Another world, Celeste

Chapter Fifteen, pt 3

Three months have passed since Roy and Luda become my tutors, Lord Sol spend less time supervising my magic lessons and leave it all up to Auntie El who has much more luxury time and Chief would come and go from the mountain as he pleases. Each time Chief would leave behind materials for me like metal ores and mana stones of all kinds for me to use as I please. Clearly from Kif's expression whenever I'm at the kiln using materials not part of their inventory, this is not what a master craftsman would act towards his apprentices. 

The other dwarves and gnomes mutter in complain since they can't freely exhaust their material inventory even though they have the budget for it. Bertha scolds them by making them clean the furnaces. Even Kif was once seen sulking in the corner and muttering about how much I'm getting preferential treatment over materials as an apprentice. I awkwardly walk away from the scene. It's not like I can offer any consoling words and I'm not given the materials without doing anything in return. The mana stones are from reviewing the magi formula for the sages' communication device which I've been secretly helping with since it's based on my smartphone.

Speaking of materials, Jilko has been experimenting with liquid substances to make a waterproof agent. She comes close with a viscous liquid, but it's not exactly what Jilko is hoping for. When I touch it, the texture is slimy but not sticky and elastic like jelly, or better yet, a silicone. It's a waste to disregard it as a failed product, and so I tell Jilko what she could do with it. After some trial and error, Jilko manages to harden the viscous substance while still maintaining the elasticity and turns them into ice cube trays. 

Ice can be produced by obtaining an ice mana stone and they are valuable in this world and those who could afford a freezer are large-scale merchants and high ranking aristocrats. Jilko made the ice cube trays without knowing what it is for. Fortunately, there's a freezer at Maya's house. I thought it would be better to surprise Jilko and Maya at the same time about the ice cube trays.

Jilko comes to the house during my off day with half-excitement, half-nervous. Jilko sheepishly walks into the living room and sees Maya sitting at the sofa.

"Good morning, Jilko." Maya greets her with a smile.

"Nom nom." Jilko shyly replies with a hand gesture.

Jilko has made a habit of talking while moving her hands to practice sign language. Of course, Maya is familiar with it too because I told her about them.

"What brings you here this early?" Maya asks.

I answer. "I asked Jilko to make something for me the other day and I wanted to show both of you the result of it."

Jilko sits on the opposite side of Maya.

"Please wait here. I'll prepare something to drink."

Before Jilko arrived, I already made a pitcher of lemon tea. When I serve the drinks to them, I stop them from drinking and tells them there's a better way of enjoying it. I retrieve the ice cube trays from the freezer and when I return to the living room, I deliberately put on a poker face to hide my expression from Jilko. Jilko follows my hands that are holding the ice cube trays and I place them on the table. Jilko blinks twice, shake her head and stare hard at the two trays. Maya also looks at the trays in curiosity. I wiggle the tray until I hear small cracks and pop some ice into their glasses.