Claude had no choice but to stay in the office for the entire afternoon to deal with them. Now, he had to rush to Grinosburg at night to make it in time for the meeting the next morning.
But when he sat in the carriage, he noticed that Myjack, who sat in front of him, had a bruise on his forehead.
He didn't have to ask to know that it was the work of his precious sister, Angelina.
"What's wrong? Did Angelina fight with you again?
Did you get physical? "Claude asked.
"Ah, no, it's not that …" Myjack hurriedly explained, "I was delivering food to Angelina in the evening and helping out in her lab. Then, there was another explosion. This is the basin that got blown away and hit my forehead."
Claude sighed. He didn't believe the words of his aide-de-camp and brother-in-law at all.
In any case, Myjack was completely controlled by his sister, Anna. If she told him to go east, he wouldn't dare to go west. Sometimes, when she failed an experiment, she would vent her frustrations on Myjack and Anna.
But seeing how Myjack seemed to be enjoying it, Claude couldn't stop him. It was a matter between the two of them and he couldn't do anything about it. All he could do was look down on Myjack for being henpecked.
Claude could only blame himself for telling Angelina the story about the explosive maniac Nobel being a magus in this world.
Claude said that the magus, Nobel, invented an explosive that was even more powerful than gunpowder. He read in a book that the magus mixed nitric acid and sulfuric acid to create a liquid oil called nitroglycerin. It could be used to treat heart disease, but it was dangerous and highly toxic. It was also prone to explosion.
So, the magus called Nobel tried to find a way to make the nitroglycerin safer. In the end, he mixed the nitroglycerin with soil so that it could be stored safely.
It was said that this kind of explosive was ten times more powerful than gunpowder. Unfortunately, it was the Magic Age, and no one was interested in the explosive invented by the Nobel Sorcerer.
Later, the sorcerer Nobel mixed nitric acid with the extract of coal tar to get a solid powder called picric acid. He used this picric acid to make yellow dye, but in fact, picric acid was also a kind of explosive, but it was safer than nitroglycerin.
In the end, the Noble Sorcerer also invented something called Mercury Fulminate, but the book didn't mention how it came about. It only mentioned that it was very sensitive and would explode upon contact with a heavy blow or a spark …
Actually, nitroglycerin and picric acid were the only two types of explosives that Claude had any recollection of. The Nobel Prize was so famous in his previous life that anyone who knew about the Nobel Prize would know the story of the explosive maniac Nobel who invented a safe method to produce nitroglycerin and used soil and nitroglycerin to create explosives.
As for picric acid, he learned about it from military forums and the internet. The westerners invented picric acid but used it as a dye for a hundred years. In the end, it was discovered by the French and used in war, helping to build the French army's reputation as the best in modern times.
Then, the Japanese used picric acid to modify the Shimose explosives and dealt a heavy blow to the Beiyang fleet in the Battle of Jiawu. The fleet with the dragon flag flying above it sank into the waves of the Yellow Sea, ushering in half a century of humiliation in modern China's semi-feudal and semi-colonial history.
As for Mercury Fulminate, Claude only knew that it was a type of explosive, but he didn't know how it came about. In his previous life, he had studied computer management and was a slacker when it came to chemistry. All he learned was for exams and he had to return it to his tutor after the exams.
That was why he couldn't remember where Mercury Fulminate came from. But if he could solve that problem, it would be a simple matter to manufacture bullets and improve firearms.
There was sulfuric acid and nitric acid in this world. Claude had asked around before, but most people didn't know what they were used for.
Sulfuric acid, for example, was a by-product of iron ore mining. Most people thought of it as highly corrosive sewage.
The same went for nitric acid. Herbalists used saltpeter to refine nitric acid in their experiments and treated it as a highly toxic substance.
Claude told Angelina that the book about Nobel's biography was something he obtained by chance during the Easterner War five years ago. After reading it, he tossed it aside and didn't pay much attention to it.
After that, he couldn't find it after the troop movements. It was very likely that it was lost in some camp.
This made Anna very disappointed. She also wanted to read the biography of the Explosive Mage Nobel.
There were times when Claude really wanted to figure out whether Angelina's gentle and gentle body hid a little demon who loved to wreak havoc.
Ever since he asked his sister, Angelina, to help him figure out the production process of the grenade and the design of the revolver, Angelina threw her pharmaceutical studies aside and fell in love with this kind of destructive explosive experiment.
