Rise of Rurik

The priests discussed what Rurik had done, and they disagreed.

I never thought that this child came in person at night.

After all, it was his decision, and Bona greeted Rurik with a smile, and did not intend to mention these things again.

"Rurik, you came so late, something special?"

"Yeah." Rurik looked left and right, and then deliberately sniffed the air: "Soap production seems to be all right now."

Only this, Bona is particularly proud. She pinched her waist happily, "We try our best to buy the whale oil, whether it's the best whale brain oil, or the oil under the skin of the fish (they think whales are also fish), I try to buy them as much as I can."

"Or forty bucks a day?" Rurik asked.

"Yeah, if you have special needs, I'll find a way to speed it up. Maybe I'll still have to call those help girls again."

"No need." Rurik waved his hand, he really felt that this speed was acceptable.

In general, even if the priests personally buy the processing materials and make finished products, they can only earn 20% of the gross profit, and they still feel that the transaction is worthwhile.

Because only for ordinary people's meals, two silver coins a month are more than enough. What's more, the priests are very special, a small group of them never worry about eating.

Basically, each priest earned close to a silver coin a day working without leaving home. They hardly ever consume, and no one in the Ross tribe actively produces consumer goods. No, many priests melted the silver coins to make silver bracelets and rings.

They pay them ten silver coins at most every day, and only three hundred a month.

For this reason, the current Rurik's most optimistic estimate is that he can get 1,200 air-dried sharps a month.

Rurik firmly believed that when Gould, a big businessman who had made a lot of money, returned, he would buy them all without hesitation.

He settled down: "Bona, I have no problem with your soap work. Now, I need something else."

"What is it?"

"It's the salt-like crystals that come out of the ash solution, and I need it!" Speaking of this, Rurik suddenly thought, "Do your best, all of you priests. I... give me a pound, and I'll give you ten silver."

"Really?" Bonaben's tired face suddenly trembled.

"I've made up my mind, I hope you can make me a pound in the morning."

The request was made, and Rurik did not stay.

She soon returned home and was forced to talk to her mother about the day.

Proud? Proud?

No, Rurik was still thinking about the glass.

Early in the morning, Rurik went to check the ash precipitates he needed.

Bona's wrinkled face seems to be wearing sunglasses, her dark circles are amazing, and her steps are obviously trembling after she hasn't slept all night.

To make matters worse, Bona has a strong smoky smell for a very simple reason. These priests burned dead branches and fallen leaves all night to get so many crystals.

"Rurik, this is what you want." Bona tremblingly carried the small burlap bag, and immediately opened it again.

Inspection? certainly.

Rurik subconsciously stretched out his little finger and touched a little of this strange crystal, and the tip of his tongue touched it lightly. The extreme bitterness instantly made his scalp tingle, and his whole body trembled.

"how do you feel?"

"That's the taste." Rurik said excitedly.

Bona looked puzzled, "This is another key to making soap. Do you think it is... delicious? It's obviously very bitter."

"It's because of the bitterness that I need it."

Rurik happily took this package of mixed crystals of potassium nitrate and potassium carbonate, and whether it was a standard pound or not, he handed the ten silver coins to Bona.

In the morning, the children are trained normally. This time, Rurik ordered them to bring their own wooden bowls.

The fish is in the pot, and the cooked meat is brought up one after another. The situation today is exactly the same as it was yesterday, the children serve meat in their own bowls,

Then directly pick up the fish with his hands, and eat like a hungry wolf.

They will get more nutrients than others and their physical fitness will improve. Of course, this improvement is still not enough in Rurik's view.

Although they are children, if they train every morning, their physical energy consumption throughout the day may be 2,000 calories.

Even if they are children.

After eating the meat, they walked back to their homes one after another.

Rurik remained at the "large meat-eating scene" holding his waist, with Kanuf and Fisk still beside him.

He patted the small bag on his waist, "Come on, follow me to the blacksmith's shop, I hope Kravason succeeds."

Rurik believed in the level of the old guy, after all, he was someone who thought he could master the techniques of metallurgy and gem setting well.

