Chapter 90: Turmoil in the Vale
Gunpowder—specifically black powder: one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, and three parts charcoal. The mnemonic was simple and catchy, something many people could recite from memory. This was the basic ratio of ingredients, though in practice, there were more optimal mass ratios; Egger recalled one being roughly 2:15:3. Beyond remembering the formula, he knew that sulfur and charcoal were essentially elemental sulfur and carbon, while saltpeter was potassium nitrate. Writing the chemical equation for the explosion was no trouble either—it wasn't anything worth showing off, just basic knowledge one would master in high school.
However, knowing the theory was one thing; producing large quantities of practical, usable gunpowder was quite another. He wasn't a chemistry or geology major, after all, and he had never actually made the stuff with his own hands.
Even if he could... he wouldn't create gunpowder immediately.
The reasoning was simple: the destructive power of this substance was too great, and he was currently living under someone else's roof. In reality, he was being shielded by the Iron Throne—specifically by its official representative, Ned Stark—even if the latter didn't realize it. This objective fact wouldn't change just because Egger was familiar with the plot or had secretly saved the man. Before he controlled a force that was obedient and entirely his own, creating gunpowder would be nothing more than making a fine coat for someone else to wear. If word leaked out, the ruling class of this world would seize the new invention within minutes and use it in their internal wars. Explosions don't have eyes; as a neutral member of the Night's Watch, Egger's greatest leverage in navigating the various factions was balance. Once that balance was shattered and the Great Houses went to war, the Northern army might show mercy, but the others wouldn't care if he was a Shield of Humanity or a Watcher on the Wall. If he were caught in the crossfire, losing the Order's assets would be secondary; if he were killed by the very thing he brought into this world, it would be the ultimate cosmic joke.
As a transmigrator, Egger wouldn't refuse a romantic dalliance with a beautiful woman, but as for experiencing two armies trading cannon fire on a battlefield... while it sounded like manly romance, he'd rather pass on the actual participation.
...
The most ideal future would be to wait until his own power had taken shape, find a reliable thick thigh to lean on, or simply set up his own shop... and then reveal the weapon of mass destruction at the critical moment. If the Seven Kingdoms ultimately avoided civil war, he would deploy it when the White Walkers truly invaded. If war broke out anyway, he would rise amid the chaos. Before the other factions could obtain gunpowder technology through their own means, he would swiftly let them experience the philosophy that might makes right and range is justice, crushing the various monsters and ghosts of the Seven Kingdoms and sweeping away all rivals and threats. After that, he would find a way to shed his Night's Watch status and ascend to the peak of his life—whether to continue enjoying life in this other world or seek a way back home would be entirely up to his whim.
Sigh. Egger couldn't help but think of the standard kit for a kingdom-building transmigrator: if he had soul-transmigrated into some prince, starting with subordinates and a fief, things wouldn't be nearly this complicated.
Fantasizing and planning for a far-off future was meaningless. Egger's overtures to the Pyromancers—aside from wanting to win some over for his own use and ensuring he could rely on these primitive chemists to quickly birth gunpowder when needed—had a more immediate motivation: he wanted to contribute to the defense of the Wall. Wildfire was a hyper-dangerous substance in the warm south, but at the frozen Wall, as long as one was careful enough, it could be used directly as liquid explosive.
While waiting for the first Night's Watch factory to be built and put into production, Egger tinkered with the bottle of Wildfire he had purchased. He poured out a few milliliters at a time, subjecting it to various trials and tests.
"Don't get so close," Egger warned Arya, who was watching his death-defying experiments with great interest. "If I catch fire, throw that bucket of water over there on me!"
The girl giggled and agreed. In her eyes, it was perfectly normal for her adventurer master to want to play with fire.
Under the protection of caution and various preventative measures, this small brush with danger didn't result in any injuries. Soon, Egger reached several conclusions.
First, the substance was much less dense than water. This was obvious; light oils are naturally lighter than water. This stuff could not only float on water but could also continue burning despite the cooling effect of the water—this was how Tyrion had been able to burn Stannis's fleet in the original timeline. Second, it was truly hyper-flammable. Aside from body heat being unable to ignite it, it almost never had a moment of stability: a drop on the sun-warmed ground? Ignited. Left in the sunlight for thirty seconds? Ignited. Snapping his fingers near it, where the friction generated a tiny amount of heat? Ignited... Though he didn't have a thermometer, after several attempts, Egger made a judgment: temperatures above 50°C could cause this substance to spontaneously combust.
In addition to being extremely easy to ignite, its surface tension was also incredibly low, giving it the property of quickly wetting and penetrating the crevices of whatever it touched. For a flammable liquid, this was a terrifyingly lethal additional trait.
Good stuff. I look forward to the scene when this is ignited among a swarm of wights.
...
Egger waited for the Pyromancer, negotiated with him, and invited him to head north to serve the Night's Watch... but was refused.
There was no helping it; as soon as serving the Night's Watch was mentioned, everyone immediately had a host of negative associations. This concept was even more deep-rooted in the minds of the elderly. No matter how he explained it, the other party wouldn't budge an inch, and the matter was finally dropped. However, Egger wasn't discouraged. He was still just a minor officer of the Night's Watch; it was impossible for everything to go smoothly. Once more time had passed, the Night's Watch industries had developed, and he had formed a solid community of interest with the nobility of King's Landing and the Crownlands, money and power would combine to create a terrifying force. At that point, he would find the alchemists again and, through a mix of threats and inducements, give them an offer they couldn't refuse.
The first investment was finalized, and the future seemed bright. But just as Egger was full of anticipation, a piece of sudden news left him flustered. During his routine emotional exchange—that is, fishing for information—with his little apprentice, he heard a heavyweight piece of news from the girl.
...
Yohn Royce, Lord of Runestone; Lady Anya Waynwood of Ironoaks; Lord Gilwood Hunter of Longbow Hall; and a series of other important Vale nobles had quietly formed the Lords Declarant. They had concentrated the elite forces of their respective houses to launch a coup. By plotting from both within and without, they had seized the Bloody Gate with minimal cost. Now, they had completely secured the Vale of Arryn and surrounded the Eyrie. They maintained a siege without attacking, demanding that the suspect in the murder of their liege lord, Lysa Tully, hand over young Lord Robert Arryn to face trial, and that several houses jointly raise and educate the future ruler of the Vale!
The declaration signed by this alliance at Runestone had already reached King's Landing. Arya had learned of it from her father's chats with his aides and then, without any guard, told Egger. This made him one of the second group of people in King's Landing—after the core of power—to know this explosive news.
Holy... wow. Brutal. Truly brutal. Not for nothing was Yohn Royce the father of that headstrong Waymar Royce; when the man decided to stir things up, he didn't hold back. His first move was a masterpiece!
Egger had originally spread rumors only to take down Littlefinger. But rumors, once released, are like opening Pandora's box. Now, the demon had completely escaped its creator's control and run off to ravage the Vale. In the original timeline, the Vale had held its ground during the War of the Five Kings and hadn't participated, leaving its strength intact until the end. Now, had it become the first place to fall into chaos?
Emotionally, Egger felt a sense of schadenfreude regarding that madwoman Lysa being besieged in the Eyrie. But he was currently playing the game of money: raising capital through financial means and then relying on advanced technology to build a business. And this game, no matter how isolated or difficult to travel the world was, was closely linked to everyone and influenced by every single thing happening in the world at every moment. Would this internal strife in the Vale have a catastrophic impact on his startup?
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