Let's Play Around With Orichalcum

I decided to start researching Orichalcum materials with Soto's help.

"So Soto, please give me an Orichalcum sword."

"Aw, but I was just about to eat a sock!"

"… I'll give you one of Niku's socks."

"Alright, here you go!"

I had Soto provide me with an Orichalcum sword.

Even though I could just order Soto through Niku and get it with her Absolute Command Rights, this was also a form of parent-child bonding. Yup.

The Orichalcum sword Soto provided was, of course, for experimental purposes.

In fact, the Orichalcum I got from Soto could only really be used for experimentation. On the other hand, I could use as much of the valuable Orichalcum as I wanted for experiments, if only for an hour at a time.

So the reason I suddenly decided to start researching Orichalcum was that I'd been thinking about whether it was possible to create a durable yet transparent material.

I figured that I could somehow make a strong and transparent sort glass, it could be used for the [Envy] gimmick.

I wondered if I could create a stronger glass than the one made from empty potion bottles. When it came to durability, Orichalcum was the first thing that came to mind. So, I decided to try mixing it. It was such a random idea, but I couldn't have tested it without having access to this unlimited Orichalcum.

I'll also wanted to try out various experiments with Orichalcum alloys while I was at it.

Although it wouldn't match pure Orichalcum, the appeal of having a metal with considerably high performance at a lower cost was attractive. I'd need to diligently research the proportions and without the unlimited Orichalcum, I wouldn't have even been able to start the research.

Moreover, it could be said that it surpasses Orichalcum in terms of softness and elasticity. Being too hard is also a drawback of Orichalcum. Springs, for example, can't be made from Orichalcum.

"Alright, [Create Golem]!"

I mixed and kneaded the glass and Orichalcum together. Stretching and folding… In blacksmithing, you would fold and mix the extended material by hammering it.

… Hmm, hand-kneading was fine, but it was just inefficient. It'd end up being pointless if I took more than an hour to finish it. Maybe I should try using a rolling pin? Thoroughly kneading it and then stretching and folding it while it's still soft…

"Hey, what are you making, Kehma? Making melon bread?"

"Hey, Rokuko. Nope. I'm experimenting to see what happens when I mix glass and Orichalcum together."

"… It totally looks like you're making bread. I see it's not dough you're working on though."

Mentally, I felt like it was closer to blacksmithing.

So after mixing it thoroughly for ten or so minutes, the Orichalcum glass was complete.

"… Yeah, it has the color of Orichalcum."

"It's opaque, looks like there's some rainbow in that golden hue?"

It's well mixed, but it ended up looking like an opaque tile. If I made a box with this, I wouldn't be able to see the contents.

"I guess I should check its durability and such…"

"Don't forget about its magical resistance too. Good luck, Kehma?"

As a result, it didn't break when hit hard with a hammer, didn't conduct heat when heated with fire, didn't conduct electricity, and was fine when cooled. Also, it didn't bend even when I put a lot of force into it.

However, it cracked when hit with an [Elemental Shot] and when I cut it with an Orichalcum sword (the leftover one I used for research), it sliced clean through.

… It was like a weaker Orichalcum. The glass from potion bottles could be used to dilute Orichalcum, I guess. It didn't even get scratched by a normal Blade Golem, instead ruining the Blade Golem's edge.

An hour had passed by the time I was finished testing and the Orichalcum disappeared.

"Look Kehma, this glass turned cloudy white!"

"… Maybe it's frosted glass. It feels like ground glass when touched."

"It's interesting, can't you use it to make something?"

"Well, if I wanted to make this, I could probably grind the glass with a file made of ruby, and actually, I could just make it into this shape in the first place using the method for making a file."

"… If you can make it that detailed, did you really need to knead it with your hands or a stick in the first place?"

It was just a matter of my mood, really.

I had Soto provide me with another Orichalcum sword in exchange for another sock.

I'd try making glass with an Orichalcum mesh this time. It turned out to be quite easy to make.

"Yeah, this one was easy."

"It's almost like regular glass, right?"

"At least the strength increased a bit, I suppose. If you look at it as a whole at least. Also, the Orichalcum mesh part won't break even if the glass does, so you can't pass through it."

While each part is glass, the Orichalcum is strong.

"… In that case, couldn't you just put up an Orichalcum mesh to prevent passage instead of going through all this trouble?"

"I could."

Indeed, if the purpose were just to block a place rather than letting light through without allowing wind, glass might not even be necessary in the first place.

"Should we coat the cells with Orichalcum too?"

"… Hmm, maybe I'll practice Orichalcum plating then."

Orichalcum, once charged with magical power, was easier to manipulate than other metals. So, after playing around for a while, I figured out a restraint technique that could instantly encase a walking goblin in Orichalcum.

I named it Orichalcum Bind… I couldn't make the coating too thin so it required quite a bit of material, but wasn't it pretty strong?

It did cost a lot of moneyDP though.