Chapter 444 Shooting out a mushroom cloud with one shot?
"It's the smell of stew..."
"It's so fragrant, this smell..."
"Brothers are eating dry food at Gryphon Cliff, but these dogs have lived a good life first!"
"Hey... it's not going to get better, these scumbags who betrayed Lord Kailan's cause will not end well!"
In the forest downstream of the rushing river, an army that looked like bandits was marching, and whispers spread among the loose ranks.
They all wore green turbans on their heads, and their eyes were burning with bloodthirsty jealousy. They looked at the smoke in the distance as if they were looking at the enemy who killed their father.
A week ago, they learned about the betrayal of "Iron Bull" Brennan to the uprising.
That duplicitous traitor not only let go of the earl of Quemu Castle, but also shamefully made peace with Saint Sith's lackeys, and even changed their flag!
What a blasphemy!
The great true god "Urges" will never let go of these people whose loyalty is not absolute!
They will surely go to a purgatory more desperate than famine!
The people who will eventually go to the hive have no doubts about the fate of these traitors.
Just as the anger spread throughout the camp, their leader "Executioner" Aka stood up and read to them the order of "Quartermaster" Silas.
"Our leader is too kind and cannot bear to do anything, but if we leave the traitors alone, how can we deter our enemies? Brothers, please follow me to Quemu Territory immediately to eliminate the traitor Brennan and his followers! Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
Although Aka usually looks honest, loyal, and sleepy, when it comes to killing someone, his stern eyes are not confused at all.
Amidst a burst of cheers and applause, the five thousand-man troops stationed outside Griffin Cliff Castle took advantage of the darkness and left the military camp, and fought in the direction of Quemu Ling in a mighty manner.
Since Aka himself is the supreme commander of the Griffin Cliff Territory, and the Green Forest Army has already marched to the decisive battle in Twilight City, his departure did not attract the attention of any other leaders.
Along the way, they advanced along the rushing river, took a shortcut and went straight to Quemu Fort, and also brought explosives for siege.
As they were marching to the Maitian Village area, they saw large amounts of smoke rising from the plains outside the forest.
The aroma of food comes with it!
Aka, who was walking in the team, sniffed, licked his chapped lips, and a beastly grin gradually appeared on his face.
...It seems that our "Iron Bull" has been doing well recently, but I don't know if he has improved his abilities."
It's been a long time since I've competed with him.
Aka still remembers that the last time I saw that guy, he seemed to be at the peak of the gold level, and later it was said that he was promoted to platinum.
Hopefully he improves a bit after that, otherwise this battle may become quite boring.
After all, after slaughtering the Griffin Cliff Castle, the famous "Executioner" has already reached diamond level!
All thanks to the blessing of the Claw of Eternal Hunger...
He seemed to have seen the despair on the faces of the traitors, as well as the despair on the face of the so-called Holy Lady.
This time he will not let these cowards find the opportunity to commit suicide again, he will enjoy it.
"Did you smell it all, brothers?" Aka grinned and whispered to the subordinates behind him, "The traitors' decapitated rice smells so delicious."
The crowd burst into low laughter, but their fierce eyes flashed with a green light.
They had already smelled the rich aroma of meat.
That fragrance not only stimulated the hatred in their hearts, but also awakened the desire in their hearts!
"This is the last supper they exchanged for betrayal."
Aka pointed the guillotine in his hand forward, and said in a cruel voice amidst the sound of the iron chain.
∣ wealth in in in in in ininginging in in on on onaughts as on like on which is the smell of wood -- and seedlings are flying in the air.
The dwarf who was looking up to inspect the wood suddenly twitched his nose. His shrewd eyes were like kerosene lamps in the mine, and his eyes unconsciously drifted to the north of Wheatfield Village.
It was a strange smell of meat, mixed with the dwarves’ favorite pickles, creating an unexpected and peculiar charm.
It is worth mentioning that neither dwarves nor hell dwarves eat pork. Firstly, there is no such eating habit, and secondly, there is no place to raise pigs. For example, the Calamity Castle in Broken Rock Peak mainly raises goats and other magical beasts suitable for raising in mines.
However, that day in Beifeng City, Grace Iron Hammer made a rare move and emptied two large baskets of bread, leaving half of his stomach for the fragrant pickled cabbage broth and soft and delicious meat.
