I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 343: Oil - The Blood of Industry, Source of Power!

From the sky?

After a brief moment of confusion, the bishops present also began to comprehend the situation.

The wizards’ airships didn’t ascend; evidently, they feared the might of the Gryphon Knights. This meant they could replicate the Gryphon Knights’ strategy, utilizing their speed and height advantage for aerial attacks!

“Devi, this time it’s your lead!” Edweil continued to inquire.

“I understand, Lord Edweil. I won’t return without completing the mission!” Devi pledged firmly, placing his right hand over his heart. He then led the Gryphon Knights, wrapping bundles of specially treated fabric containing oil, ascending into the sky.

“I’ll join in and meet these followers of the dark wizards, test their abilities!” Unable to contain himself, Arno volunteered after Edweil’s request, taking a bundle of oil, substituting for one of the Gryphon Knights on the mission.

Hundreds of Gryphon Knights ascended, their golden feathers gleaming brightly in the sunlight, resembling patches of golden clouds.

“Be cautious, the Gryphons have ascended!” Lynn emphasized from atop the tower, raising the tone slightly to alert everyone.

In truth, the magnitude of their actions was impossible to conceal. Even Raphael and others, pondering why the liquid suspended in the air always formed circles, were forced to halt their thoughts and prepare.

The elite troops springing into action indicated that the Holy Church was about to get serious!

Within a minute, the Gryphon Knights had already soared over the capital city, maintaining an altitude of about a kilometer. They circled incessantly, occasionally diving a distance, provocatively swooping about three to four hundred meters above the heads of the wizards, greatly disrupting the riflemen’s effectiveness.

Because no one knew when these Gryphon Knights hovering in the sky would launch an attack.

“Fireball spell!” Several wizards, unable to bear the provocation after another dive by the Gryphon Knights, simultaneously cast spells.

Several fireballs soared into the sky toward several Gryphon Knights flying high, employing mathematical formulas in advance to predict the enemy’s flight positions, almost guaranteeing a hit.

However, their plans were thwarted. The Gryphons merely flapped their wings, abruptly changed direction mid-air, easily evading the flames and explosions. Rather than ascending to evade, they lowered their altitude once again, flying over the heads of the wizards, frustrating them immensely, prompting retaliation through magic.

[Magic Barrage], [Ice Storm], [Multiple Fireball Spells]…

For a moment, dozens of spells shot up into the sky, attempting to overwhelm the agile Gryphon Knights with sheer numbers.

Unfortunately, Devi, who had anticipated a powerful magical surge, commanded his team to ascend again upon sensing it, nullifying all spells once more…

Raphael hurriedly intervened. “Cease fire! Don’t waste magical energy; this might be an enemy trick!”

“Damn it! If only we could use that magic, those Gryphon Knights wouldn’t dare be so bold!” Nancy muttered angrily. Both she and Glenn had learned Lynn and Anthony’s improved laser magic, yet Lynn forbade them from using it easily, claiming the time wasn’t right…

“Endure it; they don’t have the courage to come too close. If they do, we’ll bring them down. Just pretend they don’t exist!” Raphael shook his head.

The wizards atop the tower were frustrated but helpless. Their magic couldn’t reach such a distance, posing enough threat to Gryphons moving at high speed.

The adversaries were too agile, virtually impossible to hit!

Devi led the Gryphon Knights, frequently taunting the wizards stationed on the walls. After roughly gauging the safe distance, most Gryphons dispersed.

Arno didn’t leave; instead, he and a small group of remaining Gryphon Knights targeted the cannons atop the walls. Directing their Gryphons to dive at an altitude of about five hundred meters, they swiftly hurled ignited oil-soaked fabric toward their target.

“Wait, what’s that?” Sharp-eyed Glenn had been observing the sky and was the first to notice something amiss.

“Fire! It’s fire!” A wizard exclaimed loudly.

“Is it some kind of sorcery?” Watching the fireballs descending from the sky, Dennis frowned.

“I don’t know, but it’s definitely related to those Gryphon Knights…” Sanchez shook his head, looking unusually grave. Similar scenes were unfolding in every corner of the sky above the capital city, as if the sky was raining fire…

“Magic Barrier!”

On the tower, over a hundred official wizards cast a spell together, instantly creating a circular magical barrier overhead. The fabric drenched in oil disintegrated rapidly under the flame’s assault, colliding with the barrier, causing bursts of explosive noises.

Some of the as-yet-unburned black liquid adhered to the magical shield overhead.

Simultaneously, a pungent odor wafted to everyone’s noses.

Toxin gas?

Wizards who specialized in poison magic immediately sensed this substance’s intrusion into the barrier and promptly held their breaths, on high alert.

Lynn quickly recognized the partially burned, pitch-black liquid, his expression a mix of astonishment and some excitement.

“Wait… could this be… oil?!”

“Oil? What’s that?” Dennis and others were utterly puzzled, encountering another unfamiliar term.

“It’s a crucial liquid fuel,” Lynn explained.

What is oil? It’s the lifeblood of industry, the source of power, one of the cornerstones of modernization. Apart from being a fuel, it can be made into plastic, asphalt, synthetic rubber, and more.

Although in the wizarding world, they primarily operate with magical engines that convert hydrogen through magic to induce gas explosions, providing power, which is significantly more efficient than liquid fuels. However, cost is a significant issue.

For instance, a standard crystal magical stone, three magic gold coins in value, only provides five days’ worth of flying fuel for an airship.

If not for wartime support by the council, even tapping into accumulated magical stone reserves, they wouldn’t dare sustain the consumption of hundreds of airships continuously.

Once the process of magical conversion is expanded throughout the Kingdom of Hadralata, they wouldn’t primarily rely on magical stones.

Oil is a viable alternative. Lynn had previously instructed kingdom scouts to look out for it, but oil exploration isn’t an easy task, and to date, no information had returned.

Lynn hadn’t expected to stumble upon traces of oil in this war, let alone see it being directly used as fire oil—it was simply wasteful and destructive!

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