As expected, Rurik saw carefully that Kravassen really made the so-called "rudimentary manual punching machine" according to the leak-picking drawings he provided.

The machine was placed in a blacksmith's shop with ventilation on both sides. Since it had been completed, Clavathon continued to carburize and iron his sword blanks.

Rurik finally came. This time, Kravassen, who was eager to show his achievements, not only stopped working, but immediately introduced his achievements impatiently.

It turned out that this senior blacksmith thought he was a very professional copper smelter.

Just like pouring a bronze axe, Kravassin used the mud-moulding technique to create the two necessary components.

The blacksmith's small stove is powered by a bladder blower, and it is no problem to reach a high temperature of 1,000 degrees.

The addition of tin and lead to bronzes made the melting point of the alloy low enough.

It is precisely because there is still a need to smelt bronzes that Clavason dares to say that he has a large amount of lead on hand.

Two gleaming bronzes, able to withstand at least a thousand degrees of heat, are the core moulds for pressed glass.

The bronze vessel with grooves at the bottom is a container, a bronze mortar. The stubby bronze rod above, which is machined close to the cylinder, is the "punch" of the pressing process.

Although Kravason is not particularly aware of the principle of leverage, he already knows the magic of leverage. After all, a crowbar is necessary to push a new ship into the sea.

He machined some wooden rods, and the lever joints were made of iron nails as latches. He made this lever system according to the drawings, so that the bronze punch can enter the bronze mortar quite vertically.

Rurik opened his eyes wide to admire this ninth-century hand-pressing machine.

In fact, as far as the machinery itself is concerned, such machinery is not surprising at all.

There were similar devices in the work of pressing grape juice in Eastern Rome. The equipment of this principle also exists in ancient times. The southern part of the Frankish kingdom is also a grape-producing area since ancient times. The locals are either unmarried girls who use their feet to step on ordinary things, or wooden mechanical pressing. As far as preference is concerned, the aristocrats still want to think of those girls when they drink wine.

Hundreds of years later, some Germans used this machine, as well as the engraving and printing techniques learned from the far east, to open the printing era in the West.

It is Rurik's technique of pressing glass and directly making finished glassware. Those countries that can make glassware in this time and space simply cannot afford it.

Because the biggest reason is their material problem.

Rurik had decided to add lead to the raw materials so that the molten glass would melt at only six hundred degrees and quickly become as viscous as honey.

As for the toxicity of lead, Rurik also decided to ignore it strategically.

After all, lead, a heavy metal, also determines toxicity by measurement. Lead glass is indeed poisonous. It is not used to hold acidic substances or alcohol. It is only used as a water glass. Its problem is not serious.

After examining the machinery, Rurik suddenly asked, "Maybe, we can experiment with clay."

"I've done it." Clavason grinned and pointed to a strange lump of mud.

"Huh? Fisk, help me get the mud." Rurik ordered casually.

Because of the strong plasticity of clay, it is pressed into the shape of a cup.

At this moment, Rurik joked: "Haha, maybe we can produce a batch of clay cups like this? Wouldn't it be enough to burn them?"

"That's exactly what I mean," said Clavason constructively. "Clay is easy to get, but the river sand you want is a little harder to get."

"So do you have all the materials I want?"

"Yeah, I got everything you wanted. Only the third thing."

Rurik patted his waist: "It's here. I didn't even think that the machinery I asked for could also produce clay embryos."

After all Rurik didn't believe that rough techniques could make glasses very thin, and besides, compared to blown glass, the pressing process made for example the glass must have a very thick base, and even the glass walls had to be thick.

Rurik couldn't help but think of the cat's paw cup he remembered. For this little cutie worth 198, he also tried his best, and finally failed.

However, the pressing operation of the small local glass factory produced the same glass with a cat's claw mold at a very low cost.

As a cup, of course the high boron glass is the best. But with the current technology, Rurik feels that it is either impossible to realize it, or that technology accumulation is still required.

