A week had passed ever since Ethan locked himself in his workroom. The formula for making the soap was nearly ready and Ethan was simply working on a few details.
The room was even messier with papers and ingredients all over the place, glass jars with oils and various liquids were around Ethan who was on the floor. From those jars, the pungent mixtures of disgusting animal smell and the sweet scent of flowers drifted all over the room.
Making soap in itself wasn't difficult at all. Ethan knew the procedure well and it isn't rocket science. But Ethan didn't just want to make an ordinary soap, he wanted to make a soap that would make the skin glow and healthy. For that, he needed to <><><>... for and test special herbs that would not create any side effects.
In Akarxia, there were many unusual plants and herbs completely different and a lot more magical than on earth. It was said that the mystical elements and the essence of the blessings that the Gods had left behind were the reason for such mutation in the green ecosystem of Akarxia.
In fact, the evolution was so drastic that new magical species of plants were born. The species such as the dryads and the Tree Folk.
To find the correct herb for his use, Ethan went through the vast reservoir of medical knowledge in the Temple's library as long as the books he had in real life. After many sleepless nights, it seemed like he was finally up to something.
After a lot of research and countless sleepless nights of reading, Ethan had already decided what he was going to use for fat and oil. For the scent, he had decided on a mixture of the essence fragrant flowers and for the herbal, properties, he had found the perfect thing after some extensive research in the Temple's library. He had found a particular grass that met his needs.
This herbal grass was a humble one. Its leaves soft and delicate. The grass had gotten its name from its property of shimmering with an emerald hue in the daylight. Apart from its beauty in daylight in the vast grasslands, there was really nothing much about it to take special note of. Thus, the grass did not garner much attention as even if it looked pretty, it was in plenty of abundances.
But Ethan knew quite well that this grass had certain hidden properties that he had read from an encyclopedia of herbs in the temple's library.
The Greenglow had a secret that no one knew of. In actuality, the grass had potent rejuvenation and purifying capabilities if mixed with some other certain herbs as it would release a cocktail of enzymes and antioxidants that can cleanse the skin of impurities and toxins, leaving it looking healthy and radiant. Apart from that, the grass also had a mild calming sweet scent to it, making it perfect for the kind of soap that Ethan wanted to make.
As Ethan concluded his final observations and study. He now had the complete formula for the soap. Now all that was needed to do was to produce it.
Ethan quickly sorted his room and burned all the papers and writing that he had made. After that, he moved all the glass flasks and containers aside and cleared all the traces that could potentially reveal the formula.
Then, he opened the door and emerged from the room after a long time.
Seeing his haggard appearance and getting a whiff of his stinking smell, the knights keeping guard outside were startled and stepped back.
Basking in the sunshine coming from the castle windows, Ethan yelled out, "Ahh! It's good to be out!"
The knight's regained their cool once again and bowed in hurry. Looking at them, Ethan said, "I'm going to get refreshed. Inform Albert, Naenna, Ronan, and Aria to meet me in a bit. Understood?"
The knights saluted and exclaimed stiffly, "Yes!" and then left on their feet.
Laughing and smiling merrily, Ethan got back to his room and ordered his two personal maids—Maya and Sera, to prepare his clothes.
After taking a fresh bath with warm water, Ethan wore new clothes and once again retained his angelic looks. At this moment, Sera got back from outside and placed the tray with tea and cookies on the table.
As he began drowning in the bliss of sipping tea, the door opened and everyone entered. Naenna, Albert, Ronan, Aria, and even Armford.
"You have come," Ethan muttered after sipping his tea.
"Yes," Everyone said in unison.
"Old man, how's the village fairing?" Ethan asked.
"We didn't need to do much, we have transformed it a bit to suit our needs. There were some abandoned buildings so some were occupied, we transformed the abandoned ones into production facilities and for some of the occupied, we bought at double the price from the locals." Albert said.
With a curious expression, Ethan blurted, "You didn't force the locals, right?"
