If they really used this "glass" for windows... they would have a big, bright, and warm house.
Just imagine: waking up every day to the clear, warm sunlight falling on their faces, gently rousing them from sleep.
The first thing they would see was the peaceful, sleeping face of their lover, the golden sunlight, and the lush forest full of birds and beasts outside the large window... not a dim, cramped space where it was impossible to tell day from night!
At that moment, the Beastmen who had been wondering if this was all just a needless hassle finally understood what An Jin had meant by the beautiful future she had described.
...
The firing of the first batch of glass went surprisingly smoothly, exceeding An Jin’s expectations.
The quality of the final product was also excellent. While there were still some minor flaws, producing something of this quality under such primitive conditions was a remarkable feat.
The first batch was still experimental, yielding exactly ten 1.5 by 1.5-meter panes of flat glass.
The excess glass trimmed from the edges was crushed into cullet and recycled for the next firing.
An Jin assigned several dozen more dexterous Beastmen to the glass kiln.
In the days that followed, the Beastmen lived up to expectations, firing many more batches of high-quality glass.
As the Beastmen gained experience and refined their craft, the flaws in the glass diminished, with each new batch approaching perfection.
Some of the glass produced was used for constructing houses, while the surplus was transported to the city to be sold. Unsurprisingly, this sparked another sales frenzy.
Large cities from near and far—even some unheard-of ones from other continents—came seeking to trade. Glass became a rare commodity, and every new batch fresh from the kiln was snatched up in a mad rush.
The number of Gold Coins in An Jin’s personal account grew by the day.
She even set up a special notification sound for incoming Gold Coins. Every now and then, the sound of CLATTERING coins would play, followed by a voice announcing, "Your account has been credited with... Gold Coins!" It was an incredibly satisfying sound.
She kept half the Gold Coins in her account as reserves and exchanged the other half for Crystal Cores, which she had other major plans for.
...
Construction on the Giant Beast Arena was more than halfway complete, and the Stone Castle was already finished.
As the windy season drew to a close, An Jin and her large family packed their belongings and finally moved into the brand-new City Lord’s Stone Castle!
The Stone Castle was designed like a spire, with five stories that narrowed toward the top. The overall design aimed for a solid yet elegant aesthetic, balancing beauty with structural stability.
The ground floor was divided into three large rooms, totaling several hundred square meters, and served as a council hall for receiving guests.
The top floor, at less than 80 square meters, was designated as a storage area.
The three floors in between were residential, and they could choose their rooms as they pleased.
An Jin designated the second floor as the dining room and kitchen, then chose a room on the third floor with the best natural light to be her bedroom.
Ling Hong and Gu Yin immediately chose the rooms right next to hers, one on each side.
With no rooms left on that floor, Xi had to dejectedly retreat to the fourth floor and pick a room. It happened to be the one directly above hers.
The Little Merfolk was heartbroken. He had grievances he couldn’t voice. It looked like he’d have to get used to diligently running up and down the stairs.
The first order of business after moving into the castle—
Ling Hong rushed off to see his beloved new kitchen.
Gu Yin went to his room to get settled in.
Xi, meanwhile, began hauling buckets of water up to his room. The four flights of stairs left him with his hands on his hips, face flushed and panting for breath.
In contrast, An Jin was much more relaxed. She stood before the wide, bright, floor-to-ceiling window, closed her eyes, and stretched out her arms. The brilliant sunlight bathed her completely, outlining her figure in a dazzling golden light.
It felt so wonderful to be bathed in the warm sunlight.
"Haaa..." She sighed, opened her eyes, and walked to the window. Placing her hands against the cool, smooth glass, she gazed into the distance.
A stone balustrade had been thoughtfully built outside the window. From the third floor, at a height of about ten meters, she had an unobstructed view of most of the surrounding landscape.
After admiring the view for a while, she found the midday sun too blinding and drew the curtains halfway.
She walked over to her desk and sat down.
That’s right. Her room was large enough that she had divided it into two sections.
One half served as her bedroom, the other as her study.
The floor was covered with a soft, white carpet as fluffy as a cloud, laid so perfectly there wasn’t a single seam in sight. The corners of the desk and chair had also been carefully padded to prevent any accidental bumps.
The tall, clean stone walls were inlaid with various gemstones that gave off a faint glimmer. They served a decorative purpose, but at night they also cast a beautiful, multicolored glow, like a miniature galaxy.
A "lamp" also hung from the ceiling—several fist-sized Luminous Pearls that Xi had given her. They were treasures he had collected since childhood.
After reading for a while, she started to feel tired. An Jin flopped back onto the huge, soft bed.
She instantly sank halfway into the soft, silken bedding. Her seaweed-like black hair fanned out around her, and she draped an arm lazily across her forehead.
How should she put it? An Jin was so satisfied she felt like she was floating. ’A private luxury villa... it doesn’t get any better than this!’
She almost felt as if the past few years in the Beast World had just been a dream, and that she had finally woken up in her own grand, seaside villa.