's nothing I can do right now. ...Or is there?"

Building might be impossible, but what about demolition?

"Not here, but the abandoned houses in the ruined village... they’re already falling apart, but if I try to dismantle one, might I learn something about house construction? If I'm lucky, I might even get some skills in that area..."

Demolition is, in essence, the reverse of construction. If he could acquire demolition-related skills, wouldn't they also contribute to learning architecture?

It was a bad time now, but maybe it would be a good idea to try next year. That's what Yuri was thinking.