Chapter 17: Chapter 017 A Sudden Inspiration
Editor: Atlas Studios

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How to obtain a stronger current?

Perhaps using other plants besides fruit to make batteries could be worth a try. For example, the famous potato clock is made using potatoes.

But… it seemed that potatoes did not exist in the current medieval setting.

After all, according to Earth’s modern history, it wasn’t until the Age of Discovery after the medieval period that someone brought potatoes from South America to Europe.

In this world similar to the medieval period, Richard could not be sure if it was the one from Earth’s history, or if South America and Europe even existed. But it was true that there were no potatoes, so a potato clock was out of the question.

Besides, even if a potato clock were made, there was a high chance it would be a dud. After all, for plants to ensure their normal growth, their acidity couldn’t be too strong. It’s likely that even after experimenting with all the local plants in this world, the current generated by the batteries produced would only fall within the same limited range.

Given that…

Richard squinted his eyes, blinking rapidly.

Given that, then he would have to make a real battery, such as a Voltaic pile, Baghdad Battery, Alkaline Battery, and so on…

Although he felt like “slacking off,” it seemed that slacking off couldn’t solve the problem.

Richard thought to himself, turning around to instruct the two maids again before starting to operate.

After spending most of the day, using the materials at hand, he produced every kind of battery he could, lining them up in a big row on the table. Richard tested them and found none met the requirements.

Either the current was too weak or the voltage too small. Although it could be solved by configuring them in parallel or series, the power supply couldn’t be stabilized, fluctuating between strong and weak. Although he wasn’t sure what effect this would have on “Opening Magic Source,” Richard felt it was likely not a positive one.

“As expected, it’s still not working,” Richard murmured, exhaling a sigh of frustration. He shook his head, pushed open the door of his independent laboratory, and walked out. The maids Angel and Luna hurriedly followed.

The other maids in the hall, seeing Angel and Luna still with Richard, couldn’t help casting envious glances at the two. However, they quickly noticed the Prince’s displeased expression, and Angel and Luna seemed flustered, causing their gazes to turn into schadenfreude.

There was competition among the maids, and it was quite fierce. In the eyes of the other maids, Angel and Luna apparently failed to complete Richard’s task, angering him, which was good news for them.

“Tap, tap, tap,” Richard’s footsteps echoed as he crossed the hall and reached the palace entrance, realizing it was close to the afternoon–half the day had unknowingly passed.

After three experiments, the current problem still wasn’t resolved. What could be the solution?

Richard fell into deep thought.

The Personal Guard Captain, Edward, appeared, seeing Richard, intending to remind him not to forget lunch. But noticing Richard deep in thought, with his brows furrowed, Edward rationally stopped in his tracks, refraining from disturbing him.

The entire world suddenly became quiet, with the guards and maids in the palace tiptoeing around, trying to avoid making any noise that might disturb Richard’s thoughts and anger the Prince.

Richard, in this eerie silence, pondered long and hard, searching for a way to solve the problem.

After a while, Richard suddenly lifted his head, looking at the square in front of him.

“Flap, flap…”

Two gray sparrows nearly skimmed the surface of the square.

Turning his head, he looked above the palace doors. In a corner, a spider was spinning a vertical web quickly.

Squinting his eyes, Richard stretched out his hand, feeling the air’s humidity increase. He glanced at the sky; the Sun was still out, but the clouds were thickening, and the southern sky darkened bit by bit.

“Is it going to rain?” Richard squinted his eyes to a line.

Theoretically, this was normal, considering the days of scorching heat, with large amounts of water vapor evaporating into the air, having a high chance of rain. It looked like there would be a heavy downpour.

And once it rained, it would be accompanied by thunder.

Thunder, as a form of natural electricity, theoretically, was strong enough to alter the bioelectric current within a human body. But how to attract it down and control its use was the problem, especially since he didn’t want to be struck by lightning; that would be not scientific research but suicide.

In that case…

After a moment, Richard turned around with a plan and addressed the Personal Guard Captain, Edward, “Bring the craftsman from the Palace; I have something for him.”

“Um, yes…”