Chapter 16: Isugard’s New Rifles

Meanwhile, across the sea, Isugard’s President was inspecting the progress of the new rifle modifications in the company of her generals.

Bang!

Accompanied by a crisp sound, a wooden barrel target set two hundred meters away spiraled into the air, finally crashing back to the ground.

The President, wielding the new rifle, blinked, clumsily operated the bolt to eject the spent cartridge, and then turned to address her generals and scientists.

“This is an impressive weapon, far more powerful than the bow and crossbow, and it doesn’t require the extensive training of a bow or the bulkiness and inconvenience of a crossbow. Its direct shooting accuracy greatly surpasses our current armaments. My only concern is, how does it fare in thunderstorms and strong winds?”

In Isugard, the standard armaments were predominantly bows and crossbows, almost entirely forgoing close-combat troops in favor of long-distance assault.

However, both bows and crossbows were notably vulnerable to rain and windy conditions.

The former might suffer string and limb issues due to incessant rain and dampness, diminishing its effectiveness. The latter could have its arrows blown off course by strong winds, missing their intended targets.

Thus, the President was particularly interested in the impact of these weather conditions, but the Isugardian scientists assured her there was no cause for concern.

“This model is an advancement from our experimental muzzle-loading gun. Taking into account our national standards for industrialized production lines, we’ve decided to encapsulate the gunpowder, combining it directly with the bullet, culminating in this weapon.”

The President was reassured that the new rifles wouldn’t be affected by rain or wind, unlike the traditional bow and crossbow, which would lose their effectiveness in such conditions. The scientists’ assurance was a relief, especially considering Isugard’s strategic reliance on long-range weaponry.

Due to the use of integrated bullet design, this rifle operated by pulling a trigger to strike a firing pin, which ignited the primer. This mechanism naturally eliminated concerns about gunpowder getting wet in rainy weather or the problem of the fuse being extinguished in windy conditions.

The only issue was the cost.

“The cost is quite high, Madam President,” the scientist said with a heavy sigh. “Extremely high. The production cost of a single new-style rifle is equivalent to the recruitment expenses for a whole squad of twelve archers. And this doesn’t even include the cost of ammunition. However, the advantages are also quite evident. At ranges beyond two hundred meters, a trained shooter could potentially break the morale of approaching archers before they even reach their combat range. But unlike arrows, which can be collected and reused from the battlefield, bullets cannot be replenished in the same way.”

“Then let’s increase production and upgrade our lathes. We have no reason to forego such an effective weapon. Any issues with that?”

“Our current factories are not capable of mass-producing these new rifles. They still require manual production.”

“I was afraid of that.”

Hearing this, the President sighed and handed the new rifle to a general beside her.

Isugard was an industrial powerhouse, a fact that she took great pride in. However, even as an industrialized nation, their manufacturing capabilities were not fully developed. Their factories were somewhat basic, grappling with environmental pollution from steel production, and the diversity of their industrialized products was somewhat limited.

While they were capable of mass-producing standard armors and weapons, now mainly used by the police, such as iron clubs and swords, they were yet to achieve the ability to produce the high-precision barrels and springs necessary for these advanced new rifles.

The inability to produce these crucial parts industrially led to the production costs and time for the new-style rifles reaching an unacceptable level for Isugard.

After much consideration, the young President bit her lip and turned to her general, who had mastered the new rifle in under five minutes, and asked, “My General, tell me, what could be accomplished if we fully equipped our forces with these weapons?”

The general, who appeared slightly awkward handling the rifle, loaded a bullet with guidance from the scholars. He assumed a proper shooting stance and successfully hit a target three hundred meters away.

“We could unify the Elusia continent, where the Roman Empire resides, and establish a formidable transoceanic empire. That is, assuming our finances don’t collapse under the expense of fully equipping our army with these new rifles.”

The advantages of the new-style rifles were clear.

A general of peasant origin, unfamiliar with such advanced weaponry, had learned in a mere five minutes the critical steps of loading, aiming, and firing.

Even the greenest of recruits could master the essential operations of these rifles in a single day and be combat-ready on the frontline.

Furthermore, these rifles promised a revolutionary shift in combat tactics.

Isugard was already renowned for its prowess with crossbows, proficient in unleashing volleys of arrows from a distance. Their usual tactic involved a final charge with secondary weapons once the enemy was thrown into chaos and their ammunition depleted.

But with the introduction of these new rifles, there would be no need for a direct charge. The enemy could be significantly weakened or even eliminated from afar, long before a close encounter.

Who wouldn’t appreciate a form of warfare that resembled target practice more than a battle?

This new strategy could potentially reduce the casualty rate of Isugard’s military by a significant ten percent.

However…

The cost was…

Just too expensive.

The general, with a sigh, returned the rifle to the scientists.

The amount required to recruit a dozen archers was enough to buy just one of these new rifles.

And the funds for twelve archers could provide a month of lavish living in Isugard’s capital.