From that day on, he fell in love with Beifeng City and used Beifeng City as a base to expand his business, selling things produced in the necropolis to the underground world of the Old Continent.
All in all, it’s a really nice place there. Whether it’s food, food, or those hardworking and tireless undead.
To be able to build such a city where humans, undead, hell dwarves and other races are mixed, and to manage all the forces in an orderly manner...the demon king there is simply a genius!
It's too far.
"...Mr. Grace Hammer, what did you just say?" Looking at the dwarf who suddenly froze in front of him, Thomas standing aside said in a kind voice.
As the only businessman in the entire Quemu Territory who knew how to do business, Thomas quickly gained reuse from the senior management of the Salvation Army.
The first job Her Royal Highness the Holy Lady gave him was to open up sales for the lumber factory in Maitian Village.
And soon, he waited for the first businessman in the oracle. And, as the oracle said, this friend from afar was a dwarf.
…
Grace moved her nose.
Of course he could not admit that he had deserted just now, so he put on a serious expression again and said, "I mean, your wood smells bad...I was wondering if a mouse peed on it."
"...?" Thomas was stunned for a moment.
Before he could react, Grace stretched out her thick knuckles and knocked on the oak wood in front of her. Listening to the dull sound, she continued in a rich voice.
"There are some scars here... and the texture is too rough to be used as an ax handle for us dwarves. It feels wet to the touch. I think the wooden sleepers for the rails are also rough. Are you sure this is the best material for you?"
The inferior glue made his scalp itchy, and he was always worried that the wig would not stick firmly and fall off.
According to the Demon King, if they want to continue doing business for a long time, they must follow the local rules and wear wigs to do business with them.
At first he felt awkward, but for the sake of the money, he was completely relieved.
As soon as Thomas heard what this guy said, he knew that this must be his first time doing this business.
He has never heard that dwarves use high-quality wood to make axes. Aren't they all made of leftover materials from the mine beams?
The ax handle is not the most valuable thing anyway, the good steel is on the ax head.
Seeing that this guy didn't know how to pretend to be an expert, Thomas couldn't help laughing and explained.
"Scabs... they are traces of wood growth, just like the scars on a man's body. They do not affect their quality! As for the texture... this also does not affect its use. Don't worry, whether you use them to make boats or load-bearing beams in mines, they are all top-notch materials!"
Grace, who had seen through her thoughts, didn't blush and just snorted.
「是吗？虽然我还没想好用它做什么，不过你都这么说了，我就当是这样好了，你们人类知道欺骗矮人的下场，我们会把你们刻在仇恨书上！」
「是，是！我哪敢得罪You, I can't lie to anyone." Thomas smiled and followed his words and said, "I can swear in the name of Saint Sith!"
He has never heard of anyone getting a hate book for this trivial matter. This dwarf merchant from the countryside has probably never seen what a hate book looks like.
Although he had no intention of tricking this dwarf friend, after all, the most indispensable thing in Dusk Forest was high-quality wood. Real wood was everywhere, but fakes had to be hard to find.
In fact, Thomas was half right—this dwarf brother had indeed never seen the Book of Hatred.
After all, this dear fellow is not a serious dwarf at all, but a hell dwarf wearing a wig!
The rushing river that passes through the Quemu Territory goes all the way south. It is the only tributary that enters the depths of the Wanren Mountains and passes by the door of the dwarf's home. It is also connected to the notorious Broken Rock Peak in the dwarf world.
The lords living there are all well-known lords in the Book of Hatred of the Mountain Kingdom. How can they have the ability to arrange for others to come there.
"Really?" Grace snorted with her nose and smacked her lips, as if weighing it in her mind.
That expression was clearly one of heartbeat.
Thomas, who has been doing business for many years, can see through this guy's mind at a glance.
After all, if you are really not interested, there is no need to cause so much drama with yourself, just turn around and leave.
If you are interested...that will be easy!
In the entire Twilight Province, only Quemu Territory can do this business.
Other places are either deserted, at war, or there is simply no suitable channel to transport things there.
As Thomas expected, after picking and choosing for a while, Grace finally said the words he had been waiting for.
"Our demand is huge and we need long-term procurement. Quality, stability, and output are all important to us... Let me say something ugly up front. If you want this business to last for a long time, you have to agree to these conditions."
Thomas had a pleasant smile on his face.
"Dear Mr. Grace, please be at ease! These requirements you mentioned are the most basic bottom line for us!"
