Banshees, Learn Chemistry

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

Incidentally, a few days ago, he had officially named the place the Chemistry Laboratory and laid down various rules. The servants weren't allowed near it without good reason, and there were procedures for what to do if a fire broke out or something exploded.

Old Connor's eye twitched at that. He'd tried several times to persuade Theus to abandon the dangerous place, but remembering that it was an alchemist's workshop, he'd ultimately kept quiet.

Connor didn't know much about alchemists. He only knew the most important thing: they made an incredible amount of money.

Every lord treated alchemists the same way: they were to be pampered.

Even the royal family valued alchemists no less than the nobility—in fact, they valued them more. The Empress had punished the great nobles many times, but had never shown the slightest intention of dealing with alchemists.

After all, it was easy to find replacements for dead nobles. Every alchemist, on the other hand, was a treasure.

So Connor's advice had changed from "Don't do anything this dangerous" to "Could you let someone else handle the dangerous parts?"

As for the answer—

"Of course not. In fact, the most dangerous thing in a chemistry lab is letting someone in who doesn't know what they're doing."

That said, he was still somewhat tempted by the idea.

It took a very long time to train someone with enough chemistry knowledge. That meant they needed to be highly loyal, and chemical experiments were quite dangerous.

When Theus put all those conditions together, he suddenly realized he might have a good option.

The Banshees.

They were very loyal to him and unafraid of danger. Better yet, they were incredibly strong. Their physical strength had astonished him.

An impact that would kill a human would only just be enough to injure a Banshee.

It made sense. Their enormous bodies had to be supported by stronger physiques. They were taller, and their strength increased exponentially. Strength also meant agility and physical resilience.

He guessed that the Banshees' bones were much denser than human bones.

No wonder they could drive the Fishman Clan back again and again when they fought with their lives on the line, despite being so few in number.

If this were a computer game, he would have immediately signed the Banshees up for chemistry classes.

Unfortunately, the Banshees weren't just a string of cold data. They were living beings with their own preferences. They lived at the bottom of the ocean and, although they were technically his subjects, they had little to do with him in practice.

Well, except for Ash. She had signed a Symbiotic Pact with Theus, so she would have to stay in Castel from now on. She couldn't go too far away from him.

Besides, it wasn't possible to do much chemistry at the bottom of the sea. Perhaps Ash would be his only student. He didn't know if she was interested in chemistry.

He shook his head. All of that was a long way off.

"Connor, since there's a volcano on the island, get some sulfur ore. It's almost always found near volcanoes. I don't need much—just enough for experiments."

Sulfur?

Connor vaguely remembered it. He should be able to buy a small amount, so he nodded.

"I also need a batch of bottles and jars for experiments. I'll draw them for you later. See if you can get a craftsman to make them. It's fine if they're expensive."

After thinking it over, Theus added, "I remember there are plenty of vases in the manor. If all else fails, those will do. I think I have a few glass cups, too?"

With a quiet sigh, Theus said, "Melt them down."

"I-I'll ask the craftsmen if they can do it." Connor looked conflicted. Those things were works of art. Were they really going to use them as materials now?

Well, it was a sacrifice for the alchemy workshop...

"How's the olive oil factory?"

"Everything's going well. We already have a batch of finished olive oil."

Theus nodded. Just as he'd expected. The olive oil was made using the old process, and there wasn't much room to improve it. They simply pressed the olives for oil with a millstone.

As for improving the power source?

Without a foundation in materials science, there was no way to build a Steam Engine...

This was one of the main problems he faced. He had countless blueprints in his head, yet couldn't make them a reality in this world.

Take the Steam Engine, for example. How could he solve the problem of tolerances?

Mechanical structures were interconnected. If the parts weren't precise enough, forcing them together would only lead to disaster.

It wasn't impossible to build a Steam Engine by hand. It would just require making a large number of parts, then searching through them for ones that fit together just right, and assembling the whole machine bit by bit.

His homeland on Blue Star had once used this method to develop its industry. But it required a sizable workforce with a solid industrial foundation.

In other words, he barely had one or two blacksmiths. This method was nothing but a pipe dream.

"There's still a long way to go."

"But speaking of which, we can't delay building the school any longer. Alexei's been busy building the factory, hasn't he? I'll talk to him later."

The school was one of the things Theus cared about most. The olive oil factory was just a small start. There was no way to get industry going with the illiterate craftsmen they had now.

And the school couldn't just train competent workers. They needed engineers and researchers, too. If there was a gap in any of those fields, progress would stall in the future. From that perspective, laying the groundwork was the most important task right now.

"There's just never enough time."

The pirates expected him to deliver something next month. Olive oil definitely wouldn't do. Theus had made his plans long ago, but the deadline was still tight. Now that the olive oil factory was running, soap remained confined to his laboratory.

Making something in a laboratory and manufacturing it on an industrial production line were completely different matters. Next, he needed to get the craftsmen to try operating the process and make sure every step worked before they could build a factory.

This was nothing like olive oil, which already had an established industry. It was a new technology.

He wasn't planning to use soap to fight the pirates. It was only a stopgap product, but it was still important—he was trying to establish an industrial production line.

There was a world of difference between a small workshop and industrialization. No matter how precisely someone could make a clock by hand, the Empire still couldn't be considered an industrial nation.

Industrialization and standardization were what gave Theus his greatest confidence in facing this world.

The soap factory was simply the first step toward achieving them.

Once they had successfully established a production line and standardized procedures, everything that followed would go smoothly.

"Get the sulfur as soon as possible. Next, we'll need nitric acid and sulfuric acid. The wheels of the chemical industry are about to start turning, slowly but surely—and it all begins in this makeshift laboratory."

Theus's eyes gleamed with anticipation.