The Split Sea

While I wait for the foundry to heat and melt the copper, I create another copper ingot and cover it with the anti-corrosion liquid. Just as Lia said, it slid right off and there were no lasting effects on the ingot as my acid slowly causes it to dissolve. Lia had already told me the result, but I still wanted to see for myself if it would turn out this way.

Turning my full attention back to the foundry, I begin to rapidly increase the heat of the flame. I have to be careful about control the temperature since I can't create stone I can only use a metal that has a higher melting point. Since I was fairly certain the titanium has a high melting point I had chosen that as the material for this makeshift foundry. I choose to use copper since I think it has a lower melting point than titanium, but I'm not entirely sure.

Thankfully after some time, the copper was reduced to a liquid state and I begin to mix in some of the anti-corrosion liquid. After mixing around the two components, I let it cool for a bit while I create a simple copper mould and begin to pour the liquid copper into the mould. Before the mould can begin to melt I create an iron bucket and fill it with water as I then proceed to submerge the mould in the water.

After a few minutes, I find that the liquid copper has solidified with the mould and bring it out from the bucket of water. Like the previous test, I spray the copper plate with my acid, and while the mould dissolves, the inside remains unaffected by my corrosive properties.

Seeing my results, I turn back towards the foundry hoping to test out other metals, but when I turn around I don't find the makeshift foundry I made earlier, instead, I find a puddle of liquid titanium. It would seem like I forget to stop the fire and it eventually got hot enough to melt the foundry... at least there isn't anything flammable around this time. I think I'll have Aurelia get me a real foundry when she goes out to get the metals she mentioned before.

Since the destruction of my foundry caused my previous motivation to dissipate, I set out on my late-night sightseeing trip of Ponte Mare. As my first stop, I head out towards the port and arrive just in time as the low tide arrives and in the distance, I can see the water split. Seeing it happen before my eyes, it feels less like a result of the low tide and it appears to be similar to the descriptions of Moses splitting the Red Sea. To large columns of water are on each side as a wide dry pathway is opened from the small island to the neighbouring continent. Yeah, no matter how I look at it, there is no way this is a natural phenomenon.

Taking a look at the people around, they can be divided into two groups, visitors seeing this for the first time and locals who pays little attention to it. As an hour goes by, the only ones who bother to stick around are me and a few other tourists and just as Aurelia said, the water returns to normal after an hour passes.

With nothing left to keep me here, I continue to walk around the city, but I quickly find that any bar I could come across was closed. As I'm wondering why they are all closed I quickly find the reason as I notice the dawn approaching. I didn't even realise how late it was, although in this case, it's more like how early it is. Given the time I make my way back to the workshop... or try to at least, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to get back.

After spending a couple of hours of wandering around the city and asking people for directions, I finally make it back to the workshop and find the Lia and Aurelia are cleaning up the mess I left behind last night.

"See, I told you she would be back soon," Lia says.

"Fine, you win, here's your money," Aurelia says, handing Lia a few coins.

"Were the two of you betting on when I would return?"

"Yes and thanks to you I lost a couple of gold coins. But now that your back, we can move on towards more important things. You only need a small sample of Adamantium and Flarium, right?" Aurelia asks.

"Yeah, I can recreate any metal I have previously eaten. But I also need you to secure me a large foundry for me to melt done the metals I want to mess-- I mean test while I wait for the Flarium to arrive."

"That's not a big deal, I can arrange for one to be brought here a bit past noon. I have my doppelganger completing the paperwork for sending over some adamantium and flarium right now, it should arrive within five days."

"Then I guess I'll work on the design until they arrive."