Rurik unwrapped his sackcloth, showed the clear crystals, and said to Kravassen, "This is the third ingredient. What about the others? I'll see at once. Don't wait any longer, let's get started right away. . . and hopefully we can make it through the night."

"Okay!" Clavason slapped his thigh and quickly went to get the materials.

Soon, a simple wooden table Kravatsen put all the materials here.

Knock knock what?

A pile of dried, crystal clear sand from a nearby creek with some impurities.

A pile of dry, whitish processed quicklime.

There was also a pool of deliberately ground lead, specifically lead oxide powder.

Rurik nodded and finally put on his packet of potassium-rich potassium carbonate and potassium nitrate mixture.

"What's next?" Clavason asked.

Rurik pointed with his little hand: "Put them in your terracotta cauldron, the one you poured the bronze in."

"In what proportion?"

A professional question, Rurik smiled, "Now listen to me."

Is glass a liquid or a solid? What is its essence? This fact cannot be explained even in the 21st century.

But the principles of how to make glass easier to work are well understood.

Microscopically, as molten silica cools, the molecules do their best to align into hexagonal crystals. The deliberate addition of various alkaline ions such as calcium, potassium, lead, etc., can interfere with its molecular structure.

This allows glass to melt at very low temperatures, yet it never becomes a pure liquid.

When it begins to cool down and solidify, these impurities cannot destroy its stability, and even some special substances can make the glass more transparent and clear!

The main component of glass is silicon dioxide. Rurik vaguely remembers that the so-called lead glass, the lead content in glass may be as high as 20%. As for other formulas, it is also necessary to put some, such a large amount of alkali metals combined, and eventually make the glass easy to melt and plastic.

In this regard, Rurik has only theory, he himself has never made glass, and is now doing a daring experiment in the blacksmith's shop in Kravassen.

At least in the entire Viking world around the Baltic Sea, no one has yet to try to make glassware.

Rurik informs Clavason about the proportions of the recipe.

"That's the ratio? Are you sure?"

"Yes." Rurik said cautiously: "You try it like this. If it doesn't work, we will adjust the ratio."

"Okay. Let's start now."

Compared to Rurik's prudence, Klavassen is really full of fighting spirit. Looking at the various raw materials he had obtained, no matter how he thought about it, he didn't think it had anything to do with natural crystals. But Rurik kept saying that people can make artificial crystals.

The terracotta crucible in which Clavatson smelted bronze, with its debris removed. Then, it is to put all kinds of raw materials that have been crushed into sand.

The crucible was placed in the furnace, and then he placed a large number of dry charcoal blocks vertically, and all the operations were like burning bronze water.

The honorable Rurik could not do the job of operating the airbag blower, which Kravassen asked the curious Kanuf and Fisk to do. The two children are very happy to try out new toys, and here they press the huge air bag.

With this strong air intake, the flames also burst out quickly.

Rurik stood upright, staring at the condition of the cauldron in the furnace.

I saw that the various raw materials in it really began to gradually melt into a shiny paste.

Not just them, but the whole crucible is glowing.

Even Rurik felt that he saw a white flame. He could estimate that two of his subordinates were already sweating profusely, and they had helped the charcoal reach the limit of its calorific value.

This is due to the so-called hard pottery crucible of Kravason, which actually has a large amount of iron in it, which has become a mixture of silicon and iron, which has very good heat resistance.

Clavasson has been paying attention to the changes in the crucible, and until now he doesn't think there is anything special about the changes in the material inside the crucible.

"Rurik, I think...you say glass, it reminds me of sticky slag."

"Yes, the slag removes the debris, and we can also get it." Rurik tried his best to answer calmly.

"Really? But the slag has cooled, and it's also a pile of brittle sand. Is it because of the impurities in it?"

"Of course. Now let the fire burn! Cravason, have you really studied those atomic theories I handed you? There's a lot of carbon in these things, and we have to burn them! Finally What you get is silica."

Anyway, I have given a set of atomic theory, although this theory is not the truth, at least it is more reliable than people in other places relying on subjective assumptions about everything in the world.

