Chapter 63 — A Spark in the Dark
S.C. 1510 — Early September
Foosha Village — Underground Shed Lab
The underground room was still small and dim, its walls lined with clay and thick pine roots reinforcing the structure. Morning light filtered faintly through the ladder opening above. Ren leaned over the rough stone slab he had placed as his "table," studying the strange grass he collected yesterday.
Blades of green lay in a neat row. They looked normal at first glance…
But Ren already knew they weren't.
He picked one up with wooden tweezers and pressed gently between his fingers.
The blade bent instead of snapping.
Smooth. Elastic. Almost rubber-like.
"Plants don't do this…" he murmured.
Zemo's head peeked into the pit, amber eyes narrowing suspiciously at the green blades.
"You sensed something too, didn't you?"
Zemo huffed and looked away, as if refusing to acknowledge the existence of such unnatural grass.
Ren placed another blade on the stone and tapped it lightly. It held its shape. Then he tugged one end.
It stretched a little.
He frowned. "Too tough… too flexible."
Grass this strong shouldn't grow overnight.
And it certainly shouldn't clump together so densely that soil wasn't visible.
He touched the surface of the stone slab around the grass—slightly cool, even underground. A stable testing environment was important.
But his biggest limitation wasn't the room.
It was heat.
Testing durability, drying rate, reaction to warmth—all of that required controlled temperature. Fire was unreliable. Even a small flame changed rapidly, and he needed consistent conditions.
He ran a hand through his hair.
"This is tricky… I need a steady heat source. Something I can control."
His mind drifted, as it often did when facing a problem, to the one place in the village that always fascinated him.
Makino's bar.
Specifically, the back corner.
The fridge.
A quiet hum in the night…
The cold drinks inside…
The small metal coil that warmed when the machine ran…
Electricity.
"Makino's fridge stays cold because of electricity… That means the village has a power supply."
Expensive. Rare. But real.
If energy existed here—
Even in tiny amounts—
Then maybe he could recreate a small version for his experiments.
Not a generator. Not anything big.
Just… something that could heat a metal plate predictably.
His heart beat faster.
"A battery…" he whispered.
A simple one. Nothing advanced. He had seen diagrams in his old world. He remembered enough to try something basic—
Copper, zinc or iron, acidic solution, clay container…
He looked at Zemo.
"We need copper."
Zemo blinked slowly, unimpressed.
Ren grinned. "Near the forest stream—remember the reddish rocks we stepped on last month? They might have copper traces."
Zemo tilted his head as if considering it, then leaped out of the pit with a chirp-like bark.
Ren packed the strange grass carefully into a woven leaf pouch and climbed up after him.
---
Foosha Forest — Stream Edge
The shallow forest stream sparkled in the afternoon light. Ren crouched by the bank, sifting through smooth stones.
"There should be some…"
Zemo sniffed aggressively at a rock formation, then pawed at something buried in wet sand.
Ren hurried over.
Mud.
Small stones.
And underneath—
A flat rock with streaks of reddish-orange.
Copper oxide.
Ren's eyes brightened.
"This might work!"
Not pure copper, but enough to attempt an experiment. He rinsed the stone and placed it in his basket, gathering a few more metal-like fragments from the stream.
Zemo wagged his tail proudly.
"Good job," Ren whispered, rubbing the fox's head.
He looked toward the forest again. The deeper part seemed darker than usual. Quiet. Still.
Like something was waiting.
He swallowed.
"…Let's head back."
They returned cautiously, Zemo always walking slightly ahead, ears turning constantly.
---
Back at the Shed
Ren arranged the copper-stained stones carefully on the underground table. Next to them, he placed a clay bowl, some salt, a small pouch of vinegar Makino had given him for cooking experiments, and a few pieces of old iron nails he collected near the docks.
It wasn't much.
But it was enough to try building a tiny energy source.
He didn't expect much.
Just a spark.
Just enough energy to heat a thin metal wire or a small plate.
He touched the strange grass pouch again.
"I'll test you properly soon," he whispered to it. "I need better tools first."
Zemo curled beside him, breathing softly.
Ren took a deep breath.
The dark underground room didn't feel suffocating anymore.
Not today.
Because for the first time—
He could almost imagine a small light glowing here.
A wire warming gently.
A controlled experiment.
A hint of progress.
Tomorrow would be the real test.
Tomorrow, he would try to make electricity with his own hands.
And if he succeeded—even a little—
This small, hidden room would no longer be just a hole in the ground.
It would become a real laboratory.
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End of Chapter 63 (Rewritten)