Ice Vapor Goddess

Chapter 33 Red Mercury (Two Chapters Combined)

The next morning, Siron sent Alexander and Amelia back home and pondered how to build a road that would make it easier for others to visit.

The elevator in the residence is for personal use only and can only be activated by the authority ring. Others who want to come can only take the cathedral's elevator to the ground floor, then walk through the garden and paths to their own residence, and have to face the wind and snow outside, and there is a risk of getting lost when visibility is low.

Although he had another home on the sixth basement level, Xilun didn't like the oppressive feeling of the underground. He preferred to look out at the wind and snow, as if the world hadn't died.

Around noon, the knights brought Sam and Aldridge back to his house to help him tidy up.

"Can this elevator be made usable by everyone?" Siren asked Aldridge.

The rune master frowned and thought for a long time, tapping and hammering with a carving knife, wrench and screws for a long time: "No, the locking mechanism of the ring is intertwined with the entire rune array. If you want to remove it, you can only dismantle the whole thing and make a new one, which requires a lot of materials."

“Well…” Siren scratched the back of his head, looking troubled. “Is there any way to make it easier for believers to walk when they come to visit?”

Aldridge then confidently said, "There's an old elevator shaft about 20 meters from the door. It was originally intended for a cemetery, but the mechanics at the time thought it was a bit scary, so they didn't build it."

In this era, cemeteries were usually built next to churches. Every day, when Xilun traveled between the church and his residence, he had to pass through the garden and the cemetery.

“Okay, let’s build it over there. We can also install some streetlights along the way,” Xilun said. “You design it, and I’ll figure out how to build it.”

By this time, the knights had already tidied up the house according to Xilun's plan.

The original concert hall has been transformed into a living room, furnished with sofas, Windsor rocking chairs, a fireplace, and soft carpets. There is also a small bar with cabinets containing tea, coffee beans, and sugar.

The first-floor dining room was converted into a bedroom, the bed in the master bedroom was moved down, and there was only one door leading to the living room.

The original huge living room on the first floor was turned into the knights' dormitory, and behind it was the dining room shared by Xilun and the knights.

They originally lived on the second floor, but the knights said they needed to guard the door to prevent dangerous people from entering at will, so Xilun went with them.

The second floor was thus completely vacated, awaiting other uses.

Sam was hammering and tinkering nearby, doing his woodworking, with a young man following behind him, who said he had just taken on a new apprentice.

A glowing sign hung outside the door, which read "Spiritual Abode," the name Siron gave to his little house. The light source came from the "Holy Light Rune," which made the words emit a faint holy light that needed to be charged with divine thought.

Aldridge connected its power structure to the house using several runes, and Siron only needed to inject a little divine thought into the rune that looked like a "" every 24 hours to maintain its light.

Since what happened last night, Siron has been hoping to transform his little house into a cozy home where every believer can stay when they are lost, find spiritual peace, and avoid too much hardship on their journey.

In the afternoon, the renovation was completely completed. Celen personally cooked a meal for them, and they prayed together before leaving Aldridge behind.

Sitting in the living room, they got straight to the point with Siren: "I saw that Rein has a single-person piloted mech. Can we make something similar?"

“Walking mech?” Aldridge thought for a moment. “Raine probably uses the Imperial military version, right? Probably a centurion, and the weapons are usually a rotary machine gun, a rifle, or a sword and shield.”

“Yes, yes, what I saw that day was machine guns and swords.” Xilun nodded repeatedly.

“It can’t be made.” Aldridge shrugged. “That thing has nothing to do with runes. It’s a steel monster made entirely of machine tools. What you need are mechanics, engineers, blacksmiths, and steam locomotives, not a runemaster.”

Xilun sighed, looking somewhat disappointed.

The Steel Angels weren't deployed, nor were the walking mechs.

Seeing Xiren's sighing expression, Aldridge smiled and said, "But we don't need to imitate their creations; we can teach ourselves to have our own."

He pulled out paper and pen from the side, sketched a few lines with a pencil, and drew a steel creation. It didn't even have glass windows; instead, it was made entirely of metal. Its left hand held a giant shield, and its right hand held a long sword.

