[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies":3,"chapter-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-89":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Kraft Anomalous Studies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283567,4467,"Chapter 89","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-89",89,"\u003Cp>【Acid】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Northian, the property “acid” and the taste “sour” share the same root and may also refer to certain corrosive substances. The drug researchers at the academy favored this usage, much like early alchemy; no one knows who borrowed from whom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is no strict definition yet—anything that smells sour or tastes sour may be called “___ acid.” If the discoverer fails to name it, the default is to take a representative segment from their own name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this acid had no name; its creator discovered its use in glassmaking upon accidental production and immediately deployed it, crafting a large batch of ornaments and alchemical instruments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At its peak, its exquisite effect led the Church of Consolation to adopt it as material for the holy symbol’s wing structures, giving birth to the largest and most perfect glass artifact in all of Northia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the day it was completed, the covering was removed at night by special exception—the radiant wings looked no less than divine. Some even mistook it for a manifestation of the Father, kneeling directly in the square to confess their deepest sins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of it ended there. Just as everyone expected the hero of this miracle to receive a glorious name, the supply of the alchemical agent that should have been called “___ acid” was abruptly cut off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the output had already been bought up during church construction; the remaining stock was swiftly sold out, producing the final batch of glassware sold at astronomical prices. A tiny fraction remained in the hands of alchemists desperate for fortune, who tried to crack its secret—yet achieved nothing before it was entirely consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inventor, who had grown rich from the secret formula, vanished without a trace, never naming his creation nor leaving behind his own name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some said he hid his identity out of fear of being targeted after amassing enough wealth; others speculated the Church, to preserve the uniqueness of the holy symbol, had secretly sent him to build a church for the Father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Various theories abound, yet none change the fact that “that whatever acid” can no longer be produced. The last remaining samples, insufficient even for new objects, were kept by a few interested parties—and have since been nearly forgotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here it is. Take a look. This is just a tiny bit I secretly saved back then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short-bearded, short-haired man pried off the wooden stopper, raised the bottle to his lips, and swallowed a large gulp, lost in the aftertaste of alcohol. “It’s rare of Adrian to be so generous—I’ve never seen him hand me a whole bottle before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small, unremarkable, grimy thick-glass bottle was pushed toward the visitor, sliding across the greasy table, nearly tumbling to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft’s eyes snapped shut the gap—he caught it before it could join the shattered glass on the ground. Inside the frosted bottle, a pale liquid swayed faintly, clinging slightly to the walls; the mouth was sealed with an uncommon glass stopper, waxed shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This casual gesture made it hard to believe the bottle held one of the rarest surviving alchemical agents—rather than some broken vessel filled with water to fool them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priest shrugged, signaling Kraft not to take offense—this man was always like this. They had already discussed Vechum yesterday; the gift was high-proof liquor made by a new distillation method, meant to coax the somewhat worn-out glassmaker back to work, to rekindle the furnace long left cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mission seemed difficult. They stepped into the workshop, crunching over glass shards that had gone uncleaned for who-knew-how-long. Glass vessels of all sizes lay scattered about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their shapes varied, mostly cylindrical and round-bellied bottles, followed by plates and basins, and the most numerous of all—shattered flat glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most were unfinished—blown and shaped from the furnace, then abandoned without further refinement, crudely molded into bottle forms and tossed aside. The flat glass bore no painted designs; its dull base color held Xuzhuang  impurities that had settled, and the cleaner fragments were picked out for comparison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corner lay many long, spindle-shaped shards, shaped to resemble the feathers of the holy symbol’s wings—handcrafted well, yet utterly lacking in transparency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All manner of glass was coated in dust, including the bottle Kraft now held—so thick it could leave a handprint on its surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the priest, during the time the church glass was still being made, Vechum was a good drinking companion of his; the distillation bottles were also products of that era. The glassmaker poured all his passion and talent into this new material, crafting the wings and drawing out long, sturdy necks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The discontinuation of the alchemical agent struck him hard; the entire room reeked of the same despair found elsewhere in the harbor district. No goal, no hope—after repeated attempts, he concluded that no breakthrough in craftsmanship could solve the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keeping it’s useless. This little amount won’t even fill a small cup. If only I could trade it for more wine, that’d be better.” He had fully embraced the harbor’s atmosphere, using alcohol to temporarily forget his outside failures—but he never returned to the church, for he could not avoid the now-lost masterpiece.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Father Adrian could not bear to watch him like this. He pulled a chair beside him and offered halting, unskilled comfort: “Do not force what fate refuses to give. Perhaps the gods deemed its purpose fulfilled and reclaimed from mortals the right to forge crystal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The effect was poor. Vechum muttered into his drink, “Stingy.” Knowing they still needed him to build a distiller, the priest ignored his blasphemy and did not expect to change his mind with a few words—so he simply watched silently as Vechum drank, savoring the sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft scraped off the wax seal and found it sealed with a full set of glass stoppers—far more labor-intensive than wood. Was this mere idleness—or necessity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his pocket he pulled a small scrap of linen, wiped his hands, then wrapped the stopper and lifted it carefully. A late warning came from across: “Don’t touch it. It’s less viscous now, but it’ll still burn your hand off easily. Try it with this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vechum fished a pitted, dented scrap of iron from a cabinet and handed it to Kraft. Scars of burns and corrosion stretched across his knuckles, though they did not severely impair finger movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few drops of liquid were poured onto the iron. New pits hissed with bubbles. “You say it was thicker before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Originally, it could char wood dropped into it. That’s gone now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft’s eyes widened—he had never imagined he’d fill the gap in his high school chemistry knowledge here. “Incredible, I thought…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To someone with insufficient understanding of chemical formulas, this substance seemed impossible in this age—perhaps not for centuries, until alchemists one day stumbled upon a new method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sulfuric acid. Concentrated enough to carbonize wood. A crucial path, long planned but distant, had just been opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he remembered his meager chemistry knowledge correctly—and he could not be wrong—mixing alcohol with concentrated sulfuric acid and heating it at the right temperature would produce a substance long desired: the earliest widely used surgical anesthetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ether】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where can I find more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None left. Just this. Those useless alchemists still haven’t figured it out—and wasted every last drop.” Vechum sank back into his chair, clutching the bottle. “If you want to trace its origin, I’ll give you the info for free—just promise me some if you find it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know where someone used to work for the inventor lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t bother. Since he fell, he’s been entirely cared for by his daughter—barely alive.” The priest doused the hope with cold water. He’d heard this many times before—originally from alchemists he drank with, whom he’d relayed to Vechum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d seen many strange illnesses—sudden loss of control over part or all of the body was not uncommon. Back when he hadn’t yet been expelled from the Confessional, he’d been called upon to exorcise such cases often—and never once had any recovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was no exception. Every physician summoned had eventually given up. Only his daughter still struggled—but to no avail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he sighed, Adrian suddenly spotted a blind spot: wasn’t there a decent doctor right here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think you should try.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1379,"2026-06-20T02:15:55.761Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","57b3873d9f79b8d0da0166680d2e117850ff2e8169d0f5b0e6399a3989392e41","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-90","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-88",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-cover.jpg"]