For the Sake of Treatment

"Frederick, how would you like to build a glass workshop?"

Frederick stopped cutting his rosemary roasted chicken and looked at the Grand Duke of Mainz warily.

Dalberg said kindly, "Don't look at me like that. I'm Maria's godfather, and you're Maria's good friend. You're essentially my junior. It's only right for an elder to look after a junior."

Frederick said directly, "I don't have the money."

Dalberg was speechless.

Frederick truly was short on funds at the moment. The gold beads that served as the primary reserve fund had almost all been used for digging the canal. The gold items serving as the secondary reserve fund for Weissenburg University, housing the displaced, and opening new factories were also nearly sold out.

The trade tax from the Wessen Territory was specifically used to pay the personnel of the Wessen Territory government departments, the Weissenburg City Guard, and employees. The year-end bonuses were paid from the gold coins Armand had brought.

After calculating everything, there wasn't much money left after setting aside some for emergencies.

While glass products were profitable, the initial investment was significant, and this unplanned expense simply couldn't be afforded.

Dalberg thought for a moment and said, "It's okay if you don't have the money. I can lend it to you, interest-free. You can pay it back when you start making a profit."

Something out of the ordinary signals trouble. Frederick calmly picked up his juice, took a sip, put the cup down, and simply watched him without saying a word.

Seeing how cautious the young man was, Dalberg patiently explained, "I'm going to build a glass mirror workshop myself. Philip is the director of this workshop."

"I have a distant nephew named George. He's loved making glass since he was a child."

"However, George and Philip have some conflict, and he also wants to strike out on his own. I thought it would be good to send him to you."

Frederick picked up his knife and fork, cut off a piece of chicken, and began eating, contemplating the underlying reasons.

Dalberg's words shouldn't be taken at face value. What nobles called "distant nephews" were usually illegitimate children. The conflict with Philip was likely false, and arranging for the illegitimate child to be sent away was the real reason. Otherwise, it wouldn't explain why he was sending both a person and money.

Judging by the name, the mother of this illegitimate child was not from the local area.

Frederick had considered venturing into the glass industry, but it wasn't a high priority. The nearby City of Nuremberg was a historic glass production area, and he couldn't compete with them in terms of worker skill levels, raw materials, or sales channels.

With the Slime Gel industry now established, the priority of the glass industry was even lower.

Just as Frederick was about to refuse, Sophia suddenly began coughing violently. Her entire body bent over as if her head was about to touch the ground, her hands pressed tightly against her cramping abdomen, and she was struggling to breathe.

Philip immediately took a medicine bottle from his wife's pocket, helped her up, and fed her the medicine.

Maria jumped off her chair and went behind her mother, patting her back with a worried expression.

After drinking the medicine, Sophia stopped coughing shortly after, sitting on the chair and gasping for air.

Dalberg frowned and asked, "Didn't the medicine work?"

Philip said with a worried face, "Before, one bottle of medicine would last two days. Now it only lasts half a day."

Dalberg sighed and said, "Take her to rest first."

Frederick's brows furrowed.

He had initially thought Sophia had consumption; the symptoms were very similar. However, this illness wasn't contagious, and there was only one patient in the castle.

He was just unfamiliar with the medical practices of this world and couldn't be of much help.

Philip and Maria helped Sophia leave, leaving only Frederick and Dalberg at the dinner table.

"Alas..." Dalberg sighed. "Such a fine baroness, how did she get this poor man's disease?"

Seeing Frederick's questioning look, he explained, "Sophia's family's territory is right next door. She was an only daughter, and after marrying Philip, the territories of the two families merged."

"Her family had a copper mine, so she never worried about food or drink since childhood. Who would have thought she'd contract this lung disease that only the poor get?"

Frederick asked, "Is there no way to cure this disease?"

Dalberg just shook his head slightly, picked up his wine glass, and drained the apple cider inside.

Frederick thought quietly for a while, then looked up at the Grand Duke of Mainz and said, "I agree to the glass workshop. I have one more request."

Dalberg asked, "What request?"

Frederick replied, "I need craftsmen who can grind lenses, like those for telescopes."

To his surprise, Dalberg shook his head and said, "I don't have such craftsmen. Grinding lenses like olive pits requires very high skill. You can try looking in the Kingdom of Sardinia; telescopes are imported from there."

Frederick could only say, "Thank you for letting me know, Your Excellency."

He had just thought of microscopes, perhaps he could use this method to discover the cause of Sophia's illness.

Regarding glass production, under current conditions, the only things he knew were removing bubbles by adding arsenic and stirring.

Float glass was out of the question; the protective gas required for this process was beyond his means. At most, he could produce flat glass of uneven thickness or with waves using a method similar to rolling dough.

Conversely, molding glass products like bowls and dishes could be explored. The overall profit in the mid-range market wasn't worse than the high-end market.

He could ask Katie for help in finding craftsmen who could grind lenses. If he could find them, besides microscopes and telescopes, glasses could also be considered.

Frederick felt a little regretful. His current Light Magic was focused on healing, illumination, and creating illusions. It would be much more convenient if he had magic that involved light refraction.

Psyche hadn't yet explained how light elements stimulated cell growth.

After finishing dinner in the dining room, the two men returned to their respective rooms to rest. The glass workshop matter would be handled by their subordinates.

Frederick wrote a letter to Katie in his room, asking for her help in finding craftsmen who could grind lenses.

After writing the letter, he fell into deep thought at his desk.

There's only a thin line between the Microscope and the Telescope; their appearance was bound to happen eventually. Relying on them to make a fortune is probably not very feasible.

Sophia's condition wasn't optimistic. Her lung disease could worsen at any time and become incurable. If he developed the Microscope slowly on his own, he might not have enough time.

Ultimately, in order to develop the Microscope as quickly as possible and add another possibility for treating Sophia, he decided against pursuing a monopoly.

Seeing the Young Master enter 'idle mode,' Tarot quietly helped him prepare Parchment, pen, and ink, and poured a cup of tea to place beside him. She could leave work early today.

Frederick began diligently recalling the concepts of optics from his middle school physics, preparing to summarize and refine the existing knowledge of optics, and simultaneously use mathematical tools to guide his research on lenses and propose the principles of the Microscope.

Based on his experience interacting with the scholars at Weissenburg University, the scholars in this world have a strong desire to research the unknown. They should be able to get involved in the research of the Microscope.