“If they take no action despite their supply of gunpowder running low…”

In response to the issue Wisdom brought up, Crampus said, “Perhaps Black Scale has a higher gunpowder production than us.”

“How so?”

“Charcoal can be easily produced in any country; the only difference is in its quality. Sulfur, on the other hand, is difficult to produce at the current stage of civilization. That’s not the case for niter, namely potassium nitrate, right?”

Crampus was referring to a saltpeter bed. In order to make saltpeter, salty soil was needed, which could be scraped from the soil below the living room, kitchen, or fences of older houses, but the supply would be limited. Then, the salty soil would be well-mixed with ash and a person’s urine before being left to dry for months without being exposed to rain. Once it was dehydrated completely, it would be spread out on the floor and air-dried for another few months, flipping from time to time, after which it would be covered with soil and livestock excretion. Then, it was set on fire, which would produce a white moss-like substance—that was saltpeter. However, the saltpeter wouldn’t be very pure at this stage, so in order to increase its purity, it needed...