The Mechanical Era

The precipitate was washed 3 times in total with cold water before they tested it. They poured some of it into a glass veil, while another into a thick plate of stone. The three looked at the fulminate, before looking at each other.

"Now what we need to do is to test it," Kant commented.

"Well sire, should I cast a fire spell?" Mira asked the prince.

"Negative. I want to test its reaction to friction first. We can do the heat test later," Kant replied. Mira sighed at his answer.

"I understand sire. But who would want to volunteer?" Mira asked.

"I can do it," Kant suggests.

"Sire?"

"Yes. It is not a problem for me to test my invention," Kant answered.

"I do not think that is wise of you, sire. Because we are dealing with an explosive compound, it would be a better option to pick me instead," Duesenberg replied.

"Are you sure?" Kant questioned.

"Yes! I am positive." Duesenberg assures.

"Hm... alright. You might want to grab a hammer." Duesenberg walked over to a chest in the corner and opened it. There, he grabs an iron hammer and walks back to the stone plate. Holding the hammer with both hands, he decided to do a countdown.

"3... 2... 1" the hammer swooshes down and strikes the fulminate with high force. Yet, there was no explosion. No *boom* sound throwing him back a little. Mira and Duesenberg were both disappointed, with the results.

Their respect for Kant dropped, considering the failure of the outcome. Kant remained cooled, walked up to the stone plate, and examined the fulminate. While he observed the product, Heinz asked Kant a question.

"Well, now what sire?" he asked. He stayed silent, still observing the product. He touched the precipitate while wearing the gloves.

"The precipitate is wet," Kant commented after seeing moisture on his glove.

"I am sorry sire?" Duesenberg asked, slipping back into his friendly persona.

"The precipitate is wet. We will have to wait till it is dry to correctly test it," Kant replayed with a smile, still in his friendly polite tone.

"I see... Alright then. We shall wait till it dries." A few mercury fulminates were put on a piece of paper and kept outside for it to dry. Thanks to the particular hot day, the precipitate dried fast and was ready to be tested again.

"Alright, Mr. Heinz. Make sure you hit it with the same amount of force as last time. Do you understand?"

"Yes sire, I do." Duesenberg held the hammer with both his hands again, and swag at the fulminate with about the same amount of force.

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom This time, a small explosion occurred, spewing out little smoke and producing a small bang. Upon seeing the explosion on his own, was shocked by the success of the test. Kant, on the other hand, smiled for a second. Kant turned to Mira, meeting them in the eyes.

"Miss Mira, would you mind recording the first and second results on a piece of paper? We are going to have to do a few more tests." Mira smiled back and nodded.

"As you wish, sire." A few more tests were done for about 3 hours. As the results show if the mercury fulminate is drier, the more sensitive it becomes to friction, heat, and shock. With that information discovered, the rest of the mercury fulminate was put inside a glass veil filled with water, to make sure that it won't explode while carried around.

"Well, the experiment was a success. Your highness has managed to create another... unique compound once again," she said with a smile.

"It appears so, and it was thanks to both of you, that I managed to achieve impeccable results. I hope we can work again sometime again," Kant replied. Her respect for Kant went up, while her views on Duesenberg went down a little, thanks to that insult he whispered in her ear.

Duesenberg stayed silent. He just continued to stare at the glass filled with mercury fulminate in his hand. He slowly puts it down and turns to Kant.

"Well sire, I am pretty impressed with your alchemical knowledge and prowess to produce something like this. I would like to ask how did you manage to do it?" Duesenberg asks.

"It is just basic chemistry, Mr. Duesenberg. Nothing special." Kant replied with a smile. Duesenberg was a little confused.

"Chemistry?"

"Yes. Chemistry is a product of science and the scientific method."

"I am sorry sire, but I am not so familiar with what you are describing."

"The scientific method is a method of procedure consisting of observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses. A way of understanding the world around us.

Chemistry is... different from alchemy, which is based on a more... mystic view of the world. I was able to find this out thanks to a few log observations, tests, and experiments done by the many alchemists that came beforehand. Using that information, I derived a few theories and formulas to enact experiments on. This... was one of them."

"Hm... Alright, sire," Duesenberg replies, accepting the answer.

"Miss Mira, would you mind leaving the room for a moment? There is something I would like to discuss with Mr. Heinz privately."

"As you wish, sire." Mira quickly left the room, leaving Kant and Duesenberg all alone.

"Now, Mr. Duesenberg, I would like you to produce me about 10 bottles, which is about 100 grams of mercury fulminate, and deliver them to the palace. For your efforts, I am willing to pay you 1 gold coin.

It should be able to cover the costs of this experiment, as well as the production of the mercury fulminate while leaving you with 78 silver coins. Do we have a deal?" Kant questions. Heinz, who took a little time to cool off and think about it, decided to accept the offer.

"Excellent. Shall we shake hands on it?" Kant asks while lending his hand. Duesenberg takes one look at it, before turning his head back to Kant. His hand quickly reaches Kant's, and the two men shake.

With that, Kant opens the door, says his goodbyes to Mira who was standing behind the door, and leaves. Heinz breathes a sigh of relief. His respect claimed back and surpassed his previous levels. He turns to face the mercury fulminate and thinks of what Kant had told him.

"Chemistry... huh?" he said to himself. Just then, he remembered what Arjun told him in the letter. He called in Mira and instructed her to bring a piece of paper, an ink bottle, and a quill to write a letter about Kant, as he requested.