Chapter 014: The Effect

That night, Ringo sent a message saying that the explosive Du Fan had mentioned had been refined. Hearing this, Du Fan rushed into the laboratory immediately.
Inside the laboratory, it seemed as if an explosion had occurred—scattered debris was everywhere. Ringo’s clothes were torn, and her face and hands were covered in soot.
“Du Fan, I’m so sorry! I accidentally caused these things to explode,” Ringo said apologetically, looking at Du Fan.
Nai Xiu, on the other hand, exclaimed in amazement, “Ringo, are these the effects caused by the explosive Du Fan talked about?”
“Yes, I only set off a small amount, but I never expected it to be so powerful!” Ringo said, still a bit shaken.
“Ringo, how did you make them explode?” Du Fan asked, smiling broadly after seeing the explosion succeed.
“Well, according to what you said, I put some of the refined powder into a paper bag and used the fire element to trigger it. I saw a flash of light, followed by a loud explosion that made my ears tingle. Then there was smoke, and once it cleared, it became what you see now,” Ringo explained.
“Haha, Ringo, go change into some clean clothes! Later, let’s go outside to test how well the explosion works,” Du Fan said with a laugh.
It was then that Ringo realized her clothes could no longer cover her body. Hearing Du Fan’s words, she blushed again and rushed into her room to wash up. Fortunately, her face was still covered in soot, so no one could see her red cheeks.
Soon, after Ringo washed herself and changed into new clothes, Du Fan and Nai Xiu were already waiting for her.
“Ringo, these new clothes you’re wearing are really beautiful,” Nai Xiu said cheerfully as soon as she saw Ringo come out.
“Oh, no. Sister Nai Xiu looks even more beautiful,” Ringo replied promptly.
“Haha, what sweet words,” Nai Xiu said, stepping forward and taking Ringo’s arm.
Du Fan put the black powder Ringo had refined into a bag and left with the two girls. In the capital city, it was normally forbidden for people to go out or enter at night, but as a duke of the empire, Du Fan walked out of the city gates without any problem.

Out of sight of the soldiers guarding the city, Du Fan grabbed Nayixiu and Ringo one by one and lifted them into the air, flying swiftly toward a mountain outside the city. Du Fan didn’t dare let anyone know about experimental explosives, so he chose a remote, uninhabited place to conduct the tests without disturbing anyone. At Du Fan’s speed, the three of them quickly reached the mountain. After finding a clearing, Du Fan landed with them. He took out a small packet of powder and carefully wrapped it tightly in paper. Estimating its weight, it was roughly one or two taels. “Du Fan, this won’t work. You’ve wrapped all the powder in paper—how will you detonate it?” Ringo asked urgently as she watched his actions. “Then what should I do?” Du Fan asked promptly. “You need to mix the detonating substance with those materials. When it’s time to explode, release the fire element from the detonator first. That way, the materials will explode within three to five seconds,” Ringo explained. “So a large amount of fire element is required for detonation? But I don’t know any fire-based magic,” Du Fan said quickly. Although he knew about explosives from his past life, he had no idea how to make them or even detonate them. In his past life, there seemed to be fuses and detonators, but he didn’t know how to make those either. “Here’s what to do, Du Fan,” Ringo said, taking out a magic scroll containing the fireball spell. “Mix this scroll with those materials and wrap them together in paper. When you want it to explode, use your energy to cast the fireball spell. The large amount of fire element released will naturally detonate the explosives.” Hearing this, Du Fan eagerly wrapped the magic scroll along with the other materials in paper. After finishing, he picked up the explosive packet, flashed his energy, and threw it away. As soon as the paper packet hit the ground, it exploded! After a loud boom, a crater nearly three meters in diameter was left on the ground. “Not bad, not bad,” Du Fan said repeatedly, looking at the large crater. “Du Fan, that little thing in your hand just now created such a huge crater! It’s even better than the Blast Flame spell!” Nayixiu exclaimed in amazement.

