Eventually I manage to explain what I want, that the glass maker will make some lenses for me, and some I myself get the opportunity to polish and grind. He makes molds according to specifications and can then finish the surfaces and polish them. He has a bit of what appears to be clear enough glass, without small gas bubbles or large pollutants that most glass has, especially his yellower glass looks good.

Getting a good convex lens shaped feels like it will be hard, and it will be a bit of trial and error, and ask him to try. A total of 20 lenses in 2 different sizes and one convex and a concave of each. Two matching lenses with a fairly short focus in a smaller size and two with a longer one that has larger 30mm diameter. Sure, I can calculate lens specifications in the future to get it better with diameter and focus, but its enough for now to get something that works. I also convince him to try to make six 90 degree prisms. He showed that he basically cast simple shapes and use forms to get uniform sizes for some glass muggs and vessels that he blows, so I want him to try making prisms. Stuff in low quality is better than no stuff at all, and I need to find out his skill and if he's willing to try my ideas.

The idea is a microscope and one to two binoculars, and the lenses can be grinded against each other five and five. I reckon there will be fails on some, hence making extra and different designs so I can use the best.

I've always had that principle when I built things. If I need one in the end, and some steps are automated - say sheet metal scissors, lasercut, rolled, welded, press brake machine etc - I start to manufacture several and expect faults, mistakes etc and because I started with many, I will then get a useful one at the end, and if I have several, I can chose the best one. They're simply reserves, and setting up the machine is usually most of the time and work, not doing a couple of extras. Starting over at the end is significantly more work and time. Not the same when its all handcraft, but it helps to have more, if its not that much more work or waste.

The glass maker have different types of polishes and abrasives, which is like 'liquid sandpaper', but the again; sandpaper doesn't exist. But how do you get the lens shape right? I know how to handgrind a lens by starting with two flat glass pieces, but I can't get any of it here. In addition to grinding and constantly rotating the lens and the template in different directions, another way to get the correct shape, is to use several lenses and let the errors take each other out, but the end results less predictable. Thats why there's five of each lens and both concave and convex, so you switch around so everyone affects everyone. A classic example is how to make a flat hard surface. You use three pieces and touch two against each other with a thin layer of paint on one to see where they touch eachother, but you change which two it is. Two may have the same error that cancels each other, but a third that is combined against both? Then the error is noticed. I show how a convex lens are supposed to give a sharp focus without distortion on a piece of paper with text. Concave's harder to test, but I have to accept that.

It will be fun to see how good the lenses will be. It will take a few days, and I guess his apprentices will hate me. Also buy some flat glass scraps, ie leftover discarded glass plates, and they also have quite a lof of stained glass. The usual clear glass has a faint green tone, so I presume its contaminants or chemistry that do that. They have green, blue, turquoise, ruby red, yellow, orange, milky white and finally very dark red and black opaque glass. I don't think I want to know what they use to color the glass, probably lead and other unpleasant things, but is as it is, and as long as I don't eat it or inhale fine abrasive particles, its no big problem that its in the glass.

Since Alith was sick, I've thought about medicines and first aid, and we want to buy a few things that can be practical for stomach, head, wound healing, etc. I will probably cut myself or similar when I start building things, and I want to avoid using my hiking first aid kit.

Turns out that Alith has pretty good knowledge, but both Iselin and Bodil know some cures and remedies. Should have realised that warriors generally suffer more injuries during training and activities, and if you move in the wilderness or hunt, you might as well try to collect herbs to sell if you find them.

The place we find has so much more, and unlike Liv's store, this feels more like alchemy is the primary focus instead of healing herbs, and perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that those two areas are mixed together in Alfhemr. Asks the seller to describe her many different goods. Apart from something that seems to be pure drugs, I also skip love potions and virility and fertility raising potions. The first I don't believe in, the second I already have something that I hope to avoid using, but that obviously worked, and the third just sounds like more nonsense. But she has bottles of liquids and small crystals that seem interesting, although I doubt the medical usage she says some have. As she describes their use, I think some are acids, but unsure of the concentration, purity and exact formula, etc.