What disappointed her was that the explosive power of gunpowder was too weak. Grenades were rather large and required a lot of strength to throw them twenty to thirty meters away.
Claude, Bloweyk and Angelina could all use Magus' Hands to throw grenades more than a hundred meters away.
But on the battlefield, normal soldiers didn't have that much strength and couldn't throw them that far.
So, Claude told Angelina to make the grenades smaller and more powerful. As long as a normal soldier could throw them forty to fifty meters away, it would be considered a successful weapon.
On a whim, Claude told Angelina about the story of the magus called Nobel.
So, Angelina went into the herbology lab and said that she would be able to create the two types of explosives that Nobel invented.
Since she already knew the names of the ingredients, she only needed to experiment a few more times to find the optimal ratio and manufacturing method.
Claude was rather hesitant, unsure whether he should stop his sister or wish her success.
However, his mother's nagging was intolerable. The wooden hut in Weyblon Villa that was used as his sister's herbology lab had been burned down by Angelina while she was experimenting.
Had it not been for Angelina's habit of casting a silencing spell before her experiments, she would've fainted from the sound of the explosion. It wouldn't have been as simple as burning down the hut.
Claude had no choice but to have Myjack find two more empty huts for Angelina in a remote corner of the lake, much to his mother's displeasure.
Angelina, who was so engrossed in her experiments, would often forget about time and dress up.
Even when she went home for dinner, she would look like she was in a hurry.
Her mother reminded her many times to be mindful of her status and spend more time with Myjack so that she could get pregnant and have a child like Kefnie.
Angelina would always agree to it and ignore it. So, his mother turned the target of her nagging to Claude, hoping that he would discipline his disobedient sister.
That was how Claude's ordeal began. He began to regret summoning his troops back to Lanu. His mother would surely nag at him if they were so close to home.
"Alright, let's say your forehead really was hit by that basin.
But how's Anna's experiment going? "
Claude found a comfortable position to lie down on the leather chair and closed his eyes to rest. It was a few hours' journey and it would be two or three in the morning by the time he reached Grinosburg.
"I really hit the basin and got scolded by Anna," Myjack emphasized.
Myjack emphasized the source of the wound on his forehead, "Anna helped me apply some ointment. The swelling will subside by tomorrow morning.
In addition, Anna did use sulfuric acid and nitric acid to create a transparent and colorless liquid oil called nitroglycerin. Just as you said, it is very unstable and unsafe. The slightest vibration can easily cause an explosion.
Anna said she's experimenting with different types of soil to see which one is the most suitable. "
"You should lie down and rest too," Claude said, "Tell Anna to try the clay.
I remember the Nobel Prize's biography saying that he used clay to create a safe explosive. It's not mentioned how effective it is, but it's very easy to stick to a wall and blow a hole in it. "
"Alright, I'll tell Anna when I get back," Myjack replied.
"Let's sleep. We have to travel for most of the night," Claude said.
The carriage fell silent. As the carriage rocked and shook, the two of them gradually drifted into a half-awake state.
Only the two coachmen at the front and the guards at the sides of the carriage continued to gallop.
While Claude was making his way to Grinosburg, the first batch of immigrants were already on their way to Tyrrsim under the escort of Storm.
On the deck of Tornado, the flagship of the Storm Fleet, a white-haired old man was taking a stroll, accompanied by a graceful woman. Behind the two of them was a little boy of about eight or nine years old, who was looking around curiously.
"Father, I didn't think the higher-ups of the Aueran Firearms Research Institute would be so stubborn. They refuse to admit that our percussion guns are more advanced, more convenient, and more promising than their guns.
They still stubbornly insist on the ignition procedure of the preloaded ammunition, believing that this firing method of loading and loading ammunition is the best, most concise and most reliable method of firing in the last several hundred years. They are not willing to use the breech loading method that we have invented.
I admit that our breech-loading method is a little complicated, but it can be improved.
What right do those stubborn old fools have to reject it and even send you to Nubissia to be the manager of some firearms repair workshop?
We could've just rejected the appointment and set up our own firearms lab at home. When we come up with a fully designed breech-loading gun, we can slap those stubborn old fools in the face … "The woman vented her resentment in a dissatisfied tone.
The old man smiled dotingly. "Sophia, don't forget that Askilin is no more. We're now Aueran citizens and were even made nobles.
