With the initial groundwork laid, the girls stopped asking questions. After all, Wan'er was the only real troublemaker, and I had already dealt with her. Over the next three days, all the girls passed the assessment. To my surprise, the 90,000-plus people I had brought in later all passed as well.
When those crybabies and young ladies received their Points, their excitement was plain to see. It was their first time earning points; previously, they had worked for nothing. This gave them a sense of belonging to me, their headmaster. Since the examinations were over, it was time to start hoodwinking them.
Early the next morning, I prepared three things. The first was using saltpeter to create ice—a "turning water into ice" trick. It was hot here, so we would certainly have plenty of use for ice in the future. The second was a live demonstration: I mixed saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal to create gunpowder, loaded it into a Musket, and fired it.
Chapter 52