Farming in the Magical World

"Let's leave the blower as it is for now; let's put the upgrades on hold for now."

Looking at Cody, Lenny pondered his thoughts and slowly stated his needs, "Could you prepare some things for me..."

Now that the blower was in place, the temperature should be able to rise further, so he naturally wanted to try to see if he could get the glass out.

But before that, there are still some preparatory works to be done, and since Cody is the person in the workshop who understands his ideas the best and has the most ideas, he is naturally the one who should be doing the preparatory work.

There aren't many things to prepare, it's just a bit tedious.

First, you need sand. You need to prepare some clean sand that has been screened, filtered, and washed. This is the main raw material for glass and is indispensable.

Secondly, there's the coal powder. He did this just in case; if the coal couldn't reach the required temperature, grinding it into coal powder would likely improve its reaction efficiency with air, which was exactly what he needed.

Finally, you'll need to prepare an iron blowpipe and a special pair of scissors, as these are mainly needed when shaping the object.

To be honest, Lanny didn't know much about glass manufacturing processes. He only knew that glass was made by sintering sand and then blowing it through an iron pipe.

As for what kind of sand it is, what temperature it needs to be at, and whether or not to add any additives, I know absolutely nothing about those.

What he knew more about was the process of blowing various beautiful glass crafts and the shapes of various beautiful glass products.

He had watched quite a few videos about these things in another world.

As for why there are fewer videos about the ingredients, the reason is simple: the blowing process is more interesting to watch than the selection process, which makes it easier to gain followers.

If you livestream how you choose sand and how you build a furnace, the process will be incredibly boring. Believe me, viewers will flock to watch it.

Fortunately, he is now a baron, not a loser from another world. Naturally, he doesn't need to do such tedious preparations himself. He just needs to give the orders, and someone will take care of it for him. He only needs to care about the methods and results.

For example, right now, Lenny is babbling on and on, while a group of people listen respectfully. If Cody occasionally asks a question he doesn't understand, the others can't get a word in edgewise.

He had just finished giving the instructions and was about to leave when he noticed that Zack's face was contorted in a grimace.

"What's wrong?" Lenny chuckled as he looked at Zach's sour face. "Are you complaining that this job is too hard?"

Zach was still young, only a high school student, so it was hard for him to keep his feelings to himself. He spoke up, sounding aggrieved.

"Sir, why do I have to handle coal dust? It's so dirty..."

It wasn't that he disliked the hard work; it was easier than blacksmithing. He just had some reservations about the coal powder processing.

As per Lanny's instructions, they needed to first crush all the coal with hammers, then filter out the large particles and continue crushing until all the coal powder met the requirements.

He had been working as a blacksmith's apprentice with Iron Hammer for some time, so he was naturally familiar with coal. But if he were to actually go and hammer that stuff, with all that dust and black color, he was worried that even his cousin Karina wouldn't recognize him when he got home.

"Why are you so stupid? You should have just washed yourself in the river before you went home!" Jimmy was getting impatient listening from the side. He was speechless at his stubborn apprentice. Ignoring that Lanny was still there, he patted the guy on the head.

Iron Hammer was rather simple-minded and didn't see anything wrong with Jimmy's way of educating his apprentice. He just watched with a smile and didn't say anything.

"Hmm, Jimmy's method will work. It's summer now, are you afraid of the cold?"

Lenny nodded to Jimmy, affirming his idea, and then slowly said, "Here's what we'll do: I'll give you a dust mask later, so you can wear it when you're handling coal dust!"

He was thinking about the problem of pneumoconiosis. If he were to frequently handle coal dust, he could wash the dust off his clothes, but what about the dust he inhaled?

Lanny glanced at Iron Hammer and saw that he looked completely indifferent. Still worried, she stared at him seriously and said, "You must remember to bring this with you when you make this."

"Yes, sir!" Seeing Lanny's serious expression, Hammer hurriedly nodded in agreement.

After giving his instructions and seeing that there was nothing he needed there, he turned and went back to his study, planning to come back again in the afternoon.

Cody and the others are preparing the supplies, and it will probably take some time for everything to be ready, so there's no point in me waiting here now.

