Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord-Chapter 57: Nitroglycerin’s Dual Use

"Connor."

The old butler moved the basin and jar aside, clearing some space.

Hughes took a wad of cotton from the tray, flattened it with his hand, and placed it on the ground.

Then, he unscrewed a nearby bottle and dripped a few drops of liquid onto it.

Connor’s expression was complicated. He looked at the bottle of liquid with reverence.

"This substance is called nitroglycerin. One day, its name will resound throughout the world."

Not just its name, but also its sound, Connor thought to himself.

Hughes carefully put the bottle away, then picked up a hammer and handed it to Alexei.

"This is a medicine used to treat heart disease, but it has an additional use."

A medicine for heart disease?

Alexei was slightly disappointed. Treating heart disease was indeed impressive, but the market for such a drug was not vast.

If it were cheap enough, it could generate some profit, but the demand wouldn’t be high.

The nobles trusted the Church more, and their numbers weren’t large.

As for the poor? Most of them wouldn’t even know they had heart disease.

Without diagnosis and treatment, they would simply die without notice.

But why was Hughes giving him a hammer?

"Smash it."

"Smash it!?"

"Yes, hit the cotton with it. Also, you’d better step back a little."

Alexei was full of questions. Wasn’t this just a medicine?

Was this how it treated heart disease?

Still, he obediently swung the hammer down, without using too much force.

Boom!!!

A cloud of smoke rose, and Alexei coughed as he backed away, covering his mouth.

"Cough, Lord, is this... cough cough... really the heart medicine you were talking about?"

Hughes grinned.

"It does treat heart disease, but it’s also an excellent explosive, you saw how much I used, right?"

Alexei recalled the scene, and his eyes were suddenly filled with terror.

Hughes had only dripped a few drops!

As a graduate of the Royal Army Academy, Alexei had encountered the alchemical gunpowder issued to the Imperial army.

That substance was incredibly expensive, but it allowed muskets to penetrate most armor, making its cost justified on the battlefield.

Yet even that gunpowder required a small handful to achieve an effect comparable to what Hughes had just demonstrated with mere drops.

Alexei turned his head blankly to look at Hughes.

He didn’t know what expression he should have.

"This medicine, I mean, this great invention, does it..."

Alexei hesitated. The existence of such a thing would undoubtedly change the world. His mind was in chaos, and he felt dizzy.

"We’ll talk about this later. Right now, we don’t have the capacity to produce it on a large scale,"

"It requires the preparation of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Although we have the raw materials, the process is too complex. I need to first build a smelting furnace for iron sulfide ore, as well as the necessary reaction vessels. None of this can be done overnight."

"However, small-scale production won’t be an issue since we have a sulfur mine."

Laboratory preparation and industrial production were two entirely different things.

In a lab, Hughes could use risky or inefficient methods without concern for cost, but mass production required reliability.

He had to consider the skill and capabilities of the workshop workers.

An unsafe production process couldn’t be put into operation.

Alexei took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The power of nitroglycerin was simply too astonishing.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it could completely revolutionize warfare.

Strangely, Alexei felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing that it couldn’t be mass-produced yet.

A thought surfaced in his mind, one he didn’t even want to acknowledge: If future battlefields were dominated by this substance, would the military tactics he had learned still be useful?

He had once trained tirelessly, dreaming of becoming a knight as strong as the Empress’s chief bodyguard.

But could martial skills really withstand such terrifying explosions?

He didn’t know, nor did he want to find out.

He didn’t even dare to think too deeply about it.

Hughes gave him a meaningful glance but moved on from the topic.

Instead, he pointed at a nearby pot and began explaining the soap-making process.

"Saponification is a very basic chemical reaction. You can just think of it as alchemy. As long as the temperature is controlled and stirring is continuous, the process is stable and not dangerous. Just be careful not to get burned."

Alexei pulled out a notebook and started taking notes.

"The key points are simple. The necessary equipment includes a boiling pot and a stone mill for crushing olive oil. These are commonly found in distilleries and can be repurposed. The alkali source, wood ash, is also easy to prepare. Any issues?"

"No issues. The factory is already built. In three days, no, by tomorrow, production can begin."

"Good. Then I’ll leave the factory to you. Olive oil production and soap-making must be done in separate locations due to their differing safety requirements. I’ve compiled a manual for this. You can pick it up from me later."

"The school is also built, but we’re still waiting for teachers."

"Don’t worry about the school. I’ll personally take care of it," Hughes waved his hand dismissively.

He had already chosen a few literate servants and planned to teach some basic industrial knowledge himself.

He needed a large workforce with basic education.

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Soap-making was straightforward and low-risk, but nitroglycerin was an entirely different matter.

Nobel himself had lost his entire family while working with it.

Yes, that Alfred Nobel—the one behind the Nobel Prize.

Even later, his nitroglycerin factory suffered a severe explosion, which demonstrated the extreme dangers of the substance.

Hughes knew several ways to improve its safety, such as using diatomaceous earth, but he had a different idea.

He planned to test it with the Sirens.

He had only seen their magic in battle against the Fishmen, but those strange spells, combined with nitroglycerin, might yield fascinating results.

Hughes was eager to find out.

"For now, focus on getting the factory running. If you encounter any problems, come to me immediately. And I mean any problems. You must follow the manual strictly. I know some of the procedures may seem unreasonable, but you can ask me about them. However, they must be followed exactly."

Factories often had bizarre safety regulations, but behind each seemingly strange rule lay a lesson paid for in blood.

People in this era likely didn’t understand this concept yet, but Hughes intended to instill it gradually.

For some reason, he had a bad premonition.

Just a few days ago, he had been confident in his developments, but after witnessing the strange contamination and cognitive barriers, he hesitated.

The factory was built, and soon, results would speak for themselves.

There was no need to rush. For now, he would check on the school.

"I’m heading to school now. Send someone to inform the townsfolk—they can enroll today," Hughes said before turning to Connor. "Let’s delay our visit to the church. We’ll meet Sister Chloe tonight instead."