After a pause, he continued without stopping.
"Then for our long-term interests, let's talk about price and cooperation methods... If you plan to purchase for a long time, my suggestion is that we can sign a contract and then agree on the time and place of delivery and payment——"
He was only halfway through his words when the dwarf brother standing in front of him suddenly coughed, interrupting his words.
"There's one more thing I forgot to tell you, I have no money."
The smile on Thomas's face froze.
No money——
Where are you playing with me? !
"Well, what do you mean?"
Grace gestured with her fingers and said matter-of-factly.
"That's the literal meaning, we don't use imperial coins there, so I suggested bartering."
Thomas was stunned when he heard this.
It is true that the dwarves do have their own currency, but haven’t you heard that the dwarves don’t do business with the empire?
How could they not have imperial coins!
However, this flexible businessman did not struggle for too long, because he quickly came up with a reasonable explanation -
That was that the tribe of the dwarf in front of him was located deep in the Wanren Mountains.
If this is the case, it is indeed possible that they have not done business with the empire. After all, ordinary empire merchants will not go there. Most of the goods in the dwarf world can be purchased at Brass Pass.
"What about...gold? You should have gold, right?"
"Well...that's a bit difficult, too. All our gold is placed with our neighbors."
"Neighbors?!"
"It means the tribe next door!"
Looking at the disappointed human being in front of him, Grace also felt a little embarrassed, touched his red rosacea nose and said.
"My idea is to exchange things for things... It's useless for you to ask for money anyway, right? Compared to the empire's gold coins, I have something better that you will definitely be interested in!"
As he spoke, Grace waved to the entourage next to him and took a rifle as big as a mallet from the guy with a beard with many braids.
At first Thomas didn't realize it was a gun, he thought it was a hammer.
I saw that the black muzzle was as big as an adult's fist, and the dark blue tube wall was as thick as a thumb. Rather than saying that it was a musket, it was more like a short cannon held in the hand? !
Thomas swallowed.
"What is this?"
Speaking of the guy in his hand, Gray suddenly became excited and said with spitting stars.
"Hand cannon! You can think of it as a cannon held in the hand! Our soldiers can use this thing to throw fist-sized grenades two to three hundred meters away! The only side effect is that the shoulder is easily dislocated, but it is not a big problem. We are in Leather Just put a rune on the gun holster and we will sell it to you when the time comes!"
While saying this, he insisted on demonstrating it to Thomas, so he took a bronze "cannonball" from his companion's hand and put it into the gun chamber.
Thomas was startled by the madman's actions and quickly reached out to stop him.
This is the Salvation Army’s lumber factory!
万一一炮把这里点了，把他整个商队卖了都未必赔得起！
"No, wait a minute, Mr. Grace! Calm down first! We have no doubt about the power of the thing in your hand, but we...can't use it for the time being."
Grace's eyes were so wide that they almost bulged out.
ccobashood •
Thomas said with a bitter smile.
"That's true, but the war mainly takes place between the kingdom's regular army and the rebels, and it has nothing to do with us...for the time being. Compared with weapons, we need production tools such as steam engines...oh, and fertilizers."
The word "fertilizer" was something he had only heard of recently.
It is said to be a magic potion prepared by alchemists that acts on crops. It can be used as a supplement to compost and greatly increase crop yields!
Although he was skeptical about the true function of this thing and didn't know where to buy it, one thing was undoubtedly that they needed development tools more than weapons at the moment.
Grace's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he was overjoyed.
"Steam engines and fertilizers? You told me you needed those things, we all have them!"
"You, you have them?!" Thomas's eyes widened in surprise, staring at the dwarf brother in front of him in disbelief, "Are you sure? Do you know what fertilizer is?"
Even he himself had only heard of this word recently, but he didn't expect that the dwarf in front of him seemed to have heard of it a long time ago?
Grace said with a hearty smile.
"I've seen that thing in the human town on the north side of Beifeng... well, Broken Rock Peak! Don't worry, they can find all kinds of goods there. As long as you transport the wood to the location we agreed on, we will definitely be able to transport what you need! The price is absolutely fair!"
If this is the case, it is not unacceptable.
Indeed, as this dwarf brother said, given their current situation, they probably wouldn't be able to spend it even if they had money, so bartering might be a solution.
As long as the other party's goods are sufficient, these are acceptable.
Looking at Thomas who seemed to be moved, