"Mr. Charles, what are you doing?" Lily stood by the stove, curiously watching Charles fiddle with the tin pipe.
The stove ignited, and white steam traveled through the cooling tube to the other side, condensing into droplets that dripped into a cup.
The stove boiled seawater to make fresh water. Heating seawater produces water vapor, which, when cooled and condensed, yields pure water. It was a very simple process.
When Lily drank the distilled water, her eyes immediately brightened. "It's delicious, Mr. Charles, you're so amazing! You actually turned seawater into fresh water."
But when Lily saw Charles's somber expression, her ears, which had just perked up, drooped again. "Mr. Charles, we have water now. Why aren't you happy?"
Charles stroked her furry head. "It's not that simple."
Anyone could distill water—not just Charles, but the people of the Abyss-Sea as well. However, there was a reason no one did so.
