Finding a New Path

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

"Ah, yes, Nick." 

Tennyson replied somewhat dejectedly.

"How should I put it? My family... has been involved in the recent rebellion." 

"Oh!" Nick's mouth formed an "O" shape, his face filled with surprise. "You weren't in prison... some people I know were." 

"Ah, you're still as tactless as ever." 

Tennyson understood that Nick meant no harm, so he didn't take the slightly offensive comment to heart. 

He proactively explained, "The lord wants me to study the mysteries of changes in the properties of steel, and if I succeed, my family and I will be pardoned." 

"Ah, that's lucky." Nick patted him on the shoulder, smiling as he said, "Given your talents in chemistry, you should be able to figure it out soon." 

Tennyson wore a bitter expression and shook his head. "I have made a little progress, but I've hit a deadlock." 

Nick furrowed his brow. He had never seen Tennyson so troubled; he used to be a carefree and cheerful guy. 

"Are you looking to eat? I was just about to head there too. Come on, let's talk while we walk." 

In the cafeteria, Tennyson told Nick about the progress of his experiment and the problems he encountered. 

"You see, the current issue is this: we want to separate the essence of the combustible element, not the fiery form, but we don't know how to achieve the necessary temperature." 

Tennyson's food remained untouched in front of him; he was too engrossed in explaining. 

Nick moved his knife and fork around, poking at the mashed potatoes on his plate while patiently listening to Tennyson. 

"Perhaps!" He took a bite of mashed potatoes. "I can help you solve this problem." 

"Oh?" Tennyson's eyes suddenly brightened. Could this classmate, who had nothing to do with chemistry or alchemy, really help him? 

"I'm currently..." Nick set down his fork and traced a circular path in the air with his hands. "Creating a special lens." 

"A lens?" 

"Yes, a lens. Do you know what a magnifying glass is?" 

"Ah, a magnifying glass? I know about that." Tennyson nodded. 

"In our place... I mean my company, hehe. We generally call it a convex lens." Nick continued, "The convex lens has a very special property. Do you know what it is?" 

"Isn't it just to magnify images?" Tennyson asked, somewhat confused. 

"Did you ever use it to burn ants when you were a child?" 

"Oh, you mean that?" 

"Yes, why can a convex lens burn ants? Because it converges the scattered sunlight onto a single point, and the heat from the sunlight is concentrated at that point." 

Nick explained the properties of the convex lens to Tennyson. 

"You... you mean to say?" Tennyson felt a surge of excitement; Nick's description made him see hope for solving his problem. 

"Yes, using the power of sunlight!" Nick nodded, confirming, and pointed at the sky. "The sun provides endless heat to everything on Earth every day. If we could gather even a small portion of that, it would produce a tremendous amount of heat." 

"But a magnifying glass... a convex lens is so small..." Tennyson suddenly became doubtful. 

"We can try making a larger lens!" Nick said confidently. "As long as we can keep enlarging the lens... I mean, in terms of its shape, theoretically, the sunlight we can gather is infinite." 

Upon hearing Nick's words, Tennyson became excited. He looked at Nick and said, "I ask you to help me make such a lens!" 

Nick smiled. "Of course, my friend. I'm honored to be part of a cross-disciplinary research project." 

---

Dun dun dun! The hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. In no time, the door to Paul's office was slammed open.

"Oh, Bernard! Is there something urgent?" 

Paul didn't lift his head—he was currently reviewing a document—but he could tell from the footsteps that it was his secretary, and only he could open his office door without knocking. 

"Lord Grayman! The exploration team... the Eastern Exploration Team has returned!" Bernard replied, breathless. 

Paul sprang up, his heart filled with immense joy. 

"I want to see the members of the exploration team immediately." 

Bernard said, "I believe they are already on their way to Alden Town. A messenger from Frand Port informed me that the exploration team would send someone to Alden Town after a brief rest in the harbor. I believe Captain Naylor will be among them." 

Paul excitedly clasped his hands together. 

After anxiously waiting for over three hours, he finally awaited the people he wanted to see: a total of five—Naylor, his first mate, two other captains, and the armament administrator of the flagship—Naval Ensign Alan. 

"Lord Grayman, my team really needs to relax, so I took the liberty of granting them a break. I don't think you'll blame them for not coming to see you in Alden Town." 

Naylor said with a smile. Compared to when they set out, he looked weathered, with a scruffy beard. 

"Oh, of course!" Paul replied. "The warriors need a good rest." 

He patted Alan on the shoulder. "You've grown taller, Ensign!" 

Alan saluted him. "You've grown taller too, Lord Grayman." 

Hahaha! Everyone burst into laughter. 

After exchanging pleasantries with the other two captains, Paul invited them to sit down. 

"Now, please tell me all about your experiences in the distant East." 

The five men settled in the lord's reception room, and servants brought them delicious wine. 

As the commander of the exploration team, Naylor slowly recounted their journey. 

"We sailed our ship, crossing most of the Nasar Peninsula, where the papacy is located, and continued toward the far East..." 

"There is a vast expanse of land there. In our dealings with the merchants on the shore, I found out that the Gabella Empire lies not far inland. I swear, never before have people from Aldor reached the southern side of Gabella by sea." 

"We continued sailing east and encountered a narrow isthmus..." 

"Isthmus?" Paul asked. 

"Yes, just like a strait that separates two pieces of land, an isthmus is a narrow strip of land that separates two oceans." 

Paul asked, "Or in other words, a long strip of land connecting two continents?" 

"You could say that," Naylor nodded. 

He continued, "The people there refer to the southern land connected by the isthmus as—Emerald Forest. Yes, it is covered by dense forests. Do you know what lives there?" 

"What?" Paul's curiosity was piqued. 

"Elves!" 

"Elves?" Paul jumped up. 

This was the second fantasy race he had confirmed to exist in this world after the dwarves. Oh, this refers to civilized races; those disgusting goblins don't count. 

(End of the Chapter)

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