Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 23: Purchasing the Grey Powder
Just like last time, Clive came running over, panting heavily.
Seeing this, Owen shook his head helplessly and said,
“You really don’t need to rush over like that every time. It’s not like it’s an emergency.”
“I… I…”
Clive wanted to say something, but he was too out of breath to speak clearly. After a while, he finally recovered.
“That’s not right! A summons from Lord Marquis must be answered as quickly as possible!”
He said proudly.
“So your plan is to rush over so fast that I end up having to wait half a day before we can even have a normal conversation, is that it?”
Clive’s plump body trembled, and he quickly denied it.
“No, no! I didn’t mean that at all! I just didn’t want to keep you waiting, my lord.”
“It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean it that way. But in the end, you still made me wait quite a while, didn’t you?”
Owen wasn’t trying to scold Clive—he probably thought he was being extra diligent, but Owen didn’t appreciate it. He hoped Clive would drop this habit.
Clive widened his eyes, suddenly realizing the flaw in his actions.
“I understand now. I’ll be more mindful next time.”
Then they moved on to the real issue. Owen rummaged through the stack of papers on his desk and pulled out a recent transport report submitted by Clive.
After a quick glance, Irwin asked.
“If I’m not mistaken, the ship carrying a full load of scorching magic stones is scheduled to depart tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, Lord Marquis.”
Clive replied.
“Unload all the scorching magic stones. We’re not selling them anymore—I’m keeping them for personal use.”
“W-What?!”
Clive thought he must have misheard.
In the past, Owen had made strange and minor requests. Clive had no problem with those and would carry them out obediently. But this? This was absurd. Magic stone trade was a key source of Bianshu Town’s revenue—he couldn’t let this go without protest.
“My lord, the castle warehouses are already filled with scorching magic stones. What could you possibly need so many for?”
“To ensure next spring’s large-scale farming plan goes smoothly, I need a huge amount of scorching stones.”
“Farming?”
Clive rubbed his forehead and shook his head in dismay. He didn’t think the lord had given up on that hopeless idea. What could possibly grow on cursed land? And what did that have to do with magic stones?
“My lord, with all due respect, as long as the curse of the Kazitu still lingers, you really shouldn’t place too much hope in those lands producing anything worthwhile.”
“Clive, do you remember when I had you recruit people to produce cement?”
Owen asked suddenly.
That hadn’t been too long ago—of course Clive remembered. But why bring that up now?
Though confused, he still answered honestly,
“I remember, Lord Marquis.”
“I said I’d use it to patch the gaps in the city wall. You later went to inspect the northern wall yourself—how did it turn out?”
Clive had not only inspected the wall but also spoken with Viru. It had worked out surprisingly well. After hearing Viru’s praise, Clive was well aware of how impressive cement was.
“It was excellent—we managed to seal the breach before winter arrived.”
“This farming plan is just as reliable as that cement project.”
Owen stated firmly.
“You…”
Looking into the lord’s resolute eyes, Clive understood: Owen wouldn’t say something like this without absolute confidence. Could it be that this cursed land of Bianshu Town might actually be saved?
Even so, they couldn’t just cancel the sale of scorching stones outright. Especially with winter approaching—this was the peak season for their sales.
So Clive continued to reason.
“My lord, we’ve been doing business with magic stone merchants for years. If you suddenly stop selling scorching stones, they’ll be upset—and it’ll damage Bianshu Town’s reputation.”
[Owen, hear me out. What you really need is the grey powder left after the magic in scorching stones is spent—not the stones themselves.]
Winston’s voice echoed in his mind.
That comment jolted Owen awake. He closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then opened them and looked up at Clive, a new idea forming in his mind.
“You’re right—it was my impatience talking.”
Owen admitted.
“Here’s what we’ll do: starting now, reduce the number of magic stones sold externally by 20%. Just say they’re being diverted for other uses. Then, notify the magic stone merchants that I need large quantities of the grey ash left behind after scorching magic stones are depleted of their power. Whoever collects the most will be promised a discount on their next purchase.”
Hearing this, Clive made a very strange face.
So after all this, what you actually need… is the ash, not the stones?
After thinking for a moment, he spoke up:
“Lord Marquis, if it’s just the ash you need, I have a better idea. There’s no need to reduce how many stones we sell.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it”
Owen raised an eyebrow.
“We’ll inform the merchants that you’re buying up large amounts of magic stone residue at low prices. As an incentive, offer them a discount on Bianshu Town’s scorching magic stones based on how much residue they sell. The more they collect, the bigger the discount. With extra profits and cheaper stones as motivation, I’m sure they’ll go out of their way to gather as much residue as possible.”
And since Bianshu isn’t the only source of scorching stones, it’s possible the volume of residue collected could far exceed expectations.
“That’s a great plan. I’ll leave the whole matter in your hands.”
Clearly, Clive had a better head for commerce than Owen. As a newly appointed lord, he still had a lot to learn.
“Understood. I’ll take care of it immediately.”
“Good.”
Owen nodded.
After Clive left, Owen and Winston resumed their earlier conversation on magic stones.
The next topic was lightning magic stones, which, frankly speaking, weren’t all that useful. Even high-quality ones didn’t sell for much.
That’s because lightning isn’t one of the six basic elements—it’s a rare and special one. While lightning mages are indeed powerful, they’re extremely scarce.
The most common use of low-grade lightning stones is to crush them into small grains and make paralysis powder. When facing weaker monsters, mages could scatter a handful to paralyze them on the spot.
High-quality lightning stones can be ground into Thunder Powder—a far more potent and dangerous version. If used improperly, it could harm the caster. But if used well, it can instantly electrocute powerful beasts.
That’s about all lightning stones are good for. Even Winston couldn’t think of new applications. However, he had studied their properties in detail.
Just like scorching stones, lightning stones can be activated by either magic power or electric current.
But here’s the key difference: once activated, lightning stones release a direct current, and all of it at once. After discharging, they disintegrate completely—no residue, nothing left.
That’s why it’s so hard to harness the electricity stored inside them.
Winston declared solemnly that, for the sake of bringing safe electricity to Bianshu Town, he would find a way to make lightning stones release a stable flow of current. When that happens, the entire town will be lit by electric lamps at night.
“So… are we skipping the steam age and heading straight into the electric age?”
Owen thought, half in awe.
Finally, they discussed frost magic stones. These were expensive—mainly because of how rare they were, only found in the Holy City of Caleb on the Pass Plateau.
Unlike scorching stones, which give off no heat unless activated, low-quality frost stones constantly emit cold, even when inert. And the hotter the environment, the more intense the cold. High-quality frost stones, however, remain dormant unless triggered.
As a result, low-grade frost stones are often sewn into luxury cooling garments, which are sold to wealthy nobles and merchants. These clothes retain their cooling effect for several years.
It’s also worth noting:
- Water mages can use staffs embedded with frost stones to cast standard ice spells.
- Ice mages, of course, benefit even more, allowing them to unleash far more powerful magic.
And yes, frost stones can be used for ice production.
But considering cheaper methods of making ice already exist, why use such an expensive resource for that purpose?