Chapter 189: The Place to Check is Here
I went home at dusk, played with Riche then took a bath. Now, off to the library with Riche!
We pass through the temple that always looked like it’ll crumble any moment to get into the library. A bright and spacious place stretched out beyond the door after we went through a dark passageway. The duality, or should I say change in the ambience, never fails to amaze me no matter how many times I come here.
The librarian’s eyes widen but almost imperceptibly — yeah, it’s barely noticeable unless you’re staring straight at him.
「Can dogs enter here? He doesn’t shed, doesn’t break, and he’s not naughty. 」
「 — We don’t forbid the entry of spirits. 」
I got his permission when I asked at the entrance.
I pat Riche then step into the hall.
「Please give me some books about the dyes favored by glass spirits, and also about Changelings, thank you. 」
The young librarian walked away with a silent nod.
The mosaics on the floor here are elaborately designed, but since the colors are subdued, it gives off the impression of splendor rather than beauty. It doesn’t clash with the overall ambience of the library at all.
Is this the work of spirits too? What kind of special effects does it have, I wonder? It piqued my curiosity the moment I decided to make my own.
And so, I also ask the librarian for books about mosaics. I borrow the books I want then go to the private room. I take some black tea out. Riche is splayed on the floor munching X-Stick by my feet.
I pat Riche lightly and open the book. First, mosaics and spirits. Apparently, mosaics, object d’ art, and the specific placement of stones can be substitutes for magic circles.
Fundamentally, magic circles are medium through which folks summon specific spirits to do their bidding, but mosaics are a gentler approach to doing that. Apparently, they can choose what spirits to attract compared to leaving a water bowl for them.
I already decided on an arabesque pattern, so in the meantime, should I look for mosaic patterns and the spirits that are attracted to them? I can skim through the designs during my spare time, but by no means am I willing to make a mosaic of a giant with a club or anything like that.
Next is color. I learned about the coloring process in the material world — the Japanese process for making colored glass, to be precise — but I’ve been gently warned not to do it. That’s why I’m here to do some research, since the plan is to use glass for the mosaics.
…Hmm? What’s this? When choosing the color to add, an easy method will be to use a magic stone as a catalyst on the — ah, for this part, it’ll be the same material I’m using — and put it in. Okay, so I should also pour mana into it while doing so, yeah that’s a given, let’s see — add a drop of extract from the flower or leaves with the desired color. And add a little bit of stuff that symbolizes the spirits with the desired color, it says.
Fantasy, huh. Ah, but it also says use original materials, so maybe it also has a touch of realism?
Arabesque pattern, set around the well, so the color should be blue of course.
It’s quite tedious going through the whole book, so I go to the page of the color I’ll be using.
…. Whoa, it also has the instructions on what to do if a spirit influences it. I see, so we can also guide the effect to achieve what we want, albeit to a certain extent, huh.
Ah, but it’s also written here that there is no guarantee the spirits will be attracted during the manufacturing process. Ah, and I ask them the way I usually do. Okay, I’m the one asking for favor, and now that I know about this, I should prepare the environment according to their preferences, then.
The magic circles I draw on the well itself also include a clause that will adjust the minerals so that what we get is soft water. I wanted the castle and town folks to have water that’s sterilized, doesn’t have any organic matter, won’t rot and doesn’t grow moss. But, I still want the rest of the water to be habitable for fish.
I heard that the「Water of Nunobiki 」from Kobe, Japan that the sailors loaded onto their ships in the olden times didn’t spoil even when they crossed the equator, and it’s said to be delicious. [1]. That’s the kind of water I’m aiming for.
Oh, I wonder if it’ll be fun trying to raise vegetables using hard water? It’s packed with minerals, which can either deepen the umami flavor or make them bitter. The wells in the main tower and the town, I mean the villages, are hard water, so it might be interesting comparing them.
I also note down recipes of some colors that might come in handy before closing the book. Riche spits out X-Stick and looks at me, as if asking if I’m done.
「Wait for a bit more. 」
With that, I raise him up and put him on my leg, then put the book on his back. I support his chest with my hand while enjoying the fluffiness so it’s killing two birds with one stone.
Okay, so, black spirit changelings. Happens when a spirit, who holds hatred and deep obsession towards its target, swaps the said target’s child.
Still ‘interest’, but interest that comes from hatred, huh.
The spirit switches the target’s child with a ‘child’ made out of a part of its own power, or else the spirit takes something from its target’s child and replaces the missing part with its own power then letting the child harm the parent and object of the spirit’s obsession. There are also instances when the spirit itself possesses the person, but that’s called ‘monsterification’.
Ohh, so when big spirits use their power, the teeny tiny ones are born from that, but to make a clone of itself, it needs to deliberately pour power onto it, huh.
The hair and skin of black spirit changelings —particularly the area around the eyes — are black.
Eh? They have dark rings around their eyes just like the monsters? Does Faramir hide hers with makeup? Hm?
I read on, and it’s said that unlike monsters, changelings don’t have skin blemishes like warts and wrinkles, but one thing holds true for both, they have dark areas, although some might have them light while others have them in deeper shades.
To conclude, Faramir doesn’t seem to be a changeling with a dark fae.
When I read further, I accidentally came across something that made me recoil. What happens to a child that’s been taken to the fairy world and nobody discovered he or she was missing until the morning — a pet, huh. They’re treated as pets.
Ahh, but then, I’m also treating Riche like a pet. I’m a bit troubled after reading that but, well, isn’t it too late to return him? Besides, I don’t want to return him.
Riche licked me when I rubbed my cheeks on his face. So ticklish.
Notes
Kobe Water
This is taken word for word from Alexcious selling Kobe Water (crediting it here coz I’m too lazy to summarize it haha), if you wanna know more about this 😀
“Kobe is known for having one of Japan’s 100 best water sources. Mt. Rokko’s Nunobiki fall water penetrates the earth deeply. It is filtered slowly by layer upon layer of granite for a great many years. This is a premium water that has the same source and quality as exquisite Miyamizu water which is essential for brewing sake in Nada-Gogo, the home of famous pure Nada sake. The sailors who stop by Kobe, considered by some to be the greatest port in Asia, also acknowledge its superior taste. The famous Japanese author Ryotaro Shiba touches on this in his book “Kaido Wo Yuku that “I hear that sailors from abroad are delighted when they stop by Kobe to fill their ship’s empty water tank up to the brim with local water. The sailors claim that Kobe Water is the best in the world, which is probably true.” (Omission) The water of Nunobiki that flows through the aged granite layers of the Rokko mountain range picks up a moderate amount of minerals, which gives it its delicious flavor. And, it is said that this delicious water quality remains unchanged even when ships cross the equator. – From “Kaido Wo Yuku” by Ryotaro Shiba -”
Source: (https://www.alexcious.com/products/detail2541.html)
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.