"What?"
"Gunpowder!"
"Really?"
"They actually succeeded!?"
Amid low gasps mixed with various accents, countless nobles present straightened in their chairs and turned in unison to look at the front row. Suddenly, they understood why Loras had first introduced how Daenerys's army was unstoppable, how it advanced relentlessly, and how it left no opportunity for counterattack. He had shown no concern about boosting others' morale while diminishing his own prestige, remaining unhurried even when he had nearly caused a quarrel.
It turned out he had something solid to rely on.
"Please be quiet, everyone." Loras waved his hand and took out a small wooden bowl, placing it squarely on the very edge of the table, closer to the audience. "Next, I will show you what this thing is and why it can be used as a weapon on the battlefield."
He then took out a wooden spoon, carefully opened the lid of a jar, and slowly and steadily scooped the black powdery substance from the jar into the wooden bowl, spoonful by spoonful, under everyone's watchful eyes. Only when the gunpowder had accumulated into a shallow mound in the bowl did he set down the spoon, seal the jar again, and hand it to the person beside him. A servant took the small jar and soon returned with a thin wooden stick bearing a spark, handing it to Loras.
The Knight of Flowers held the thin wooden stick and gave the audience a faint smile, one that would make lovesick maidens stop in their tracks. "Please be careful, Your Graces, the King and Queen, and the Hand of the Queen in the front row. Those in the back who cannot see clearly may stand up, but please do not leave your original positions."
The room quickly filled with the disorderly sound of chairs and tables being moved. The noble lords seated farther back stood up without hesitation as soon as they heard this. Those in the last two rows even stood on tiptoe and craned their necks, their mouths unconsciously opening as they tried to gain a little more height. The image of ducks being lifted by the neck was surprisingly apt and vivid at this moment.
"There won't be any danger, right?"
The question came from the crowd, but Loras did not waste time answering. After speaking his last sentence, he took half a step back, stretched out his arm, and resolutely thrust the end of the wooden stick with its burning spark into the gunpowder.
"Sizzle, whoosh!"
The pile of black gunpowder in the wooden bowl first burst with countless tiny points of light where the spark touched it, then transformed into a dazzling ball of light with a deep sound like the soft breath of a giant beast. The entire hall was instantly illuminated. The light of the candles and oil lamps was reduced to the level of fireflies before this bright flame, and this was even in daytime, when the room was not dark. One could imagine that if it were night, the contrast would likely be dozens of times stronger.
One second, two seconds... The gunpowder continued to burn brightly, proudly, and rapidly. The ball of light reached its peak brightness after the first second, began to gradually shrink as the second second neared its end, and then slowly went out with a sharp drop in brightness after another second or so. As the dazzling intensity faded, a wave of heat, strong enough to engulf a person, belatedly swept forward from a few meters away and covered the faces of the front-row audience. At the same time, a mass of white smoke large enough to drown a person violently rose from the miniature ruins of the flame, shooting upward until it was blocked by the ceiling, where it hung and spread above everyone's heads in the room, as though simulating clouds indoors.
A pungent smell spread everywhere. People near the walls ignored the noise outside and opened the nearest windows. After two or three seconds of silence, fragmented questions began to arise amid sneezes.
"Is that it?"
"Is it over?"
"Wasn't it supposed to make a booming sound?"
Loras was not surprised by the crowd's reaction. In fact, he had had the same reaction a few days earlier when the artisan brought by his sister Margaery had first demonstrated the power of gunpowder. As a prominent figure among the younger generation of House Tyrell, he was considered well-traveled and knowledgeable, yet he still could not help but wonder what use this ball of rapidly burning black powder could possibly have.
Without allowing the doubts to spread, he began to recite the lines he had just learned. "Everyone should have seen the smoke that just rose, and those near the front must have felt the hot wind. Many of you must be wondering, isn't it just a bright flame? Any alchemist can do that, so what is special about it? But the difference between this fire and ordinary fire is that it not only burns very quickly, but also produces a great deal of heat. In an open environment like this room, that heat will naturally spread outward and become a hot wind. But if it is contained in a sealed space with nowhere to go, then once it can no longer be held back, it will cause an explosion!"