Actually, it's reasonable for the researchers to reject your breech-loading method. After all, the biggest flaw is that the range and power are reduced by a third.
"Also, our breech-loading method is quite troublesome. We have to clean up the ashes in the chamber before we can reload. At the same time, we have to pay attention to the distance between the bullets to ensure that the firing pin accurately hits the firing point.
In this way, the traditional method of loading ammunition from the front was faster, and the soldiers were already familiar with it.
Soldiers tend to get nervous easily on the battlefield and struggle on the edge of life and death. Most of them have to rely on their trained instincts to act.
The breech loading method required careful attention and the distance between the firing point and the firing pin of the paper cartridge. This was something that was easily forgotten by the soldiers in an emergency situation. It was easy to cause the cartridge to misfire and the musket to be unable to fire …
The reason I accepted this position is because your breech-loading method needs to be improved and perfected.
What other place is more suitable than a firearms repair workshop for our experiments?
Even though it's a war zone, the colonial war won't break out for another two to three years before Shiks is ready.
If we can come up with a new breech-loading firearm in this period of time and put it into practice in the war, wouldn't it be more valuable than obtaining the approval of those people from the Firearms Research Institute?
"You have to understand that a gun is a weapon of war. Its value can only be realized through war. It's not just a few firearms experts who say it's a good gun.
The real experts are the soldiers on the frontlines. Only they understand what a good gun means. "
The beautiful madam came to a realization. "So that's how it is. Father, I've wronged you.
I thought you accepted the position as a compromise to the stubborn old fogeys of the firearms research institute.
They're clearly trying to ostracize you, an outsider, and banish you to Nubissia.
"Yet, you accepted the position in silence and didn't support my breech-loading method, allowing those stubborn old fogeys to mock my design.
I was so angry at the time that I really wanted to load my gun and fire at their stone heads. "
"Hehe." The old man laughed. "Sophia, there are some correct opinions that we have to accept.
In fact, I have been thinking about why the breech loading method reduces the range and the power of the bullet. I suspect there are two main reasons. One is that the gun barrel is folded, which leads to a lack of airtightness. When the gunpowder explodes and the gas propels the projectile forward, a portion of the gas leaks through the folding, which reduces the range by a third.
The other possibility is that the explosive power of the gunpowder isn't strong enough and the paper you make is too thick.
Not only does it reduce the amount of gunpowder, it also leaves a hidden danger after firing. There's too much paper and ash left in the barrel. If we don't clean the barrel first, we won't be able to reload a second time.
That's why those people in the Firearms Research Institute mocked your breech loading method for not being faster and more convenient than the front loading method. They don't need to change their loading method … "
"But Father, the gunpowder in the paper bullets is the best gunpowder I can find. Also, if the paper isn't thick enough, the firing pin will easily push the paper bullet to the front of the barrel when it hits the firing point behind the bullet. That way, it won't be able to ignite.
I had to thicken the walls of the paper bullets so that the bullets could be stuck in the gun barrel … "The beautiful madam argued.
"Those problems can all be improved, but to find a more powerful gunpowder is very difficult."
The old man sighed. "Gunpowder's performance has been improved to the extreme over the past few centuries, but we haven't found another substance that can produce explosions in place of gunpowder other than magic crystals.
Furthermore, in order to produce an explosion from a Magic Crystal, a specific Magic Array is required. The cost is simply too high … "
"But Father, didn't we invent gunpowder? I believe that as long as I have time, I'll be able to invent another explosive that's even more powerful than gunpowder," the beautiful madam said unhappily.
"Is that your invention?"
The old man chuckled. He turned around and waved his hand. When the little boy came to his side, the old man affectionately patted the boy's head. "Without my little Mark, you probably wouldn't have been able to invent this gunpowder even if you spent another year.
Luckily, he was mischievous in the lab and mixed the potions with other drugs. That's how you discovered the gunpowder by accident.
Hehe … "
At this moment, the captain of the Tornado, Colonel Lesding, walked over. "Earl and Baroness, the fleet is approaching the stormy sea area.
The weather in this area is unpredictable. It's very likely that there will be heavy rain and storms at this time of year.
That's why I think it's a good idea to return to the cabin. What do you think? "
The old man nodded. "Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Colonel. We'll return to the cabin now. We won't stay here and cause you trouble."
.....