"Eleven years ago?" Edward was momentarily confused, not immediately understanding what Richard was referring to.
"At that time, I was four, and you were nine," Richard began, his voice steady. "One day, I managed to extract a small piece of sodium. You didn't know what it was, but instinctively, you thought it was valuable and demanded it from me. Since I had a use for it, I, of course, refused to give it to you.
And then you did something very direct—you grabbed my throat and forced me to hand it over. I struggled, but at that age, my body was no match for yours. You had me in a chokehold, squeezing until I was on the verge of suffocating."
Edward still couldn't recall the incident, but a cold smile crept across his face as he listened. A faint sense of triumph appeared.
"You must have thought I would give in," Richard continued, his face unchanged. "But I didn't. I dug my nails into the back of your hand, and then pressed the sodium onto the wound you had caused.
You didn't know what sodium was, but I did. Sodium is a highly reactive alkali metal, and when it comes into contact with water, it reacts violently. In larger quantities, it can even cause an explosion. So when I pressed the sodium onto your bleeding hand, it reacted with your blood, burning and irritating your skin with intense heat.
You were frightened and let go of me, running away. I didn't die, but I lost the sodium I had worked so hard to extract."
Edward's expression darkened as the memory returned to him. Instinctively, he touched the scar on the back of his hand, his eyes flashing with anger.
"To be honest," Richard continued, unaffected by Edward's shift, "that was the first time you ever really tried to kill me, and it was a close call. A return gift seems in order for me. I should give you a gift of even greater value..."
"Enough!" Edward couldn't contain himself any longer. He interrupted Richard, his voice laced with anger, and pressed his hand over the scar. "I did want to kill you, so what? You're a monster and shouldn't even exist in this world! I should've just ignored the pain and killed you then, and I wouldn't have been forced to leave the castle for eleven years!"
His rage intensified. "But you know what? Despite being forced to leave, I've returned as a count, with countless soldiers, far stronger than you. Look at me now, standing right here in front of you with a sword in hand, ready to kill you! What can you do about it?"
"I don't seem to be able to do anything," Richard said with a shrug, a nonchalant expression on his face. "But at least I've given you one last gift."
With that, Richard made a slight movement, and a coin appeared between his fingers. He swiftly tossed it toward Edward.
Edward reflexively caught the coin, frowning as he inspected it. "What's this? Trying to buy me off, let you escape? Sure, gold coins are precious, but they're not enough to buy your life, are they? Or do you think your life is worth just one gold coin, my dear brother—Richard Angrel?"
"In fact, this is not money to buy my life," Richard corrected him, his tone serious. "It's... something that will take your life."
"Huh?" Edward froze for a moment, suddenly feeling something strange in his hand. He looked down and saw the gold coin melting in his palm, turning into liquid that flowed from his hand and dripped onto the bridge below.
"What is this?!" Edward's voice trembled with fear as he shook his hand vigorously to get rid of the strange golden liquid. Immediately, a large patch of gold appeared on the bridge, slowly seeping through the cracks in the wooden planks.
Richard then explained, "This is my gift to you. It's called cesium—a metal, just like sodium. It's an alkali metal. You might ask what alkali metals are. Well, I can tell you, there's a table in the world, called the periodic table, which records all the elements that have been discovered. The alkali metals are on the far left side of the table. From top to bottom, they become more and more reactive. The first and least reactive is lithium, followed by sodium, then potassium, rubidium, cesium, and finally, francium.
Theoretically, francium is the most reactive, but due to its unstable atomic structure, it decays in just 21 minutes, making it impossible to extract in pure form. Cesium, however, is the most reactive alkali metal you can actually obtain. And as for its reactivity, I won't go into detail. You only need to know two things: first, its melting point is less than 27°C, which is why it melted so quickly in your hand; second, even if it comes into contact with ice at -116°C, it will react explosively. And now, the river here is just around freezing."
Edward's pupils constricted. He didn't fully understand all of Richard's explanation, but he grasped the dangerous implications. The strange liquid he had just seen, and the nearby river water, could only mean one thing—danger.
Without another thought, Edward looked down and saw the liquid cesium finally drip through the cracks in the bridge, falling into the river below.
The next moment, as the cesium touched the water, it was like puncturing a fully inflated balloon.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion shook the air, and the flames in the water spread like dye. A shockwave surged outward, creating a massive wave that crashed over the bridge. The wooden planks of the bridge splintered and cracked under the impact, and more cesium dropped into the water.
The explosions kept coming.
"Crack!"
In the chain of explosions, the bridge split in two, sending debris flying, and the explosion created a catastrophic shockwave. It was like a mountain crashing into the river, causing the entire river to ripple, splitting down the middle as if a tidal wave had breached its banks.
The intense blast lifted the wooden bridge from its foundation, sending it flying into the air. The trees along the riverbank, their leaves stripped away, snapped under the force, their trunks and branches breaking.
The shockwave sent a dense cloud of white vapor into the air, like thick mist, obscuring vision.
Amidst the blinding mist, a coughing sound broke through. Edward staggered to his feet in panic.
He hadn't been seriously injured—when the second explosion occurred, he was knocked off the bridge and onto the bank, only suffering a few scrapes and bruises. But the series of explosions that followed left him shaken. The final massive blast sent a cold wave of river water crashing over him, sending a shiver through his body.
After a moment, his soldiers helped him to his feet. He was still reeling, grateful that he had been pushed off the bridge earlier—otherwise, who knew what might have happened?
As he reflected, a sense of fear lingered. Edward couldn't help but wonder if he should try to beg Richard for mercy. He wanted to tell him that he wouldn't provoke him again, but the last vestige of his pride kept him from doing so.
He thought for a moment, then looked up at the destroyed bridge. Richard must have used his last piece of the strange "gold coin." There was no way he could still pose a threat.
With a sneer, Edward shouted into the mist, "Richard, your gifts are nothing. They didn't hurt me at all! You can't kill me—never!"
The wind stirred, and as the white mist began to dissipate, Richard's figure emerged from the other side of the river.
He stood calmly, observing Edward, and in his mind, a small, regretful thought passed. Despite all his efforts, Edward seemed strangely lucky to have survived, while still foolishly boasting. Richard's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene.
Finally, he asked quietly, "Are you sure I can't kill you?"
Edward blinked in confusion.
Richard raised his hand, and a series of incomprehensible words left his lips.
An invisible wave of energy pulsed, and a series of fireballs materialized in the air, hurtling toward Edward like arrows.
Edward's eyes widened in shock, and his soldiers shouted, "A wizard! A spell!"
With barely any time to react, Edward scrambled to retreat, but he couldn't move fast enough. The fireballs were closing in rapidly, growing larger with every passing second, until they filled his entire field of vision.
With a deafening explosion and a scream, Richard slowly turned and walked away, disappearing into the forest as the remaining soldiers watched in stunned silence.