Besides, this theory of my own is absolutely correct in dealing with general chemical reactions.

Clavasson could not understand, but at least he had completely figured out one thing. For example, fire is not a substance, but "a violent reaction of matter when it is recombined."

Compared with sea sand, Rurik felt that river sand was the most suitable for glass. Of course, if you can get a lot of natural crystals, smash them and melt them to make glass, that's even better. The reason why sea sand is not very good is precisely because there must be a lot of small shells in it, and it is troublesome to remove these debris.

The crucible is constantly being heated, for which Kravatsen has filled several new charcoals to support the continuation of the heating.

He shook the crucible lightly with tongs, and gradually noticed that the substance that resembled molten slag was indeed very different from the real slag.

It is by no means the kind of viscous molten slag, and it is no longer the bright and hot "water" like bronze water.

"Rurik, don't you think this thing is like honey?!" Cravason deliberately teased.

"Huh? It looks kind of like that kind of warm honey. I really can't imagine how runny it got with the lead."

"Is it alright now? It's been a long time," Clavathon urged. "Your two followers also seem to lack the strength to press the airbag."

"Then let's get started!"

Rurik held his breath, and Kanuf and Fisk stood up panting. The three watched as Kravason clamped the crucible with pliers and walked towards the "rudimentary manual punching machine" that had been made.

Isn't it the first time that Clavason has done such a thing?

He tilted the cauldron cautiously, staring at the mushy molten mass falling freely into the bronze mortar.

"Begin? Rurik?" he asked.

Rurik hurriedly leaned over. He gently probed his head and saw that the molten material in the bronze mortar clearly had a tendency to rapidly cool down. "Let's go! Once it cools we can't be plastic."

"Okay." Clavason removed the lever handle: "Ah! I touched it. There is really a force that prevents me from continuing to press it."

"Continue pressing. Until it reaches the level I designed it to." Rurik urged.

"Then I'll use my strength." With a dull roar, Kravason pressed the bronze punch to the designed limit.

Rurik was pleasantly surprised to see that the still red melt, like cream, was forced out along the reserved annular gap.

Seeing this, Rurik pulled out his steel sword without hesitation.

The sharp steel sword began to cut through the melt, and Rurik suddenly felt as if he was cutting sticky, hot ginger candy. He completes the circular cut against the bronze punch rod, cutting off any unwanted leftovers.

"What's next? I'll lift it?" Clavasson asked, before Rurik could answer, the old guy had a tendency to lift.

Rurik hastily ordered a ban.

"What's wrong?"

At this moment, Rurik suddenly thought of something, and in his panic, he suddenly thought of annealing. Otherwise, the glass after cooling in this way is easy to crack itself.

"Klavassen," Rurik ordered suddenly.

"What's your order?"

"Let go now and light a pile of firewood. Well... just let the firewood burn naturally, I need the hot ashes inside."

"Ash? All right."

Lighting is as simple as taking some charcoal blocks from a still-burning stove to light a pool of firewood outdoors. When the flames began to burn, Rurik ordered his two servants to start tending the pile of firewood.

Clavason returned, and he asked, "Is it alright now?"

"Okay, just lift the lever. I don't think there's any resistance."

Rurik guessed that as the glass shrank, the bronze rod responsible for the stamping would not have any resistance, but it turned out to be the case.

Now, the bronze mortar is no longer a red molten substance, it has completed its plasticity, and Rurik is satisfied to see that it has become transparent!

Although its temperature is still more than one hundred degrees, ordinary touch, like pulling it out with tongs, will not cause it to deform or disintegrate.

That's what Clavason did, and when he pulled the glass out with pliers, he was shocked!

"Ah?! This? It's a crystal? Rurik, we made a crystal cup like this? Oh, it's even wonderful. I'm going to put it in the water and see how he fills it."

"What? You want to quench? Never!" Rurik stopped one, and Kravason put this light brown pressed glass with a thick bottom and thick walls into the bucket. Indeed, the glass instantly cooled, but when Clavatson took it in his hand and saw the terrifying crack on it.