Still buy five bottles, expecting that I need to do tests to see if its something I can use, and hopefully 'Bettrell' is hydrochloric acid because along with some zinc it will provide 'killed spirits' which is something I can use to clean metal from oxides prior to soldering. Of course there is another uses as well depending on purity and amount.

Then there are several liquids she calls 'Vitriol', so I guess they have something in common. Blue vitriol seem to contain copper, and it might be copper sulphate or something. Looks a bit like what is left after etching circuit boards, and according to the seller, its used for glass staining, preventing insects from eating glue in books and fighting fungal buildup on things. Sounds like copper. Green vitriol is used in textile dyeing, on food against diarrhea and ink production, so it might be iron sulphate? Oil of vitriol might then be sulfuric acid, which would be the most practical and useful. White vitriol used in textile pickling, dyeing, preserving skin and leather, and I don't really have any idea what it might be. She had more things and variations, but unnecessary to buy too much of things I may not have any use for, although I buy some pitch and what seem to be a red rosin. I really should try to make soldering equipment.

What I really wish is that I had a book with the history of Chemistry and how things were made, but I need to read Perry's. Not looking forward to it, besides specific chemistry I have avoided most chemistry since school. Well. Except reading about 'interesting' stuff like Chlorine trifluoride, and stupid things I only remember because of its joke name like azidoazide azide, or things I need to learn about due to work, like Hydrogen fluoride. Nasty shit. If there are Gods here, can you please make so that a chemistry professor, fascinated by its history with mineral exploration as a hobby, and taken music lessons since childhood can show up at the Academy, and with whom I can talk? English as a common language is okay. Doesn't have to be a sexy woman. K? Tkx! Bai!

There are bricks here, but they're not used for whole houses, even though it is said to be becoming more common across the sea to the south. Guessing wood is simply too easy to get, cheap and practical here. But bricks in combination with clay and good vessels make me want to try making crucible steel. There is a small, simple smithy at the farm to do the simpler work, and I can hire someone to help me, but I will need to make a couple of bellows. Unless I can buy some. Or borrow. There is a smithy on the farm.

We find a potter who can sell me some really thick clay vessels, about 30cm high and a couple of clay plates of the equivalent size. Should hold up in fire. Buy a couple of buckets of finished clay, 'just add water' and some fine sand of two different varieties. At this point, the women in my company seem to be very curious at what the hell I'm up to, but they do expect me to come up with something magical or practical.

With a little asking around where both Kari and Iselin again helps a lot, I find a craftsman who make things in brass, copper, bronze etc. Silver is really good for its persuasive ability, and I get him to make brass plates that are hammered through disc molds to gradually form small cups. Really long and narrow is a problem, but since he just happens to have done it a couple of times before to make candle holders, I just accept and live with the dimensions of about 14 mm wide and about 40 mm long. As far as I know, many muskets were somewhere about there in diameter, and even if I had preferred a smaller diameter, it should work well with a heavier lead projectile at a slower speed, than a normal modern bullet. A long narrower pipe for the barrel will certainly be more difficult to manufacture here than a wider, so 14mm is probably a good choice.

It appeals to me that the cups where for candles, and that it may make people confused. He has several different alloys of brass and bronze, and he recommends one that works well for this particular drawing process. Asks him to make 20 'cups' for me. Hardly optimal, but useful and it will be the prototype. He also has a form of tall copper vessel with a lid even though he doesn't manufacture household utensils. I still have copper wire in two different thicknesses, but buy a little more.

Take the opportunity to buy a copper rod and two oblong copper blocks and 4 ounces of tin from him. Think it's tin. Hope it is, because then I can do something close to 63/37 tin-lead solder. No need to worry about RoHS here, but I have to be careful in the long run with the lead fumes. Wonder how pure that tin is, and I just need to accept that there will be small contaminants in all materials here. Soldering would be practical, and I should I have something I can melt together to solder, and something that can be improvised into a soldering iron.

It is possible to get something cast in brass, copper or bronze, both larger and smaller things. So I quickly sketch out gyro rings where the outer one has an arm to attach it to something or make a shock absorbing suspension, and a puck shaped jar for the middle with a small pilar in the center, and an edge to put a glass plate on top.

