Strands of hair fell from the top of her head with the snip of scissors.
Without a mirror or anyone to help him, Todd could only carefully trim his hair while groping the top of his head with his blistered hands.
Looking at the curled, yellowed hair on his hands, burned by the high temperature, and feeling the waves of pain from the scalded blisters on his skin, the monk recalled the fire the night before last and couldn't help but shudder from the depths of his body.
That's too risky!
I will never do such a thing again!
However, judging from the results, yesterday's meticulously planned performance successfully deceived everyone and resolved the lead poisoning crisis. Otherwise, his important source of experimental funding would have vanished.
The various strange phenomena observed during exorcism rituals may seem terrifying and sound horrifying, but they are actually just basic chemical reactions. In my previous life, even high school students could easily perform these in a laboratory.
The reddish-brown blood on the linen, paper, and rooftops was a reaction between ferric chloride solution and sodium hydroxide, producing ferric hydroxide solution (reddish-brown) and sodium chloride.
Todd originally intended to react ferric chloride solution with potassium thiocyanate to produce ferric thiocyanate dichloride (blood red) for a realistic effect. However, the preparation of thiocyanate compounds required ammonia (invented in 1909, for which Fritz Haber won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry), and the latter was extremely difficult to produce, making it impossible under the current conditions of the other world. Therefore, he opted for sodium hydroxide as a second choice. Fortunately, it was dark at the time, and no one noticed the difference in color.
The explosion inside the room used black powder, but the chemical ratios were slightly altered to ensure strong sound and light effects while minimizing lethality. The detonation mechanism employed sulfuric acid combustion, inspired by landmines used during the Anti-Japanese War. A piece of waxed paper was placed on the explosive, with a few drops of concentrated sulfuric acid dripped onto it. Any movement would cause the sulfuric acid to drip into the explosive, triggering a chain reaction of explosions.
As for the heavenly fire that engulfed his entire body, although the effect looked very cool, it almost cost him his life.
This was originally an idea that Todd had on a whim, which came from a jar of fibrous silicate minerals that sat in his laboratory.
This mineral also has a common name – asbestos.
The loose-fitting monk's robes, combined with the dim lighting, provided excellent cover. The thick layer of asbestos sewn inside the robes blocked the high temperatures and flames, and also served as an explosion-proof measure. Even so, when the flames ignited, Todd, still worried, secretly hid a large amount of salt in his sleeves and sprinkled it on his body while holding the robes above his head, reducing the surface temperature of the flames and slowing their spread.
The final and most thrilling scene is how to survive the fire after everyone else has escaped from the hut.
The principle is actually quite simple. Todd prepared several wooden cylinders in advance, divided into two layers. One layer contained vinegar and wax powder, and the other layer contained sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). When the flames approached, simply smashing the wooden cylinders underfoot would produce a large amount of carbon dioxide and foam, which would extinguish the fire and create a barrier.
As for those scenes of burlap ascending and demons shrieking, they are just simpler magic tricks, so let's not talk about them.
For the two craftsmen suffering from acute lead poisoning.
After the exorcism, Todd prepared a 1% sodium sulfate solution and performed gastric lavage on the two patients to remove the insoluble lead sulfate from their bodies. He then supplemented their treatment with egg whites and goat milk. The patients have now regained consciousness, but their bodies have suffered permanent damage.
Therefore, the monk simply handed over some production safety regulations from his previous life to Huggins, the craftsmen, and the apprentices, strictly ordering them to abide by them. Judging from their obsequious expressions, such an accident should not happen again.
Knock knock knock.
There was a knock on the laboratory door.
Todd put down the scissors and blinked in confusion.
This secluded place is usually only frequented by Hudgens, Edgar, and Jerry, but any one of them always just pushes the door open and comes in. So why is there a knock?
He called out, "Come in!" and the door was pushed open a crack. Edgar, the little brat, poked his head in.
Looking at Todd with a restrained expression, he whispered, "Mr. Todd, you'd better come out and take a look..."
What did you call me?! Sir?!
The boy whose name was called glanced at Edgar speechlessly, thinking to himself, "When did you learn to use polite language? In the past, when I was in a good mood, I would call him Todd, but when I was in a bad mood, I would just say 'you you you'."
Follow Edgar through the underground corridor to the surface cemetery, then through the cathedral's main hall, and toward the monastery's antechamber where guests are received.
The increasingly noisy crowd made Todd suspicious.
The San Sidlow Monastery is located in a remote area and rarely receives visitors, so it's unusual for it to be so noisy.
As Todd climbed the steps to the front hall, he was so shocked by the sight before him that he gasped.
The small hall was packed with people who had come from all directions, each looking towards the monastery's inner courtyard with expectant and excited expressions. Outside the hall, the streets were bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of conversation, prayer, and hawking. Carts and livestock had already completely blocked the small square.
A sharp-eyed believer spotted Todd approaching the hall and shouted, "Look! Look! The Holy Son is on a procession!"
Instantly, hundreds of eyes turned towards the monks and apprentices. People bent their knees and knelt on the ground. Some prayed for the highest protection, some asked for divine forgiveness, and some begged the Holy Son to exorcise demons for them.
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