Banshees, Study Chemistry

While Alexei was running around the construction site, Theus was busy tinkering away in his laboratory.

Incidentally, he had officially named this place the Chemistry Laboratory a few days ago and established various rules, such as forbidding servants from approaching without cause, and protocols for what to do in the event of a fire or an explosion.

Old Connor's eyes twitched as he listened. He had tried to persuade Theus to abandon this dangerous place many times, but remembering that this was an alchemist's workshop, he eventually kept his mouth shut.

Connor did not know much about alchemy; he only knew the most important part: this stuff was extremely profitable.

The attitude of any lord toward an alchemist was: treat them with the utmost care.

Even the imperial family treated alchemists with a level of respect that was, if anything, higher than that shown to the nobility. One had to remember that the Empress had disciplined high-ranking nobles many times, yet she had never shown the slightest intention of dealing with an alchemists in such a way.

After all, it was easy to find replacements for nobles after they died, but alchemists, every single one of them, were treasures.

Thus, Connor's advice shifted from "Don't mess with such dangerous things" to "Can't you let someone else do the dangerous parts?"

As for the answer—

"Of course not. In fact, the most dangerous thing in a chemistry laboratory is letting someone who knows nothing inside."

However, despite his words, he was actually somewhat tempted.

Cultivating a talent with sufficient chemical knowledge would take a very long time, which also meant a high degree of loyalty was required, and chemistry experiments were quite dangerous.

Adding these conditions together, Theus suddenly realized he might have a good option.

Banshees.

These Banshees were quite loyal to him and fearless. Even better, they were inherently very powerful; the physical strength of these Banshees shocked him.

Impact forces that would be lethal to humans were, for a Banshee, barely enough to start causing injuries.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Their massive bodies surely required stronger physical constitutions to support them. Being a head taller meant an exponential increase in strength, and strength simultaneously implied agility and physical durability.

He guessed that the bone density of a Banshee must be significantly higher than that of a human.

No wonder that despite their small numbers, they could force the Fishman Clan into retreat when they fought with their lives on the line.

If this were a computer game from the past, he would have immediately enrolled the Banshees in chemistry classes.

Unfortunately, the Banshees were not a string of cold data; they were living beings with their own preferences. They resided at the bottom of the ocean, and although they were technically his subjects, there was actually very little connection between them.

Well, except for Ash. She had signed a Symbiotic Pact with Theus, so she would have to stay in Castel from now on and could not stray too far.

Come to think of it, one couldn't really conduct chemistry experiments on the seabed. Perhaps Ash would be his only student, though he didn't know if she had any interest in chemistry.

He shook his head; these things were too far off.

"Connor, since there is a volcano on the island, go get some sulfur ore. This stuff almost certainly appears alongside volcanoes. You don't need a large quantity; I only need it for experiments."

Sulfur?

Connor had some impression of it; he should be able to buy it in small batches. He nodded.

"Also, I need a batch of bottles and jars for experiments. I'll draw them for you later; see if you can find a craftsman to make them. It doesn't matter if they are expensive."

After thinking for a moment, Theus added, "I remember there are quite a few vases in the manor. If it comes to it, those will do. I think I still have a few glass cups?"

Sighing softly, Theus said, "Melt them down."

"I—I will go ask the craftsman if it can be done." Connor's expression was complicated. Those items could be considered works of art; was he really going to use them as raw materials now?

Well, this was a sacrifice for the sake of the alchemy workshop...

"How is the olive oil factory coming along?"

"Everything is going smoothly. There is already a batch of finished olive oil."

Theus nodded; this was expected. The olive oil used entirely old-fashioned techniques. There really wasn't much to improve; it was just using a millstone to press oil from the olives.

Change the power source?

Without a foundation in materials science, a Steam Engine couldn't be built...

This was actually one of the main dilemmas he faced right now. He clearly had countless blueprints in his mind, but they couldn't be implemented in this world.

For example, the Steam Engine—how could he solve the problem of tolerance?

Mechanical structures were interconnected; if the precision wasn't high enough, forcing the construction would only lead to tragedy.

It wasn't impossible to hand-craft a Steam Engine, but it would require manufacturing a massive number of parts and then finding the ones that happened to fit perfectly, slowly assembling the entire device piece by piece.

His motherland on Blue Star had used this method during the early days of industrial development, but that required a substantial number of basic industrial workers.

In other words, he only had one or two blacksmiths; this approach was pure fantasy.

"The road is long and the burden is heavy."

"But speaking of which, the construction of the school cannot be delayed. Alexei has been busy building the factory, right? I'll have a word with him later."

The school was actually the part Theus valued most. The current olive oil factory could only be considered a small-scale operation. To truly let industry start to exert its power, relying on the current batch of illiterate craftsmen would absolutely not work.

Moreover, the school couldn't just train qualified workers; engineers and researchers were all indispensable. Once a gap appeared, future development would be stalled. From this perspective, the most important thing right now was laying the foundation.

"Time is still too tight."

He had to produce something for the pirates by next month. In any case, olive oil definitely wouldn't cut it. Although Theus had made plans long ago, time remained tight. Now that the olive oil factory was up and running, soap was still stuck in his laboratory.

Laboratory preparation and industrial assembly line production are two completely different things; he next needs to try and get the craftsmen to operate it themselves, ensuring every step is flawless before construction of the factory can begin.

This is entirely different from olive oil, which has already formed an industry; this is a new technology.

He didn't intend to use soap to fight pirates, as this item is merely a transitional product, yet it remains important—he is attempting to establish an industrialized assembly line.

Small workshops and industrialization are worlds apart; even if one can hand-craft the most precise clock, the Empire still cannot be considered an industrial nation.

Industrialization and standardization are the greatest sources of confidence Theus has when facing this world.

And the soap factory is merely the first step taken toward implementing these.

Once the assembly line is successfully established and standardized processes are set, everything that follows will go smoothly.

"Get the sulfur bought as soon as possible, and next will be nitric acid and sulfuric acid. The wheels of the chemical industry are about to begin turning slowly, starting right here in this crude laboratory."

Theus's eyes were filled with a light of anticipation.