Toxin & Gravell
Gravell
Hey, I’ve been digging through the ruins of the old obsidian temple, and I think we might have uncovered a hidden chamber that contains some kind of ancient pigment. I’d love to get your take on its chemical composition—any chance it’s a secret formula or something that’s been lost for centuries?
Toxin
Hmm, a hidden chamber with pigment—classic. Chances are it’s just iron oxide or a mix of iron and manganese, maybe some ochre. Unless the ancients were dabbling in cinnabar, which would add that bright red from mercury sulfide. If there’s any trace of rare elements, you’ll need mass spec. But don’t get carried away; it’s probably nothing that changes the world. Take a sample, run an ICP, and you’ll know. If it’s truly a lost formula, the lab will tell you exactly why it’s not.
Gravell
That’s a solid plan, but I’m not ready to call it a dead end yet. I’ll grab a core, run an ICP, and see if there are any trace elements—lead, mercury, maybe something exotic. If there’s a hidden formula, the lab data will show it. Let’s see what the numbers reveal.
Toxin
Sounds like a plan, just remember the lab will only tell you what’s in the sample, not the story behind it. If you find lead, mercury, or anything odd, you’ll know there’s something interesting. But if it’s just iron, manganese, maybe a bit of copper, don’t get a fancy goose‑egg over it. Get those numbers, then we can decide if it’s a treasure or just a dusty wall.
Gravell
Right, I’ll get the sample and run the ICP. Once I have the numbers, we’ll see if there’s any real treasure hidden in that pigment. If it’s just the usual iron and manganese, I’ll know. If something odd shows up, we’ll dig deeper. Let's get to it.