The Alchemist Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I needed to put together Claude’s order. There was normal stuff, everything an army would need to function in the field, but there was also a curiously large request for jewelry made from moon silver.

That must be going to the forest elves, I thought. No matter. I can make everything here just fine.

It took me a couple of iterations, but I managed to create a prototype sword that had the same strength as tempered steel. I also prototyped breastplates, chain mail, and various other implements.

Once I had the process down, I spent about a day creating all the equipment, using the ambient metal beneath the shop. As I was doing this, Rachel was working with the plastic and the printing press. She brought with her several experts, and together they put together a pretty significant improvement to my designs.

I finished the order right as the sun began to set. Picking up my communication device, I called Claude and told her that I was finished.

“I’ll come pick it up in the morning,” she said. “You’ve been a great help. I know you don’t want to be paid, but we have to return the favor.”

“Yeah, I kinda don’t need money with my power,” I said. “Just put it in the favor jar. Eventually I may need help with something.” I hung up.

Rachel walked into the show room, looking at the stacks of weapons and armor.

“Your craftsmanship is admirable,” she said. “Though they are a bit plain.”

“I can’t do intricate stuff yet,” I said. “Somehow I can make chain mail but with engravings and little details I can’t do much.”

“Every power has a limit,” said Rachel. She paused. “Do you have any of that … What was it?” She paused. “Ah, yes. That ‘cola’ stuff that Tanna showed me.”

“Tanna?” I said. She must have kept a can or two from back then.

“Sure,” I said. “I have a bit of extra spices that I took from Tanna’s storehouse just for this occasion.” I took a small satchel that was lying in the corner and grabbed the herbs I would need. I mixed them with water, carbonated the drink, and put the cola in an aluminum can.

Rachel took it and admired it. “This is starsilver,” she said. “Why are you using it for such a mundane purpose?”

“Just open it,” I said. “Pull the little tab up.”

Rachel pulled open the tab and squeaked when it popped. She stared at the can with blinking eyes. “I was not expecting that,” she said.

“Drink it!” I said.

Rachel put the can to her lips with careful precision. She took a small sip.

“This is …” She said. “Amazing.” She took another sip. “It tickles. Like beer, but more powerful.” She took yet another sip. “I like it. You could sell this to the nobility for a very high price.”

“Not just the nobility,” I said. “I want everyone to experience this.”

“Curious,” said Rachel. “You appear to have no respect for the nobility. Be careful, as that could get you in trouble.”

“In my world there are very few nobles,” I said.

Rachel nodded. “Well then,” she said. “Shall we get to work?” She led me through to the back room, where a new mold made out of a different material sat along the wall opposite the printing press.

“This is made of a special type of clay,” said Rachel. “We analyzed the properties of this plastic material and found the best way to employ this “injection molding” practice of yours.”

“Great,” I said. I dragged a barrel of crude oil into the room. It took me about ten minutes to refine it into its component parts. This oil was probably what one would call “light, sweet” oil. Lots of small hydrocarbons and not much in the way of large ones. Very easy to make into derivative products.

I injected an amount of plastic into the mold. After it cooled, we opened it and out popped a number of coins.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“This plastic material is very valuable,” said Rachel. “As such, we decided it would be a good candidate to mint into currency.”

“Currency …” I said. Well, it wasn’t far off from what my world valued as currency. Just a little bit different. I chuckled. “I suppose that will work,” I said. “But, we aren’t a governmental body,” I said.

“I’ve got that all figured out,” said Rachel. “As you were working on fulfilling the Guardians’ order, I was working behind the scenes. The royal inspector is coming tomorrow.”

I looked at the light plastic coin in my hand. “Okay?” I said.

“Since you’re the only person in this world who knows how to make this so-called “plastic,” it must be very valuable. Frankly, you’re a resource to be protected.”

“Um, yeah,” I said. “If anyone else has alchemy powers like I do, I could teach them.”

“Your power is unique among magic users,” said Rachel. She sat down in the same chair that Claude had used. “We’re going to have to dream bigger. With starsilver, plastic, and whatever else you come up with, we can create a trade empire.” Her eyes looked far-off. “Not to mention the printing press!” She looked at me. “And I know you have more interesting things in there.” Her eyes became serious. “What’s your goal?” She said. “You have the power to become either a king or a tyrant.”

“I just want to play some video games,” I said.

“Video … Games?” said Rachel.

“You don’t even know about photography yet,” I said. “That’s way far off. I might not even be able to get a quarter of the way there in my lifetime.”

“Your lifetime?” said Rachel. “With the amount of mana streaming out of you, that probably won’t be a factor.”

“Wait, seriously?” I said.

“I thought that was common knowledge,” said Rachel. “That people with more mana live longer. The oldest wizard in the city is over seven hundred years old. And he’s not even in the top ten in the country.”

I whistled. “Well then. That gives me time. My goal will be to replicate video games before I die.”

“What, exactly, are these video games you speak of?” said Rachel.

“Um, I don’t think you will understand just yet,” I said. “It has to do with ones and zeroes.”

“Ones and …” said Rachel.

