As the morning mist of the Yangzhou dyehouse hung thick with a tart fragrance, Zhang Yifan's abacus beads dropped into the fermentation vat with a plop, instantly bouncing into the character "Clear"—the lapis lazuli powder at the bottom of the vat had already congealed into blue crystal sand, and the beads sent ripples across the sandy surface that spelled out "Purity Ninety-Nine Percent." Pei Hongxiu leaned over the edge of the vat and gasped, "Goodness me! This is three shades more translucent than the Sogdian merchants' 'Persian Blue'!"
"Now watch the dyeing!" The Protagonist scooped up a handful of blue crystal sand, and the beads bounced into the character "Test" upon his dyed-blue palm. Moli handed over a piece of plain silk, and the beads immediately leaped onto the silk surface, piecing themselves together into the character "Flower"—they were actually using the blue crystal sand to automatically sketch a pattern of Huwa flying a kite. Pei Hongxiu snatched the silk away. "These beads dye fabrics even faster than master embroiderers! I'm going to mass-produce 'Huwa Bead-Dyed Silk'!"
At three in the afternoon, the dyeing vats boiled like a sea of blue crystals, and the beads bounced in the steam to form the character "Dance." The Protagonist tossed a bolt of white cloth into the vat, and the beads immediately burrowed into the weave, spelling out "Transparent"—when the fabric was pulled out, it was as blue as deep-sea frozen jade, and the beads bounced across the clot…
Chapter 196