Chapter 28: Trinitrotoluene
Litmus was known to be a very peaceful country. However, no matter how tranquil it was, there were bound to be mishaps along the way. Conflicts did happen. A swarm of falcons attacked the caravan Cecile’s group was traveling with.
"Hide! Don’t get into the carriage! Hide under it!" one of the mercenaries yelled desperately to the travelers. Everyone did as they were told.
"Hm? Are these falcons really that dangerous?" Cecile asked one of the mercenaries. Instead of hiding, Cecile and Nana chose to help the mercenaries fight off the incoming swarm.
"These falcons dive like arrows shot from a ballista. Unless they hit an iron shield, they can puncture even leather armor. It’s often a fatal blow to the one got hit. These falcons would die when they hit an iron shield, so focus on defense." the mercenary replied.
"Got one!" Nana shouted as she shot down one of the birds with her new bow. Sensing that this was a precarious situation, Hiro enhanced Nana’s dexterity with his amphetamine skill.
Hiro watched as the falcons folded their wings. Like a volley of arrows, they dived at the mercenaries. He was amazed by the sheer force with which they collided with the bronze shields, shattering into pieces upon impact. The strike was powerful enough to dent the bronze.
Hiro couldn’t understand why these birds had such a suicidal tactic. He slithered out from Cecile and formed a thick iron plate armor on her head using his iron reserves. Nana was already agile enough not to need armor—she might lose her speed advantage if he encumbered her, so Hiro only armored Cecile. Thankfully, everyone was either looking at the sky or hiding under the wagon. None saw how Hiro slithered out from Cecile.
Afterward, Hiro slithered out and began eating the talons of the fallen birds. They were mostly made of calcium, and Hiro wasn’t sure how he would use it, as his knowledge of chemistry was limited to oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water. Still, he figured it was better to have some in reserve. He would experiment with it later. However, Hiro couldn’t collect too many beaks, as it would draw attention. He had to wait for moments when Cecile and Nana weren’t being watched to collect the beaks for later consumption.
However, the beak had some traces of tin. Hiro had seen a smith at work in this world before. If only he could procure some copper, he thought he could make bronze. He had some doubts because he couldn’t make steel yet. He thought steel was made by combining carbon and iron, but he wasn’t sure which kind of carbon was needed. Was it coal? He didn’t have any coal in his storage.
Hiro wondered if he needed a specific forging skill to make alloys. If that were the case, it meant he wouldn’t be able to create any alloys until he acquired such a skill.
"I noticed Hiro was swiping some of the birds’ remains. Here, I picked up all the beaks and talons from the arrow falcons," Cecile said, handing him what she had collected in a rucksack.