Chapter 72: The Feather That Produces Sparks
He had secured materials for arrow feathers as well as dinner, but since boiling glue would take time, he hurried to the riverside.
Once there, he quickly used his “Small Box” to catch several magic fish as usual. Just as he was about to start a fire, something occurred to him, and he took out the red tail feather of the Mossred Cockatiel.
Ren felt that the forest hunt had taken longer than expected, but he was still glad—he had managed to obtain Mossred Cockatiel meat, which seemed like it would taste good.
He gathered his magic power and slowly let it flow into the feather in his hand.
Snap!
“Oh!”
Sparks burst from the tail feather, and Ren’s eyes lit up.
“This might work…”
He quickly took out carbonized cloth, placed it on the ground, and brought the feather closer.
“Release sparks!”
Snap snap!
As he increased the flow of magic slightly, stronger sparks scattered down onto the carbonized cloth. Thin smoke slowly began to rise.
“I did it! I can start a fire easily without even using fire magic!”
He already knew basic fire magic, so it wasn’t strictly necessary—but having another method made him strangely happy. Smiling, he placed loosened hemp fibers onto the small flame that formed.
Once the fire was stable, it was finally time to make glue.
He washed the magic fish heads and bones, then placed them in a pot with water and set it over the fire.
After a while, it began to boil—but Ren couldn’t help feeling uneasy. He crouched in front of the pot and gently stirred it with a wooden branch.
“…Is this really right?”
Inside the pot, crushed magic fish bones simmered. The water had turned cloudy white, with a thin layer of oil floating on top, and bubbles occasionally bursting.
The moment he leaned in, a heavy, unpleasant smell hit him, and he instinctively grimaced.
“Ugh… that smell… it’s awful…”
It wasn’t like grilled fish at all. It was heavier, damp, almost rotten in quality. Even though it looked like soup, it was anything but appetizing. He turned his face away, then looked again.
“But… this is what glue becomes, right? Probably?”
The book had only said “boil it in water for a long time.” That was all. Just that one line. But in practice, he had no idea how far he was supposed to go.
“…This side isn’t great either.”
A branch he had been roasting over the fire for arrow shafts had become unevenly scorched. The center was darkened, the surrounding area a deep yellow, and the ends remained greenish-blue.
“I wish I could make it more even…”
Holding the branch, he moved it over the fire to balance the heating, but it was still uneven—and too hot to handle properly.
“…Maybe I should use the Small Box…”
He created a long, narrow Small Box sized for branches and placed several inside, then heated it over the fire. The lower branches changed color first, while the upper ones lagged behind and eventually began to scorch.
“The top ones look fine… but the bottom ones are burning…”
“Right, what if I separate them from the fire… Small Box Split!”
He created another Small Box and split it horizontally. He placed the upper section over the fire. The branches slowly turned yellow from the bottom up, but now the upper parts were heating too slowly.
“If I want heat from above too…”
“Small Box, heat!”
He remembered experimenting with heating sand inside a Small Box while making feather pens, so he tried heating the box itself.
Rattle… rattle…
The branches inside jolted slightly.
“Whoa!”
Afraid it might overheat and burst, he quickly moved it off the fire.
He set it on the sand, where it hissed softly. After confirming it was safe, he exhaled in relief.
Heating the Small Box itself seemed possible, so he created another one on the sand. He split it again, this time heating it without fire.
“…Wait, if I’m not using fire, do I even need two layers? Could I do this at home? But… it’s still hot…”
After a while, the branches began to turn yellow properly. But without fire from below, the layered setup seemed unnecessary.
He wondered if this could be done back at the mansion instead of here by the river—but then realized placing a heated Small Box indoors might be dangerous.
“Wait… what if I put a hot Small Box inside another Small Box?”
He created a larger box and placed the heated one inside it, attempting to trap the heat. He cautiously touched the outer box.
“…Not hot.”
Even when he pressed his palm against it, the heat wasn’t escaping.
“This might work…”
Jjjsshh.
A sound came from the glue pot, snapping Ren’s attention back. He had been so focused on the branches that he had stopped watching it.
He quickly checked inside.
The liquid had reduced significantly, bubbling steadily. He stirred it again and lifted the branch.
A thick, viscous strand stretched as he lifted it.
“…Oh?”
His eyes widened slightly. It was definitely heavier now. No longer watery.
After letting the branch cool slightly, he touched it with his fingertip.
“Whoa, it’s sticky…”
He quickly shook his hand, but it wouldn’t come off easily. After rinsing it with water, it finally disappeared. He looked back into the pot.
“…This might actually work.”
He murmured softly, his tone bright.
The smell was terrible, and it didn’t look appealing—but what had once been just bones and water was clearly changing into something new.
“…Just a bit more.”
He removed the largest burning branches to reduce the heat, then sat back down, hugging his knees as he watched over everything.