The first rain of winter finally came, and it lasted for two days.
Roland leaned against his desk, gazing at the hazy town beyond the window. Raindrops, whipped up by the wind, pelted the glass in relentless waves, rippling the surface. The town's outline became distorted through these reflections. Houses and streets stretched and curved, their former regularity lost. With no proper drainage, the jagged cobblestone paths were flooded, resembling shimmering streams from afar.
The distant mountains and forests are shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing like a hidden wonderland.
In modern times, such scenery would undoubtedly be a tourist attraction, but Roland now longs to see a steel and concrete jungle. When it rains, the construction of the city walls has to halt, which has somewhat diminished his joy from successfully 'persuading' the fortress envoy to retreat the other day.
"You just said the air around us is made up of many different gases, is that true?" A clear voice interrupted Roland's train of thought. Anna asked, blinking her beautiful blue eyes.
"Excuse me, Miss Anna, you should address Your Highness with proper formal language," the Chief Knight beside her reminded.
"Nothing too formal," Roland said, turning around. "She's my student now." With the rain falling and nothing else to do, he called the two witches and Carter to his class—yes, he decided to teach a popular science course. The idea of the stone craftsman Karl running a school had inspired him. If even a stonemason could start a school, how much more could a mechanical engineering dog like him? Why discrimination? It's just ignorance. Popular education is the most effective way to advance civilization in any era.
He had initially planned to invite the Minister's Assistant, but the latter politely declined due to recent administrative commitments. For some reason, Roland noticed Barov had become exceptionally proactive since winter began, effectively taking on the daily management of Border Town alone.
When Anna heard there was new knowledge to learn, she instantly became radiant, her eyes seemingly glowing with excitement. Nana Wa was delighted to no longer have to treat various lab animals, while Carter adopted a casual attitude, casually joining in the fun with a playful demeanor.
But soon after class began, Knight's eyesight began to blur. Nana Wa stood there, completely lost in thought, staring blankly at the words' Nature 'and' Science '. Anna, though half-understanding, kept trying to jot down everything she heard. Roland had to pause, giving the three of them a moment to process what they'd heard.
When asked by Anna, he nodded with a smile, 'Of course, even though they look identical.' 'Your Highness, I don't get it. If they all look the same, how do you tell them apart?' Carter questioned.
"I can demonstrate this to you," Roland knew that if he only explained it verbally, most people would likely be overwhelmed by these seemingly esoteric theories. He decided to conduct a simple experiment to spark everyone's interest.
A candle, a glass, a wooden basin, and a clear solution of lime water—these were the items he had prepared in advance. Although the glass was now light brown, far less transparent than the beakers used in later experiments, it was still adequate for the task. After all, this simple experiment did not require observing the process of change.
Roland had previously conducted a preliminary experiment, which demonstrated that while Magic Power existed in this world, the other natural laws remained identical to those on Earth. He instructed Anna to light a candle and place it upright in a wooden basin.
"Combustion requires the consumption of a gas, which is also essential for all life. If we cease breathing, we will become like this candle. Observe carefully." Roland placed the glass cup over the candle, and the flame flickered twice before extinguishing rapidly.
"It's exhausting the air, Your Highness. No wonder," Chief Knight remarked with a dismissive tone. "Without air, we'd die—like if we fell into water." Nana Wa nodded in agreement.
"So, you think the cup is empty now?" Roland asked, pouring lime water into the wooden basin. The water quickly rose to the rim, then stopped halfway up the cup.
This experiment is so iconic that most elementary school teachers use it as a foundational experiment for natural science classes. Roland still vividly remembers the awe-inspiring demonstration and explanation his teacher gave on the podium, which forever steered him toward the irreversible path of STEM.
He gently lifted the cup, and a few bubbles instantly burst from the rim, rising to the surface.
Then, the clear lime water became slightly cloudy, with a small amount of white suspended particles slowly spreading from the rim of the cup.
"If the cup were empty, we wouldn't observe the bubbles or the changes in the water's surface. This proves that the air contains at least two distinct gases. In reality, the candle burns only a portion of the air, while the remaining air remains inert. Though it's as colorless and odorless as the former, its properties are entirely opposite." "Hmm... that seems to be the case," Carter pondered for a moment before grasping the connection. "But what's the point of knowing this?" "If we could obtain the first gas, we could sustain the flame longer. Conversely, acquiring the second gas would extinguish it instantly!" Anna suddenly chimed in.
Roland marveled inwardly at the genius. Despite a minor flaw, the ability to instantly associate the distinct properties of gases with their separation and purification was undoubtedly a stroke of genius. After all, she had never received any formal modern education. The fact that she could think of this so quickly demonstrated her exceptional logical ability—far surpassing even her own Chief Knight.
"That's true. Since humans learned to use fire, we've diverged from animals, though our origins were purely accidental. Perhaps lightning ignited the trees, or maybe sparks from a stone strike sparked the flames. But if no one had noticed this, if no one had tried to harness it, we'd still be like beasts," he explained patiently. "This experiment is meant to show you that curiosity and thought drive human progress. Nature holds many such latent forces, just waiting to be discovered and utilized." After his words, Carter remained half-believing, half-doubting, while Godqing and Nana Wa belonged to that type of mysterious awe-inspiring presence, their eyes fixed on Roland. Only Anna lowered her head, as if lost in thought.
Roland sighed. Indeed, overly advanced concepts don't create awe—they only leave people baffled. Their intellectual limitations prevented them from grasping the sheer power of such forces. Only when the actual objects were laid before them did they realize how God-darned extraordinary the latent forces in nature truly were.
Then the kettle on the fireplace rack began to clink, the sound of steam slamming against its lid.
"Ah, the water's boiling." Knight walked over and took the kettle with a fork, the clatter ceasing instantly. Wrapping a cloth around the handle, he lifted the kettle and filled everyone's cups.
Consider this: Roland reaches out to cup the water, feeling the warmth radiating from its surface. Since the dawn of fire's utilization, its principle has been refined.' Boiling water'—a phenomenon witnessed and practiced by countless people—yet few realize that these delicate wisps of steam can harbor astonishing energy.
This primal force, which would take centuries to be mastered by humanity, revolutionized human history in an unprecedented timeframe. Though its principle was simple, practical limitations made it impractical for most farming communities. But he saw a different path. He believed the world still had witches. Using Magic Power for combat was merely barbaric thinking... The true purpose lay in harnessing it to create and replace critical technologies that could halt civilization's progress.
After chatting about the sunset and having dinner with everyone, Roland went back to his bedroom.
In this era, there was no nightlife at all. If people didn't have children, they'd all go to bed early. He once considered using Prince's privileges to hire a maid for exercise, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say it due to his thin skin.
As he lit the candle in the room, he heard several rounds of applause behind him. Then a voice spoke up: "What an extraordinary lecture! Who would have thought Your Royal Highness is such a learned scholar?" It was the voice of a stranger. Roland's cold sweat broke out instantly. Who else but an assassin could have sneaked into his room without being noticed? He dashed toward the door, but before he could place his hand on the doorknob, a cold wind swept past his ear. When he turned around, a silver-handled dagger was firmly planted in the door panel, its blade just a finger's width from his cheek.