I took the completed bottle from the item box, opened the lid, and saw a colorless, thick liquid inside. So this is nitroglycerin (provisional). I confirmed it and then stored it back in the item box.
In my current alchemy workshop, I don't seem to be experiencing any unusual effects on my body. I expected that the physical exertion would lead to some sort of backlash, but it appears that the level of fatigue isn't quite enough to cause that. If I need to produce large quantities of something in the future, there's a chance I could lose momentum quickly, so it's best to proceed in stages.
"Glycerin: Alchemize!"
"Glycerin: Alchemize!"
It seems that my alchemizing of nitroglycerin didn't consume any sulfuric acid, and the additional attempts didn't leave me feeling exhausted. I managed to create three vials of nitroglycerin (tentatively labeled). I hope they don't explode in my item box. By the way, although I performed the alchemizing process three times, I still have some sulfuric acid left. That might come in handy later. Interestingly, the glycerin and nitric acid, which I thought I had haphazardly created, were perfectly consumed, showcasing the workshop's benefits.
Now that I was prepared to counterattack, I took a brief break before heading to the location where I had built a bridge during my escape. The hole in the high wall was temporarily patched with wooden planks. I couldn't see beyond the wall, but I had a sense of what lay inside. There didn't seem to be anyone there for now.
I pulled out three bodies from my item box and placed them within the area. Even without visible confirmation, I somehow knew I could retrieve items from a distance. My ability to vaguely sense the conditions in areas I couldn't see directly is likely a benefit of my skills, though I can't pinpoint exactly which skill it is. Perhaps there's a synergistic effect at play among my skills.
I adjusted the positions of three corpses in the item box, ensuring they lay face up, then carefully placed a bottle of nitroglycerin (placeholder) on each chest. With this setup, if the bodies were moved and the bottles fell, any shock to the nitroglycerin would likely lead to an explosion. If my adversaries weren't foolish, they should receive the message: "Don't mess with me." If they still didn't understand it, I'd have to take more drastic measures.
I realized my thoughts had turned combative. Was it the influence of being transported to another world, or had I always been this way? Either way, it didn't matter. I decided to live freely from now on! In fact, it was more accurate to say I'd live even more freely than I had before.
The bell had rung at three o'clock, and the sun was beginning to set, signaling that it was time to return to the inn for dinner.
By the way, I wondered about the range of my item box. It felt like I could store and retrieve items from quite a distance. On my way back, I tested this by picking up and putting down small stones by the roadside. I discovered that the effective range for both storage and retrieval was approximately 100 meters around me. The distance was the only limitation; it didn't matter whether I could see the items directly, as I had confirmed with the corpses earlier.
This means that I can do just about anything, right? If I put my mind to it, everything within a hundred meters radius can be considered mine. For instance, I can sense that the man walking in front of me has a bag of gold in his chest pocket, and I can even feel that it contains four silver coins, three large copper coins, and six smaller copper coins. If I really wanted to, I could store that money in my item box. But I won't.
After experimenting a bit, I returned to my inn, and at 6 PM, I heard the dinner bell and headed to the dining hall. As expected, the dinner wasn't exactly delicious.
Once I finished eating and returned to my room, I decided to close the shutters before lying down. Suddenly, I heard a distant "boom." Looking outside, I saw a gray mushroom cloud rising into the evening sky. It was in the direction of the building I had just fled. Poor souls. Nitroglycerin isn't supposed to be a high-performance explosive, but it seemed to pack more punch than I expected.
Feeling somewhat accomplished, I tried to fight off the urge to sleep, fearing I might wake up in the middle of the night. But the fatigue was overwhelming.
Meanwhile, three high school girls had been summoned to this otherworld. Emily Yamada and Kazuha Tahara, the two girls with brown hair, had been classmates since middle school and were now in the same class as second-year high school students.
Hana Munechika, with her long black hair styled in twin braided tails, attends the same high school as the others but is in a different class, leaving them with little connection. Their simultaneous summoning was purely coincidental. Rockwell Zenjiro, who was also summoned alongside the three, found himself taken to another room by soldiers after being evaluated for a profession and skills, neither of which he possessed.
Later, the old man explained the reason for their summoning: to retrieve a hidden treasure lying at the lowest depths of a certain dungeon. While they had summoned the three of them, there was currently no way to send them back; however, obtaining that treasure would enable their return.
After the explanation, the three were shown around the facility, known as Akina Temple, where the old man served as the highest-ranking high priest. While Emily Yamada and Kazuha Tahara seemed to accept the old man's words, Hana was skeptical. She couldn't trust the words of those who would abduct people for their own ends. She doubted that even if they retrieved the treasure as claimed by the high priest, there would be any guarantee of returning to their original world.
Once the old man finished his explanation, the three followed a temple maid to their designated living quarters. Unlike the priestesses involved in sacred rites, the temple maids focused on assisting the temple's higher-ups.
"This is my room!" exclaimed Emily Yamada. "It's spacious, bright, and clean."
"I'm taking this bed!" she declared, jumping onto one of the beds.
