"It was a bit difficult to find the ingredients but I have procured almost everything on the list," David muttered.
"Where is it?" Alex asked, unable to contain his excitement.
"It's all in the basement."
"Lead me there quickly," Alex muttered and followed David towards the basement.
As Alex opened the door of the basement a pungent smell assaulted his senses but he ignored it and stared at the sack of bags.
The hidden science student under him was awakened wanting to get out.
On the other side, there were prices of gems of gypsum while two bags of small powder emitted a foul smell.
Alex's eyes glowed and he asked where the saltpetre was.
"There," David signalled and led him to the corner.
Alex saw pieces of saltpetre which had been mined from the limestone caves.
"Finally, I can revolutionise things," Alex muttered.
"Your Highness, what are you going to do?" David asked curiously.
"I will be creating fireworks."
"Fireworks, what is that?"
"It's nothing, can you give me a moment?" Alex asked while pushing away David.
Alex stared at the things in front of him.
All the things present here were the material used to make gunpowder.
Charcoal or softwoods were quite easy to find but finding out the location of Sulphur and Potassium Nitrate gave him a hell of a run.
There was no periodic table nor did the people have noted down the elements. Chemistry was still in its basic phase.
Even though he knew their properties and knew where to find them, Alex didn't have any strong connections in Nevan and he didn't even know where the terrain suitable for them was found.
After David formed a connection and formed a network and gave Alex all sorts of information, Alex was finally able to infer things.
The sulphur was obtained from the southern part where there were many small dormant volcanoes while the saltpetre was waste material from the limestone.
Alex was able to negotiate with the workers to procure the things.
He needed to form a plant to extract the things otherwise it wasn't gonna last long.
With these things, he could invent gunpowder and explosives.
The gunpowder formula was quite easy to remember as it consists of 75% potassium nitrate, 15% softwood charcoal and 10% sulphur but it's easier said than done.
Alex thought of inventing guns and rifles but he didn't even have a slight hint of their mechanism or structure.
Although both he and Ava were engineers in their previous lives, it doesn't mean they were omnipotent.
He was a civil engineer while Ava was a chemical engineer. If Catherine was indeed Ava and could remember her past life, that would be a great help to him as the world is quite backward in terms of science.
Still, inventing gunpowder was enough to contend with. He doesn't want all kinds of modern machinery to make their appearance here nor does he want engines or other things that shoot fumes of smoke.
Human greed knew no bounds and like his previous world, this world might be destroyed by pollution if too many mechanical things appear.
But he didn't need to think that far because he couldn't even make those things even in his dreams.
Alex assessed the thing carefully. He needs to find a trusty alchemist.
It would be okay even if the alchemist was a bit dishonest as slaves were always welcome.
Alex exited the place and decided to inspect the place and spend some time with the workers but he suddenly froze in his place.
"Angus," Alex murmured.
Alex could feel Angus's vitals. He had been in very bad shape recently and was on the verge of dying due to the nightmare and exhaustion but Alex suddenly felt he had recovered a bit.
Alex couldn't see all things but he could get a faint signal of the surroundings.
"Something bad is going to happen. I need to reach Zenith."Alex frowned and dashed out without wasting a single moment.
He decided to write a letter to Yvonne before leaving and asked David to deliver it.
....
In a dark prison cell.
The door was open and a man with a fiery look walked inside.
He stared at the man who had been reduced into a sack of bones.
He had lost an arm, his face was haggard and he looked as if he had aged a lot.
" How pathetic!"The man muttered as he stared at Angus.
"I gave you power and resources but this is where you end up with."
"Tsk...."
Angus opened his eyes and stared at the big burly man.
He raised his chin and spoke with disdain"No need to bark and spout bullshit. Tell me why you came here and what you want?"
"You are still sharp as ever."
"Since you are already dying, why don't you finish a certain job for me."
"You can also get your revenge in the process."
The lifeless eyes of Angus suddenly glowed and his heartbeat accelerated.
"If you want me to kill that Alex then dream on."
"Let me tell you that tiny guy is a monster. Only those who had a face-off with him knew the horror."
The horrible scene and the nightmare of that terrifying attack were deeply etched in his heart and he would often dream about that horrible scene.
"I don't want to kill him but his wife."The man muttered
"I want that stupid lass dead no matter what?"
Angus pondered for a moment and asked"I don't even have the strength to walk and may stumble on my feet, so how can I fight?"
"Why don't you hire an assassin?"
"Assassination is a bit risky. If something goes wrong and the assassin is found out, I would be in peril."The man muttered.
" Moreover, I can send a powerhouse as it may catch unwanted attention. I don't want to risk everything I have built till now to be lost for such a useless girl."
"Ohh! Since I am dying, you want to use me as a scapegoat."
"Hahaha! What a cruel bastard you are?" Angus muttered.
The man didn't speak anymore and took out the pill and gave it to him.
"Take this pill, it will convert all your life force into strength and give you a strong boost but the effect will last for one and half days."
"I will ask my people to stay alert and inform you of the situation." The man muttered and walked out of the prison.
A group of guards saluted him and let him pass.
The man stared at them and asked, "Did you take care of the guards?"
"Yes, sir, we have knocked them down. But we cannot keep this up.We. need to get out of here quickly lest we are caught under suspicion."
"Hmm! Let's leave. Bring that fool out."
"Keep a close eye on him, if tries something funny or dares to escape just kill him and get rid of him. Try not to leave any trace behind." The man ordered and walked.
He stared at the prison guards lying down unconscious and nodded at the warden who watched the scene silently with an aloof expression.
As the man walked out, his eyes glowed dangerously"With your death, I can finally control that sword."
