C87- The Fall of Anfre (1)

It had been two months since the siege of Anfre started. The enemy still held strong, and the price of the war started to weigh heavily on the people of the Empire. Currently holding a meeting about the future of the war and the siege, Terry was annoyed.

'They don't get it. We already spent so much time on this war, if we back up now, it is going to be a waste. I can't waste time. I need to hurry before the people of Terra find out about me and intervene. I can't defend anything against them currently. I need to expand my armies and unite humanity to free us from this zoo...'

Being the only one aware of the world of Terra, he was convinced he had to free humanity from their fate of being a spectacle to strangers.

He used every conventional tactic to break the enemy walls and stop their repair for the army to enter, but even using his powers resulted in nothing. For as long as defensive walls existed, mages were used to counter them, and the only difference his power had from matter magic was that it was permanent when created. But this didn't mean the enemy couldn't move it away. So not only could the enemy defend against his power, the permanence of the terrain created could even give them more material to stuff the holes in the wall with.

A naval invasion was also impossible, since the Altus navy couldn't get superiority in the seas.

There were only two options left. Either wait long enough until the enemy gave up, or find another way to stop the enemy.

Waiting wasn't feasible since most of the army was actually defending the coast in case the enemy landed soldiers from the Maers sea.

Thus, the nobles arrived to a conclusion. To give up the war, and lift the wartime taxes that had started to be a serious problem.

The poorer parts of the Empire already started to starve, and restlessness increased in most of the population. Even in the capitol, the center of the Emperor's strength, a recently appeared newspaper, which was the idea of a merchant who used a newly invented machine that could write books many times faster than a human for cheaper, started to openly criticise the war and gained support from the people.

Since waiting wasn't a choice anymore, Terry had to find a way to stop the enemy resistance.

Terry turned to Felyp who was attending the meeting and ordered.

"Felyp."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Call you disciple here."

Felyp's gaze got colder.

"Your Highness, he is still a chi-"

"I am not asking him to fight in the war. I want him to find a way to go above the enemy walls."

"We can use other mages for that."

"We can't use magic. Detecting the ripples in mana is easier than feeling the momentum of something. That's why we need him. Use my wartime seal to send the letter."

"...I understand, Your Highness.", said Felyp in a defeated voice.

The Emperor, focused too much on the biggest picture he saw, and lost sight of other importanties as he did so.

*****

"Sigh~, The copper delivery is late...", complained Corvin.

"Why don't you help me with this then?", asked Clair.

"Get Noah to help you."

"He is sleeping, you are overworking him."

"You were the one who said my drawings were bad."

"..."

"What are you working on?"

"Trying to seperate water."

"What?"

"You know what me and my dad discovered, right?"

"Oh, that 'electron' thing?"

"Yeah. I am trying to use that to find out if I can seperate water into something smaller."

"What's that gonna do?"

"I don't know. I am just curious if I can do that."

"Really? Stop wasting our funds. You are overworking Noah too."

"...This will also help us find the correct theory about matter. It's not 'wasting funds', it is research.", said Clair in an angry tone.

"Okay, I get it. Tell me what I need to do."

Corvin and Clair started putting together the experiment. Wiring the two metal pieces at different ends of the generator, and dipping them in the water, Clair started the experiment.

"..."

"..."

Nothing happened.

"Oh, wait. I forgot the salt."

Adding a bit of salt into the water and letting it dissolve, Clair started the experiment again. The water around the electrodes started bubbling.

Click!

After a while, Corvin stopped the generator.

"Why?"

"What do you mean? Aren't you going to store the bubbles that are coming out?"

"..."

"Did yo-"

"I didn't forget! I was just checking what was going to happen. I will catch the gas now!"

"..."

"..."

"...You didn't prepare anything to catch it, did you?"

Clair hurriedly took two jars and gave them to Corvin.

"What am I gonna use this for?"

"Get rid of the air inside and put their mouths on the water."

After tinkering with the jars for a bit, they managed to find an actualy reliable way of making sure air doesn't mix with the results. Starting the experiment once again and running it for a while, Corvin took the first jar off.

While he was taking the second jar off, a small spark jumped from the copper cable into his hands and got near the entrance of the jar.

Boom!

A small explosion occured and the jar broke apart.

"Corvin! Are you okay?!"

"I am okay, but.... the experiment isn't."

He used his magic to stop the glass shards as much as his reflexes allowed him. But a bit of damage was done to the water tank, and that crack needed to be fixed.

"Are you two okay?!"

Rushing inside, Noah, who suddenly woke up because of the noise ran into the makeshift lab inside the factory.

"It's okay! It was a small accident!"

"Oh, man! I thought the black powder exploded! Well, if everything is okay, then I'm gonna continue my nap.", said Noah and left.

"..."

"Corvin."

"Yes, Clair."

"You were thinking about using electricity in the factory, right?"

"I forgot it could cause explosions..."

"Note it down somewhere. We need to find a way to insulate the cables and the machines."

"Right..."

"But! At least we now know the easiest way to make explosives with just water!"

"Hmm... Wait, if this one was flammable... Does that mean the other one is..."

Corvin took a piece of paper and lit it on fire using an electric arc from the generator.

"Can't you use something safer?"

"I am using my magic to move it, so it is okay. Don't worry."

"What are you even doing?"

"You'll see..."

Opening the other jar with his magic, he carried the burning paper and placed it inside the jar. The flame on the paper got brighter and burned much faster, and the paper turned into ashes in seconds.

"I was right!"

"What?"

"This thing, this gas is what burns something!"

"So?"

"Umm... Isn't that like... poetic or something? You know, appearently water is made out of these dangerous stuff, but it is safe."

"How is that poetic?"

"I don't know... it's just..."

"Sigh~, Just return to working on your project, Corvin."

"Right..."