Chapter 2:
Water
I LAY ON MY STOMACH IN BED AND BEGAN TO read Introduction to Alchemy: Part 1.
Hm? We’re starting with water? I noticed.
I understood water that wasn’t clear was dirty, but apparently even clear water wasn’t guaranteed to be pure. There could be colorless substances dissolved in it, or bacteria too small to see, some of which might be harmful. Apparently, using bad water in Alchemy was a big no-no.
Hm, maybe I should look at different kinds of water…
First up was well water. There was already some drawn and sitting in the kitchen.
Water
Quality: Normal (-1)
Status: Contains a small amount of bacteria, so be sure to boil before using.
Eek, there really is invisible bacteria in it! I thought.
I turned and called out to one of the cooks in the kitchen. “Pardon me, Maria.”
“Yes, Miss Daisy? May I help you with something?” Maria wiped her hands on her apron and came over to me.
“Do we drink this water straight from the well?”
She shook her head. “The water we use for the family is either boiled and used for tea, or boiled and then cooled down for drinking. Even when we cook with it, it’s always boiled first.”
“Hmm, I see,” I said. “Hey, Maria? Do you have any water that’s already been boiled and cooled?”
She disappeared into the back of the kitchen and then came back with a cup full of water. “Here you go.”
I peered into the cup at the water inside.
Water
Quality: Normal
Status: Sanitized and suitable for drinking.
Well, it seemed like the conditions in our kitchen were just fine.
“Thank you, Maria!” I gulped down the water, handed the cup back to her, and left the kitchen.
Next, I decided to investigate the pond in the rose garden. It was dirty, just as I suspected.
Water
Quality: Low
Status: Contains dirt, bacteria, and insects. Do not drink.
I also looked at the rainwater that had collected in the basin.
Water
Quality: Normal (-2)
Status: Contains pollutants from the air. Unsafe to drink.
Hmm, so you really do have to boil water for it to be Normal. I wondered if there was any other way to improve the quality.
I ran back to my bedroom and opened the book again. There was more information there about water. It said that, when making something with Alchemy, one should use a distiller to remove impurities from the water.
Maybe I should try it? I thought. I’d like to see how the process works and then compare it to what’s written in this book.
I hugged Introduction to Alchemy: Part 1 to my chest and went back to my laboratory. Using the illustration in the book as a guide, I was able to find the equipment I needed.
“So this is it.”
A distiller worked like this: Two flasks, which were glass bottles shaped with a round bottom and narrow neck, were connected by a glass tube. One flask held the liquid to be distilled, while the other collected the purified result. Beneath the flask containing the initial liquid was a magical tool called a burner, with a cooling unit attached to the glass tube connecting the flasks.
I grabbed one of the flasks, went to the kitchen and filled it with well water, then brought it back to my laboratory. Since I was only five years old, I wasn’t allowed to do experiments by myself, so one of the servants came with me.
This was my very first experiment.
I wondered if I could do it the way the book described. My heart pounded, and I was very nervous. I was mainly worried that I might break the equipment my father had so kindly given me as a present.
I hesitantly touched the glass instruments. They looked so fragile that I was afraid even that much might break them, but they felt surprisingly sturdy. I could even tap them with my fingernails without any problems. This set me at ease so I could start my work.
I set the flask filled with well water onto the distiller and anxiously flipped the switch. The burner turned on, and tiny bubbles began forming in the heated flask, gradually growing larger. Steam filled the top of the flask until the water was at a vigorous boil. Droplets formed in the cooling unit before trickling down the glass tube into the receiving flask.
After a while, most of the water had been transferred, so I turned off the heater and compared the water in both flasks.
Water
Quality: Good
Status: Pure, distilled water.
“Wow! This is just like the distilled water from the book!” I said.
And the quality had improved from before.
“My experiment was a success!” I blurted out, overcome with excitement and emotion.
While I was at it, I examined the first batch of water I put in the flask.
Water
Quality: Normal (-2)
Status: Water with concentrated impurities. Waste.
That meant that as the water distilled, the impurities in the original liquid became more concentrated, which lowered the quality.
My experiment had been a success! I produced distilled water, which was a basic tool of experimentation! I was so happy and excited, I kept comparing the contents of the two flasks back and forth. Unfortunately, the maid who was supervising my experiment couldn’t tell the difference between the two flasks of water at all, and returned to her work with a perplexed expression.