270th Day of Banishment: End of Winter (1)
Morning of the 270th day of banishment.
When Marylia stepped outside, it was noticeably warmer than the day before.
The snow had melted. Water left outdoors no longer froze. The days grew longer, with the sun gracing the sky for extended periods... From the thawed muddy ground, tiny sprouts began to peek out.
"Oh no, you can't eat these little sprouts just yet.”
Marylia said, laughing softly.
Seeing that the slimes were about to devour the newly sprouted plants, Marylia picked them up and tossed them back toward their nest.
"It's getting much warmer now.”
The slimes landed softly with a *plop* and started to crawl around energetically near their nest. Their movements seemed more lively than during the depths of winter, and it wasn't just her imagination.
"Finally, it'll be a season when working outside won’t be such a hardship.”
The water was still cold, but soon it would warm and resemble a spring brook. Smiling brightly, Marylia soaked in the gentle sunlight and soft breeze, welcoming the arrival of spring with her whole being.
The past hundred days or so had been marked by a repetitive daily routine.
Polishing gemstones, knitting, and weaving... These tasks added a touch of vibrancy to Marylia's life.
Of course, repetition alone was stifling, so she expanded her activities. Using the antlers of a peryton, she crafted thicker crochet hooks to tackle larger knitting projects. With the fabric she wove, she made small pouches, storing herbs from the pantry to keep near the hearth.
Her tea-making skills also improved. When it came to brewing tea from local plants, no one in Fractalia could surpass her expertise.
On days when the cold was less severe, she took up pottery.
Though it wasn’t the season to dry large or numerous items, she focused on crafting small pieces. She dried them meticulously indoors near the hearth.
As a result, she managed to create thin, hard porcelain with a texture characteristic of fine ceramics. After experimenting with materials and kiln temperatures, she was thrilled with the outcome. She crafted porcelain teacups and a teapot, enhancing her daily tea time.
She also constructed an icehouse.
By cutting ice from the pond and storing it in a small cave insulated with dry grass, the ice melted less quickly. The ice blocks cooled each other, further delaying melting.
If the ice lasted until summer, she thought, she could try shaving it for a treat—a thought she eagerly anticipated.
But the most significant change during winter was...
"That's quite a pile now.”
Before her stood a mountain of iron sand.
Yes, a “mountain” of iron sand.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Iron Golem leading the charge, a staggering amount of iron sand had been collected over the winter.
Thus, the 270th day of banishment began with building a smelting furnace and a charcoal kiln.
"It’s better to smelt while there’s still a lingering chill of winter rather than in the peak of summer. Hehe..."
The mornings and evenings were still cold, making it the perfect season for tasks requiring prolonged use of fire. After all, smelting and charcoal making involved constant fire, which provided considerable warmth.
With the golems’ help, constructing the furnaces was remarkably swift. Within an hour of instructing the golems to gather wood, enough was amassed for ten charcoal kilns. Their numbers and enhanced abilities—bolstered by gemstones and decorative cords—proved invaluable.
The Iron Golem took charge of mixing, transporting, and stacking clay, while Marylia found her workload significantly reduced. At most, she directed the Terracotta Golems needing guidance and removed slimes wandering and causing disruptions.
All the heavy lifting—wood and clay transport—was managed by the golems. Thanks to their efficiency, the charcoal kilns and smelting furnaces took shape quickly and effortlessly.
After placing a simple rainproof roof over the kilns, the day's work was done. Tomorrow, she would begin charcoal production, and once the charcoal was ready, smelting would commence.
The plan was clear: smelt while building additional furnaces and producing more charcoal. This cycle would soon transform the mountain of iron sand into solid iron.
The next morning, the 271st day of banishment:
"Finally, I can collect wood vinegar this time.”
Marylia said, gazing at the iron pipe extending from one of the charcoal kilns with a satisfied smile.
The pipe, used to vent smoke from the kiln, also cooled and condensed the smoke into a liquid—wood vinegar. This substance, which could be distilled into a stronger acid, had potential applications such as turning soap into wax.
Thanks to the Iron Golem’s winter hunting efforts, the pantry was overflowing with meat—and fat. With this surplus, Marylia could experiment with making wax candles for indoor lighting.
She successfully obtained two bottles of wood vinegar, filling empty liquor bottles she had salvaged. Though more bottles would have yielded more vinegar, this quantity was sufficient for now.
"Let’s see if I can make wax today.”
She decided, eager to experiment.
Making wax involved steps similar to soap-making, but with an additional process: dissolving soap in water, adding acid, extracting the resultant material, washing it, and re-melting it to solidify into wax.
Using ash collected during salt production, she prepared lye by pouring hot water over the ash and letting it settle. Meanwhile, she melted down ample monster fat. After mixing the lye into the fat and adding baked seashells for adjustment, she stirred the mixture until it began to solidify, forming soap.
She then dissolved the soap in hot water and added wood vinegar, observing the emergence of a milky white cloud in the liquid—a sign of wax formation.
"It worked! This is amazing!"
Marylia exclaimed, watching the wax separate and solidify with fascination.
After filtering and washing the wax, she melted it again in an earthen vessel, inserted a wick, and allowed it to cool. The result: homemade candles.
Though the yield wasn’t as high as she had hoped, the experiment proved successful, and she looked forward to refining the process further.
Over the following days, while producing charcoal, replenishing salt supplies, and building additional smelting furnaces, Marylia and her golems worked tirelessly.
By the 276th day of banishment, the long-awaited moment had arrived.
"Let’s begin smelting! Everyone, please proceed carefully!"
The mountain of iron sand was finally being transformed into iron—and soon into Iron Golems.
What do you think about this chapter?
