At a banquet held by the Katiere Family, a family of jewel merchants.
As the mood began to liven up.
“I am sorry. I am a little late.”
The host, Ellen Katiere, entered the banquet hall with a greeting.
“Hello, Ms. Ellen. Have you been well…?”
The nobles who turned to greet Ellen Katiere were suddenly engulfed in silence.
‘...What is that? I do not think I have ever seen anything like it before.’
It was because Ellen Katiere was wearing accessories of a design they had never seen in their lives.
Ordinary accessories were made with precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum, along with gems such as diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.
And accessories of that kind were made as lavish and complex as possible to make those precious gems and metals stand out.
Labor-intensive work meant spending much money and care. Therefore, a complex design meant a “valuable” design, and wearing valuable accessories was considered a way for nobles to elevate their own value.
But.
‘What is that? It looks too simple and plain….’
The accessories Ellen Katiere wore were different.
First of all, their designs were simple.
They were engraved with intaglio designs of the Katiere Family’s symbol, the bitten apple, and leaves. But overall, they were not complicated.
They seemed to have only the most “basic” elements: simply a bracelet, simply a ring, simply a necklace, simply a brooch.
Some had gems attached, while others did not, giving them an impression more like armor than accessories.
Even so.
‘No, looking closely, they seem to have delicate aspects as well….’
The edges of the accessories had been shaped into smooth curves, and while those curves seemed ordinary, they were subtly different from the curves that had existed before.
Furthermore, the intaglio patterns had not simply been carved out. They had been rounded with curves, adding a sense of careful attention.
It was a chicness that appeared effortless, yet had been carved with detail.
In particular, the intaglio designs of the Katiere Family’s symbol, the bitten apple, left a strong impression.
The crowning touch of that impression was.
‘What in the world is the material…?’
The material from which those accessories had been made.
It was neither an ordinary precious metal like gold, silver, or platinum, nor a common metal like iron. It was a kind of metal they had never seen before.
The metal, which seemed to sit somewhere between silver and iron, had natural-looking fine lines on its surface. They created a cold yet refined sensation, as though the material itself possessed a sharp edge.
It felt as though it cut casually through this banquet hall filled with extravagance.
‘To think it has such a sharp yet refined sensibility?’
Because of that feeling, the nobles gathered in the banquet hall could not take their eyes off the accessories Ellen had newly appeared wearing.
‘Just as calculated.’
Ellen Katiere thought without letting her expression change.
Those gazes concentrated in one place proved that her intention was working.
Though there were some exceptions, most nobles of the Empire spent the greatest part of their lives at banquets.
Before coming of age, they attended various tea times, became acquainted with children of other noble families, and formed friendships. After coming of age, they attended banquets to build networks in earnest and increase the number of people they knew.
They lived such lives partly because they enjoyed them, but also because they needed to build many connections in order to conduct various affairs.
Basically, nobles held many interests throughout the Empire in their hands.
From agriculture to commercial matters such as alchemy and magical-device workshops, academic matters such as Mage Towers, and business matters such as merchant guilds, most of those things were operated and managed by noble families.
And because many undertakings were difficult to accomplish through the power of a single family, one needed to become acquainted with people from other families in advance to start a new business.
That was why banquets, large and small, were frequently held across the Empire, and nobles attended them to form connections with one another.
And….
The means by which one displayed oneself at such banquets was the clothing and accessories one wore.
By wearing a better dress and newer necklaces, earrings, and accessories, one could indirectly reveal how one was living.
That was why Ellen Katiere regularly hosted large banquets and invited nobles.
Hosting a banquet was originally expensive.
Preparing one required maintaining the castle, hiring people to serve guests, and preparing valuable wine and food for the nobles, all of which cost a considerable amount.
The reason Ellen went through all that expense was simple.
‘Because it brings greater profit.’
A banquet was the best way to confirm how well one’s clothes and accessories could make one stand out.
To her, these banquets were practically showcases for introducing new products to the Empire’s many nobles.
If one invested in a showcase and succeeded, it was self-evident that it would return far greater profit.
And Ellen Katiere had fortunately been born with an appearance that suited any accessory, and she knew well how to use it.
That was why she regularly held banquets like this and created opportunities to introduce new products indirectly.
