The black powder had piled up into a small hill, and a fire rope soaked in oil was wrapped around it. The other end of the fire rope was like a long snake that stretched on the ground for several meters. Laurist stood at the end, holding a torch in his hand as he looked at the small hill of black powder, deep in thought …
This was the last experiment. Laurist stuck the torch in his hand into the ground and lit the fire rope. A fire snake followed the direction of the fire rope and quickly surrounded the small hill of black powder …
With a "chi la" sound, there was a flash of light, and the small hill of black powder disappeared.
It was still the same result. Laurist sighed deeply. If this was on Earth, this small pile of black gunpowder would definitely explode. It was very dangerous for him to be standing so close to it. However, Laurist could not understand why the most optimal ratio of gunpowder on Earth was ineffective in Galinthea.
Laurist had collected the saltpeter in a corner and purified it. Sulfur was a type of medicinal ingredient in Galinthea, and Pharmacists used it to refine snake and insect repellent potions for adventurers. It could be found in most volcanic areas and was cheap. Carbon was even easier to obtain. According to his memories from his previous life, Laurist had made a large barrel and started with a small handful of black gunpowder on the table. In the end, he had gathered all the black gunpowder into a pile, but the results were all the same. With a "chi la" sound, there was a flash of light, and everything was gone …
There was no explosion, no loud noise, and he could not even feel the expanding air flow.
This shouldn't be the case, right? Laurist scratched his head in confusion. When he was studying in Morent City, Laurist had heard that the main weapon of the Dwarf Kingdom's guards was guns. Although the power of these guns was only comparable to a crossbow, it was still a hot weapon. Thus, Laurist had always thought that as long as he could control the black gunpowder, he would be able to change the situation of Galinthea's cold weapons and make the Norton Family invincible.
What he didn't expect was that things weren't as simple as he thought when he created the gunpowder. The best gunpowder recipe from his previous life was useless. This made Lollister fall into deep confusion. Was the Dwarf Kingdom's gun a firearm? What do they rely on to shoot?
This was not Lollister's first failure. Over the past two months, Lollister had experienced a series of failures, from making glass, porcelain, paper, and even cement. This made Lollister vaguely feel that the chemical reactions in Galinthea were not exactly the same as in his previous life on Earth.
Making glass should be the easiest. As the director of a small handicraft factory in his previous life, Loriste was very proficient in making art out of glass. He could use glass to create life-like artistic images of various animals. The Telimbo Kingdom of the Galinthia Continent was famous for its green glass and oil glass, so Laurist was confident that he could make glass. The raw material was simple, and it was just quartz.
However, the result was a blow to Laurist's head. On Earth, quartz would turn into a gelatinous substance after melting, and it would be very easy to blow it, split it, and then roll it to produce a piece of flat glass. This was the simplest method of making glass. But here, Lollister found that quartz turned into a liquid after melting. It was not gelatinous, and it easily condensed into water droplets. Although it was hard, it was very brittle. There was no way to use a blowpipe to make glass.
Puzzled, Lollister went to look for Fatty Shi. He felt that this was probably because of the formula. Fatty Shi was born in the Telimbo Kingdom, so he might know what other ingredients were used to make glass other than quartz. Fatty Shi was very busy. Lollister had given him the heavy burden of settling more than two hundred thousand newly migrated civilians, so he was not in the mood to discuss the formula for making glass with Lollister.
Fatty Shi was furious when he saw that Lollister was looking for him for such a small matter. He was so busy, but Lollister was so free that he still had the mood to make glass. Moreover, the production of glass had always been an important secret in the Telimbo Kingdom. Fatty Shi was only born in the Telimbo Kingdom, so how could he know the formula for making glass? In the Telimbo Kingdom, anyone who inquired about the formula and production of glass would only end up being hanged.
Lollister smiled bitterly. He told Fatty Shi that Green Glass, which cost ten copper coins a piece in Moronte City, was transported to the North by the Kenneth Family and sold for a large silver coin, which was equivalent to ten times the price. One gold ford could only buy twenty pieces of Green Glass. When it came to money, Fatty Shi became serious. He immediately decided to write a letter to his father, who was still a merchant in Telimbo, and ask him to pay attention to what materials were usually imported into the factory. This was not to inquire about the formula, so there was no risk. On the other hand, he could slowly decipher the secrets of producing glass by importing the materials.
