“Ever since my brother gave me a mineral reference book, I’ve dreamed of building something like it someday. It would cover all the minerals that weren’t in that illustrated book. And I did. But I wanted to make another one. I want to revise the illustrated book to improve it, adding this microscopic appearance to it. I’ll start when I’m done with the research on the rainbow stone, my new dream. I am glad that you, like your brother, gave me a dream, and that you are my brother’s grandson. Thank you, Ekaterina.”

Cute. Why was he so cute when he was so amazing?

I could understand Aaron-san’s love a little bit now. And I was sure Grandfather would have been adorable with Great-Uncle Isaac.

I was a brocon, but I was also starting to love Great-Uncle Isaac.

Ekaterina smiled.

“I’m so glad that I am also a relative of your great-uncle.”

***

Ekaterina gave him a glass pen, which Isaac was also very pleased with.

It was not the same as the gorgeous colored glass that she had given to Alexei, but a prototype without color.

Isaac often travels on uneven terrain during his fieldwork, so Aaron’s advised that something that could be damaged would be more appropriate was followed.

“Wow, hey, much better than a quill pen. you’re a genius to come up with something like this, Ekaterina is a great girl.”

No, the real genius was Great-Uncle. And I didn’t come up with this one. I would like to apologize so much to the real inventor of the glass pen, a wind chime maker from my previous life in the Meiji era.

“It looks like it would be difficult to make such a long and slender object out of glass, wouldn’t it be difficult to make it sturdy?”

“I expected you to notice that! Our craftsmen have used their ingenuity to increase the strength.”

“Really? I wonder what kind of ingenuity they have used.”

Isaac looked at the glass pen with interest.

“Well, maybe it’s the temperature. To make strong glass, you need high temperatures. There might be other ways to do it, though.”

“Oh, I remember now. I was referring to the ingenuity of the furnace. The furnace had to be full of the ingenuity of the previous master to be powerful enough to get this results.”

“That’s interesting. I would like to see it.”

“Please come and see it when you visit the Imperial Capital. If you could advise the craftsmen with your great-uncle’s knowledge, I am sure they would come up with something even more wonderful. I would also like you to meet the craftsmen of the microscope.”

I do hope that with great-uncle’s advice, we could further improve the facilities of the workshop and have Rev produce works that would exceed the works of his late predecessor, Master Murano. He was a genius too, so it was not a far-fetched dream.

I mean, just meekly, I wanted to see a two-shot picture of two geniuses!

Isaac looked at Ekaterina with a smirk as she said enthusiastically.

“I see you are also interested in minerals. I’m so glad.”

You misunderstand!

I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t consider glass to be a mineral. It just happened that I got involved in a glass studio.

But I couldn’t say that to my great-uncle, who seemed so genuinely happy!

Isaac then said to Ekaterina, who was giggling.

“I’d like to return the favor to you as well. I would like you to come with me to the old mine.”

Ekaterina was thus invited to accompany her great-uncle.

Ekaterina was about to reply, “Don’t worry about repaying me…” when Aaron, behind Isaac’s back, said, “By all means, please accept it!” and suggested that I accept the invitation.

“How is Alexei?”

“Well, he is fine, but I am worried about him because he is so busy…”