Of course, there had been many cases where things did not go as she intended and she ultimately suffered a loss.
In such cases, she naturally lost her investment.
But.
‘This time, I have at least secured success.’
Every time she passed by while greeting people, gazes gathered on the necklace, bracelet, ring, earrings, brooch, and everything else she wore. The effect appeared more than sufficient.
Of course, success and a great success were different.
Simple success was when nobles took an interest in a new product but stopped there.
In such cases, sales increased somewhat, but not dramatically.
That was the standard for “success.”
“...Excuse me, Ms. Ellen Katiere, but may I touch the bracelet you are wearing?”
Unable to overcome her curiosity, Mrs. Ronefelt approached Ellen.
“Of course, Mrs. Ronefelt. Here, please feel free to touch it.”
Ellen smiled, removed the bracelet, and handed it over.
“Thank you, Ms. Ellen… oh, the weight…?”
Mrs. Ronefelt was greatly startled by the unfamiliar sensation when she received the bracelet from Ellen.
Unlike ordinary precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum, it was as light as holding air.
“Ms. Ellen, has this been given a lightweight enchantment?”
“No. It has not been given any enchantment.”
“Then how can metal be as light as a feather?”
“It is light because it was made from a newly discovered metal. It is called aluminum, and it is a very ‘rare’ metal. We barely managed to obtain it, even after searching throughout the entire Empire. That is why the production quantity is not very high.”
The nobles’ eyes lit up when they heard Ellen’s explanation.
‘A rare metal…?’
Rare meant precious, and wearing it meant being different from others.
Showing oneself to be different from others meant being ahead.
It was practically an opportunity to display one’s own “specialness.”
The nobles gathered around Ellen began pouring out questions.
“Ms. Ellen, when do you plan to release these products…?”
“When might reservations be possible…?”
“I do not care about the price. When the products are released, I would like you to send them to me first….”
Earlier, Ellen Katiere had defined success as nobles merely taking an interest.
Curiosity did not always lead to a purchase, and people often went home and forgot about it.
And Ellen defined a great success as follows.
‘If they cannot overcome their curiosity and ask questions, that can be called a great success.’
By that standard, these aluminum accessories were….
‘A perfect, tremendous success.’
She could feel the signs of an enormous hit.
“We plan to release the products as quickly as possible. Our family’s artisans are working hard to ensure the highest quality.”
“We are not taking reservations yet, but for Sirius, I can make a special exception….”
“Because it is a rare metal, the price range is somewhat higher than our existing products… you do not mind? In that case, payment can be made here….”
As Ellen answered people’s questions, Eugene Magnus suddenly came to mind.
‘Ah, I should have found some way to bring him into our workshop. Should I have offered better conditions?’
This was already a good result, but for some reason, Ellen began to feel regret.
‘No, this is better. I should use this opportunity to show my gratitude and strengthen our connection further. What kind of gift would be good…?’
As Ellen pondered, a thought suddenly came to mind.
‘Ah, he is an alchemist. There must be something he would like!’
There were things an alchemy workshop would appreciate.
***
A few days later.
‘...What is this?’
Eugene was greatly puzzled as he looked at the package that had arrived at the Magnus 43rd Workshop from the Katiere Family.
A large box filled with neatly organized samples of countless ores had arrived.
Since they were ores, they would be useful, but Eugene could not understand why they had been sent.
‘Let us read the letter first.’
Eugene read the letter that had come from Ellen.
[This is Ellen Katiere. Have you been well, Mr. Eugene Magnus? Our family achieved the highest sales since I became Family Head with the aluminum accessories we released this time. Without the cooperation of Mr. Eugene and the Magnus 43rd Workshop, achieving such results would have been impossible. I would like to thank you once again.]
‘...They sold that well?’
Eugene was nearly dumbfounded by the fact that aluminum accessories had truly sold so well, but he continued reading the letter.
[The enclosed ore samples are a collection of samples from the many ores our workshops receive as supplies while searching for new materials. I sent them because I thought they might help with Mr. Eugene’s research. I have heard that alchemists originally sought to create gold. In that sense, I thought such ores might be useful to Mr. Eugene, who created aluminum, a metal more valuable than gold.
I have been busy lately, but if you have time, I would like to have tea together. Please send a date by reply….]