As a Level 6 fire magic spell, Explosive Flame could only create a pit two meters wide. It was beyond Du Fan’s expectations that such a small amount of explosives, weighing about half a kilogram, could produce such an effect. The thought of his army being able to produce these on a large scale filled him with excitement! With such weapons at hand, battles would be incredibly powerful! While others used cold weapons, he could use explosives—gah, a sense of superiority arose in Du Fan’s mind. “Ringtone, how much of this powder can be extracted from those Fireflame Grasses?” Du Fan asked quickly, as the explosion’s effect exceeded his expectations. “Half a kilogram,” Ringtone replied promptly. “So little?” Du Fan was surprised upon hearing this. “Yes. After drying ten kilograms of fresh grass, only three kilograms remain. After further crushing, screening, refining, and processing, only half a kilogram is left,” Ringtone explained. “Okay, I understand.” Du Fan began thinking immediately. If war really broke out, the consumption alone would amount to hundreds or even thousands of kilograms. A large-scale battle would require an even more terrifying amount of gunpowder. It seemed he would need to discuss planting more of this Fireflame Grass in the Elven lands when he returned to Siluo Province. After testing the power of the explosives, the three of them left. But this time, Du Fan didn’t enter through the city gates; instead, he used his speed to leap over the city walls. At the place where Du Fanaixiu was about to part with Ringtone, Ringtone looked at Du Fan and Naixiu, her eyes suddenly reddening. As an elf, Naixiu had keen eyesight and saw everything clearly. “Ringtone, why don’t you live with us?” Naixiu suggested generously. “Oh, I’m going to bed first.” Hearing this, Ringtone ran away in a flash. “Naixiu, you’re getting worse!” Du Fan said with a mischievous smile as he watched her flee. “Ah, Du Fan, get more wives! I really can’t take it like last night!” Naixiu complained. “Young master, it’s time for court!” A servant called out as Du Fan was still half-asleep.

It turned out that Duke Green was worried that Du Fan might sleep in and forget about attending the morning court session that day.
“Naixiu, I’m going now. You go back to sleep,” Du Fan said softly as he got up and spoke to Naixiu.
“Go ahead, Du Fan. Oh, remember what I said—take on more wives. If this continues, I’ll be killed by you by afternoon,” Naixiu mumbled sleepily, having been thoroughly “conquered” by Du Fan the previous night.
“Oh, since you say so, I’ll try my best,” Du Fan laughed and got dressed before leaving.
After washing up and getting ready, Du Fan went to the hall, where Duke Green was waiting for him. “Du Fan, let’s go. It wouldn’t be good to be late,” Duke Green said with a smile when he saw Du Fan arrive.
Duke Green led Du Fan outside. At the entrance of his mansion, a luxurious carriage pulled by eight large horses appeared before Du Fan.
According to the laws of the Gavin Empire, dukes could use carriages pulled by eight horses, princes by ten, and emperors by twelve. No one other than the emperor was allowed to use a carriage with twelve horses, otherwise they would be charged with treasonous intent!
“Son, come ride with me in this carriage,” Duke Green said with a smile.
This was Duke Green’s special carriage for attending court. Although Du Fan had seen it before, he had never ridden in it. Hearing his father’s words, Du Fan nodded.
Inside the carriage, Du Fan noticed its exquisite craftsmanship. Not only was there a soundproofing barrier, but even as the carriage moved along the road, there was no sense of jolting at all!
“What an amazing carriage!” Du Fan exclaimed sincerely as he sat in it.
“This carriage is over 300 years old. It was passed down from your grandfather to me over twenty years ago,” Duke Green sighed. “I wonder how much longer I can use it.”
Hearing Duke Green’s words, Du Fan’s heart trembled. Duke Green, who had already surpassed the Saintly realm, surely couldn’t die of illness. With his Saintly cultivation, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to kill him. Thinking back to the day he resisted the power of the sun, Duke Green, still at the beginning of his Saintly realm, had held out longer than Anthony.

Du Fan, who had already come into contact with Star Combat Qi, was well aware that it was extremely difficult to cultivate. Yet once mastered, it was by no means comparable to ordinary combat qi. Although Duke Green was only at the early stage of the Saint rank, thanks to the unique properties of Star Combat Qi, he still had a chance to compete even against those at the peak of the Saint rank, namely those who possessed Saint Domain powers.

So, Duke Green saying such things was likely out of concern for the day when he might have to break ties with the royal family. It was obvious that Fischer had already taken action against Du Fan. As Duke Green, if the two sides truly reached an irreconcilable point, he would undoubtedly stand firmly by Du Fan’s side.

Hearing his father’s words, Du Fan also felt melancholic. Since the Green family had joined the founding emperor’s army, they had always remained loyal to the royal family. The Green clan had become a symbol of loyalty in the Gavin Empire. Having lived two lives, Du Fan had long abandoned any notion of loyalty or devotion to the emperor. But Duke Green was different. From a young age, he had been instilled with traditional knightly values. If he ever had to rebel against the royal family, it would surely cause him great distress.