Loras coughed, choked by the smell of gunpowder. He covered the wooden bowl, which had been riddled with holes by the burning gunpowder and was still smoking, with a damp cloth that had been prepared in advance, then cleared his throat. He cupped his hands together into a ball, then spread them apart in opposite directions to mimic the motion of an explosion, and concluded, "The source of gunpowder's power is this enormous heat!"
These words had been explained to him by Margaery's alchemical advisor, naturally taking into account the knowledge and understanding of ordinary nobles. Loras had understood them immediately, and when he repeated them to the other nobles, there was naturally no gap in comprehension.
However, amid the sounds of sudden realization, there were still follow-up questions.
"But how is this explosion different from an ordinary explosion? Wildfire also explodes. I have heard that even sawdust can explode under the right conditions. From what I just saw, this gunpowder, aside from burning faster, showed nothing else unusual. What use could it have?"
There are always people who believe something is useless. Unfortunately, this question was beyond Loras Tyrell's knowledge. He had merely been repeating an expert's words. He had neither participated in the development of gunpowder nor witnessed its production, so how could he explain such a technical question?
Fortunately, he was not alone.
"That lord's question is a bit strange. Can burning quickly not be considered useful? When it causes an explosion, the faster it burns, the faster the heat spreads, and the more violent the explosion!" Margaery saw her brother's pleading look and realized she could no longer remain silent. "I have heard the rumor that sawdust can explode, but I have never heard of a sawdust explosion killing anyone. The Night's Watch used gunpowder to repel the White Walkers and then defeated my army at Blackwater Rush. Is that not another major difference?"
Suddenly realizing that she might have inadvertently violated Aegon's order not to mention the Battle of Blackwater Rush again, she quickly changed the subject. "Finally, and most importantly, the difference is that whether it is lamp oil or wildfire, sawdust or flour, they must be exposed or scattered in the air in order to burn and explode. Only gunpowder can burn and explode in a completely sealed environment. This single difference is enough to surpass any other substance completely and make it, for now, the only explosive weapon that can be used on the battlefield. Even if other things can burn and explode, we cannot send cavalry to scatter them over the enemy before a battle, can we?"
Loras, rescued by his sister, also regained his composure. He had truly been unable to answer the question and had sought help from outside. Since Margaery was a woman and the Queen, and unlike Princess Arianne or Asha Greyjoy, not the heir to a power, her participation in this meeting was already irregular. He could not possibly allow her to continue debating with others.
"Everyone!" A family had to help and rescue one another. Loras spoke again at the most opportune moment. "I can completely understand the concerns of some lords. Clearly, what I just scooped into the wooden bowl and ignited demonstrated a visual effect, which is completely different from the feeling and impression everyone had of those booming things the Night's Watch used on the battlefield. The way to resolve this awkward feeling is actually very simple: seeing is believing, and we will recreate the method by which you witnessed the power of gunpowder on the battlefield that day!"
He nodded toward the assistant who had helped him earlier, the one who had taken the gunpowder jar. The assistant turned, pushed open the door, and left the room.
"Please return to your seats and stand or sit steadily. If anyone needs to relieve himself, I suggest you do so now. Next, a professional will demonstrate to everyone, in another form and in a more intuitive way, that we have indeed mastered the technology of gunpowder!"
After saying this, Loras simply left the central speaking position and sat back down among the crowd, in the second row behind his sister, Queen Margaery.
The atmosphere in the room became lively again. Everyone discussed it among themselves, suppressing their impatience as they waited for the "professional" Loras had mentioned to appear. Time passed minute by minute, but the person who was supposed to come never showed up, and Loras showed no intention of stepping forward to explain. The discussions and complaints gradually grew louder, but no one got up to go to the privy. Even those who were already feeling somewhat urgent resolutely held it in, for would not getting up and leaving at this moment be the same as admitting cowardice, admitting that they might be frightened into wetting themselves by the coming demonstration?
But they would never wait for that professional to enter the room, because that person had no intention of entering it at all.
Five or six minutes after Loras sat back down, they were greeted by a deafening roar that came without warning or sign.
(To be continued.)