Chapter 399: We Must Believe in Science, or Rather, Believe in Magic!
Within the capital, rumors about the great earthquake being the wrath of the gods quickly escalated, reaching even the ears of the parliament members.
The wizards engrossed in their studies naturally scoffed at this rumor. Earthquakes, though uncommon, had nothing to do with that pseudo-deity.
Some of the grand wizards, like Anthony, received clandestine information. Lynn and several other councilors left the capital on that same day, and soon after, the earthquake struck.
It might be related to the new magic Lynn, the Star of Magic, was tinkering with.
However, the council took these baseless yet rapidly spreading rumors seriously. Lynn quickly surmised that someone with ill intentions was behind this chaos. He had Raydell lead a portion of the firearms squad undercover among the people, and with hefty rewards for reporting, they exposed over a dozen imperial spies spreading rumors.
To calm the anxious populace, Lynn personally wrote a piece on "The Effects of Crustal Movement." From a scientific perspective, he explained the reasons behind earthquakes as a perfectly normal natural phenomenon, not the so-called wrath or punishment of the gods, urging the capital's residents not to panic.
They had to believe in science, no, in magic!
The next day at noon, Lynn finally found a moment of leisure in the manor's yard, basking in the sunlight. The past month and a half had been incredibly busy for him.
The pseudo-deity, Aila, loomed like the sword of Damocles over their heads, ready to strike anytime, leaving them powerless.
But now, they had at least a chance! Even if it was a limited one...After separating hundreds of demon stones, they only obtained around 50 kilograms of nuclear fuel. The critical mass for Uranium-235 was about 15 kilograms, meaning even sustaining the smallest usage of his big nuclear spell allowed for only three uses.
Yesterday, to test this magic, one usage had been expended. The theory proved accurate – the energy-mass equation worked universally in this parallel world!
For safety reasons, Harof, Aurora, and Victorio, who had accompanied him to observe, hadn't witnessed the nuclear explosion. Yet, they saw the horrific aftermath...
All protective magic spells they'd laid underground were instantly destroyed, the entire mine collapsed, and the seismic waves reached the capital miles away, causing massive turmoil.
The scene post-explosion left Harof and the others horrified. The area of the nuclear explosion turned into a wasteland, its scorching heat instantly mummifying anyone and radiating harmful particles throughout the space.
Under this power, even the so-called "Life Forbidden Zone" and the advanced "Death Domain" spells were child's play. This was true hell!
When Harof emerged from the collapsed mine, his legs were shaky, but his eyes betrayed his excitement.
Lynn wasn't surprised; despite the energy conversion rate being less than a thousandth, it was still atomic-level power!
Just one kilogram of Uranium fission released the energy equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT explosion! The first usage of this weapon in human history, similar to this test explosion, annihilated an entire city with a critical mass of just around dozens of kilograms!
But considering Aila's terrifying power to manipulate atoms directly, Lynn estimated they needed to position her at the center of the nuclear blast to eliminate or severely wound the pseudo-deity.
With their current nuclear fuel reserves, he only had two chances! And that was thanks to the strange magical creature that consumed uranium ores, leaving behind demon stones – thousands of them. Otherwise, it would take at least half a year to extract uranium, even with magic's speed!
Uranium ores had low uranium content, even less Uranium-235. Acquiring 1 kilogram of weapon-grade Uranium-235 required mining over 200 tons of uranium ore. The critical mass of fifteen kilograms equated to 3000 tons!
Moreover, mining uranium was highly dangerous; even with magic, it would take months to process 3000 tons of ore, excluding the time needed for extraction and separation.
As for hydrogen bombs, effective for enhancing nuclear blasts and mitigating radiation, they required atomic bombs for detonation...
Unless Lynn ascended as a true legendary wizard, perhaps then he could use tritium as the material for the big nuclear spell!
Their only hope now lay with the second batch of wizards dispatched by the council. If they could find that bizarre creature within the complex and perilous uranium mines, capable of consuming radioactive elements, taming it would secure a magical nuclear fuel factory!
"Lynn, Dean..."
While Lynn pondered, Lydia excitedly ran into the yard, her childish face smudged with dust, yet unable to contain her excitement.
"It seems your flying machine is finally complete..." Lynn guessed the source of the girl's elation.
"Yes, yes! We can test-fly it today!" Lydia nodded eagerly, pulling Lynn along outside.
Unlike airships that relied on helium for lift and needed runways, this new flying machine required a series of runways for takeoff assistance and was situated outside the city for secrecy.
If this test flight succeeded, it might coincide with the upcoming battle.
Hatar, the new king of Hadralata, had been urging them for a month, inquiring when they would launch a counterattack to reclaim the kingdom's territories.
After witnessing the nuclear blast's power, the councilors unanimously agreed that the time for retaliation had arrived. Even to minimize losses, they had to move the battlefield into the empire's territory!
A single nuclear blast equaled a city's downfall. If it occurred in the capital, they'd suffer a massive loss!
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