The weather is very hot now, and the temperature in the workshop is even higher. Lanny only stayed there for a while, but he was covered in sweat. As soon as he got to the study, he couldn't wait to unbutton his collar.

These aristocratic clothes are beautiful, but they're too tight, making it hard to breathe.

"Young master, you must be feeling hot! Your beautiful maid has brought you some shaved ice!" Lanny had just sat down in the study when Candy appeared with a bowl of something, smiling and making witty remarks.

"Have some shaved ice, I made it especially for you, aren't I the best to you!"

Smoothies? The castle has these? He didn't even know that!

Lanny was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately looked at what the little maid was carrying.

What Candy was holding was indeed shaved ice, which looked like it had been chiseled from a large block of ice. It was in the form of crushed pieces in a bowl, with white goat milk added on the outside, as well as various white, red, and purple cinnamon, spices, and nuts that nobles traditionally added when drinking tea.

Oh, this is a lifesaver!

Lanny could no longer resist and snatched the bowl from the other person's hand, taking a big bite without hesitation.

In an instant, a refreshing coolness flowed from his mouth down into his stomach, and he felt completely refreshed, unable to help but shiver.

"Hehe, young master, Candy is still the best to you!" The little maid was very proud, tilting her head and smiling at Lanny.

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm! Candy is the best girl..."

Lanny offered a perfunctory compliment, but his words were muffled because he had something in his mouth.

The little maid didn't mind Lanny's perfunctory attitude; she was very happy to receive the praise, and her face lit up with joy.

Seeing Lanny return to the castle covered in sweat, she immediately went to get him some shaved ice, not even daring to sneak a bite herself!

"Ah... ...that feels so good!"

After finishing the whole bowl of smoothie, Lanny let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like he had come back to life.

Lying comfortably in the chair, rubbing her stomach, her mind was already preoccupied with thoughts about the ice cubes.

Does this world also have the custom of storing ice in winter? Or is it ice made with saltpeter? Or perhaps it's magical ice making?

The shaved ice wasn't very cold; it had a slightly icy, almost-melted feel to it. He preferred storing ice rather than making it.

He had originally planned to consider this matter after a while, but now it seems that eating some shaved ice after sweating profusely is really a treat, so making ice should be put on the agenda.

"Are there any more ice cubes? Are there many?" Since it wasn't convenient to ask directly about the source of the ice cubes, Lanny's eyes darted around, and he cautiously inquired in a different way.

"No, not much! Young master, you never go to the basement, so of course you wouldn't know. Frank was just scolding me, but he didn't say anything when he heard it was for you, otherwise I would have been scolded again!" Fortunately, the little maid wasn't a scheming person, and she pouted and complained pitifully.

Oh, I see. The ice is hidden in the basement; it's quite valuable, so it's kept under close guard.

He had never actually been down to see what the basement looked like. It turned out that besides some of August's belongings, there was also an ice chamber. It seemed he really should make time to go down and take a look; maybe there were some treasures inside.

"Alright, alright, Candy is the best girl. She's just worried about the young master. I'll scold Frank next time." Looking at the little maid's cute, aggrieved expression, Lanny patted her head, which elicited a coquettish reproach from the little maid.

Hey, shouldn't Candy be watching over Tiffany right now? What's he doing here? Tiffany isn't doing well, and he's really worried about her without anyone around.

"How is Madam? Is she feeling better today?"

Candy, who had been beaming with joy at Lenny's praise, slowly lost her smile upon hearing this, and a look of worry appeared on her face. "It's still not too good. She didn't go out today and has been secretly crying in her bedroom!"

Ever since overhearing his conversation with the Earl, Tiffany has been locking herself in her bedroom for the past two days and hasn't come out. Lenny has been too busy to keep her company, and even when Lenny talks to her before bed, she only gives half-hearted answers and seems distracted.

"Are you still crying?" Lanny frowned and asked worriedly.

"Yes, she didn't even eat much for lunch today. Young master, what should we do? If this continues, Madam's health will collapse!" Although the little maid was innocent and carefree, she genuinely cared about the people in the castle, and her face showed great anxiety.