Without a solution to this cost issue, outfitting Isugard’s forces with these weapons would take far more than a year. The massive expenditure might span several years, possibly even a decade.

What should be done?

Exchanging concerned glances, the young vampiric President and her generals eventually moved to the conference room at the testing site.

There, she convened all her advisors. In less than six hours, as daylight faded to evening, everyone arrived, sitting with a serious demeanor, already briefed on the challenging situation facing the President.

Before the President could address the room, the Minister of Industry stood up. He indicated that upgrading the nation’s industrial capabilities to the necessary level was almost impossible. Isugard’s status as an industrial power was only comparative. Their industrial foundation was relatively weak among industrialized nations. The best solution to this problem would be to incorporate foreign technology.

“But where do I find other industrialized nations?” the President expressed her confusion. 

It was at this moment that the Minister of Commerce, responsible for overseeing trade, stepped forward.

“Madam President, the Roman Empire’s steam factories might be the solution. According to the accounts of the refugee scholars, those factories could meet our production requirements for the new rifles and even boost our national production capacity. The only hurdle is that the Roman Empire is unlikely to permit us to inspect their factories.”

“Are those scholars not aware of the factory’s structure? No, I mean… Do they know the specifics of the lathes and related machinery?” asked the President.

“Madam President, we ourselves would never leak such confidential information, and even less so for an empire across the sea. They must be fiercely guarding those factories, especially since they were advocated by the Regent.”

“Then how do you propose we acquire that technology under such tight security?”

The President furrowed her brow, and the Minister of Commerce exchanged looks with the Minister of Industry before both turned towards the Minister of Political Affairs.

The minister, who looked to be over seventy but was actually younger than the youthful-faced President, began to rise, coughing. However, the President gently pressed him back down, comforting him warmly.

“Little Al, you should be resting at home with your health condition. There’s no need for you to be here, but since you are, you may speak while seated.”

“Thank you, Big Sister President.”

An elderly man with white hair respectfully addressed a young girl with a childlike face as Big Sister. In the Roman Empire, this might be considered scandalous, but in Isugard, it was perfectly normal.

In this nation, built upon the unity of diverse races, you might see a little girl enjoying an ice cream on the street who could actually be a centuries-old vampire grandmother or a dragonkin. A seemingly thirty-year-old human man with a partner who looks no older than five might not be as scandalous as it appears, in fact, the partner could be the actual transgressor.

Such situations were common in Isugard. Forged through the arduous unification of multiple races, the nation had reached a state of harmonious equality. Here, humans, vampires, dragonkin, sirens, all were treated equally and with mutual respect. Even in private duels, participants were required to courteously address each other as ‘sir’ or ‘madame’.

In the conference room, the staff members lightly chuckled at the scene, then the elderly minister, seated in his chair, coughed twice and spoke with gravity.

“We have essentially two methods to acquire the steam factory technology. The first is to dispatch our spies to secretly land on the continent of Elusia, outside the Roman Empire’s borders. Posing as suitable technicians, they would need to gain the trust of the Roman officials and work within the steam factories, trying to either sketch or steal blueprints and replacement parts. The second approach involves directly reaching out to the Regent, inviting him over with all due respect. As I understand, the steam factories and the reforms of the Roman Empire were spearheaded by the Regent. If we can win his gratitude or even persuade him to immigrate, Isugard’s ascension as the world’s only superpower would be within reach.”

Minister Al’s words cast a hush over the room.

Then, the generals from the military department suggested that building a secret port was a viable option, but locating the Regent was like finding a needle in the ocean.

“Who wouldn’t want such a capable person? If I met him, I’d be more than willing to invite him to stay at my place with the highest honors, and perhaps even have a few beautiful and charming Sirens to attend to him. However, the real issue is that we don’t know the Regent’s current whereabouts, let alone how to bring him over. Would the Roman Empire just allow us to take him? Unlikely, right? They’ve probably kept him under some form of secret confinement.”

“Probably? You’ve probably been listening too much to those overblown stories from the refugee scholars. It could very well be that the person who was expelled was just a stand-in, while the real Regent is secretly confined in the palace, brought out only when needed…”

Chattering and discussions filled the room. Eventually, everyone agreed on the plan to establish a secret smuggling port on the continent of Elusia.

After all, who wouldn’t desire something as advanced as a steam factory? Since the Roman Empire would categorically refuse to share such technology, they’d have to resort to any means necessary.

After the young President stretched and left the meeting room, she transformed into a swarm of bats, flying out to the test site. She hovered there, gazing at the moon, deep in thought.

***

Meanwhile, in the Monster Forest along the Roman Empire’s border, Yang Hao too awoke under the morning sun’s gaze.

Remarkably, he hadn’t frozen to death the previous night. But what about the person in his embrace?

Before he could succumb to alarm and check on Teresa’s condition, a spoonful of warm soup was offered to his lips.

“Silly puppy, I’m still here. Rest a bit longer, we’ve been rescued by demon folk.”

It was Teresa’s voice.

But, demon folk?