Chapter 173: Verification of Redstone Technology (1)
“Today, we will investigate the mysterious substance known as Redstone (Tone-Mag), which can be found right here in the Port Town of Terek!”
About a week had passed since Asahi had arrived in Terek, and it seemed she had finally decided that it was time to produce some tangible results after wandering about freely until now. If it were Commander Eve, she would likely encourage Asahi to enjoy herself without worry, but it appeared that merely idling away her time was beginning to weigh on her conscience.
“What we know so far is that when pressure is applied, it generates heat, and as it heats up, its mass decreases. In other words, it produces heat while consuming mass!”
Ringo had also conducted a preliminary investigation into Redstone, but it seemed she had left the finer details unexamined. The scientific approach had proven to be rather perplexing, which was likely the source of their confusion.
“The elemental composition remains unknown! It is truly a mysterious substance!”
While it was possible to make contact with it, its existence as a material was confirmed. However, no matter the approach taken, the elements identified scientifically did not seem to match.
In fact, depending on the method of investigation, the identified elements varied. In one test, it might be classified as carbon, while in another, it could be identified as iron. Moreover, even within the same test, the results could change.
“It is indeed a wondrous (fantasy) substance!”
First, additional tests were conducted to examine its material properties.
The heat generation upon applying pressure was confirmed by physically squeezing it with a vise.
The amount of heat generated remained constant for a while, then gradually diminished until it ceased to produce heat. During the heating phase, its mass decreased at a steady rate. Adjusting the applied pressure also altered the amount of heat generated, which seemed to be proportional to the integral value of the pressure applied.
Smaller crystals would eventually disappear completely while generating heat. The smaller the fragment, the faster it vanished. However, since the amount of heat generated was proportional to the applied pressure, smaller pieces were easier to lose, indicating that their heat generation efficiency was lower.
“Hmm… I don’t quite understand it, but it seems that pressure, heat generation, and disappearance rate all depend on mass. There doesn’t seem to be any variation in results each time we test, so I believe we can trust these findings!”
Unlike the investigation of the elemental composition, the results did not change with each verification. Just confirming this was a significant advancement.
“The larger the crystal, the slower the rate of mass loss. The amount of heat generated remains unchanged. In other words, larger crystals are more efficient! While it can’t be explained scientifically, let’s just accept it as it is! Honestly, Ringo should learn to accept things as they are!”
Asahi continued her verification while casually dissing Ringo. At this point, eight hours had passed since the testing began.
She was still full of energy.
Next, she exposed the Redstone to flames. When she placed a fragment into the flame of a gas burner, it was confirmed that it also generated heat before disappearing.
“Hmm, so burning it generates heat just like applying pressure?”
Through various tests, it became clear that applying heat initiated the heat generation process. Essentially, the amount of heat generated and the duration of heat production were determined in proportion to the heat applied, just like with pressure.
“If we add more Redstone to the one that is generating heat, it can continue to produce heat in succession. Well, we can understand that as being similar to conventional fuels.”
Providing heat could be achieved not only by roasting it over flames but also by heating it with microwaves or laser light. It seemed that immersing it in high-temperature oil was also acceptable.
“Hmm, I wonder if it generates heat underwater?”
She pressed it with a vise underwater.
“…Oh? It doesn’t seem to generate heat.”
After several attempts, she confirmed that there was a slight amount of heat being generated, with the water temperature rising slightly.
“Hmm. It seems to be less prone to heat generation underwater. It doesn’t seem to be simply losing heat to the water either.”
After repeated measurements, it was determined that the heat generation was less than one-hundredth of that in the air. Specifically, it was confirmed to be 1/121.13.
“Is this some kind of constant? I checked the library, but I couldn’t find any corresponding values. It might be a value unique to Redstone or something related to magic. I should make a note of this.”
The current equipment could only measure up to two decimal places, so this would need to be verified on another occasion.
“It generated heat perfectly in oil, but perhaps water is the key factor?”
When partially submerged in water, the heat generation was roughly halved. This was determined to be because the heat generation in the submerged portion was 1/121.
“Just getting wet isn’t enough. It seems that a certain mass is required for it to be considered submerged.”
Through continued measurements, it was confirmed that this applied when the mass was greater than that of the Redstone submerged in water. Specifically, it appeared that the water surface in contact served as the reference.
The determination of the water surface depended on the state of the water in contact; for instance, if three droplets of water were present, the surface connecting the farthest points from the center of those droplets would be considered the water surface.
She was curious about how this would behave in a zero-gravity environment, but that could be measured on another occasion.
The same results were confirmed with ice; even after freezing it in a partially submerged state, the same phenomenon was observed.
Simply pressing ice against it did not yield any results, but when the contact surface melted due to heat generation, pressure from the water was created. It seemed there was no distinction between ice and water; the contact area was crucial. If there was air in between, the determination of being submerged would not occur.
“Having metal or oil in between doesn’t work either. It seems that the state of being in contact with water is essential.”
Afterward, she experimented with various liquids other than water, such as silicone oil and alcohol, as well as different aqueous solutions like seawater. The results revealed that moisture was indeed a critical component.
“Hmm, even if there are impurities, as long as water is the main component, it seems to be classified as water.”
It appeared that if the impurity content exceeded approximately 25%, it would no longer be classified as water.
“Surprisingly, it’s not 50%.”
Whether the 25% was precisely 25% remained unclear due to the precision of the equipment, but this too would need to be investigated further on another occasion.
“Alcohol with around 30% proof doesn’t get classified as water. I wonder if, in a fantasy context, it’s considered alcohol instead of water?”
It wasn’t the case that heat suppression depended solely on the moisture content. In any case, when in contact with a solution that was at least 75% water, a certain heat suppression effect occurred. It was a mysterious phenomenon, but it seemed there was no choice but to accept it as it was.
Now, the next verification would be whether Redstone could be cut.
“I was able to scratch it with a hard cutting tool.”
When she rubbed it with a tool designed for machining, scratches appeared on the surface. Simultaneously, a slight amount of heat was generated.
“It can be cut, but it also generates heat. Hmm, is this judged the same way as applying pressure?”
She measured the area of the cutting edge while repeating the experiment. It appeared that the pressure applied was less than expected, but it was clear that heat was being generated due to the pressure.
“Well, the fact that it can be cut is good news. Its hardness seems to be roughly comparable to quartz. Since it generates heat and loses mass when cut, that needs to be factored in when processing. It seems we could process it quite freely underwater!”
At this point, thirty hours had passed since the verification began.
Having gone too far, Ringo directly complained, prompting Asahi to take a short rest for the sake of the Brain Unit’s well-being.