At first, she had some reservations about Tiffany because she felt that she treated the young master badly. However, after spending some time with her, she gradually lost her prejudice and began to genuinely care about the mistress of the castle.

Tiffany's problem stems from her heart, and unless the Earl changes his attitude, it's unlikely that any method can be effective in the short term.

As he tapped the table, Lanny thought to himself that he couldn't change the count's attitude for the time being; his own strength simply didn't allow him to do so.

But perhaps I can think of a way to make my first glass item. After all, girls, like dragons, like shiny things. Besides, there is no glass in the world yet, so it is quite novel.

"Alright, be careful when you take care of Madam, and remember to let me know immediately if anything happens!" Lanny gave the maid another instruction before lowering his head to open the drawer and prepare to start his work.

Just as Candy curtsied and was about to leave, Lenny called her back.

"Oh, right, go and ask... Melinda to come over. I need to talk to her about something!" Lanny ordered without looking up, busy with her work and not noticing the little maid pouting again.

"Hmph! I even made you a smoothie, and you just ignored me after you ate it, you bad young master." Candy stomped her foot as she left the room with the empty bowl, furious at Lanny's ungrateful attitude!

When Candy went to see Melinda, she was still in a bad mood, which made Melinda, who entered the study, also a little cautious, thinking that she had done something wrong and angered this difficult young master.

"Sir, you were looking for me?"

Melinda is not tall, rather thin, and has a voice that is neither too loud nor too soft. She has neither Susan's large stature nor Candy's charming and cute youthful vibe. In short, she is very ordinary and plain.

So ordinary that every time Lenny thought of looking for her, he had to think for a long time before he could remember her name.

"Sit down! Wait a moment, I'll be right there!" Lanny kept his head down and didn't look at her. He simply gestured for her to sit down and wait a moment while he continued to concentrate on drawing what he was doing.

This morning I talked to Cody about the movable wheel. He wanted to try to draw it. He had an idea right now, so it wasn't a good time to stop.

Melinda watched Lanny intently drawing, and felt a pang of emotion.

Who would have thought that just half a year ago, this young master in front of me was a spoiled brat who beat and scolded every servant except for Candy, the little maid who grew up by his side.

She still remembered that a year ago, Lanny, who had just returned from the capital, flew into a rage because she hadn't washed his beloved white shirt properly. He not only berated the butler but even picked up a whip, ready to strike her. If it weren't for Lord August's intervention, she probably wouldn't have escaped a beating.

From then on, he would look disgusted whenever he saw her, and he would even have Candy bring him clothes that needed mending, never coming to her room himself.

Unexpectedly, Lord August changed drastically as soon as he got into trouble, as if he were a completely different person. Now he no longer acts like a young master when he sees servants; he is always smiling, and his voice is much softer than before, no longer his hoarse voice. Even his temper has improved a lot, and you can no longer hear him roaring in the castle.

Although the young master didn't look up at her today, she could tell that he was busy with important matters and wasn't treating her with disdain as he had before.

"Melinda, Melinda?"

Just as Melinda was lost in thought, a shout startled her awake. It turned out that Lanny had put down his paintbrush and was looking at her with a strange expression.

"What's wrong, young master?" Melinda was startled and quickly composed herself, focusing her attention on Lanny.

"Here's the thing, I have something I'd like you to make for me." Lanny rummaged through the messy drawings on the table, pulled one out, and handed it over.

Melinda took the blueprints and looked at them for a long time but still couldn't understand what this mask-like thing was for. Did the young master want to hold some kind of masquerade ball?

She had never seen a masquerade ball before, and no one in this poor, remote place like Caster Ridge would ever do such a thing, but he had heard Susan mention it.

It's said that at these gatherings, everyone has to wear strange masks to hide themselves. Apparently, this is quite popular in aristocratic circles in major cities like Elfen.

"This is a dust mask, and we need to find a breathable material to make it!" Lanny pointed out a few key points on the drawing, and then gestured on his own face before Melinda finally understood what this thing was for.

Melinda breathed a sigh of relief after understanding the purpose of the gesture. She had thought that the young master was going to hold a ball to amuse his wife. If that were the case, she would make a fool of herself. She had never seen what a mask looked like before, and it would be a terrible sin to embarrass his wife.