NoveLight ™
“The color isn’t white porcelain.”
I stared at the ceramic I had pulled from the kiln, a mix of fascination and confusion etched on my face.
“This is… celadon!”
What emerged from the kiln was not white porcelain but a beautiful blue-green ceramic.
“But how? I didn’t add saltpeter…”
Celadon exists on Earth, too—most famously, Goryeo celadon.
“But this is different from Goryeo celadon.”
Of course, Earth has no mana stones. This had to be a coincidence born from this world’s unique materials.
“Did it happen because I mixed in the black soil from the old greenhouse?”
Just as white porcelain in this world differs in luster and hue from Earth’s, so did this celadon.
The Northern celadon, infused with mana stone powder, was a softer, lighter shade of blue than its Earth counterpart.
“Was it like this in the game?”
Even as a die-hard player of Silver Age 1, I had never concerned myself with making porcelain.
The MAX-level crafting knowledge in this body’s memory only contained vague impressions—“If you do it this way, a pretty ceramic will come out.” Details about celadon or porcelain were beyond me.
“I’ve never seen such a beautiful shade of blue in my life.”
“This celadon is far more beautiful than Eastern white porcelain! Truly!”
As we finished unloading the ceramics, Mary and Teo gazed at the celadon with trembling awe.
“Strange. I added all kinds of mana stones, yet they all came out the same shade of blue.”
I tilted my head as I examined the ceramics.
While curious, I didn’t feel the need to investigate further. The results were good, and I had mountains of other tasks waiting.
The first successful production of celadon—not just in the North but in all of Arcadia—was complete.
But one final step remained: quality testing.
Picking up a finished celadon piece, I tapped it lightly with my finger.
Ping, ping, ping.
A clear, resonant sound rang out—the sound one expects only from high-quality porcelain.
“Hmm…?”
I then picked up the vase Teo had made.
“There’s a small flaw…”
A needle-sized hole marred the vase’s surface. I glanced sideways at Teo.
“Well, it’s for personal use, so I’ll let it slide.”
According to quality standards, such flawed pieces should be broken without hesitation.
But since these weren’t for sale, I decided to overlook it. I didn’t want to risk upsetting my employees, after all.
“Sir! It’s a success! A complete success! Our company will be rich! No, the entire North and the Renslet Duchy will be wealthy!”
Completely unaware his piece had nearly been smashed, Teo cheered excitedly.
“Thinking back to Arad Salt, this feels a little different.”
I looked at him with a mixture of nostalgia and amusement.
Arad Salt had opened paths to survival for the Northern merchants, low-ranking adventurers, and common folk. It had been a meaningful success.
“But that’s all it was. The North and I saw little direct profit.”
I was certain even the Northern Grand Duchess, Arina, quietly regretted it.
“But this celadon… This can only be made by Arad Company!”
I would also restrict its distribution to the official trading companies of High Castle.
There were two official companies in Renslet: the ancient Rune Company and now my Arad Company.
“We’ll handle development and production, while the Rune Company manages distribution and sales.”
Sure, I could handle distribution myself, but greed often led to trouble.
“Sir, we must ensure Imperial merchants don’t take advantage of this. Only merchants who bring us clear benefits should profit.”
Mary’s comment broke my thoughts.
“Yes, that’s why I asked you to deliver my request to Her Grace.”
Though her statement seemed random, I understood her intention perfectly and nodded.
“How’s that progressing?”
“It’s underway in Solarsis, Central-Northern Empire.”
“Good. I hope Lord Balzac and the Frostshade Guards handle it well.”
“They’ll move once they see this celadon. Merchants can’t resist.”
“They certainly can’t.”
“However… Lord Entir is known to be a staunch traditionalist. Will he really go against the Empire and the royal family? Especially considering his wife…”
“Trust me. I guarantee he’s currently the man who hates the Imperial Crown Prince the most.”
“…If you say so, sir.”
When Arad Salt was first produced, the biggest winners were the Imperial merchants.
The North shared its border solely with the Empire. The sea routes were blocked by the frozen northern seas, filled with glaciers and icebergs.
Thus, we had no choice but to sell Arad Salt exclusively to Imperial merchants.
“We need to simplify the distribution network as much as possible.”
Imperial merchants bought salt cheaply in the North and sold it in the Empire’s central and southern regions, or even in the Allied Kingdoms’ capital, Beddenheim.
They marked up the price tenfold.
Even at ten times the cost, Arad Salt remained cheaper than Eastern spices and tasted better, making it impossible to keep in stock.
“We do all the work, but the Empire makes the profit. Nothing’s more infuriating.”
The Northern distaste for seeing Imperial merchants benefit from our labor ran deep.
“And yet, we can’t directly trade in the Empire ourselves…”
The discrimination against Northerners applied not only to mercenaries and adventurers but also to merchants.
The 20-Northerner Group Ban, enacted long ago by the Empire, was a relic of history. It hinted at how severe Northern invasions had once been.
But the law was outdated and created enormous barriers for Northern traders.
Many Imperials sought to exploit Northern merchants, and the Empire did nothing to protect them.
Trading across the Empire was practically impossible.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned back to Mary and Teo.
“Anyway, well done, both of you.”
I praised them briefly before returning my focus to the celadon.
I wasn’t done yet.
It was one thing for their pieces to have minor flaws, but for my celadon to have defects? Unacceptable.
