The Vacuum Pump

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

"Take a look, this is what's called a vacuum pump."

Paul clapped his hands on the device known as the vacuum pump, which seemed to be fixed to the table.

Wells approached it, studying it closely.

The main part of this device was a metal canister, with two valves on one end—one valve opened only inward, while the other could only open outward. The other end of the canister extended into a metal rod, which was connected to a second metal rod by a movable circular axle. The other end of the second metal rod was fixed to the edge of a rotating wheel. "Fixed" isn't quite accurate because it was also mounted on the wheel with a circular axle, and the wheel had a crank.

Guy Burns, the manager of the machinery factory, spontaneously introduced it to him. He first pointed to the metal canister and said, "Great chemist, look here, this is the gas canister. Inside is a piston. These two valves are the intake valve and the exhaust valve. When the piston is pulled outward, the intake valve opens, and the exhaust valve closes, drawing air into the canister. Conversely, when the piston is pushed inward, the intake valve closes, and the exhaust valve opens, expelling the air from the canister."

He then pointed to the connecting rod and the wheel behind the metal canister and continued, "This is called a crank-and-rod mechanism. Its function is to convert the rotational motion of the wheel into the reciprocating motion that pushes and pulls the piston. Of course, the mechanism can also work in reverse on other machines. When we turn this crank, we can make the piston move in and out of the canister."

After hearing his explanation, Wells sincerely admired, "It's indeed a marvelous device. So, Lord Grayman, you intend to use this vacuum pump to create a vacuum in the space between the bottle's layers?"

"Yes." Paul snapped his fingers.

"When making this thing, the piston was somewhat troublesome. Initially, we used oil-soaked cloth, but that kind of piston wasn't airtight enough and leaked air. Later, we made a usable piston out of animal leather."

As Paul spoke, he picked up a short metal tube, connecting one end to the hole in the glass bottle and the other end to the intake of the vacuum pump. The two ends of the short tube were wrapped in a thin layer of leather, presumably to ensure airtightness.

After completing all this, Paul shouted, "Come in!"

The workshop door swung open, and a guard standing outside stepped in. "Lord Grayman, do you have any instructions?"

Paul pointed to the rotating wheel behind the vacuum pump and ordered, "You, turn it."

The guard glanced at the vacuum pump, somewhat confused, but he obeyed the command, walked over to the machine, grasped the crank with his right hand, and started to turn it. As he turned, the rotating wheel began to push and pull the connecting rod, continually moving the piston inside the canister.

Paul, Wells, and Burns all stared intently at the bottle.

From Wells' and Burns' perspective, it seemed nothing was changing; after all, air is transparent.

Only the connecting rod that was pushing the piston was continually in motion. Gradually, they noticed that the guard turning the crank was clearly exerting more effort. After a while, it appeared that turning the crank was becoming increasingly strenuous for him.

The exhaust valve of the vacuum pump opened and closed, indicating that gas was being expelled continuously. However, just then, something unexpected happened: with a loud crack, the bottle made of double glass shattered into pieces. Luckily, it didn't explode, and no one was injured.

This change startled everyone; Wells and Burns stared blankly at the glass shards, while the guard looked dumbfounded, almost at a loss for words.

"Lord Grayman, I'm sorry, I... I didn't expect to break it." The guard's face turned red as he repeatedly apologized to Paul.

"Ah, it's fine. It was bound to happen."

At this point, Wells and Burns noticed that the Earl's expression was remarkably calm, seemingly unperturbed by the shattered bottle.

"How strange," Guy Burns scratched his head and asked, "Why did the glass bottle break? It wasn't struck by anything."

Indeed, everyone was staring at the unfortunate bottle, and nothing had flown in to hit it.

"Yes, why did the bottle break?" Paul also inquired. However, to Wells, the Earl's tone lacked that sense of confusion.

"There must have been something exerting a force on the bottle, causing it to break," Paul said.

What could that something be? Listening to the Earl's words, Wells realized that there was seemingly nothing around but air.

Hmm, air? Ha, what a joke. He dismissed that thought from his mind.

"Well, regardless, we need a sturdier bottle. Perhaps we should thicken the glass walls," Paul concluded. "I'll need to have someone make a new one. Ah, right, Wells."

Paul looked at the alchemist, "What brings you here?"

Ah, right! I have an important matter to discuss with the lord, Wells remembered the purpose of his visit to the lord's estate.

"Um..." he said somewhat nervously, "Lord Grayman, I have a student who..."

"What about him?" Paul waited for Wells to continue.

"Uh... he's very talented in chemistry, has a sharp mind, and has been a great help in the laboratory."

"Uh-huh, so? Are you hoping to request a position for him? Isn't everything in the chemistry lab managed by you and Hoffman? You don't need to come to me for that," Paul replied, somewhat puzzled, wondering if Wells was trying to pull strings or if he and Hoffman had a disagreement about the student that needed his intervention.

"But unfortunately..." Wells lowered his head and spoke softly, "This student... his last name is Fedotov."

Fedotov? Paul narrowed his eyes. If he remembered correctly, Fedotov seemed to belong to a gentry family involved in that rebellion.

"So... your student..." Paul's tone lost the previous warmth, "Is he now in prison?"

The interrogation of the rebels was currently underway, and all families involved in the rebellion were being detained en masse.

"Yes, Lord Grayman."

"Then, what do you want from me?" Paul asked again about Wells' purpose for coming, his tone taking on a somewhat impolite edge.

Wells felt the shift in the Earl's tone, his heart began to race. The Earl seemed to be very sensitive about this matter.

"I would like to ask you, Lord Grayman, if you could... if you could make an exception for my student."

Wells cautiously voiced his request. Coming from the Crystal Glare region, he knew that many lords treated those connected to the rebellion with harsh penalties, at the very least expulsion and exile, and at worst, execution.

He didn't believe his student would actually participate in the rebellion, but what would the Earl think?

(End of the Chapter)

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