When it turns out that he will sell me tools, I get so enormously happy that it's hard to describe. Manufactured case-hardened iron files, even for fine work in different shapes and sizes. There are also chisels, scribers, punches, awl, a pump drill with 4 different diameter drills and interchangeable tips, grindstones, two different hammers, a couple of pliers, small saw blades in two sizes, small anvil, a form of simple vice with wedges and clamps, blueing agent etc. A complete small workshop for working in brass, copper and the like. Almost starting to cry. I was prepared to start making everything myself the hard way, and have seen enough of, for example, 'clickspring' videos about his watch making and his construction of an antikythera device to have a decent chance to do it myself, but I'm used to using ready-made tools and machines for my construction projects. I have not looked forward to the extra work and time to make the tools.

What I buy is expensive, but I'm so damn happy with these tools and I don't care about the silver. I don't have to make the tools, and I would probably not be able to make something this good. Just the files have to have been a hell of a lot of work. Craftsman Digraldi see that I'm moved and happy, and as I praise the tools and craftmanship he seems to sell me more than he probably would to most, and he include a couple of leather tool rolls, and I also buy some brass plate in three thicknesses, rods in a few different diameters, etc. No larger diameters or dimensions but better than starting with blocks.

We're on a first name basis when I leave, and I promise he will get many interesting future jobs from me if I stay in Borgarsandr, which he seem to be looking forward to, and he really like my praise that I'm motivated to stay close by just to give him work. Most of the jobs he gets are probably quite boring and repetitive, and many seems to be artwork or castings. He will be the most important craftsman in the city for me, until I can get my own craftsmen who work for me.

When we walk over to the jeweler a couple of buildings away, its the women who becomes interested and me who become quite indifferent. My mind is mostly on my tools and projects. Kari looks quite neutral in there, but I guess she has seen a lot of jewellery and is difficult to entice, or just better at being calm, but the others have decision angst. Kari's presence makes a difference in how we are treated, and that she defers to me up affects more. Its practical to have her company here in Borgarsandr, atleast among some craftsmen. Iselin and Alith are quite entertaining to watch, but its probably the first time anyone of them spend so much silver on jewellery, and they doesn't even have to have a bad conscience for it. I'm 'forcing' them to spend it.

Does Alith even have any proper jewellery besides piercings? I can't remember seeing anything, and Bodil only has a small pendant in silver beside her ear piercings, probably to a God, much like Thor's hammer. Maybe something for Freya? I probably should get a piece of jewellery for myself. Specifically a ring in gold, where I can fit a 20x10x3mm neodymium magnet on the inside, ie the magnet is against the skin and can't fall out when the ring is in place. So I quickly sketch and ask the jeweler to make a wide gold ring with engravings around the band for me, and make room for a 'stone that gives me luck' on the inside. Uses his own measuring tool and translate by using the scale on the side of the swiss card.

Thats one advantage of having bought a large amount of something and used the same in several constructions, since I sometimes remember such measurements when they are commonly used or have irritated me enough, such as the measurements of common battery types and a high variety of switches, electrical components and more. I have a fairly large file with measurements on the phone, according to the principle that if I have needed it once, I may need it again. There is good reason the file is quite large.

On the outside of the ring he can mount 3 precious stones. He has some blue sapphires, and a larger star sapphire that hasn't been put in anything yet, but it is necklace size. Ask him to use three of the small sapphires. Sure, even after a little bargaining, the ring feels a bit pricey, but the sapphires may have come a long way, and gold weighs and is literally worth its weight eight times in silver. Most likely, the gemstones were in some silver that was brought here as loot, where the silver became payment and the gemstones were sold. Unfortunately, I need bling to show I'm rich, and should get a sword or wizards cane as well. Show, don't tell. The ring should take a week to manufacture.

Continues to ask around and easily gets hold of some nice dry birch in a round shape, ie young and a couple of centimeters thick. I need it for charcoal.

When we buy food, I realise I forgotten a couple of things, so I buy a mortar in stone, and a couple of strainers. A slightly coarser with about 1.5mm holes and one really fine for flour that is maybe 1/4 of the first. The merchant seems to want to sell more and introduces me to a type of small hand-driven grinder that has two stone surfaces and the grounded seeps out along the edge. A new thing from the south for fine pastries or something. Not sure how good it is for my intended use of blackpowder manufacturing, but if I don't have to crush it by hand in a mortar... Maybe it gets better too or at least more consistent. Buy the grinder and a small precision scale with small weights, estimate the smallest at 0.12 grams and the largest at 56 grams in the usual steps up and down. A nice little box for them too.

