Chapter 363: We’re Off

"Hydrogen balloon?"

Simon, who had been thinking about the development of agriculture and livestock, nearly spat out the tea in his mouth.

Ysabeau, seeing this, smiled and asked. "My Lord, what’s this hydrogen balloon? You seem so excited."

"Hehe, this hydrogen balloon is a great thing. It’s far more practical than the hot air balloon." Simon replied.

As he was about to head to Eldora, Simon was troubled by the hot air balloon issue.

During the recent war, hot air balloons had been very useful, and even Lancet had been envious. Before returning to Eldora, Lancet had persistently asked Simon for one, but Simon had refused.

However, Simon knew that he couldn’t keep it hidden forever. When he went to Eldora, he would definitely bring both the hot air balloon and the fire guns.

Simon would never send the matchlock gun, as he strictly controlled the technological gap between weapon types, making sure to profit from military sales. Therefore, he planned to take the matchlock guns, and with Alaric’s personality, now that there was a firearms camp, he might even establish another firearms battalion to intimidate smaller forces.

But the problem was, it was fine to use matchlock guns as a cover, but the hot air balloon had become a headache for him. He hadn’t expected that in this critical moment, Ethan had created the hydrogen balloon.

Compared to the hot air balloon, the hydrogen balloon could fly higher, making it far more advanced.

Once the hydrogen balloon came out, the hot air balloon would essentially become obsolete. So, it might be better to give the hot air balloon to Alaric to strengthen his position in Alaric’s eyes.

After all, Alaric would likely ask for these items later, so it was better to give them voluntarily than to have him demand them.

These outdated items didn’t have much use for him anyway. He could sell them to the Imperial Guards for money, which would be even more profitable.

Moreover, the more weapons he sold to the Imperial Guards, the tighter he could control Alaric. When court officials attacked Alaric, he would have to consider the issue of ammunition for the Imperial Guards’ cannons and firearms, making it harder to take action without him.

So, as long as Alaric didn’t rebel, he would have free rein in Eldora. Because of this, he didn’t want to keep the hot air balloon and fire guns a secret. Using them as an excuse, some malicious people might make trouble.

By giving them away now, he could prevent gossip and make sure no one questioned him later.

Putting aside these concerns, after hearing that Ethan had made the hydrogen balloon, Simon immediately became excited. He told Ysabeau to prepare a horse and headed to the Oxford Academy.

The Oxford Academy had played an important role in the war against the reavers, contributing both the hot air balloons and James’s quicklime bombs.

When they were at Snake Pass, Benjamin had praised the quicklime bombs. Once detonated, they could quickly incapacitate large numbers of enemies. This was far more powerful than the simple gunpowder bombs.

This war had further proven that technology was the key to winning battles.

When Simon arrived at the Oxford Academy, he saw a brand-new hydrogen balloon hovering in the small square in front of the academy. Ethan and others were discussing something in the square.

Jayden and Martin had already returned to the academy and were now with Ethan.

Seeing Simon approach, the students gathered around. Ethan said. "Your Highness, this is the hydrogen balloon."

Simon looked up at the balloon. It was as big as a hot air balloon, floating in the air, with four ropes tied in the four directions.

"How did you produce the hydrogen?" Simon was most concerned about this question.

The difference between the hot air balloon and the hydrogen balloon was simply the gas inside the balloon: air versus hydrogen.

Even without heat, the hydrogen balloon would have some lift, making it much more efficient and safer than the hot air balloon.

When Ethan heard the question, his face lit up with excitement. He explained. "We must thank the students from the Chemistry Department. They were the ones who produced the hydrogen. Without them, this hydrogen balloon wouldn’t have been possible."

Ethan pointed to a large ceramic jar behind him, shaped like a gourd, and said. "Your Highness, the hydrogen is produced from here and pumped into the balloon."

Simon immediately recognized the setup.

Just by glancing at the surrounding materials, he understood how the hydrogen was being produced.

"Imprudent." Simon sighed. "How much sulfuric acid and scrap iron did it take?"

Despite his concerns, Simon didn’t want to be too harsh since he had given them the freedom to experiment. He simply made a complaint and turned to the student standing aside.

The student, from the Chemistry Department, confirmed that they had used sulfuric acid and scrap iron to produce hydrogen, which was then pumped into the balloon using this apparatus.

Looking at the excited faces of the students, Simon didn’t want to spoil the mood. Though the method was a bit primitive, producing hydrogen was always a step-by-step process.

He said to Ethan. "Good work. The hot air balloon played a vital role in the war, so as a reward, I’m preparing to grant you a title of nobility. However, this will have to wait until the generals from Brambleford return so we can award it together."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Ethan and the other students smiled widely, clearly thrilled by the reward. They had worked hard on the hot air balloon, and now they were finally being recognized.

Simon smiled. It was time to award some titles to encourage the students at the Oxford Academy.

Currently, Brambleford’s technology level wasn’t even close to Europe’s, but with Oxford Academy, they could catch up quickly and eventually surpass it.

After learning about the creation of the first hydrogen balloon in Brambleford, Simon asked Jayden and Martin to operate the balloon. He wanted to see just how high it could fly compared to the hot air balloon.

Jayden and Martin were equally excited. They had become somewhat obsessed with hot air balloons and now couldn’t get enough of the hydrogen balloon.

The two of them climbed into the balloon. The people below loosened the ropes, and the hydrogen balloon immediately rose higher and higher.

"Your Highness, we’re off!" Jayden and Martin shouted excitedly. From the ground, their figures became smaller and smaller, eventually turning into tiny black dots in the sky.

"This is incredible!" Ethan exclaimed, astonished at how high the hydrogen balloon was flying.

Simon nodded with satisfaction. "Hot air balloons can only reach a few hundred meters, while hydrogen balloons can soar thousands of meters high."

However, as he watched the two men flying higher and higher, Simon began to worry.

The hydrogen balloon technology was still new, and he didn’t want anything to happen to them. But his worry was unnecessary. After a while, Jayden and Martin lowered the altitude and quickly returned to the Oxford Academy.

Seeing this, Simon sighed in relief. Now he could take the hot air balloon to Eldora, hoping to sell it for a good price.