Quick Transmigration of the World Destroyer

Chapter 8: The Transmigrator and Aileen (8)

Of course, Ye Ai has also been doing her tasks. Although her system has been nagging her to cultivate feelings with the Crown Prince, she explained that there's simply no chance. The Crown Prince hasn't looked for her at all anyway. Unknown to Xiaoyi, Ye Ai has been trying to weaken the divine law of this world. Her subtle attacks seemed to be unnoticed. She just didn't think that the transmigrated soul-bug has a particularly strong soul that the divine law was able to stabilize quicker making it difficult for her to do anything more against it. But she also found out that it's weak around the bug. It's like the bug was rejecting its assistance. Now, the problem was how can she use this in her advantage?

One day, the Grand Duke visited Althea in her working room. She's been focusing with the gunpowder since their supporters and other potential allies wanted to at least see some results.

"What then seemed to be the problem with your gun powder?" the Grand Duke asked his only daughter.

"I don't know, father. The theoretical formula was set but it's not working how it should be." 

And she went on and on describing how the sulfur and charcoal would act like a 'fuel', something similar with their gas burners, and then the saltpeter shall work as the oxidizer like the oxygen in the fire triangle. She tried to explain scientifically how fire works with the heat, fuel and oxygen combinations, but the old man only dazedly listened. It wasn't known whether Althea noticed him or not but she continued. At the end, when she reached the conclusion that all materials together with an ignition they can make a cannon or even a gun barrel to use instead of pike and swords, the old duke started clapping. 

She had previously given him the blueprint of the manual powder-mill to use for the production. It was efficiently produced and worked amazingly for a backwater construction. And yet, the problem lied with the materials.

The sulfur her people found was in the form of rockeries found along the cliff-shores of the continent. She experimented and found that this type of stone when melted will turn into blood-red liquid and emit a stinking blue flame which how exactly a sulfur should work. The charcoal was easier since she had their servants did the traditional way of making them, burning of wood pile below earth's surface. Carbonizing the wooden logs took 5-7 long days but it went well. The real problem was the saltpeter. She wasn't well-informed on this material but she knew that saltpeter came from the crystallization of decay along the rock walls of the caves. It can also be reproduced but imagining herself playing with urine all year round—never. She instead sent the servants to collect it from the cave walls. All these materials were strictly collected but half a year later they're still about to glimpse a bit of success.

Then there's also the Steam Engine which she initially drafted to make large equipment like mills, water pumps, mines and even transporting vehicles. It was a very ambitious proposal but the Grand Duke enthusiastically supported his daughter. The drafts and blueprints were made and the workers were strictly selected. None can tell what they're building. It's not as if they'd understand what it was anyway. The boiler was initially made with the help of the family's smiths, then the turbine that will supply the steam to the engine motor came next. It was honestly the basics of steam engine and yet the drafts had never shown their worth.

In Ye Ai's opinion, Althea was actually doing quite well for a modern girl who's only quite knowledgeable through reading novels and watching discovery channels. She understood what she was doing and knew where she wanted to be in all these. What the girl didn't know was there's someone sabotaging her projects repeatedly. 

The best ratio for the black powder, the first kind of gunpowder, should be 75:15:10 of saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. But Ye Ai never let them get this ratio; either there'd be accidents or she simply confounded them. She had a laugh on many occasions here. In her opinion, the black powder Althea was trying to re-invent was much backwater than the firearm she had seen in many worlds. She can't help a snort at her for calling this place a backwater when she's far more backwater compared to the ABO world Ye Ai worked before. If the girl saw a laser gun that disintegrates any matter, would she faint in terror?

And the Steam Engine she's been hailing from the ninth heavens would never be completed. Although it was quite risky on Ye Ai's part, she simply deleted from Althea's memory the specific and very crucial part of the steam engine she drafted—the condensers. It's were the excess heat was emitted, providing a cooling energy removal. It should work like a radiator which helps the engine to work durably. Of course, she's also been disrupting their constructions. There'd be an explosion or melting of equipments and some other accidents. But Ye Ai knew that other intelligent and observant people in this world may still recognize the missing piece she removed from the bug's head but she didn't care. As long as it wasn't the bug—err, she remembered saying she'll now call her Althea. Anyway, the project was a closed-door construction under the orders of the Grand Duke and wouldn't probably leak unless it's their last resort.

That day, the Grand Duke left dismayed but his fiery gaze for the future was still burning. It needed no genius to understand that this man still has trump cards in his sleeves.

"Young Miss, His Grace, the Grand Duke Master seems to be a little off?" she poured oil to the fire of emotions.

"..."

"He may be very disappointed," she added innocently.

"Shut up."

"I'm sorry, Young Miss."

"I said shut up."

"Yes, Young Miss."

"Get out! Get the f**k out!" finally Althea lost her marbles and shrieked like a banshee.

Ye Ai, scrambled outside eyes full of tears but laughing inside. Why, she just enjoyed other people's misery. If only her skills weren't sealed and that she had to play weak before her system; otherwise, she could be playing to her heart's content in this world. Anyway, she has cleared three out of those six transcended skills but she had to disguise it to avoid the administrators' notice.

She walked out into the garden where she usually stayed when she's feeling good. She was just to sit on her favorite spot to talk to Xiaoyi when a voice called her.

"Aileen? What are you doing here?"