The Craft Department is currently researching two items: cement and glass.
Cement is only at the project initiation stage and has not been heavily invested in research because Chen Jie does not need to engage in warfare at the moment. If needed, this kind of cement would be a secret weapon for rapidly constructing city walls and fortresses, making it a strategic resource.
Therefore, it is merely initiated and not being utilized.
On the other hand, glass is something Chen Jie plans to devote more effort to developing, with the goal of making money.
Glass in this era closely resembles a substance known as Liu Li.
The relationship between this glass and Liu Li is similar to the difference between synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds; that is, you cannot tell them apart with the naked eye.
Yet Liu Li in this era is extremely expensive.
Its value is even on par with gemstones, and it can be more expensive.
With the reform of the guilds, Chen Jie needs money, and Liu Li is just the right treasure, especially after mastering the technology, as he can then make many high-end Liu Li products by himself.
One piece could be sold at an exorbitant price.
Before achieving absolute power, Chen Jie has no intention of revealing his glass-making technique. Nor does he plan to produce civilian goods, such as glass mirrors, for sale.
As lucrative as this might be, it can easily attract unwanted attention, and he is not yet strong enough to withstand the crush of power.
Thus, Chen Jie plans to take a high-end route, making a small number of rare glass products, which would be excellent either for gifts or for selling at high prices.
Furthermore, glass has significant military value.
For instance, making telescopes.
One should know that in this era, telescopes, known as "thousand-mile eyes," are said to belong to the Mulan Royal Family; they possess two gifted by a small country that Heavenly Khan conquered after invading Europe.
They are precious indeed!
Such treasures play an extremely important role in the military.
After all, even an Energy Transformation Martial Artist with naked eyes can’t clearly see objects a kilometer away, but a telescope can.
That is to say, even if the opposing forces have an Energy Transformation Master, if one’s side possesses a telescope, they can detect them in advance, which is the powerful advantage of having a telescope.
However, the glass Zhou Chu provided for him, why does it have so many impurities, all colorful?
Chen Jie asked Zhou Chu, "Is this the product of the craft workshop’s refining, why are they so colorful? Isn’t there any transparent one?"
"Transparent? The kind that allows light to pass through?"
Zhou Chu inquired, and Chen Jie replied, "That’s right."
Zhou Chu thought for a moment, then fumbled in his pocket and said, "I have a piece here, take a look."
He handed it over to Chen Jie, who saw a yellowish transparent glass. However, it was too yellow and still contained impurities!
Zhou Chu said, "This kind of dull yellow, uniform-colored Liu Li obviously isn’t as beautiful as the colorful varieties. The craft workshop suggests we make more of these colorful glasses in the future, as they can be made into many beautiful ornaments and sold for big money."
After hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Zhou Chu and asked, "Where did this yellow glass come from?"
Zhou Chu replied, "It was made by a newly recruited craftsman who is a refugee."
Chen Jie looked towards Zhou Chu, who said, "Recently the Yellow River flooded and disasters struck in areas of Shanxi and Shanxi, multiple Zhou Counties were affected, and the court isn’t providing disaster relief, so many people have fled."
Chen Jie said, "Find this craftsman who made the yellow transparent glass. I’d like to have a chat with him."
Chen Jie was curious; amidst so many craftsmen busily working, the glasses produced were all colorful with impurities, but this craftsman managed to create yellow transparent glass, which made him quite special.
Chen Jie wanted to meet him.
Soon Zhou Chu brought the craftsman in.
"Greetings to the Hall Master."
A young man in his twenties entered, wearing the uniform of the White Tiger Hall’s craftsmen. His head, however, was wrapped with a ’heart of the ox’ hairknot, the hairstyling of a Taoist.
Chen Jie looked at the young man and asked, "Did you make this yellow transparent Liu Li?"
The young man replied, "Indeed, it was I."
Chen Jie queried, "Everyone else is making colorful Liu Li, why choose to make this single-colored, transparent Liu Li?"
Upon hearing this, the young man said, "Hall Master, Liu Li is a natural substance, yet you thought of making it artificially, which is unheard of—a masterpiece. I admire it."
"But such Immortal Law, if used only for ornaments, is indeed a waste of divine workmanship."
"I believe its greatest purpose lies in the military!"
Chen Jie was meeting someone for the first time in this world who thought Liu Li should be used in the military.
He looked at the young man and asked, "What makes you say that?"
The young man replied, "Hall Master, did you know that Westerners once offered a thousand-mile eye to Emperor Daqian, allowing anything within ten miles to be seen clearly through it? Imagine if during a war, someone could spot the enemy’s moves from tens of miles away. What an advantage that would be!"
"Sun Tzu said, ’To know your enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Anticipating the enemy in advance, how could one not be victorious?’"
Chen Jie immediately found the young man quite interesting; his vision exceeded that of people from this era.
Thinking this, Chen Jie eyed the young man and said, "Good insight. Do you think this yellow transparent Liu Li can be used to make a thousand-mile eye?"
The young man replied, "Not as it is, for that we would need even purer Liu Li."
"Then do you think you can make such Liu Li?"
The young man said, "I should be able to. Hall Master, you have already given many clues—this piece was just made with some soda ash and the substance I had in mind. If given time and some Silver Coins to buy materials for experimentation, I believe I can create Liu Li without any impurities, translucent and pure as a crystal!"