So after that bombshell of info, I look closer at the voltaic pile I made. The light is still working, the pile is still there as a pile. Check. It is not making any sounds, so nothing is boiling or burning. I only smell wine, which in this case is a good thing, with the entire thing drenched in it. Touching it, it is shaky but not noticeably hot. I was thinking about tasting it, but ruled that out due to not knowing what it should taste like, and that being weird.
Sitting down, I ponder while the other three look at me intently, confused and still wary of what I built. I pull out my phone, turn it on and start looking at the reactivity series of metals. For an iron copper battery, each cell produces 0.777 V or so. So to reach 5V for my phone, I will need 7 cells, and my phone will bleed off the extra bit. I start stacking metal again, this time higher than what was before. I am moving extra carefully now due to the warnings that they gave before. The burning from copper could be attributed to them having iron sticking out of their hands, but the years of training to stack metal has me worried.
I reach 7 cells with no issues. As I connect the wires to the light again, the other three look away and duck under the table, with Thallion writing notes the entire time. The light is now much brighter than it was before. I now unplug the light and bring in my phone. Sending up a silent prayer that this works, I plug in the wires and connect positive to the copper, and negative to the iron, matching the table in Wikipedia for standard electrical potential for half cell reactions. Once I plug it in, I lower myself as much as I can, (which is not much as the table comes up to my chest when standing anyway) and keep an eye on my phone.
It lights up! And the battery symbol appears!
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
“Finally! I have power to charge my phone!” I exclaim. “I can now relax and share my knowledge!”
The others stand up from my yelling, and looking at the table and seeing not an explosion, start asking questions.
“Given no explosions, I assume something is going right with the way your device is interacting with the pile of metal? Maybe something so we can understand you?” Thallion asks, leaning in with his charcoal and sketching the pile already.
“Never mind that, explain what that bomb to be really is! A pile of metal that burns and possibly explodes is not something I want to be around!” Silvra remarks, nudging Thallion out of the way.
I breathe in, gather my thoughts and am just about ready to try and explain half cell reactions and batteries, when my phone’s screen goes black.
I wake up my phone, and the battery symbol now shows it discharging.
“NOOOOOOO! WHY! Why so much work and so little output!”
I quickly dismantle the voltaic pile, and see that every single layer is heavily oxidized and galvanized, making it completely useless
“My copper! What did you do to it?! It’s all green and powdery! It is destroyed!”
Sighing, I sit back down and ponder what I can do. I need power. Fast, easy and reliable.
An idea comes to mind. It will take some time to complete, but hopefully I can finish it before my phone completely dies.
I grab another piece of charcoal and draw 2 squiggly lines and an alpha in it.
Lena perks up. “Yes, there is a creek just outside the village”