The matter of glass was put aside for now, and Lollister's idea of making porcelain through the pottery workshop also fell through. In his previous life, the small handicraft factory had imitated many antiques such as blue and white porcelain, so Lollister still remembered the formula clearly. Galinthea only had pottery and no porcelain, so Lollister really wanted to produce porcelain and make it another competitive product of his family's territory.
Since it could produce pottery and bricks, it should not be a problem to produce porcelain. However, the product that came out of the kiln after seven days disappointed Lollister greatly. Take a porcelain bowl as an example. It should have been smooth and smooth, but what came out of the kiln was mottled with patterns, and it would shatter with a touch. Pottery did not become pottery, and porcelain did not become porcelain. Lollister experimented for nearly a month, and in the end, he had no choice but to admit that he had encountered another failure.
It was the same with making white paper. Two years ago, when Lollister returned to the family with the northbound convoy, he had asked Barlek's father to set up a papermaking workshop. He had written down the papermaking process and material formula in his memory, and had people experiment with it. However, after two years, the only product produced by the papermaking workshop was a type of toilet paper used to wipe one's butt. This type of toilet paper could be produced in Moronte City, and its main materials were reeds and rice stalks. One copper coin could buy a small stack of toilet paper.
Lollister's papermaking workshop had experimented with many formulas and materials, but what they produced was still soft toilet paper. At most, it was whiter and more delicate than the toilet paper produced in Moronte City, but the cost was higher, and the process was more complicated. It could be considered as filling a gap in the family's daily necessities, and people no longer had to use wooden sticks to scrape their buttocks after defecating. However, there was no way to produce the kind of solid and smooth white paper that Lollister hoped for.
Finally, there was cement. The three treasures of a transmigrator were glass, cement, and gunpowder. After the failure of the glass production, due to the development of the family's territory, the supply of the hundred thousand barrels of rubber vine juice produced in the Blade Peak Mountain Range could not meet the demand. They had no choice but to purchase another hundred thousand barrels from the Kenneth Family, and this year, they had to purchase a total of 180,000 barrels, which was a huge burden to the family. Thus, Lollister decided to make cement to reduce the amount of rubber vine juice used.
The indigenous method of firing cement was very simple. Limestone and clay were calcined and ground, and then sand and water were added to solidify to form cement concrete. Lollister found a few servants to test it out and fired a batch of cement. The problem was that it could not be frozen, and after three days, it was turned into large cubes. If it had not solidified after three days, it would break into pieces with a kick.
However, one of the servants was smart enough to get a bucket of rubber vine juice. After mixing it with water according to the ratio, he mixed the cement into a three-dimensional sculpture. In just half a day, these strange-looking cement sculptures had solidified. They were as hard as iron and stone, and even sturdier than the green cement. Lollister did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had made the cement to replace the rubber vine juice, not the green cement.
Now, it was the black gunpowder's turn to fail. Could it be that the chemical reactions in this world were different from those on Earth? Lollister rubbed his chin and began to think.
"My lord, what do you want to make?" Shi Huard asked.
"Oh, nothing. I want to make an explosive, "Lollister replied.
"Explosive? What's an explosion? "Shi Huard asked, puzzled.
Lollister came back to his senses. Indeed, there was no such thing as an explosion in Galinthea's common language. There was an explosion, an explosion, but there was no explosion.
"How should I put it? An explosion is when an object rapidly expands and explodes from within, producing a huge force in an instant, causing destructive damage to everything around it … "Lollister gave a definition of an explosion.
"There's such a thing?" Shi Huard could not imagine it. However, he did not forget his duty and reminded, "My lord, we should go to Master Fallin's crossbow factory. Your appointment with him is this afternoon. "
"Alright, then let's go." Lollister could only suppress the gloominess in his heart and turn to walk back to his mount.
