The Senate members were dumbfounded when they heard Castiel's plans for the alternative of whale oil. Some didn't even understand what he was saying. Castiel wanted to build some sort of ‘fusion’ reactor, and nuclear fission was out of the question because he didn't want to make the same mistake as the people back on earth made. The meltdown of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was still one of the biggest examples of a nuclear disaster. Then there was the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and the biggest of them all: the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed more than 200,000 people in the two cities. Anything fission, be it for energy or weapons, always came with world-ending possibilities.
So, clean energy is the only way, which means Solar, Wind, and Hydro energy but the cost and infrastructure are the major issues. Also, Renewable Energy Is not available round the clock. Then there is the problem of maintenance. People will need to be taught the science behind all of this, and that alone will take more than 100 years. The only alternative is to build the Fabled ARC REACTOR.
Back on earth, Germany, France, China and United States were already trying to build Arc Fusion Reactors, but it would take them 20-25 years and billions of dollars even if they could make it work. Arc means affordable, robust, and compact, exactly what Castiel wants, and he wants it right now. On earth, it’s simply not possible to build a self-sustaining Arc Reactor. The theoretical Heavy Element required to power the reactor core cannot be synthesized without violating the Law of Conservation of Energy because energy can't be created or destroyed, only transferred. Unless! You live in a world where magic is real, and the laws of physics are bent at will, which blurs the line between fiction and reality.
Thanks to magic, creating the Arc Reactor would be easy, but the Heavy Element is going to be complicated. Thankfully, Castiel has been preparing for the last two years for this project. He intends to use the Amoyo seeds he has been growing in the Oasis as a power source to run the Enchanted Particle Accelerator, which he already made with the help of the Royal Smith. The Magical Energy should be sufficient to synthesize the new Heavy Element.
The Arc Reactor will need to be created by Rune-smithing, which will automatically control the amount of electricity it will produce, and it needs to be done when no one is around Castiel. Rune-smithing is powerful because a part of the smithing process is like creating computer scripts for programming. Castiel has been practicing with the help of the Dragonewts. He aims to create nine reactors in six months for all the major cities in the country, and four more, later in the year to light up the rest of the nation.
Next are the LED Bulbs and Tubes, which could easily be made using Gallium Arsenide as a semiconductor and refined Polycarbonate transparent plastic as a cover. Unlike the scarcity back on Earth, there are untapped natural resources in this world. But even after making all of this, there is one BIG, UNDENIABLE, ESSENTIAL hurdle that Castiel alone cannot overcome.
“Infrastructure! This project requires a countrywide infrastructure build-up. Power Stations to generate electricity, underground electrical wiring for Transmission, and Transformers to distribute it.” Castiel said with assertiveness.
“My Prince, we do not understand what you are saying!” said one of the Senate members.
“Your Highness, how much of our whale oil needs will be reduced by this ‘alternative’ invention of yours?” Lady D’Fleur asked.
“After six to eight months, we will never have to buy whale oil ever again!” Castiel said with conviction.
The Finance Minister’s eyes widened, and others gasped after hearing Castiel’s words. The Chamber began to buzz with cheers!
The king asked Castiel, “Son, are you sure you can do this?”
Castiel answered with confidence, “Yes, Father! I can, and I have already started. All I need now is for the Senate to approve my Infrastructure Bill.”
Then he turned around to speak to the members, “My Lords and Ladies, We all know the Troca Union will keep increasing their price no matter what, and most of our gold goes to importing oil from them. Thankfully, our agriculture is booming because of our nation's landscape. We always have had a good harvest, and our people are well-fed, but the country's economy is worsening every day. The Royal Treasury has only two years’ worth of gold to run the country! The last of our gold mines is almost empty! I do have a plan for a new Currency system, but that’s for a later date. Right now, we need to get out of the Troca Union’s dirty grip.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Castiel started reassuring the Senate, “This invention won't just stop our dependency on whale oil. Other countries will also want to buy this technology to eliminate their own need for oil, and that means more business for us. We will be able to invest in education, defense, and much more. I see a great future for Xander, DO YOU?!”
