Another world, Celeste

Chapter Eight, pt 2

In the afternoon, I go to the kiln and spend my time learning about magi formula. Instead of getting all technical on me, Chief shows how things work for it to be easier for me to grasp an understanding of the process. He hears from Lord Sol that I understand things quickly and tend to act out differently from instructions. He also adds that I'm prone to doing careless actions before considering the risks. Chief doesn't mind it and encourages me to observe how the other apprentices are working. They explain things to me without holding back and when they're stuck on something, they ask for my input. Because I think differently than the rest, what I say gives clarity to the things they never thought of doing before.

"You cannot learn if you keep seeing things from one side. We advise the apprentices to never shy from asking help. Nudge them a little without giving much away. It's not fun if we spoil everything to them." Chief says.

Kif agrees as well. My body jolt to a sudden blaring sound.

"Fire alarm."

Kif and Chief are calm about this. We run to the source of the fire. Chief pushes through the door and identifies that smokes are coming out of two furnaces. Kif assists the gnomes in dousing the fire while the dwarves are covered in soot. I sprout a huge water bubble above their heads and let it drop on them then use 'dryer' magic before they catch a cold.

"Much appreciated, young miss."

The dwarves thanked me. When Kif asks for an explanation, one starts saying they found a record from the elves archives of the possibility of turning coal into diamonds by heating it on high heat. When one starts talking, another join. They're quarrelling again over whose direction are most efficient. It would seem they are getting side-tracked from their current work. Kif and Chief ponder over the methods. My eyes glance around the room then notice something.

"Excuse me!" I say loudly. "Didn't Bertha say this needed to be delivered in seven days?"

I point at the cracked glass wares and the furnace with the melted pieces. All eyes are wide open.

"Ah!" They shout in unison.

"We can salvage some of them, but the rest..."

"We have to start all over."

"We won't make it in time."

"Nom nom."

"Right, the glass will break if we hurry the process."

Their voices trail off in dejection.

I interrupt their conversation. "So, you can cut it."

All eyes on me.

"With what? It will take time to grind and polish."

I respond. "Water."

Chief tells me to make a simple tool as a start. Every apprentice in training must make one as a sign of their starting point. The tool they make symbolises what kind of crafts they will undertake whether it be glassware, weaponry, sculpting or even building architectures. I make a water cutter with a metal rod and attach water and wind mana stones. While using 'forming' magic to make out the framework, the magi formula adjusts the pressure of the water jutting out from the nozzle which is divided into two small holes. From the second small hole, pressurised air will blow the remnants to the side. As it doesn't take me long to make one, I thought to make fire cutter as well. This time with magi formula, I program the shape and sharpness of the fire with specified measurement instead of letting it jut out uncontrollably. The wind and fire cutters are made for me to hold it like wands, though the fire cutter made me feel like I'm holding a portable laser. My methods are practically cheating since I accomplish them with magic while the apprentices create them from scratch.