Amidst the series of failures, the only good news was that the catapult that Lollister had designed had been successfully manufactured by Master Fallin. In the afternoon, Lollister would go to the Blade Peak Mountain Range's crossbow factory to watch the performance of the catapult.
"My lord, according to the blueprints you provided, we conducted a series of experiments and finally determined the size of the various parts of the catapult. The catapult that we made can throw a stone weighing a hundred kilograms more than six hundred metres away. Congratulations, my lord. You've designed a new long-range weapon. This is the first catapult in Galinthea's history. "Master Fallin's compliments made Lollister feel a little embarrassed.
However, the catapult in front of him looked a little ugly. Not only was it huge, it was also extremely cumbersome. It was very different from the blueprints he had drawn on the animal skin.
"My lord, we had no choice. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't be able to guarantee the stability of the catapult." Master Fallin saw Lollister's confusion and hurriedly explained, "My lord, the biggest problem with the catapult you designed is this twisting lever. It has to be hard and flexible. If it's too thick, it'll easily crack the base when it's thrown, and if it's too thin, it'll break. We've made more than two hundred twisting levers made of various kinds of wood, and finally found that the twisting lever we're currently using is the most suitable for a catapult. However, it still needs to be changed after a few dozen throws, or it'll break … "
Lollister nodded and did not say anything. What followed was the performance of the catapult. The structure of the catapult was very simple. It used the principle of levers, with a long twisting lever resting on top of it. The thick end was a large box stuffed with heavy objects, while the thin end was connected to a leather rope and a leather bag. These were used to hold the stones. A rope was used to pin the lever on the thin end of the rope to the ground. After placing the projectile in place, the rope was cut. The thick end of the rope would be pressed down by the heavy box, causing the thin end to throw the projectile out …
Lollister finally relaxed. The catapult was still very useful. Although it was not accurate and the distance was uncertain, the first throw and the second throw could be a hundred meters apart. However, being able to throw a stone that weighed almost fifty kilograms that far was already a victory. Now, he had to figure out how to improve the catapult.
The task of improving the catapult could not be given to Master Fallin. He was a conscientious executor, but he was not a creative researcher. Loriste felt that the most suitable candidate should be Master Sid. Although he was a master armorsmith, he was very quick-witted. Not to mention those sets of armor designs, just the simple and crude hydraulic forging press that Loriste had made for him had resulted in Master Sid producing all kinds of hydraulic machinery, almost filling up the entire empty space under the waterfall. This was worthy of Lollister's attention. Moreover, the catapult was a simple machine.
Schwald quickly invited Master Sid. As expected, Master Sid was fascinated by the principle of the catapult's lever and began to research it without any care.
Immediately after, Lollister invited Master Yu Lian, and together with Master Sid and Master Fallin, they formed a research group to improve the catapult. Inviting Master Yu Lian meant that he wanted to use flexible steel to make the twisting lever of the catapult. Lollister's final goal for the catapult was to be as mobile as a steel ballista, with no more than ten people operating it. It had a throwing range of more than five hundred meters, and it had to be above fifty kilograms. It could not be too big or too heavy, so it would not affect long-distance travel.
… …
This was the capital of the Iberian Kingdom, Winderbury City, Rose Palace.
The reason why it was called Rose Palace was because the second prince wanted to express his ambition to unify the former Crimson Empire. He believed that the best palace should be in the former capital, so he called this palace, which he had spent a lot of money to build, a temporary palace instead of a royal palace.
The second prince had already returned, but all the servants in the palace were anxious. This was because the owner of this huge and beautiful palace had changed completely. He was irritable, decadent, alcoholic, and crazy. Every day, he hid in his bedroom and did not go out. He constantly asked for wine and women, and spent his days in a drunken stupor, not caring about anything …
In less than half a day, the army of a hundred thousand had completely collapsed. The great swordsman, who had relied on his military strength, had been pierced by a long and thick crossbow bolt right in front of his eyes, and died. The second prince was scared out of his wits. He never dreamed that the Norton Family's military strength would be so terrifying, and that the Shahin Family and Filim Family, which he thought he had in his hands, had actually raised the flag of rebellion. On his way back to Gildusk City, he received news that the armed forces of these two families were attacking the former Grand Duke's territory, forcing the second prince to turn around and leave the Northern Lands through the iron chain bridge in the territory of the Kenmeis Family.
