Chapter 133 — Notes, Mixtures, and a New Ore Sample
S.C. 1511 — Late February
Foosha Village — Underground Lab (Chemical Chamber)
Ren stood at his stone worktable, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back with a strip of cloth. Zemo lay curled under the table, watching him with sleepy curiosity.
Today's work was simple:
Organizing chemical notes.
Filtering plant extracts.
Preparing mixtures for tomorrow's testing.
Ren lit the lantern brighter and placed four small bowls in a neat line.
He wrote labels with charcoal:
1. Adrenaline Stimulant Prototype
2. Blood–Oxygen Booster
3. Compound X — High Concentration
4. Plant–Extract Solvent Tests
Then he set down something he had added at the last moment—
A small piece of the strange stone Zemo brought earlier: Z-05.
Ren stared at it for a moment.
"Still looks like a mineral-rich ore… maybe high-density metal content," he murmured.
Zemo stretched and pawed at the air.
Ren smiled.
"Fine, fine. You found it. You get partial credit."
---
Filtering the Extracts
Ren poured a thick green liquid—Compound X base mixture—through a cloth filter. The liquid dripped slowly into a clay bowl below.
"Concentration level needs to be higher," he muttered.
He stirred carefully, noting how the liquid behaved.
"Stable… no bubbling… good."
He moved to the next bowl, grinding forest herbs into fine powder.
---
Testing Mixture Reactions
Ren picked up a tiny wooden spoon and added a drop of each mixture onto a clay testing plate.
The stimulant?
Normal reaction.
The oxygen booster?
Slight fizzing—expected.
The high-concentration Compound X?
A deeper green shade.
Ren nodded.
"Everything behaves normally so far."
He looked toward the stone sample Z-05.
"Let's check the grinding resistance."
---
Ore Sample Examination
Ren placed the strange stone on a flat iron slab.
Picked up his small grinding tool.
Pressed lightly—
SCRRRK
A small corner shaved off into dark powder.
Ren examined the powder closely.
"Hmm… metallic dust. Heavy. Maybe useful for heat reaction tests."
He scraped the dust into a small clay dish.
"No unusual smell. No visible residue. Good."
He tapped the stone gently with his metal probe.
Tok.
Dense.
He wrote in his notebook:
Z-05 SAMPLE NOTES
Very dense mineral ore
Metallic veins
Shaves cleanly
No reaction with air
Add tiny amount to chemical tests later
He set the stone aside without much thought.
---
Preparing Tomorrow's Experiments
On the right side of the table, Ren arranged the bowls in order:
stimulant mixture
oxygen booster mixture
plant solvent
Compound X concentrate
Z-05 ore powder (for testing)
He placed a clean cloth over them.
"Tomorrow I'll run heat tests and solvent interaction tests," he whispered.
Zemo lifted his head with mild excitement.
Ren scratched behind his ear.
"Not tonight. Tonight we're done."
He cleaned the tools, swept the powder scraps into a jar labeled "misc," and closed the wooden shelf door.
---
A Simple Evening
Ren extinguished one lantern, leaving the room dim and warm.
Zemo hopped onto his lap the moment he sat down on the floor.
Ren chuckled softly.
"You really do act like you own this lab."
Zemo thumped his tail proudly.
Ren leaned back against the stone wall, relaxing after hours of careful work.
Everything was neatly arranged, ready for tomorrow's experiments.
No explosions.
No accidents.
No discoveries yet.
Just quiet preparation.
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End of Chapter 133