Lady D’Fleur spoke loudly, “I DO!”
The Defense Minister showed his approval, “I say we go with the Prince!”
Others also showed their approval, some by cheering, some by nodding.
The King nodded, and the Senate Speaker announced! “Let the voting process for the Crown Prince’s Infrastructure Bill begin!”
The bill passed unanimously. Everyone clapped and congratulated Castiel. They also wanted to know what other projects he was working on, but he avoided answering by making bad jokes.
While leaving the Senate grounds, Castiel heard Lady D’Fleur calling for him from behind. “Your Highness, forgive me for my rudeness. I know you are very busy, but you said something about a new Currency system!”
“Ohh! That? How about I come to your office next week with my proposal?”
“Of course, Your Highness, I will see you then!”
***
BOOOOOOOOOM! Castiel’s workshop blows up. It has been a month since the Senate Hearing, and the nationwide infrastructure build-up is going smoothly, but Castiel still hasn’t been able to synthesize the Heavy Element.
“This is the fourth time, Your Highness!” said one of the dwarf apprentices.
Castiel said with a troubled face, “We are obviously doing something wrong here!”
“Tell me again about this ‘element’ of yours. What exactly are we trying to make here?” asked Master Duveam.
Castiel explained, “We are trying to create something similar to a small distorted ‘star’ contained in an Adamantite Cube, as it is the strongest metal on Eden.”
Cube Wrap [https://s6.gifyu.com/images/S6cxV.gif]
“So…like…. Putting the Sol (Sun) in a jar? I don’t think that's possible, even for a genius like you.” Master Duveam said while stroking his beard.
“We are not trying to create an actual star, only a power source like that surrounded by adamanti…” hooooooo! GRAVITY! GRAVITYYYYYYYY! I am an idiot! I am an actual idiot! How can I forget the basics? Master Duveam is right. Stars are not contained inside anything. They are held together by their own gravity, like how Earth or Eden, or any other planet, is held together by its own mass’s gravity. We need a mineral that has the highest Specific Gravity on this planet. The gravity from the mineral will hold the synthesized magical energy generated from the Particle Accelerator together. And enchanted Adamantite Rings can be used to stabilize the Element.
“Ohh! Master Duveam, YOU are the genius!” Castiel ran to the Royal Library to find information on the mineral.
After a day in the library, Castiel found a mineral called Zaralite, red in color and with a Specific Gravity of 22.6, and it is also the most precious gemstone in Eden. Castiel went to the Royal Treasury to get some but found only two of them, both refined and cut. Castiel needed pure ones. Fortunately, Oasis has incredible amounts of it to mine from, and with an excuse to see Amara again, Castiel visited the Oasis. He mined some with the help of the Dragonewts, and before coming back, he made a necklace from one of the shards and gave it as a gift to Amara.
***
Castiel starts the Enchanted Particle Accelerator and runs the Magical Energy through it. It starts to produce a beam of fast-moving, electrically charged subatomic particles. Then the beam is aimed toward a marble ball-sized Zaralite, which Castiel cut himself but left unrefined. It starts to glow at first, and then the magical energy begins to take form outside the Zaralite, covering it like a crystal ball. The Zaralite starts to expand bit by bit, and the magical energy starts to flow out despite its gravitational pull.
Castiel shuts down the Particle Accelerator and puts enchanted adamantite rings outside the Element to stabilize it. The magnetic field of the rings and element begins making them spin in beautiful synergy with each other. The color of the rings starts to change slowly. And with satisfying results, Castiel looks at The Royal Smith.
“Master Duveam, We just created a new Element!” Castiel said with an exhilarated expression.
The Dwarves start cheering and tackling each other. Master Duveam and Castiel shake hands.
“Well done, Your Highness! Well done. What do we call it?”
“Hydranite!”
Hydranite [https://s6.gifyu.com/images/S6cxO.gif]