Chapter 12: Planning (Tech)

(2nd moon, 18th day, 460 Lu; Time, 20:49)

Sarah and Alphonse sat at a table with a bag between them. "What do we do with it?" Alphonse asked.

"Good question..." Sarah responded.

"We didn't plan ahead, did we?" Alphonse asked. Sarah shook her head lightly.

"No, we didn't." She said lightly. Suddenly, an expression of realization hit Sarah. "We can use it to purchase materials!" Sarah said energetically as she nearly leaped out of her seat.

"I suppose that is true... And by that I presume you mean for tech, right?" Alphonse asked. Sarah nodded. "Okay, then we need to decide what we're making. It can be many things. If I can't remember or did not know how to make it, then I'll figure it out." Alphonse said.

"Okay... How about a refrigerator?" Sarah asked.

"A... Fridge...?" Alphonse asked. Sarah nodded once again.

"Unlike you, most people don't eat only preserved foods and have to get other foods on there own every day or once a week." Sarah said.

"I see. So you basically want a way to keep food fresh for longer so you can buy in bulk and not have to go to the market day after day, right?" Alphonse asked. Sarah nodded with a light smile on her face.

"Okay, I still don't know much about this economy so I have no idea how large we'll be able to make it." Alphonse said. Alphonse paused for a moment before remembering something. "We will also need a source of electricity." Alphonse said.

"Oh yeah... Kind of forgot that was a thing..." Sarah said with a slight amount of sadness in her voice.

"We have a few possibilities. First of all, let's choose between renewable and fossil." Alphonse said.

"Renewable would be better in this situation since we don't have a steady supply of fossil fuels, right?" Sarah asked. Alphonse blinked as he responded.

"Uh, yeah, that is correct." Alphonse said, slightly surprised. "Out of the renewable sources, there are three major players. Hydroelectric, Solar, and wind. As far as I am aware, there aren't any nearby rivers, so I don't think we could do hydroelectric." Alphonse said.

"Right..." Sarah said as she went into thought for a moment. "Issue is... It isn't particularly windy here, nor is it all that sunny..." She said as she continued to think. "... I have an idea!" Sarah exclaimed nearly falling out of her seat.

"Okay, let's hear it then." Alphonse said.

"You know how bad the rain can be, right?" Sarah asked.

"I mean, it isn't all that bad, it's just a bit worse than Seattle." Alphonse said.

"Right, but that is enough. Would we be able to make a rain collection system that powers a hydroelectric system?" Sarah asked with great excitement. Alphonse thought for a moment.

"It's not impossible... But we would have to create a pipe system which means we would have to do some parts manually. We also in this case would have to create batteries." Alphonse said as he continued his thought process.

"Do you think we could do that?" Sarah asked.

"it would require some planning and economical research, but theoretically, yeah." Alphonse said. "Oh, and some acids which this society doesn't know much about." Alphonse said.

"Does that mean it's a no?" Sarah asked. Alphonse shook his head.

"It means while we are doing a mission, we need to be searching for certain things." Alphonse responded.

"What things?" Sarah asked.

"First of all, we need to keep an eye out for sulfuric acid, that's actually pretty much the only acid we need, but the thing is... It's pretty deadly." Alphonse stated. "It produces a gas which is very toxic, though I haven't the slightest clue of how it will affect cultivators." Alphonse added.

"Right..." Sarah said lightly.

"Sulfuric acid looks like water, so be wary of that when searching for this acid. Another thing, I have no clue how often or if it even does appear in nature, so we'll be taking a gamble on that." Alphonse said.

"So it will be a while before we can get to making a fridge?" Sarah asked.

"Most likely." Alphonse stated. "Well. Just like anything else, making electrical items is a process. In the meantime, we should take some time to train some more and cultivate. For now, you can take the money to your place." Alphonse said. As he stood up a realization came to him and he smacked his hand onto his forehead.

"What was that about?" Sarah asked.

"Arrays." Alphonse stated, expecting Sarah to understand.

"Arrays? What about them?" Sarah asked. Alphonse sighed.

"We've been thinking about conventional methods used in the modern era. We could easily make a heat generator or steam piston with a fire array. Though that is assuming one of us understands how to use arrays." Alphonse explained.

"Oh! I get it now. I know a couple of basic arrays for various elements, but nothing much." Sarah said.

"Okay, any fire and or water ones?" Alphonse asked. Sarah nodded.

"I can make an array which generates a cup of water every hour and an array which creates a small flame. I estimate that the flame is roughly six hundred degrees Fahrenheit." Sarah elaborated.

"Okay, and I just remembered we will need glass for the batteries. Luckily I was an avid watcher of educational television in my past life." Alphonse said.

"You must've been great at parties." Sarah said sarcastically.

"Not really, I didn't go to many places." Alphonse responded. Sarah sighed.

"Alright." She said lightly. "Well, I should head back to my place since it's getting a bit late, see ya." Sarah said as she stood up and stretched a bit.

"Bye." Alphonse said as Sarah picked up the bag off the table then left the building.

{I am surprised that you have managed to think of that idea on your own. You have my congratulations on that.} Prism said.

'Oh shut it.' Alphonse responded.

{Shutting it.} Prism responded in a joking tone.