A blacksmith turns out to be able to produce a miniature cannon in iron fairly quickly. About 30cm barrel with a tiny hole in the top, and a stop at the back, but a nice even barrel is important and I try to get it in about the same size as the cups. Attached to a plate that acts as a stand, with stop and with three options for angle setting. Can be finished tomorrow, but it probably won't be picked up until the next day. I need to make the powder first. Also buy some iron scraps, since I don't need fine finished iron and the fragmented small parts will melt faster and the goal is of course that the iron should melt and become homogeneous. Buy about 5kg, and two bellows. Silver is cash, and cash is King.

On the way home, I mostly sit and think. Things take time to get made, so I need to start several projects at once, and one I started a couple of weeks ago. I have saltpeter and sulfur. Now I will make the charcoal, grind everything separately, weight, mix and then corn it.

It's early evening when we get back to the farm. We will buy a horse and a carriage another day, as we will be back in the city in a couple of days. A lot to unload and carry into my bedroom, which is now more of a workshop than a bedroom or study. Food has been waiting for us, but is warmed up by Ciara. Need to buy more spices, but a lot is as expected quite expensive here. Salt is one of them. I have visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland, and know how important salt has been... is, so maybe I can establish my own salt production at the Academy from seawater? Boil it away with sunlight, or fire. Should be worth it. I can probably forget about pepper, it's from India.

Maybe its possible to build a greenhouse for spices or medicinal plants? Expensive with glass in that amount, but may be worth it. A spice garden at the Academy is definitely a good idea if I can find someone who wants and can take care of it, because I will be too busy with other things a lot of the time. I won't be able to do all the work on all the projects myself, so I have to prioritise, and I'm selfish enough to take the fun and easier work, and I also have to focus on doing the most important or secret thing myself. I have to train others, and trust the skills of others and delegate work.

Bodil is working on the last pieces for the chess board and she rightly looks satisfied and pleased. She has painted the dark pieces, and is rubbing in some oil on the light ones. We can test it tomorrow when it's dry.

There's a shorter vocabulary test and lesson with Kari, about two hours, but I'm eager to start my experiments and excuse myself and stay in my room to sketch and think, I also need to write those letters. I definitely can't let Kari see the process for making black powder, but I'll try tomorrow when the light is better. I would never do something like that indoors in the light of candlelight with flame, and don't want to use my LED lights either.

My thoughs are interrupted when Iselin comes in, casually take off her dress and shows her green valhalla with matching panties and her eyes just twinkle as she crawl in to my bed and lay there looking at me and say a playful 'Ich Will'...

Sketches and plans can wait until tomorrow.

Ciara sits and look out over the sea at dusk. Robert has given her more work to do, and she like that it is important and precise detail work that Robert otherwise would do himself. An important job that only she does. A niche just for her. She doesn't learn the words, spelling or reading as fast as Robert seems to do, but she's learning. She's getting better even if its slowly, and Robert has given her praise. He doesn't care if she learn fast or work fast, as long as it progresses and its correct.

She just wishes she could feel something from the wooden plug. She has used the wooden thing in the butt a couple of times, she has tried two at the same time. She's tried everything Alith said she could do. But she doesn't even get excited, just sore and reddened in several places. When Alith is going to help her get piercings in her breasts, she will talk to Alith. For Ciara is afraid she can never have those feelings again, and to be resurrected as Ciara sacrificed her ability to feel pleasure. Or that it is a punishment, since she stopped believing in God. Everything has a price, and she's afraid she's never going to be able to enjoy Robert as Iselin or Alith do, that he won't be able to feel joy in giving her pleasure.

But the biggest dread that she tries to suppress her thoughts about, and the reason she looks out over the sea instead of sleeping, is that she won't be able to give Robert sexual pleasure when he finally take her to bed. So she will be cast aside - forever locked outside in the dark and cold.