Chapter 16 - Battery Production

After a great deal of thought, Richard had a hypothesis, that the so-called "Highly Activated State" was very likely a "Charged State."In a normal human body, cellular metabolism and nerve signal transmission were accompanied by the flow of potassium and sodium ions across cell membranes, generating bioelectricity. This bioelectricity was very weak, and the voltage was generally in the millivolt range (a millivolt or mV, 1 volt equals 1000 millivolts).

Although weak, bioelectricity was significant to humans. Its changes could directly cause alterations in cellular metabolism or function within the body. For example, when nerve fibers were locally electrically stimulated, the excitability at the cathode would increase, and the membrane potential would decrease (depolarization), while at the anode, excitability would decrease, and the membrane potential would increase (hyperpolarization).

According to the description of constructing a Magic Origin in the "Monroe Chapter," it was very clearly about inducing some form of modification in the body structure. Among this description, the so-called spiritual power was used, which was highly likely related to this bioelectricity. Perhaps it was about increasing the bioelectric current within the body to a certain level, thereby enabling the body to develop the new "organ," the "Magic Origin," under the influence of the spiritual power.

Of course, this was just a hypothesis and whether it was right or wrong needed to be verified.

The primary reason Richard called the two maids was to attempt making a battery that could release a current in this completely "non-electrified" medieval environment for testing.

First, Richard planned to make the simplest fruit battery possible. The raw materials required only a piece of copper, a piece of zinc, a segment of metal wire, and a fruit.

Because of the different reactivities of the two metals, copper and zinc, when inserted into the fruit, the zinc would undergo an oxidation reaction, lose electrons, and pass them to the copper piece, thereby generating an electric current in the wire.

Because it wasn't difficult, Richard briefly explained to the maid, Angel, and let her make it. She didn't disappoint him and quickly finished the task. Soon, a thin wire connected a copper piece and a zinc piece, both about the size of a fingernail, inserted into a pear.

The maid, Angel, carefully handed this fruit battery to Richard, and upon touching it, he frowned, knowing immediately that the fruit battery was inadequate.

It wasn't an issue with the construction. After all, the method was so simple that it couldn't possibly go wrong; it was the fruit itself that was the problem. Because the fruit juice was acidic, it could allow the chemical reaction to proceed and produce a current. But compared to real acid liquid, the acidity of the fruit juice was too weak, thus the current and voltage generated were too small.

Richard tested it using a self-made simple tool and found the voltage was less than 0.5 volts, and the current less than 1 milliampere. This current was stronger than the normal bioelectric current of a human body, but it was far too weak to influence the internal body structure.

After all, the human body had electrical resistance. If the bioelectric current increased internally by itself, there was naturally no issue, but an ordinary person without the wizard's talent couldn't possibly achieve this. To influence the body by applying an external current scientifically to decipher Life Remolding, it would be essential to overcome the electrical resistance of up to 1000Ω in the human body by applying a stronger current.

The current issue was, how to obtain a stronger current?

Richard furrowed his brow, thought for a few seconds, and began instructing the two maids to make different fruit batteries.

Different fruit types had varying acidity, and thus, the current produced would vary in strength. Finding the strongest one might just bypass the body's 1000Ω resistance and meet the requirements.

Medieval fruits weren't exactly scarce. Common ones included cherries, strawberries, blackberries, apples, pears, cherries, plums, grapes, sloes, gooseberries, mulberries, blackthorn, figs, sea dates, limes, lemons, and more than a dozen kinds.

With a word from Richard, people naturally gathered these fruits. Shortly after, except for those unripe due to seasonal reasons, the rest were placed on the experiment table.

Richard waved his hand, and the maids Angel and Luna began making them quickly. Soon, various kinds of fruit batteries were lined up in two rows on the table, Angel's on the left and Luna's on the right. It was obvious that Angel had produced more.

Richard didn't comment much, picked up a fruit battery to test, put it down after a while, then picked up another.

Repeating this multiple times, after testing all the fruit batteries, Richard had an understanding. Because of the different acidity levels in the fruits, some of the currents generated were indeed stronger than the initial pear, like the apple and the gooseberry. The strongest was the lemon, but even so, the voltage barely exceeded 0.5 volts, and the current just over 1 milliampere.

Under normal circumstances, the minimum current to cause sensations in an adult male averaged about 1.01mA. This meant that, under the influence of body resistance, this current level would just barely be perceptible to an ordinary person.

This was not what Richard wanted.

Richard stood in the laboratory, deeply furrowed his brow, and the two maids, observing Richard's serious expression, exchanged glances but didn't dare to breathe loudly, lowering their heads cautiously. Although they were well aware the Prince wouldn't lose his temper easily or punish servants without reason, it was never a good thing when the Prince was displeased.

Richard didn't know what the two maids were thinking, only continued earnestly pondering a method to solve the problem.