The Vigilant Guardian

Chapter Five: Unraveling the Mystery

A quarter of an hour later, two constables brought in the equipment and set it on the table.

The three officials glanced at the tools before turning their attention to Wei Wuji.

Governor Chen spoke in a deep voice, "Everything you asked for is here. Make sure to give me a satisfactory answer."

His tone had shifted.

After thinking for a long while in those fifteen minutes, this fourth-rank official had to admit that Wei Wuji's deductions made sense, but many mysteries remained, such as the undeniable fact of the tax silver falling into the river.

What lay behind it all was beyond his comprehension.

Wei Wuji nodded, squatting in front of the equipment, which included a candle, salt, a porcelain cup, and iron wire.

What he needed to do was simple: extract sodium metal using high school chemistry.

In this ancient world, such a feat was nearly impossible due to two hurdles: electricity and the melting point of sodium chloride.

However, Wei Wuji knew there was a profession that could accomplish this.

In this kingdom, Alchemists were a well-known occupation, their inventions and creations already woven into the lives of ordinary people.

While he wasn't certain that the explosive tax silver was definitely sodium, that detail didn't matter. What was important was opening a new line of thought to explain the phenomenon of the exploding silver.

In the process of solving a case, bold hypotheses and rigorous reasoning were essential early steps. Finally, evidence needed to be collected to confirm or refute these theories.

In his past life, he had witnessed a murder case that left a lasting impression. Detectives had worked tirelessly, generating multiple hypotheses based on clues, only to eventually overturn everything and start anew.

The tax silver might not be sodium at all, but it was enough that an Alchemist could achieve such a reaction.

Finding the correct direction was his main objective.

Once the direction was clear, he could follow the clues to uncover the true mastermind behind the case. If they remained mired in the belief of demons causing the chaos, they would never solve the case, and even if it was eventually resolved, the consequences could be dire.

He dissolved the coarse salt in water, stirred it, covered the cup with raw rice paper, and gradually poured in the saltwater.

After filtering, he placed the porcelain cup over the candle to heat it, stirring constantly with a bamboo stick.

Before long, the saltwater evaporated, leaving behind crystals of sodium chloride.

The goal was to purify the salt further.

Governor Chen, the middle-aged man, and the stunning girl in the yellow dress watched intently.

Wei Wuji looked up and smiled at the girl. "You must be a disciple of the Astronomical Bureau."

He had noticed the feng shui disc at her waist, something only disciples of the Astronomical Bureau would use.

The girl replied with a cheerful "Mm-hmm," "My master is the director of the Astronomical Bureau."

Her delicate oval face resembled a perfect eggshell, pale and flawless.

Being a disciple of the director... other concerns paled in comparison. Wei Wuji spoke gently, "Could you help me melt these crystals?"