Albert flinched and said, "Not at all, we have bought the property for more than for price. The locals are mostly commoners and wouldn't dare to defy the Ducal Will."
Leaning back into his chair, Ethan said, "Good, remember, that village is important to us. Perhaps it will become quite big someday. So don't do anything provoking."
Albert nodded in agreement and Naenna suddenly said with twinkling eyes, "Eth! The chessboard is ready! The old man delivered it when you were busy!"
Hearing this excellent piece of news, Ethan became delighted as he asked in excitement, "Where is it? I want to see it!"
At that moment, Naenna clapped her hands and a maid came in carrying a large ornamented wooden box.
The box was placed in front of Ethan and he opened it with anticipation.
After opening the lid, Ethan first saw the broad wooden chessboard with sixty-four squares, light and dark.
On first impression, the packaging looked amazing as the inside of the large box was covered in shiny red silk fabric with intricate designs on which the chessboard was placed. The chessboard looked very premium as the wood was glossy, shined, and smooth to the touch. So much so that it did not even feel like wood. The proof of the material being wood were the 'grains', distinct patterns, textures, and stripes on the surface that occur naturally on wood.
Besides the chessboard, there was a rectangular compartment to both sides where elaborate holes were made by measurements of the pieces in which the chess pieces were placed.
Ethan grabbed the King by the crown on its head as he admired the skill of the artisan. One by one, he brought out all the pieces from their slots along with the chessboard and then arranged the chessboard with a smile on his face.
Ethan would often play chess in his head when he was bored as there wasn't really much to do in Akarxia for entertainment. He was truly ecstatic to play chess on the real chessboard.
"Eth, will you play with me?" Naenna asked in excitement.
"Master… We'd like to learn as well." Sera, Maya, Albert, Ronan, and Aria all said in unison.
Laughing heartily, Ethan said, "Hahaha! Good! I will surely teach you all!"
Everyone moved closer to the table as Ethan placed all the pieces on the board in order. He then began explaining what each piece was called and how it moved on the board. Then he explained all the rules and also began demonstrating by playing a match with himself.
As everyone witnessed the complexity and intriguing rules, strategies, and patterns of the game, they were absolutely dumbfounded realizing that countless possibilities, tactics, and strategies existed in the game.
One thing was certain the cunning nobles in their mansions, the royalty in their castles, and the military general in their barracks would love the sport of mind to no end.
As Ethan reached the end of his explanation, Albert and Aria were focused and their eyes glittered with anticipation, Armford was already thinking of the various strategies of the game while Ronan and Naenna had stars revolving around their heads. They were literally overloaded.
As if realizing something, Naenna clapped her hands again in excitement and asked as she diverted her baffled mind from the game of chess, "Right! You were working on the new product! Did you finish it?"
Smiling gently Ethan replied as he brought out a piece of paper and handed it to Albert, "Yes, take this list and prepare everything in the village in two days. We will create the soap on a trial basis for the first time."
Everyone was elated. They all anticipated seeing what this soap was all about and if it would truly work.
"Oh and… Did Gerrick agree yet? And what about the thing I asked you regarding the fire?" Ethan asked abruptly, looking at Albert.
"Young Master, he has agreed and the documents are ready. As for the fire… Please see this." Albert said solemnly as he handed Ethan a report.
Ethan took the report and began reading. The more he read, the more his brows twitched and his eyes widened. It was written in the report that the fire was not natural, in fact, even the bandit attack wasn't natural. There was a witness who had seen someone stalking the warehouse a few days before the fire. The same person had seen the same suspicious man roaming around in the vicinity of the warehouse on the day of the fire breakout.
But this wasn't even the more alarming thing. The more alarming thing was that someone was covering up the sabotage deliberately.
With a stern, harsh tone and narrowed eyes, Ethan ordered, "Gather evidence, and don't let the rat get the whiff of the smoke. Also, invite Gerrick when we go to the village."
"Yes, I have already begun the investigation," Albert said, then bowed and then left.
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