Chapter 39: Let's Make Glass Syringes

Since the prospects for mass-producing the medicine are improving, the next step is the development of a mass-producible Syringe. The Syringes I saw in my past life were made of Plastic, but creating Plastic from Petroleum seems impossible. For one thing, I have never seen Petroleum in this world.

Therefore, I will go with a Glass Syringe. Old Syringes also used Glass for both the Barrel and the Piston. However, although Glass exists in this world, it is expensive.

To create Glass, the materials need to be melted at over 1,000°C, incurring costs for equipment like high-temperature furnaces and fuel. But if I prepare the materials, shouldn’t I be able to create it using Production Skill? I need cheap Syringes to spread the medicine widely.

The raw materials for Glass were Silica Sand, Soda Ash, and Limestone, I believe. Silica Sand is powdered quartz. It can be obtained from sandy beaches, but our territory is not facing the sea, making it difficult to acquire. What was the method that didn’t use Silica Sand? I recall that it was possible to make Glass from plants.

That’s right, the material for Glass is Miscanthus. It stuck in my memory because it was such an unexpected material. Apparently, Miscanthus contains a large amount of silicon. I haven’t seen Miscanthus in this world, but I wonder if it grows in the territory.

When I asked, the servants and the Workshop craftsmen also didn’t know about it. So, I wondered if the Elves, who are knowledgeable about plants, might know. Sure enough, the Elves knew of a plant very similar to Miscanthus that grows in the shallow parts of the Sea of Trees.

I wondered when they investigated this, but it seems the Elves, who are Forest Dwellers, often take walks in the shallow parts of the Sea of Trees where only weak Monsters appear. When I went to the location the Elves told me about, fortunately, there was plenty growing. I immediately used Storage Magic to bring back a large quantity. I even planted some behind the Workshop.

The remaining ingredient is ordinary sand. It doesn’t need to be Silica Sand, so I collected sand from a nearby riverbank. I brought the Miscanthus and river sand into the Workshop, visualized a Syringe, and activated Production Skill. When the warm light faded, the Barrel and Piston were complete.

Ideally, we should have Rubber, but Rubber trees only grow in high-temperature areas. Recalling my past life memories, old, all-Glass Syringes didn’t use Rubber, so I figured we could manage.

Just like when we increased the medicine, I explained how to make the Glass Syringes to the Workshop craftsmen. When they tried it themselves, Theo could make them immediately. However, the craftsmen often managed to create Glass but struggled to mold it successfully.

After trying and refining the process several times, it seemed to work better to first create a Glass block from the Miscanthus and river sand, and then create the Barrel and Piston from the Glass block. Since making Glass from Miscanthus and river sand normally requires high heat, perhaps it is difficult for the skill to create the molded Barrel and Piston all in one go.

Furthermore, many of the finished Glass Syringes had low transparency. It’s not a problem since the Syringes aren’t for decoration, but visually beautiful Glass might require using a furnace after all. I think it would be fun to build a Glass Workshop someday and create beautiful Glasses and Stained Glass using colored Glass.

The iron needles for the tip of the Syringe were made by the Dwarves. As expected, they are skilled in metal processing. In any case, we managed to create Glass Syringes somehow. It seems we can now spread the medicine widely.

Location: A certain place in the Royal Capital | POV: ?

“I see, a noble child who, like me, was blessed with neither a Swordsmanship Skill nor a Magic Skill, is now active using a Production Skill? There are people like that, I suppose.”

“Yes, it is a big topic at the Academy. Why don’t you try to persevere without giving up, Older Sister?”

“Older Sister, I have already given up. I once thought about trying to develop the skill I was blessed with, but whenever I spoke the name of the skill, I was met only with contempt or pity, and I could find no one to teach me how to develop it.”

Unable to deny my words, Older Sister‘s expression turned painful.

“In this world, where only swords and magic are valued, I think it is admirable that someone developed a neglected Production Skill. But my skill is probably impossible to develop. The only way I can be useful to my house is to marry the partner Father chooses.”

Everyone around me calls me a Beautiful Girl or says I will become a stunning beauty in the future, but that is only about my appearance. What I was blessed with was neither sword nor magic, but a Commercial Skill.

Initially, I tried hard to develop my Commercial Skill. I tried reading reference books and asking knowledgeable people for instruction. But I found no useful books, and I found no one to teach me.

As I became discouraged, I realized people were gossiping, saying things like, “I heard she was blessed with a money-making skill,” or, “To be blessed with such a base skill.” As I was ridiculed for “being unable to use swords or magic” and only praised for my looks, I was slowly eroded, becoming emptier and emptier. The person I am now is like an empty Doll.