‘Ah, that was her intention.’
Eugene understood Ellen’s intentions, skimmed the latter part, and set the letter down.
Ellen, having taken note of the fact that he had made aluminum, had apparently sent samples of ores supplied from numerous mines across the Empire in the hope that they would help his research.
‘She is an interesting person.’
Since she had written in the letter that she had been busy, Eugene did not think they would actually meet again in person.
‘The part about having tea is probably just a courtesy.’
Still, since she had sent him a gift while thinking of him as an alchemist, Eugene thought he would remember this favorably.
‘She sent it for research, so I should use it for research. It is also about time to find a new metal….’
If he could find out what ores existed, he could also find out what metals could be refined from them.
‘But why did she send this…?’
The package contained not only ore samples but several gold bars.
‘Is this meant for research too?’
As Eugene held up a gold bar and examined it, he suddenly felt that something was strange.
‘Come to think of it… does the purity feel a little low?’
During his laboratory life in his previous life, Eugene had occasionally used experimental instruments plated with high-purity gold.
Compared to the gold he had seen then, this had a subtly duller and less brilliant appearance.
‘If it is good enough for a place that makes accessories, it should be of the highest quality….’
Puzzled, Eugene conducted a simple specific-gravity measurement (a substance’s density divided by the density of water, which can be used to measure purity).
Put simply, he filled a bottle with water and measured its weight, then emptied it. After that, he placed the gold bar in the bottle, filled it with water again, and estimated the gold bar’s specific gravity through the difference in weight.
And then.
‘Just as I expected.’
The specific gravity of pure gold was 19.32.
But the gold bar sent by the Katiere Family had a specific gravity of roughly 18.3.
It was a simple measurement, and there could be error depending on what metals were mixed in, but its purity could be estimated at around 90 percent.
‘...Was this not supposed to be a premium product?’
Normally, one took the amount of gold needed from a gold bar and mixed it with metals such as silver to make accessories. Therefore, the gold bar itself should have high purity.
Furthermore, if the Katiere Family called it a “premium product,” one could assume its purity was among the highest available in the Empire.
Yet it was only 90 percent pure….
‘It must be a technical issue.’
It seemed that their gold-refining technology was inadequate, so they could only achieve results like this.
‘Come to think of it, gold purity can be raised through electrolysis….’
Gold also formed ions when dissolved, so electrolysis could separate it from other metals.
It would not merely be 90 percent pure; he could make it exceed 99.99 percent purity.
It was even used to refine gold for electronic devices.
However.
‘No, who would need something like that?’
Unlike on Earth, this world did not have devices containing densely integrated electronic circuits. Eugene could not think of anyone who would need pure gold with purity approaching one hundred percent.
***
At the Kalibore Mage Tower.
In a mage’s laboratory at the highest level.
“Damn it, another failure!”
The old mage Robak shouted in fury as he looked at the broken artifact.
The artifact he had devoted his life to completing had once again been damaged by an overload caused by a problem in its mana flow.
“Whew….”
After calming his anger, Robak picked up the broken artifact and took it apart.
It had failed, but he could not improve it unless he discovered where the problem had occurred.
And then.
‘...Gold is the problem again.’
He found scorch marks near the micro mana circuit made of gold, which had been laid down to carry mana flow.
Gold had good affinity with mana, particularly the Lightning Element. Because it could make mana flow quickly and smoothly, it was used in the manufacture of many artifacts.
Under ordinary circumstances, it was not a major problem. But perhaps because the artifact Robak was making required delicate control of mana flow, problems kept occurring in the mana circuit made of gold.
‘No matter how I think about it, purity is the problem.’
As far as Robak could tell, the reason this happened was the purity of the gold.
Pure gold did not obstruct mana flow. But if other metals were mixed into the gold, differences in the speed of mana flow could cause mana to accumulate at certain points.
After enough time had passed, that accumulated mana would explode and destroy the artifact like this.
Using pure gold would solve it, but even when he obtained gold refined at various alchemy workshops, the problem remained unsolved.
What he needed now was almost perfectly pure gold, nearly 99.99 percent pure.
But where in this Empire was there anyone who could make something like that?
‘If anyone could make that for me, I could grant any request they wished….’
Robak thought as he fell into despair.