Lakeheart Town, the lord's office.
Wells handed over the report, his fingertips trembling slightly. His face, however, was brimming with undisguised pride. On the wooden rack behind him sat several ceramic jars, their mouths tightly sealed with wax. The labels bore what appeared to be serial numbers.
"Lord Greiman!" His voice rang out, as if he wanted to release all the results he had kept suppressed for so long in a single burst. "We succeeded! This new explosive uses picric acid as its primary ingredient. After nitration and purification, its power far surpasses that of black powder. In testing, just three pounds of filling was enough to blast apart a granite test wall. Black powder can't compare."
His eyes burned as he stared at Paul. "If it were used to blast tunnels in the Rocky Mountains, even the dwarves' deepest underground fortifications wouldn't withstand two detonations."
Paul took the report and flipped through several pages. His brows first drew tightly together, then suddenly rose. An incredulous glimmer flashed in his eyes.
He abruptly rose, walked around the desk, and slapped Wells heavily on the shoulder.
"Professor Wells, this... this is simply a miracle!" His voice carried just the right amount of shock. "I never imagined that I would see an explosive of such power in my lifetime! You haven't merely solved the problem of attacking mountain fortifications—you've opened a new page in the history of warfare! Incredible. Truly incredible!"
Wells straightened his back until his chest was almost thrust to its limit. The corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears, while the chemical researchers accompanying him also raised their heads one after another, unable to conceal the delight on their faces.
Black powder had been Lord Paul Greiman's invention. It was that black powder that had ignited Arda's path