New Substances and Old Theories

Rather than an Electrolysis Array, this was more like a constant direct-current generator. The array could convert magic into electric current and conduct it through the wires arranged around it.

Activating this array required a mage of the first circle or above to continuously supply magic, or two standard magic stones to power it.

This was not an array created by Lord Cornwall Penzance, but one invented even earlier by a mage named Alessandro Como. He had applied for a patent with it, but because he died young, the patent had long since been opened for use.

A curious mage had replaced the wires inside it with other metallic materials and discovered that when the current grew stronger, the wires would glow and heat up along with it. From this, he made a device used for lighting, which was quite popular among some upper-class nobles. Of course, that was another story.

At this moment, the three people in the laboratory were all staring intently at the wires that reached into the inverted tubes. In a place they could not see, the electric current was surging through the wires like a rushing river. It came into contact with the water, energy scattered in all directions, and pried open some deeper structure.

On the macroscopic level, all of this manifested as a tiny bubble rising from the electrode.

It was only a single bubble, so small it was almost imperceptible, yet inside the inverted test tube, it was especially conspicuous.

Claire held her breath, her eyes wide as she watched it all.

The bubbles gradually increased, pushing away the water inside the test tubes. Moreover, the amount of gas produced at the electrodes on the two sides was clearly different. By the time the water at one end had almost been completely consumed, there was still nearly half the water left in the test tube at the other end.

At this point, Rainer signaled for the experiment to stop.

Now placed before them were two test tubes that seemed to contain nothing at all, but everyone knew there was some kind of gas inside them.

And according to the weighing, the mass of the water in the tank had indeed decreased somewhat.

Rainer's hypothesis was becoming reality, step by step.

"First, let's sort out our current line of thought. Under the decomposition of the electric current, water has indeed become two kinds of gas. There shouldn't be any problem with that conclusion, right?"

As he confirmed this with the two ladies, Rainer was also rather excited.

Since water could be decomposed, that meant it was not some kind of magical element, but a real compound. If the next step could verify the properties of these two gases, it would mean Rainer's guess was not wrong. At least on the level he could currently access, the chemical knowledge from Earth that he possessed still applied in this world.

"That is true, but it could also be water vapor. You know, electric current is similar to flame. It can make objects change."

Claire raised an opinion. Right now, her mind was not on whether water, a basic element, could truly be decomposed, or whether past theories were correct. She only wanted to verify as soon as possible what exactly these gases were made of.

"Then let's verify the properties of these gases."

Rainer first picked up the gas released from the positive electrode. There was less of this gas.

Claire cast an appraisal spell. This spell could distinguish the three states of water, but when she received the feedback, the teacher froze.

"It isn't water vapor, or even any known substance?"

If this conclusion had not come from her own appraisal spell, Claire would definitely have thought it was some kind of illusion.

"Could it be a flame-retardant gas?"

Rainer asked. The flame-retardant gas he meant was the carbon dioxide produced by calcining limestone, only he had temporarily given it this name.

Of course he remembered that in the electrolysis of water experiment, what was released from the positive electrode should be oxygen. However, Rainer still needed conclusive evidence, so he decided to verify it first.

Charlotte stared at the test tube without saying a word.

"Let's try it."

He lit a match, blew it out so that only a spark remained, then loosened the finger sealing the test tube. Rainer inserted the match into the mouth of the test tube.

In just an instant, the ember that had already gone out began burning again, giving off a dazzling, bright light. But it lasted only a moment before the match returned to its original, extinguished state.

"Looks like this gas is the opposite of the flame-retardant gas. It can aid combustion. For now, we'll name it combustion-supporting gas."

As Rainer summarized, he recorded the observed phenomenon in his notebook.

"That does feel somewhat similar to the fire element."

Charlotte's comment brought Claire back from her thoughts.

"Right, it can make an extinguished ember burn again. Could this be the true form of the fire element?"

Another kind of excitement welled up in her heart, and Claire cried out.

For many years, although there had been a theory of the four basic elements, unlike flowing water and the earth, the fire element had never had a physical form found for it, or rather, no stable physical form that could be studied had ever been found. If this special gas was the fire element, then Alchemy theory could undoubtedly advance by several decades.

"Is that so? Then we can measure the mass of these gases later. According to the conjecture in the latest issue of Alchemy, the fire element should have negative mass."

"Negative mass?"

Claire was somewhat dumbfounded. She naturally had not read the latest paper, and the concept of negative mass was far too bizarre. Even if she was told that it had been proposed by the academic greats in Alchemy, Claire could not believe it right away.

"It seems the gas here has been used up. Let's look at the properties of the gas in the other test tube."

Rainer said. He likewise had Claire cast the appraisal spell, and the result was still an unknown gas.

"If that gas just now was the fire element, then this gas here should be ash gas that has lost the fire element and cannot burn. According to the theory, that should be correct, right?"

Claire thought for a moment before nodding in confirmation.

"Then we'll use an open flame to verify it."

Rainer struck a match as well and carefully brought it close to the mouth of the test tube, which was tilted downward. He released the thumb pressing against the test tube, allowing the flame to draw near.

Pop—

To Claire and Charlotte's surprise, the flame did not go out, nor did it burn more fiercely. Only a faint sound came from inside the test tube, echoing through the quiet laboratory.

"What is going on?"

Claire was utterly confused. Clearly, the properties of this gas were different from the flame-retardant gas, and it was not a combustion-supporting gas either. This was a third kind of gas.

Electrolyzing water had produced two brand-new substances!

Discovering a single brand-new substance was enough to publish a paper qualified for inclusion in Alchemy, let alone discovering two at the same time. And these two substances had even been obtained from water, which was called a "basic element" and supposedly could not be decomposed any further!

Feeling short of breath, Claire collapsed into a chair. Fortunately, Rainer's series of actions before this had already loosened her understanding; otherwise, Claire might very well have suffered magic backlash on the spot and fainted from this enormous shock, or even had her brain explode like those ancient mages!

Then, as if to bring the experiment to a close, Rainer brought the test tube containing the gas that could produce a popping sound before Claire and Charlotte's eyes.

The two of them widened their eyes and clearly saw that inside the test tube, there were a few glittering drops of water.