Perfectly Balanced [ON-GOING]

Chapter Thirteen: Craftsmanship and Sulfur-chan

13. Craftsmanship and Sulfur-chan

11-17-2022

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It had been a few days since you had created Suika's glasses. It was time to begin true glass-making.

"YEAH, LET'S CRANK IT OUT!" You heard Chrome cry out as he was creating insulation for a glass furnace with Senku.

On the other hand, you and Kohaku were using all your stamina to melt down iron. Since you were healed, it was much easier for you to heat the iron with the new-and-improved air pumps. Using the melted iron, you would create iron straws for glass blowing, an important technique for making the items you need.

Unfortunately, all the glass-blowing that Senku and Chrome did not look like what it was expected to be.

"It looks like shit," you blankly stated. It looked like glass poop.

"Kukuku...you don't have to be so rude, slowpoke," said Senku with a chuckle. "It's only to be expected at first. When I learned to make earthenware, it took me a few months of straight-forward and steady, honest work of making them."

"HUH?! But we don't have months!" cried Chrome.

"Yeah, what about Ruri-nee's condition?" Kohaku crossed her arms in disappointment.

You mentioned, "Well, we don't really have an artisan, let alone a glass one to help us. So, all we can do is trial and error."

"An artisan?" The brunette wondered, then his eyes widened. "Hold on! Wait here, I know what to get!"

He then ran off towards the village after grabbing some rope from the warehouse, leaving all of you confused. Chrome then came back, but when you saw him crossing the bridge, he was guiding an elderly man bound in the rope. He was quite short with a large, white beard. His scalp was completely bald, with bushy, white eyebrows that covered his two eyes. The old man reminded you of a gnome with his slightly pointed ears and big nose.

"Who's the old man?" Senku wondered.

"Why is he bound in rope of all things?" You added.

The boy then stopped and put his hands together. "Please, Kaseki! We need your artisan skills!"

"So binding people in straw rope for your kinky role-play is your way of asking for help?! There's no way I'm gonna help the likes of you!" The old man screamed at him.

Chrome protested, "That's not what's going on here, dammit!"

Suika then approached the old man, holding up the bottle of lacquer that you used when making the magnetized iron bar. "It totally slipped Suika's mind, and shr forgot to give back the lacquer she borrowed."

"So this old man was the one who created the fine shield? All without iron tools and the least bit of dyes?" Senku looked over towards Kohaku's red and yellow shield, which was resting on her back.

"Yes. It was originally a gift to Kohaku's father after he won the last village games. Ah...it takes me back. I put my all into making it..." said Kaseki as he was reminiscing about the old days.

"We need a high crafting skills to be on par with the level of our civilization, so we were looking into finding an artisan," you mentioned.

"But we didn't think it'd be this hobbling old man. The incredible suspension bridge is also your work as well then?" Senku questioned him.

He replied with outrage, "Yes, that's right, and you guys went and ripped a plank from it! I'll never help the likes of you--"

You moved out of the way to show him the ugly glass piles that you called "failures." Kaseki's eyes widened enough for you to see them under the eyebrows. You figured he needed some convincing to help you in making glass items.