Chapter 120: Making Soap

In the center of the workshop, wood was burning in a brazier.

"Lord Eddard, the seashells you requested have arrived." The guard Dawson handed over the shells.

These shells had all been brought by the large-bellied merchant ships from White Harbor; the last time Weiman Mandele Bojue arrived at Winterfell, Eddard had specifically instructed him to send some shells over from White Harbor.

Seashells were not worth much by the seaside, but Winterfell had none.

Maester Luwin frowned, "Lord Eddard, what do we need seashells for?"

Eddard sprinkled the shells into the brazier, "Seashells are needed to make soap."

Maester Luwin smiled dismissively, "Lord Eddard, if seashells could make soap, the Iron Islands would be the land of soap. But we all know that the ironborn live hard lives; whether they are fishermen or pirates, most of them reek of fish. For them, soap is nothing short of a luxury."

The Alchemist Ginter chimed in, "I also feel that using seashells to make soap is unreliable. Lord Eddard, more than ten years ago, when I was still in King's Landing, I once visited the soap makers there. It seems the materials those craftsmen used did not include seashells!"

"The secrets of those soap makers would naturally not be taught to you," Eddard said, feigning mystery. "Just watch! Now is the moment to witness a miracle."

Eddard placed the shells in the brazier to calcine them. After the calcination was complete, Eddard used iron tongs to put the calcined shells into a stone mortar and pounded them with a pestle until the shells turned into powder.

At this moment, the guard Dawson handed over the wood ash Eddard had prepared long ago, and it was put into a large pot to boil.

Maester Luwin shook his head and sighed, "Boiling wood ash? How could this possibly produce soap?"

After the wood ash finished boiling, it formed lye. Eddard ordered Ginter to filter the lye with gauze and pour it into a wooden basin.

Eddard added the shell powder into the lye, stirred it evenly, and then had Ginter filter it again with gauze. Maester Luwin watched from the side, feeling drowsy.

The re-filtered lye was poured into a wooden bowl and placed in a corner.

Eddard washed his hands, "That is all for today! Let us come back tomorrow!"

Maester Luwin felt relieved, "Lord Eddard, you see, this soap experiment has failed after all. Where is the smooth path to success? I think this failure..."

"The experiment has not failed," Eddard pointed at the lye, "The lye needs to settle for a night. If nothing goes wrong, we will be able to make soap in a few days."

Early the next morning, Eddard called for the guard Dawson.

"Go to the kitchen, find the cook Gage, and have him select the fattest pork, chop it into mince, and then put it in a pot to render the fat. Put the rendered oil into a jar, let it cool to room temperature, and send it to the soap workshop."

The guard Dawson looked confused, "Does making soap require lard?"

"Just do as I say."

The guard Dawson walked toward the kitchen. Eddard took Maester Luwin and walked toward the soap workshop; Maester Luwin could not help but complain.

"Lord Eddard, how could the seashells, wood ash, and lard you are testing possibly make soap? Conducting such meaningless experiments is better left to the Alchemist Ginter; he can't do anything else besides Wildfire anyway."

"Maester Luwin, I know you don't think much of my soap making," Eddard told him, "But to be honest, we can't make soap today either; it will take a few more days."

Maester Luwin was clearly unconvinced, but he had no choice but to brace himself and accompany Eddard to the soap workshop.

With Ginter's cooperation, Eddard fetched coarse salt, put it into a bluestone mortar, and pounded it into powder with a pestle to have it ready. Eddard then brought over the lye.

"Now we just wait for the lard."

The guard Dawson and the Wildling woman Osha delivered the lard, which had cooled to room temperature, to the soap workshop. The lard was in an iron basin.

Osha smiled, "Lord Eddard, we Wildlings Beyond the Wall have no soap. I never thought that making soap would require lard."

Eddard slowly poured the filtered top layer of lye into the lard, then added the salt powder. Eddard had the Wildling woman Osha take a stirring rod and stir continuously in one direction.

Maester Luwin, the Alchemist Ginter, and the guard Dawson all widened their eyes, watching as the lard and lye gradually saponified under the stirring. When the grease turned into a thick, sticky paste, Eddard ordered the guard Dawson to take out the molds he had prepared and pack the grease into them.

These soap molds had been made by the Woodcarver Guzan under Eddard's orders, and they featured the exquisite Ice-River Wolf Emblem.

"Is the soap making finished?" Maester Luwin asked softly.

"These fats need three days to fully solidify," Eddard said easily, "All we need to do now is wait."

Ginter asked in surprise, "Lord Eddard, seashells, wood ash, and lard—these things seem to have no connection to soap at all. Why did it look like soap paste after a final round of stirring?"

Eddard smiled, "This process is very similar to alchemy; the substances underwent a chemical reaction."

Ginter and Maester Luwin both picked up their Cat's Paws to record Eddard's words.

Three days later, Eddard, Maester Luwin, and Ginter returned to the soap workshop and opened the bamboo tubes to unmold them. At this moment, everyone was surprised to find that the soap had already been imprinted with the Ice-River Wolf Emblem of House Stark.

Maester Luwin was filled with admiration, "Lord Eddard, I never expected that you could actually make soap using wood ash, lard, and seashells. From now on, Winterfell will have its own soap."

Ginter observed the soap at close range, "If the wise men of the Alchemists' Guild possessed Lord Eddard's wisdom and could also make such practical things as soap, the Alchemists' Guild would not have fallen to this state after losing the favor of the Mad King Aerys."

"Lord Eddard, can these soaps be used now?"

Eddard shook his head, "The soap needs to be air-dried in a ventilated place for a month before it can be used normally. The production of soap is a long process; any error in any link will not do. Our experiment has been a success, and from now on, the soap workshop in Winterfell can officially go into production."

Maester Luwin said excitedly, "Lord Eddard, the workers in the soap workshop must be our own people from Winterfell. If this craft were stolen by others, it would be a loss for Winterfell."

"You are quite right," Eddard thought for a moment, "We shall select the soap workers from the families of the personal guards of Winterfell."

Now that Eddard had a distiller, the distiller could not only be used in brewing, but also to extract plant essences. Eddard believed that in time, he could produce Soap rich in herbal essences, and perhaps even work with the Maesters to develop medicinal soap.

Winterfell had gained another path to wealth.

Thanks to the book friends "Timodong" and "Why Change This Name" for the monthly tickets. Thank you for your support!

(End of chapter)