NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72 Nitrocellulose
"Are you sure that's appropriate, aunt Tinen?" Tirma asked. "I mean Mr Smith is around the same age as me and Chelna.
"Are you saying I'm too old for him to call me by my first name?" Tinen asked angrily.
"Not at all." Tirma replied quickly while shaking her head, "It's just people may start to talk."
"Humph let them talk, if I want Tommy to call me Tinen that's my choice and who cares what they say." Tinen replied.
Timra looked at Chelna for support but Chelna just sighed while rubbing her forehead again before saying, "Let it go sister Tirma."
"But." Tirma replied.
"Trust me, I will explain later." Chelna replied.
"Explain what?" Tirma asked with a confused look.
"Fufufu, still so innocent." Tinen replied.
((Wait, we don't think?"))
(Nah no way.)
"So anyway." Tommy said to once again change the subject.
"Fufufu, so shy." Tinen giggled.
((Who are you calling shy, wait until we get our hands on you, then you will see who is shy.))
(...)
"Next we need to make Nitrocellulose." Tommy said as he took the sulfuric acid they made earlier out of his magical bag (item box) before turning to Nele and saying "Can you chill this sulfuric acid and the nitric acid Tinen just made for me before going to grab another bowl filled with water, a large beaker, the cotton balls and a large supply of water? Also you can keep the rest of that silver nitrate powder, just remember to store it someplace dark."
Nele smiled and nodded happily before she froze the two acids and then said, "For water we can just use the facet just there." Nele pointed out a facet on her wall before she went to store the silver nitrate powder.
(I keep forgetting this world has such reliable running water.)
Tinen on the other hand smiled happily when Tommy called her by her name, it should be noted that Tinen did not like any man calling her by her first name and if they dared to do so they usually ended up dead. Only her brother grudgingly got away with it because they were of similar strength.
After Nele returned Tommy asked, "Can you chill the water in the water bowl so that it is nice and cold with ice in it, we need to keep the temperature down on what we are about to do otherwise things are liable to explode."
Nele nodded in excitement as she chilled the water down while the other women looked at each other slightly nervously when Tommy said things could blow up and so they moved away slightly.
After Nele cooled the water in the water bowl Tommy placed the beaker in the water bowl and allowed it to cool for a few minutes before he asked Nele to remove the ice chilling the acids.
"Ok so we need equal parts of the nitric and sulfuric acid, be careful not to get anyone as this stuff can melt metal while also being careful not to breathe in the fumes again." Tommy instructed as he started to carefully measure out the acid amounts to make sure they were the same before pouring them both into the beaker.
Tommy then grabbed the cotton balls and threw them into the beaker before using the glass rod from earlier to tamp them down so they were fully submerged before he started to stir the mixture while being careful not to spill it or breathe any in.
"Right, we need to wait fifteen minutes now." Tommy said before turning to Tinen and Chelna and asking. "Since we have time let me ask, what is it you want from me and more importantly what are you offering?"
"Chelna and Tinen looked at each other before Chelna spoke, "As I said before we want to form a partnership with you, I won't lie, in normal circumstances we would get you to join our faction before ordering you around, however that approach wont work on you."
"Well done for realizing the obvious." Tommy replied sarcastically.
"Instead we want to form a partnership like I said," Chelna continued. "We will essentially hire you to complete jobs for us and then pay you on completion, we can also assist you in any issues you might have like finding certain objects for instance."
"That's more agreeable." Tommy replied before saying, "I'm assuming you want me to kill king Glador and his sons?"
Chelna was about to reply when Tinen beat her to it causing Chelna to give a surprised ration at what she heard.
"Eventually yes but now is not quite the right time."
Chelna looked at her mother quizzically however Tinen only smiled and shook her head indicating this was not the time to speak about this.
"That's fine, just tell me when you want them killed." Tommy replied nonchalantly.
"Does killing so many people really not bother you?" Tirma asked.
"I'm guessing you have never killed anyone." Tommy replied
Tirma shook her head causing Tommy to sigh before saying, "Not anymore, I still remember my first kill like it happened yesterday, you always remember the first time you kill someone, anyone who claims they don't is lying."
"It was hard the first time, it felt wrong, like it was going against a higher power, however as I killed more and more I grew numb to it, now I can kill anytime without hesitation."
"One day you will also have to kill someone and when that day comes try not to hesitate because hesitation can get you killed."
"I hope that day never comes." Tirma replied sadly.
"So do I, but this world is not a kind one and if you want to live freely like what Chelna is working towards you need to be willing to get your hands dirty, only the strong have the right to choose how they will live their life, everyone else is someone else's lackey, so if you don't want to be the concubine to that prince or anyone else then harden your heart and do what has to be done so you can live your own life." Tommy replied.
"It almost sounds like you're speaking from experience." Chelna noted.
"I wasn't always who I am today." Tommy replied before turning back to the experiment and saying, "That should be enough time."
Tommy then carefully took the beaker with the solution in and placed it under the facet before turning it on so a steady stream of fresh water entered it.
"Won't that dilute it?" Nele asked.
"That's the point, we now need to dilute the acid before carefully removing it all with another substance, the more carefully we do it the better the result will be." Tommy answered.
"What substance?" Nele asked.
Tommy smiled before saying, "You don't expect me to tell you everything the first time do you? I need to make sure you can be trusted with this as I don't want it being used against me."
"You doubt me?" Nele asked in a hurt tone.
"Don't take it personally, I doubt everyone I meet for the first time." Tommy replied to the sulking Nele.
After a few minutes Tommy turned off the tap before he pulled from his magical bag (Item box) a colorful box that had a white powder inside.
"Why is that box so colorful and look at the strange writing." Tirma said.
"I don't know this language, mother, how about you?" Chelna asked.
Tinen shook her head as she looked at the box and strange writing curiously before saying, "I have never seen this language before."
"Really but you're versed in many of the world's languages." Chelna replied.
As the women discussed the strange box and writing Tommy poured a small amount of the white powder into the beaker and immediately the liquid started to bubble.
"Is it going to blow up?" Nele asked nervously, "Many of my experiments blow up when it bubbles like that."
As Tinen, Chelna and Tirma heard this they quickly moved back a bit.
"No." Tommy chuckled before he explained. "No, the bubbling is the effect of the acid being neutralized by the white powder."
Tommy grabbed the glass rod and stirred the cotton around the beaker, he occasionally would add more white powder before rinsing with water and then repeated the process.
As he progressed the women noticed that the bubbling was decreasing and when it finally stopped bubbling altogether Tommy emptied the liquid out of the beaker before running the cotton under the facet again for a little while.
After he was satisfied he emptied the water out before holding the beaker up to show the women while saying, "I give you Nitrocellulose."
The woman stared at the beaker before Chelna said, "Isn't that just wet cotton?"
"Oh you think so do you?" Tommy asked with a smirk before he turned to Nele and asked, "Can you dry this out like before, however make sure to use a cool wind, this stuff reacts badly to heat?"
Nele nodded and began to use her wind magic to dry out the Nitrocellulose.
After he was satisfied it was dry Tommy ripped off a small amount before withdrawing it from the beaker while saying, "Watch."