"The Sleepless One, the Messiah Church's basic walking mech, uses the Church's [Red Mercury Reactor] to replace the traditional steam boiler, reducing space occupation by 80% and increasing output by 120%. It can also stably produce [Divine Thought] during the reaction process, supplying the mech's rune array to cast various divine spells."

Xilun's eyes widened.

"More importantly, it doesn't use a steam boiler, firearms, bullets, or complex mechanical structures; it only uses metal and runes. With our current technology, we can barely build a low-end version."

Xilun quickly grabbed his hand: "Really? What kind of support do you need?"

“We need mercury and a large amount of rare metals,” Aldridge smiled.

“…” Xilun was silent for a moment.

“We must go back to the site of the North Holy See’s crash, Bishop, where there are two intact Red Mercury carriages and a large amount of supplies.”

"It seems you've already made up your mind." Xiren gave a wry smile. "Are you here today to persuade me?"

“Yes.” Aldridge nodded. “Since you have decided to establish the Rune Institute, then there must be a supply of materials, metals, and red mercury.”

"As you have probably seen, runes, despite their magical power, all require [charging]. The Red Mercury Reactor is the only thing that can be charged without the help of clergy. As long as the Red Mercury Reactor is running, the runes will shine forever."

"Moreover, the temperature is getting lower and lower. Today it is already -25℃. If it continues to drop, the only thing that can be worked outdoors is the red mercury reactor."

Xilun asked curiously, "Why is that?"

Aldridge glanced helplessly at the science-challenged guy and patiently explained, "Traditional steam engines use water, which has two drawbacks at low temperatures."

"One reason is that the pipes are prone to freezing when not in use or when condensation occurs, which can damage and clog the pipes."

"Secondly, the saturated vapor pressure of water is very sensitive to temperature. If the temperature drops, its pressure will drop sharply, resulting in very low work capacity and an internal vacuum. Once the airtightness is compromised, it will directly lead to system failure."

"But red mercury is an almost perfect working substance that shouldn't exist in the mortal world—it has a boiling point of 50℃, a freezing point of -200℃, and can provide a high vapor pressure of 1-9MPa after vaporization. It has a low specific heat capacity in its liquid state, a moderate adiabatic index, and is chemically inert, not decomposing, not polymerizing, not reacting, and not corroding equipment." "More importantly, it releases divine energy when it vaporizes, supplying it to various rune arrays, and can even activate the [heating array], heating itself without needing fuel."

"Therefore, the red mercury reactor is very small and does not require fuel. As long as the initial heat is used to heat the red mercury chamber to 50°C, the heating array can be automatically driven to operate. Because the specific heat capacity and boiling point are relatively low, it generally only takes 5-15 seconds to start up."

"The only problem is that the red mercury will gradually release the stored divine energy as it boils and condenses repeatedly, eventually turning into white mercury that has no divine energy and whose magical properties have completely disappeared."

Aldridge scribbled on the paper, then tapped the paper with his pen and said, “You should know the rest. The origin of the red mercury is a mystery. Some say it was dug out from underground in Florence, others say it was found under the ice in the north, but in any case, only the Pope and the College of Cardinals know how to obtain the red mercury.”

"Most of the facilities and military strength of churches in various places are maintained by mercury, while Florence controls churches in various places through mercury quotas."

Xilun nodded. He knew all this. The key to the Messianic Church's ability to maintain its rule while spreading its word around the world was the red mercury quota.

If a certain place wants to start a Protestant movement or rebel, as long as the mercury is cut off, it will immediately weaken to its lowest point.

“Of course I want the train resources, but there are two problems.” Xilun leaned forward. “First, how do we transport them back? Second, how do we safely control the red mercury?”

Aldridge immediately replied, “Speyside has steam tractors. I asked the agricultural district manager, and if the price is right, they can sell us five. I can modify them into more powerful rune versions.”

"As for how to ensure that the red mercury is not taken away after it is delivered, that is your business."

Siren fell into deep thought. Five steam tractors only solved part of the problem. They still needed to figure out how to transport the two carriages, each weighing over a hundred tons, through the thick snow to Speyside, and then they would need military force to protect them from falling into the hands of the governor.

“I understand,” Xilun said. “I need to prepare for a while, and I will contact you when I’m ready.”