Seeing this, Kazuha Tahara quickly added, "Then I'll take this bed!" and jumped onto the bed next to Emily's.
"Wow, this bed is so fluffy!" Kazuha squealed. "It feels amazing!"
The room contained four beds, but without consulting Sanzen'in Hana, Emily and Kazuha claimed the two beds by the window for themselves. Sanzen'in Hana said nothing and opted for one of the remaining beds, choosing one farther away from the two friends.
"By the way, that guy earlier was hilarious—he had no skills or profession! Haha!" Emily laughed from her bed.
"We really did transfer to another world, didn't we? And having no skills or profession? That's just ridiculous. What a joke!" Kazuha joined in, mocking Rokuwell Zenjiro.
Sitting quietly in the corner on a chair, Sanzen'in Hana felt uncomfortable listening to their laughter, but she didn't want to stir up trouble, so she remained silent.
At that moment, the earlier mentioned man, Rockwell Zenjiro, was busy planning his escape in the basement.
That evening, a dinner party was held in the temple's grand hall. During the gathering, the High Priest informed the three that they would start with theoretical lessons to gradually acclimate to this world and its skills from Tomorrow. However, Emily Yamada and Kazuha Tahara, despite being underage, were too focused on their wine to pay much attention. Misen-in Hana, who had actually listened, tried to gauge the Akina Temple's intent beyond artifact retrieval but found it hard to imagine, having never encountered tales of transfer or reincarnation before.
Amidst this, a sudden, earth-shattering boom erupted.
Bang!
Fortunately, nothing on the table toppled, but partitions in the room crashed to the ground.
"What just happened? An explosion?"
Luckily, the thunderous sound seemed to be a single occurrence.
"Please remain calm," a priest rushed out of the hall. Almost immediately, another priest dashed in, delivering a rapid report to the High Priest.
"We don't have all the details yet, but part of the temple has been damaged. However, it's under control now."
Hearing the High Priest's words, Emily Yamada and Kazuha Tahara felt a wave of relief wash over them.
Meanwhile, Sanzenin Hana pondered the meaning of "broken." When they said the building was destroyed, could it have been blown apart by an explosion—or worse, deliberately demolished? If that were the case, there might be organizations or individuals capable of confronting the Great Temple with force. The words "It's okay" offered her no comfort, as she grappled with her uncertainty about the situation.
Despite Hana's unease, the maids tidied up the hall, and the dinner proceeded as if nothing had happened.
The next morning, shortly after dawn, the temple maids brought breakfast to their room. Emily Yamada and Kazuha Tahara, both nursing hangovers, merely drank water before calling it breakfast. In contrast, Sanzenin Hana made sure to eat heartily.
After breakfast, the three were taken to a meeting room for lessons. The first class was on the history of Akina Temple, taught by one of its priests. They were seated, and while Hana attentively listened, Emily and Kazuha quickly closed their eyes, drifting off into a light sleep.
The lecturer continued, focusing on Hana, who was fully engaged in the lecture. Even after lunch, the lessons persisted. Despite having eaten well, both Emily and Kazuha found themselves dozing off once more, just as they had in the morning.
After finishing their lessons for the day, the three returned to their room to take a bath. Each was attended by a maid who washed her body and hair. After soaking in the warm water, they enjoyed a massage and changed into fresh clothes.
Next came dinner. The meal, served by the maids in their room, was luxurious, though not as grand as the banquet from the night before. Wine was available, but as expected, both Emily Yamada and Kazuha Tahara abstained from alcohol.
Having slept well during the day, Emily and Kazuha found themselves wide awake at night, chatting and laughing heartily until late into the evening.
Meanwhile, Sanzenin Hana thought about the next day and tried to sleep early, burying her face in her pillow until she finally dozed off.
The next morning brought another set of lessons, and once again, Emily and Kazuha dozed off during class, letting time slip away.
A new day had arrived. A hopeful morning!
Joking aside, they had slept soundly through the night without interruption, and the feared attack never came. I wonder if those guys understood my message.
Descending to the dining hall, they had a rather unappetizing breakfast. I needed to think about the meals eventually.
"Auntie, there's a large mansion or maybe a temple over there, right?"
I struck up a conversation with the waitress. Gathering information is important.
"Oh, you mean Akina Temple? Apparently, there was a loud noise yesterday evening, and the roof of one of the buildings blew off."
The power of that nitroglycerin (or whatever it was) must have been incredible. They probably detonated three bottles' worth under the roof. An explosion in a confined space amplifies its force.
"Is that place called Akina Temple? I could see a huge cloud of smoke even from my room. I wonder what happened."
"I have no idea, but it could be some kind of divine punishment, who knows? But keep this between us."
"I won't tell a soul.
By the way, I'd like to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Is there a place around here, like an open market, where individuals can sell their goods? Something called Blue Sky Market?"
"Oh, the Blue Sky Market? Just step outside and walk about five minutes down the road; there's a plaza. Anyone can sell their stuff there as long as they're in the right area."