When Roland arrived at the laboratory by the Chishui River, he found the damage was less severe than expected. The main room used for acid refining remained intact, while two windows in the side room were shattered.
"Lord, please save our mentor! He's gravely wounded and on the verge of death." When Roland appeared, a group of disciples rushed forward but were quickly stopped by the guards. Roland waved them off, "Where is he? Let me check first." Then he turned to Carter in a low voice, "Where's Nana?" "I've sent someone to fetch her. She'll be here soon." "Very well," Roland nodded and entered the laboratory under the guards' protection.
Kemo Stier lay on the ground, with traces of blood extending to the side room, likely dragged from the accident site to the main house. His face was blurred, covered with a mixture of blood and pus, presumably caused by the strong acid splashed during the explosion. Several fingers were missing from his hands, and white finger bones were visible through the flesh and blood.
The apprentices had already performed emergency measures, demonstrating that they had encountered similar situations in Chishui City, including rescuing individuals from danger, applying hemostatic bandaging, and seeking assistance—all of which were executed with considerable proficiency. However, such injuries would likely be beyond salvable if treated with only herbal remedies and self-healing methods under normal circumstances.
Roland ordered his guards to secure the entrance while awaiting Nana Wa's arrival. He and Carter slipped into the side room to retrieve the Chief Alchemist's finger. Without it, even if the girl healed his wounds, he would be unable to conduct chemical experiments—this would be a devastating blow to Border Town.
"It's like being swept by a violent storm," Carter said, pinching his nose. "There's this awful, strange smell." "It's nitrogen dioxide," Roland said, scanning the small room. The windows were all open, so poisoning was unlikely—just some residue at most. The glass bottles on the lab bench were shattered across the table, and the acid dripped down, pooling into streaks on the floor.
"Remember to use tools when searching—don't touch them directly with your hands," Prince cautioned. "Gloves are in the cabinet." After Soroya's ability evolved, he had even sent over a dozen pairs of corrosion-resistant ultra-thin gloves to the lab. Yet the alchemist's current state clearly showed he was conducting experiments without gloves. Had he worn gloves, even if the explosion severed his fingers, at least the broken pieces would have remained inside.
In the storage cabinet above the test bench, something caught Roland's eye. After removing the oddly shaped bottle, he realized it was liquor sold at the convenience store—and the liquor inside had been consumed, leaving only a small portion of the bottle.
How could Kamo bring baijiu (Chinese liquor) into the lab? It's hard to imagine an experienced chief alchemist drinking alcohol during experiments!
"Your Highness, Miss Nanava has arrived," the bodyguard reported.
"Alright, keep watch at the entrance and don't let the apprentice get in." He left Carter to search through the glass shards for the broken finger, while Roland headed back to the main lab room.
"Is it him?" For Nana Wa, such treatment had become routine. Compared to the young girl who once trembled at the sight of blood and fainted upon encountering horrific wounds, she had grown significantly—both in terms of abilities and courage.
"First, heal the corrosive wounds on his face," Roland nodded. "Carter is retrieving his severed finger—just reattach it later." "No need," Nana Wa smirked. "I can fix this minor injury right now." Roland froze as she placed her hands on the alchemist's chest and closed her eyes. Kaimo's injuries transformed instantly: his face healed completely in moments, while his severed finger began to grow back—though much slower. First the bones, then the flesh, and finally the nails and hair. After about fifteen minutes, his finger had fully recovered.
Just then, Carter emerged from the side room. "Your Highness, we only found three, and one of the severed fingers might have been blown off—uh?" "How did you manage that?" Roland asked in surprise.
"About a week ago, while training my chick, I realized that without amputating limbs, it could regenerate them gradually by channeling sufficient Magic Power," she stuck out her tongue. "It probably reminded me of what you said—every part of the human body is made of cells. The severed areas inevitably lose cells. If Magic Power can compensate for these losses, why can't we fully regenerate entire limbs? That's exactly what I tried." "Any body part can grow?" Nana Wa shook her head. "This method is too labor-intensive. While it works for fingers, it's useless for arms or calves. After all, my Magic Power capacity pales in comparison to Sister Anna's." Roland thought to himself, "That's because you're still underage." Moreover, this raises the question: Is this manifestation of ability evolution, or is it due to training that now allows Magic Power to achieve effects previously impossible? With Nightingale absent, it's impossible to determine whether Nana Wa's Magic Power has undergone morphological changes. If it's simply due to enhanced Magic Power, the girl's adult performance would undoubtedly be remarkable."
"Your Highness, he's awake," Carter said.
"What's wrong with me?" Kemo frowned, first examining his intact hands before touching his face. "I shouldn' t have—" "I should have perished in a chemical accident, but the Witch saved your life. The woman beside me is the one who treated you—Miss Nanava Payne." Roland resolved to reveal Nanava's identity to the Chief Alchemist without hesitation. Someone who would risk everything for a chemical reaction in Border Town couldn't be a stubborn person. Even if they harbored resentment toward the Witch, they wouldn't abandon their duties to report to the Church. With Lucia now in town, collaboration between alchemists and witches was inevitable.
"Good heavens, you mean this Witch can cure the wounds from alchemy—no, chemical experiments?" Kemo's reaction was a complete shock to his expectations. "Hahaha, that's fantastic, Your Highness! Now I can test reactions without worrying about danger!" "So what exactly happened?" Roland breathed a sigh of relief. "How did you bring liquor into the lab?" "No, Your Highness, it was just experimental material," the Chief Alchemist exclaimed excitedly. "I've actually created what you wanted me to develop!" "You mean... mercury thioacetate?" "Exactly, Your Highness! The missing reactant turned out to be alcohol!" He blurted out. "I'd tried dozens of raw materials without success. When I got bored, I bought some liquor from the market. That's when I remembered from Elementary Chemistry that alcohol is an organic solvent and a crucial reactant. So I distilled and purified the liquor as a new reagent. By the sixth attempt, success was achieved... Gray crystalline deposits formed in several test tubes. I recorded the heating time and reaction temperature, then extracted samples for testing. The results matched your description—gray-white needle-like crystals or powder, highly sensitive and volatile. Just as I was about to filter out the remaining deposits, the test tubes suddenly exploded." It turns out that Roland also recalled at this moment that mercuric acid can be produced by mixing mercury and ethanol in excess nitric acid, or by directly reacting mercuric nitrate with ethanol.
"Good job," he said, patting Kemoschuir on the shoulder. "This achievement earns you Border Town's highest honor and generous reward." With this, the impact fuse for the fixed-bullet rifle finally had a clear design.