Aldridge nodded, and then left the Spiritual Abode accompanied by Siron.

Xiren's hand gripped the door frame as he watched Aldridge walk away, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

"I need consultants, mechanics, engineers, soldiers, and military strength... Exams and selection? No, Rennes won't let me make such a big fuss. We must secretly build up our strength..."
-
The Governor's Office is located on the second floor of the Guardian Tower, a landmark in the northern part of Speyside.

Schneider walked through the noisy command room, his new leather shoes making a crisp sound on the smooth marble floor, like the drumbeats of power.

He wore a brand-new Chesterfield coat with a velvet collar and beaver fur lining, a symbol of an elegant gentleman in winter, and a solid gold pocket watch chain hung over his black waistcoat.

He took off his black silk top hat and held it to his side, while carrying a black briefcase in his other hand.

People along the way looked at this elegant gentleman and bowed to him.

There is a long corridor in front of the governor's office, which is generally called the "gallery," though many people secretly refer to it as the "audience gallery."

Because it is made of pure black marble, with golden columns and arcades intersecting, weapons and sculptures are placed on both sides, and ten guards stand on both sides, wearing gorgeous military dress, holding rifles with bayonets in their hands, and rapiers hanging at their waists, standing straight.

Anyone who walks through this long corridor will have their imposing presence diminished, hence the saying that it resembles the path one takes before meeting the king.

But Schneider showed no fear today. He strode briskly across the corridor and said to the valet in front of the oak door, "I have come to see the governor."

"Yes, sir, please come in. The governor is already waiting for you." The valet knocked on the door and then opened it for him.

Inside the door was a huge office. In addition to the most basic desks and bookshelves, there was a reception area with sofas, coffee tables and fireplaces. Several sets of exquisite weapons and armor were hanging on the wall, and there were punching bags and exercise equipment in another corner.

A dozen or so steam pipes pass through here, and the scalding steam passes through cast iron radiators, maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature. There are even a few potted plants.

“Ah—Schneider, my good minister, I hope your work is done,” Ryan said.

Schneider placed the briefcase discreetly on Renn's desk and took out the documents inside: "Yes, all the broadcast channels in Speyside are now connected, and your voice can easily reach the ears of every resident through the brass pipes."

"Not only that, your inaugural address is already being promoted. Ten thousand posters have been printed to ensure that every resident can see it anywhere. I believe it will be a powerful speech, and the Steel Governor will lead all the people to fight the winter and survive."

Raine smiled, a rare occurrence: "Yes, Schneider, it will be an unprecedented speech. We will drive ignorant beliefs out of the minds of the people!"

Schneider smiled and bowed: "I look forward to that day, Your Excellency."

Raine nodded, then took out a few black and white photos: "This is a message sent by 'Night Owl' today. These people have all changed into new clergy uniforms. It must be that our bishop is starting to use his position to win people's hearts."

Schneider saw Aldridge and smiled slightly: "Then it seems he's a bit late."

"After all, it's just a little rat that's been making its way in Lundin." Ryan casually put it away.

“But if you ask me…” Schneider hesitated for a moment, “you seem to be too lenient with them. Now that Florence has lost contact, and the Church of Speyer has neither Red Mercury nor mechs, it could be easily overthrown.”

A cold laugh came from the side. It came from a middle-aged woman wearing a monocle, who had been sitting there for a while.

Schneider knew her well—she was the data manager, the person in charge of the seventh basement level, and the head of the differential machine data center.

“Don’t you think so, Sheena?” he asked arrogantly.

“Your nose’s turned up, Schneider,” she said coldly. “It’s easy to destroy the bodies of clergy, but it’s hard to destroy the ignorance in people’s hearts.”

“That’s right, Schneider,” Ryan said, gently gesturing to his propaganda minister to calm down. “We could certainly kill these people, but that would incite resistance. You see, 99% of the people here are believers, and many of them will seek revenge for their faith.”

"Moreover, now that the disaster has just struck, people are filled with fear and anxiety. The existence of the church can appease them to some extent. All we need to do is restrict the development of the church, clip its wings and real power, and turn it into a tool under our control."

"What I want is not a broken Speyer, but a Speyer that works together, abandons ignorance, and weathers the winter together."

(End of this chapter)