“And now…”
Among the finished pieces, one stew bowl caught my eye. The rim had a slight chip.
“Quality management!”
Clang!
Without hesitation, I threw the bowl to the ground.
“Aahhh!”
“Gasp!”
Mary screamed, and Teo audibly gasped as they watched me hurl the bowl.
“…Hmm?”
I stared at the ground in confusion.
“Why didn’t it break?”
The celadon bowl remained intact.
I picked it up again.
“The first rule of Arad Company is—!”
I hurled the bowl even harder.
Clang!
Still unbroken, the bowl rang out with its signature clear tone.
Clang!
“Quality!”
Clang!
“Management!”
After several attempts, the bowl remained stubbornly whole.
“…Is this for real?”
Suspicious, I grabbed another celadon piece and threw it to the ground.
Ping!
It, too, refused to break.
“…?”
“……!”
Mary and Teo clutched their celadon creations to their chests, trembling as if I might destroy them.
“Why won’t it break?”
Ignoring their panicked expressions, I thought about the cause.
“Is it the mana stone powder? Or the black soil…?”
It didn’t take long to guess.
The black soil infused with Mary’s Blessing seemed to be the culprit, combined with mana stones.
“Hand me a hammer.”
Resigned to testing durability, I picked up the stew bowl and swung the hammer with full force.
Clang!
Finally, the bowl cracked—but only slightly.
“…!”
It took two more strikes before it broke into three pieces.
Clang!
“Phew…”
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I finished my earlier declaration.
“The first rule of Arad Company… is quality management!”
“Unbreakable ceramics… Unbelievable…”
“This is… truly the best quality! The Empire won’t even need enchanted storage boxes!”
“…Hmm?”
Something told me my idea of quality management had been slightly misunderstood.
***
Morning dawned.
Theo Shapiro, the Arad Company’s operations manager, had received a well-deserved day off.
Not only Theo but also President Arad and Mary, the president’s secretary and acting headmistress of the academy, were taking the day off. With that knowledge, Theo left the industrial district and leisurely strolled through the Inner Castle.
For the past two days, he had worked during the day and crafted ceramics at night, barely managing a few hours of sleep. Yet, oddly enough, his entire body buzzed with energy.
Clutched in his arms was the first celadon piece he had painstakingly made—the first Northern celadon.
Entering a building within the Inner Castle, Theo made a beeline for the counter and called out in a cheerful voice.
“Maria!”
“Theo?”
The woman behind the counter, a petite figure with a soft and cute demeanor, looked up at him in surprise.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“I got a special day off today.”
Theo replied casually, his gaze darting around the small bookstore.
“Sold many books today?”
“You’re my first customer.”
This was a small bookstore nestled in the Inner Castle.
With literacy rates in the North still low, bookstores were a rare sight. Even in Renslet’s capital of High Castle, the number of bookstores could be counted on one hand.
Simply running such a bookstore was a clear indication that this woman, Maria, was no ordinary person.
“I’m your first customer? That’s an honor!”
“That just means business is terrible! What’s so honorable about that? So, what brings you here today?”
“Well… I wanted to see if you had any new books in stock.”
“New books? Have you already finished the ones you bought last time?”
“Of course I have.”
“Wow!”
Maria’s eyes sparkled with interest, and Theo felt an indescribable sense of joy.
“It was worth it, sacrificing sleep to read those books!”
It was precisely that look of admiration that had pushed Theo to devour every book he bought, memorizing passages as though his life depended on it.
“Then, try this book. It’s one I just brought in from the Empire…”
“If Maria recommends it, I’ll read anything.”
“Stop saying strange things! Anyway… I’ll, um, give you a special discount this time!”
Theo and Maria had known each other for some time.
Back when Theo still had only one arm:
He had found a job thanks to the recommendation of his half-brother, Roji. But mentally, things were far from easy.
Theo had spent his life wielding a sword.
While he could read and write, that alone wasn’t enough to wrestle with ledgers and documents.
On his very first day, he felt as though he had slammed headfirst into an invisible wall.
He had slowly learned to work with an abacus, but other administrative tasks still left him overwhelmed.
Though President Arad was understanding and never rushed him, Theo knew he needed to take matters into his own hands. He decided to find books about trade management and administrative work.
His plan was simple: buy a few books, grab some snacks, and return to the barracks to study and familiarize himself with the tasks.
And so, the first bookstore he spotted in the Inner Castle was where he met Maria.
“Here, let me get that for you.”
“Huh…? Oh, thank you, miss.”
“No need to thank me. You’re part of the Expeditionary Army, aren’t you?”
That day, Theo had been struggling to pick out books with his single arm when Maria offered him a small act of kindness.
“I should be the one thanking you. I can enjoy this peace because of people like you.”
“…!”
“What kind of book are you looking for? I can help you. You’re the only customer here, anyway.”
“Theo. My name is Theo.”
“Oh? I’m Maria.”
“Maria.”
From that moment, Theo fell in love at first sight with the kind and thoughtful young woman.
Since then, whenever he had spare time, Theo would visit Maria’s bookstore.
Even after receiving a new arm.
Even after growing accustomed to his administrative tasks.
Arad Company paid its employees weekly. Nearly all of Theo’s wages went toward buying books from Maria’s shop.
To date, Theo had purchased a total of seven books.
In a world where paper and printing techniques were still underdeveloped, buying even one or two books a month was no small feat.
But for Maria’s smile? It was worth every coin.