"Master, this is the third prototype already," a young apprentice said, dejected. "We used the finest brass and even added lubricant. But in the wind tunnel, as soon as the wind speed exceeds eighty kilometers per hour, the airflow pins the latch shut. The spring just won't release…"
"It's not your fault, my boy." Valerius took off his glasses, wiping his hands on a rag. "It's that our understanding of high-altitude environments isn't deep enough. His Lordship wants a rack that can be mounted under the belly of 'that thing.' The requirements are simple: pull a cord, the canister drops, the fuse is armed. I have to admit, the world's fundamental principles often manifest in the simplest of things. We're the ones who've made it complicated."
He shook his head, his salt-and-pepper hair a tangled mess. He looked more like a friendly neighborhood grandpa than the Chief Alchemist.