“And math,” I said. “Lots and lots of math.” I paused. “Oh! I just remembered! I have to go to the royal society meeting tomorrow.”

“Were you invited?” said Rachel.

“I was,” I said. “By a nice fellow named Moray.”

“The Moray?” said Rachel. “He’s one of the most influential wizards in the society. I know you’re a powerful person, but for even him to take an interest in you …” She smiled. “Great. Go ahead, I’ll manage the shop while you’re gone.”

I grinned. “Great,” I said. It was getting dark. Now was the time to show how awesome kerosene was.

I took a storm lantern from the shelf and filled it with kerosene. I then lit it. Its light was constant, smokeless, and without smell.

Rachel stared at it for a long while. “That’s much better than dragon oil,” she said.

“Dragon oil …” I said. “Okay?”

I suppose that’s this world’s form of whale oil, I said. I’m going to have to put a stop to that eventually. The preservation of nature in this form is worth more than cheap products.

Note to self: save the dragons.

Rachel and I spent the rest of the night talking about the designs of the printing press and the plastic molding process. When I went to sleep, the sound of the city outside faded into a dream.

At noon the next day I found myself in front of the Guild Hall and Royal Society building. Rachel was tending the shop, leaving me free.

I followed the same path I traveled last time and came to the auditorium. It was already half full.

A doorman held out his hand before I could enter. “Your pass?” he said.

A voice came from behind me. “He’s with me,” a man said.

I turned to face Moray.

“Ah, Master Moray,” said the doorman. “Of course, of course.” He let us through.

“Let’s sit where I always do,” said Moray. He led me to the second row, close to the stage.

“So what are we learning about today?” I asked.

“A new method of describing liquid magic,” said Moray. “I know you’ll find it very educational, considering the mana that is pouring from you.”

“I’ve heard that mentioned several times,” I said. “What does it mean?”

“It means that you are generating large amounts of ether,” said Moray. “Ether is the life force that animates all things. For example, an apple falling from a tree. What causes that is ether, of the earth variety.” Moray paused. “I can go on, but we must listen to my college talk.”

Earth ether. Of course he means gravity. They probably don’t even have basic algebraic tools in their mathematical language, I thought. They’re in for a real surprise.

The lecture today was an honest attempt at approximating fluid mechanics using basic math. To me, it was basic, stuff that I learned in high school.

But of course, this was the cutting edge here in The Realm.

When the lecture ended, I was enlightened as to the scientific state of this society. There was so much that I could contribute.

“Do you know the sun revolves around the earth?” I said, to Moray.

Moray frowned. “Please keep your scary knowledge to yourself unless you want to be persecuted,” he said. “I know you have a depth of knowledge about this world that is greater than I can even imagine. However, you must be careful who you share it with.”

Uh, right. Galileo and all that.

I had just dodged a major bullet. If I wanted to make changes to this world’s science, I would have to do it on their terms.

Moray stood up. “I would, however, like to know about the mathematics from your world.”

“Ah, yes,” I said.

He’s smart, I thought. He managed to deduce that my world’s math was much more advanced.

I could go up to calculus, but past that …

Well, even something as simple as calculus would probably blow the minds of the scientists in this world. Even gravity would be a mind bend.

“Do you want to bring me to where there’s a chalk board?” I said.

Moray stood up. “I know just the place,” he said. He led me through the throng of leaving scientists and into a side room that opened adjacent a small hallway. The only light was from a sooty candle.

We entered a room with a window that cast sunlight onto a chalk board about twice the size of a school standard one.

I picked up some chalk. “Do you know what causes objects to fall?” I said.

“Like I said,” said Moray. “Earth ether. We’ve understood this for centuries.”

“Wrong,” I said. “The things that cause apples to fall also move the stars and the planets. It’s a force called gravity.”

“Wait, what?” said Moray. “The moon is falling?”

“Imagine a sphere,” I said. “Now imagine if you threw an object so fast that by the time it would have hit the sphere, it actually goes around it. That’s called an “orbit.” The moon is just falling so fast that it misses the earth and goes all the way around.”

I then taught Moray the basic physics from my world, ranging from angular momentum to acceleration. I also brought him up to speed with algebra. Later I planned on teaching him trigonometry.

Moray was obviously very intelligent. Much more intelligent that I was. He picked up the things I taught him with such speed that it was almost scary.

No wonder he was the most respectable wizard in the city.

“How old are you?” I asked him, when the lesson was over.

“One hundred and thirty,” said Moray. “Why?”

“Just curious,” I said.

Moray folded his hands and leaned back in his chair. “I’ll have to communicate these findings to my colleagues,” he said. “This energy concept of yours is very interesting. As is your algebra.”

“I can go a lot higher than that,” I said.

“Meet me twice a week at these premises,” he said. “And teach me everything you can. I know you have other things you’re working on, so I’ll take as little of your time as I can tolerate. I do want to know everything that’s inside that heart of yours.”

“Oh, the heart isn’t the thing that makes us think,” I said. “It’s the brain.”

“Wait, the brain?” said Moray. He sighed. “Never mind. I have work to attend to. Be here in two days by the second afternoon chime.”

“Understood!” I said.

And with that, I started my career as a scientist magician.