157: Chapter 157: The First Mirror Appears (Second Update) 157: Chapter 157: The First Mirror Appears (Second Update) Not only that, aside from the exorbitant prices, it even created quite a stir in Europe at the time!
Almost overnight, the mirror became a symbol of high society in Europe.
Every member of the upper class felt proud to own a mirror.
Obviously, the same would hold true today.
Lin Yi believed that once the Glazed Mirror was released, it would surely cause a sensation in You Country.
It would also spark a trend, one that the princes and nobles would eagerly flock to.
Due to the strong volatility and toxicity of the mercury,
Rett took great care to cover his mouth and nose with several layers of cloth before starting, and also took care not to touch the mercury with his hands.
In any case, handling various tools, Lin Yi mixed the silver powder with mercury and applied it to one side of a piece of glass.
After completing these steps, he sent the glass into the kiln for heat treatment.
Since the mercury was highly toxic, it naturally needed to be heated.
After heating, the mercury would evaporate, leaving only the silver on the mirror surface.
To ensure the mercury evaporated completely, Lin Yi didn’t rush and waited until the next day to have the kiln opened.
When he took out the mirror, Lin Yi found that the result was quite successful.
The layer of silver on the surface was relatively even and uniform.
The only imperfection was that the surface of the glass was somewhat uneven, causing minor flaws when reflecting images.
But compared to the mirrors available today, this one was undoubtedly much more high-end.
When the people around Lin Yi saw the mirror in his hands, their eyes widened and they couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.
Lin Yi didn’t keep the technique to himself because, after all, he wouldn’t always be doing the work personally in the future, right?
Thus, he deliberately allowed a few people to observe.
Of course, these individuals were all honest and straightforward people picked by Lin Yi after some investigation.
After all, the secret of the mirror couldn’t possibly be spread around, at least not for a while.
Lin Yi was still planning to make a fortune with it.
“My lord, this is a divine object, it reflects images so clearly!”
It’s even clearer than the reflection in the water, look, look, I can even see the hairs on my face.”
For a moment, the surrounding crowd burst into exclamations, which amused Lin Yi.
He then passed the mirror around for everyone to see, and then spoke to the people:
“Don’t be so surprised.
It’s just a Glazed Mirror.
You’ve all seen the process when I was making it, it’s just a layer of silver powder coated on the surface of the glass.
However, this matter must be kept secret, don’t tell anyone about this method.”
However, upon hearing Lin Yi’s words, those few people immediately knelt on the ground, banging their heads on the floor:
“Rest assured, my lord.
Even if someone held a knife to our throats, we would never reveal a single piece of information!
Our whole family’s lives were saved by you!
We have no way to repay your lifesaving grace.
We are willing to die for you, Master Lin!”
Following the lead of this man, the others also voiced in unison:
“Willing to die for Master Lin!”
Seeing these men who were swearing their loyalty, Lin Yi nodded solemnly, then let them all stand up:
“I believe you can do it.
From now on, the production of this mirror is in your hands.
However, don’t choose this place for it, just move the mirror making to the next building, from now on it’s your responsibility.”
After saying this, those few people immediately showed a longing expression.
Master Lin said he would give them the responsibility of the workshop being built next door?
What a stroke of good fortune!
This was like a pie falling from the sky!
They knew that being selected to work here meant they would get two pounds of rice a day.
These two pounds of rice were enough to feed their entire families for a few days.
Not only that, they would also get copper coins, earning 30 coins for each day of work!
This was something they couldn’t even dare to dream of before!
Even before the famine, even when they were back in their hometown, they could not imagine such good fortune falling upon them.
Especially since not only they now had food to eat, but there were also new houses being built on the side.
According to Master Lin, once the houses were built, each family would get one.
Having food to eat, a house to live in, and money to spend, they didn’t want to go back to their old way of life.
This also gave them a sense of belonging to Lin Yi’s household.
Not only that, this was the salary of an ordinary worker!
It was said that the managers of the workshop could get a dou of rice every day, plus 80 copper coins.
That meant, once they moved to the new mirror workshop, they too might receive a dou of rice and 80 copper coins daily!
Some men even thought that if they could earn 80 coins a day, they might save enough in a few years to marry another wife!
Even their former landlords wouldn’t dare to dream of such days.
“The glass is very fragile and so is the mirror after it’s made, it could shatter easily with a bit of carelessness.
Now find the carpenters, have them craft a small tray out of fine wood and then set the mirror into it.
To prevent the mercury from evaporating on the back, remember to brush a layer of resin over it before setting.
But remember, the mirror can be shown to others, but not the method of making it.
I want to see the finished product before it gets dark.
Also, not all of you should go do this, send one person.
The rest of you go set up the new workshop.
To make mirrors, we will also need a kiln, but not one that operates at high temperatures, only one that can dry things.”
While building the Glazed Mirror workshop, several similarly sized courtyards were being constructed adjacent to it.
The layout inside was almost the same.
From a distance, it looked like blocks enclosed within fences.
Given the urgency of time, the factory buildings on this side were not yet completely finished, and much of the work was performed in the open air.