Rurik stomped his feet with regret, and he shouted: "How can you quench it? This is not iron, it must not be quenched. Otherwise, why do you think I let you light a bonfire? I want it to cool down slowly, only That way it won't crack."

"There's still such an emphasis on it?" Cravason played with the quilt with three cracks in his hand. Then, he lightly placed it on the wooden pillar, feeling its texture like a stone. With just this knock, suddenly, it completely cracked and fell to the ground and turned into many transparent and beautiful fragments.

Rurik crouched down and picked up the debris on the ground. Although it was a pity, when looking at these fragments carefully, for a moment, a trance that spanned time and space suddenly took over Rurik's mind.

Regardless, the shards are indeed glass. Although it is not completely transparent, it has a light brown color. But this texture is also a kind of beauty!

Rurik was no longer angry. After all, he was not well prepared, and he didn't even have the original annealing equipment.

"Child, don't be angry, forgive me for being reckless." Clavason's tone was obviously coaxing Rurik, as if he was really coaxing an eight-year-old child.

Rurik smiled and nodded: "For our ultimate success, we always have to fail once or twice. Now that we can make up for our mistakes, let's consume and adjust all the materials."

Having said that, Rurik carefully picked up all the pieces so as not to scratch his hands.

With the experience of failure, the next job becomes easier.

Since Kravassen had actually prepared so much material, especially the lead, Rurik suspected that the old guy was also engaging in silver-to-lead business.

The work on the new pressed glass began, and the old but powerful Klavathon remained the main force.

The old guy couldn't help but ask his soul: "Rurik, I remember what you said, if you make it easy with lead, people will become fools? Since you let me put so much lead powder in the ingredients, what if we use it? Aren't you going to be a fool too?"

"No." Rurik shook his head. "Bronze utensils also contain lead. I saw the high priest drinking from bronze cups for so many years. She has miraculously lived to the age of seventy. But she is still the wisest. people."

"That's true. But as you said, lead is poisonous."

"It's very toxic, but just using it to hold water, the toxicity is negligible. Besides, maybe a person fell ill because of a disease, and he died before he became an old fool. We don't put lead powder anyway. Well, the cup is still a cup, except that it takes you longer to burn and press harder."

"Oh?" Clavason smiled. "Then I'd rather use more strength than you who drink from a glass to become a fool."

"Haha? Are you worried about me? Thank you. I've made up my mind that I can sell the leaded glass at a lower price, just a silver coin. As for my own use, of course no lead is added. Clavason, I You will be paid. And you blacksmiths have formed a guild, and you can take care of the work of making glass. As usual, we will sign an agreement, you will share the glass by hand, and we will discuss the share of the money.”

"Okay! At least make this, even if a cup sells a silver coin, it's faster than I can make a steel sword. Haha, I think you will never agree to sell a cup for just a silver coin, really for what we're discussing."

"That's true." Rurik suddenly thought that glass bottles in this era were originally a luxury for the aristocracy, and they were mainly consumed by them.

Poor homesteader? What they need to solve most urgently is the problem of metal agricultural tools, and it is enough to have wooden cups and barrels on weekdays.

Since the buyer's market is like this, it is really absurd to say "one silver coin and one cup" without thinking.

No matter what, you have to pit those big households, ten silver coins per cup, isn't it? As long as it's cheaper than Gould's mason jars!

Soon, Kravatsen used up all the raw materials, specifically, all the potassium carbonate and nitrate that Rurik had used up first.

The glassware has not yet become a real finished product, at least they have become quite transparent. They are still hot enough to scald raw meat!

A pool of firewood gradually turned into the last embers, and its temperature was still four hundred degrees! This temperature was not enough to soften the lead glass, but the firewood was the simplest "annealing furnace" Rurik could think of.

A total of twenty glasses were buried in the ashes under the shocked eyes of Kanuf and Fisk.

Clavasson asked, "Rurik, what's next?"

"Let's wait!"

"Wait until what is appropriate?"

"When the embers are completely extinguished, we take the cup out so it doesn't shatter easily."