Originally, he had hoped to get support from his father-in-law and borrow two or three divisions to fight his way back to the Northern Lands, but he did not expect that Grand Duke Fisabulun had completely given up on him. With the army of a hundred thousand annihilated, did he think that three divisions could fight their way back to the Northern Lands? I wouldn't even dream of doing this. Grand Duke Fisabulun would never let the soldiers of the border corps that he had painstakingly built follow the second prince to their deaths again.
The second prince, who had been rejected by his father-in-law, scurried back to the capital, Winderbury City, dejectedly. The news of his defeat in the Northern Lands had already spread throughout the kingdom. Without military strength, no lord took him seriously. The continuous cold shoulder made the second prince disheartened, and he hid in the Rose Palace to drown his sorrows in alcohol …
Music and laughter came from afar. It was from the side palace where the queen was, and a ball was being held there.
"That damned bitch!" The second prince glared at her with bloodshot eyes and cursed fiercely. No one was interested in his side, but that damned bitch still held a ball and invited her gigolo to party all night long. If it was not for the dark face of his father-in-law, Grand Duke Fisabulun, the second prince really wanted to take his sword and kill that bitch.
"Scram!" The second prince kicked a naked body next to the table that was covered in bruises. This was a servant woman who had been serving him wine, but the second prince had caught her to vent his lust, and she was hovering between life and death.
The servant woman was overjoyed that her life had been saved, and she crawled out without any clothes covering her body. The second prince picked up the wine again and drank it in big gulps. He just wanted to get drunk and forget everything.
"Your Majesty, you can't continue to be so dispirited and depressed." An old voice sounded in the dark palace.
"Then what can I do? All my belongings have been lost in Gildusk City, the money that I robbed from the Madras Duchy is gone, and the first division of the kingdom that I had painstakingly built for three years is also gone! Can I still be a king without money and soldiers? No one even looks at me. I'm finished, I have nothing … "the second prince muttered.
A tall figure appeared in front of the second prince. This was the second prince's swordsmanship teacher since he was young, and also the only great swordsman by his side, Jared.
"Your Majesty, no matter what, you are still a king. If you don't pull yourself together, the kingdom will have no future. If you don't have anyone to recruit, and if you don't have money, think of ways to earn it. Don't you still have two iron mines? You can consider cooperating with the trade union from last time and subcontract the iron mines to them. That way, you will have money, and with money, you can rebuild your armaments again … "
"No, I can't. Half of the iron mine's output still needs to be supplied to my father-in-law's army to replenish their armaments …" The second prince shook his head, trying to wake himself up. "Yes, teacher, you're right. Since that old fellow doesn't care about my life, why should I provide him with weapons and equipment for free? I'll go find the people from that trade union tomorrow and cooperate with them. As long as they give me money to rebuild my armaments, I don't mind cooperating with the devil! "
"By the way, teacher, can I trouble you to make a trip to the north? I want the head of the Norton family. If I don't kill him, I won't be able to eat or sleep in peace. If not for him, I wouldn't have been chased out of the north and lost everything … "The second prince's eyes flashed with madness and anger.
"Your Majesty, assassination is not the way of a king. There has never been a case of a king assassinating a lord. If this gets out, your reputation will …"
"I don't care!" The second prince shouted crazily. "I must kill him. Teacher, bring his head back to me. I want to make a wine cup out of it! Teacher, you only need to make a trip and you will be able to fulfill my wish. Even if you don't think about me, think about your junior brother, my Uncle Rouinth. He died so tragically. Don't you want revenge? Have you forgotten what your teacher told you to take care of this junior brother before he died? "
The tall figure fell silent. After a long time, Jared finally spoke. "Your Majesty, I am willing to make a trip to the north and bring back the head of the Norton family. But I hope that you will not make such a request that is not in line with your status … "
…
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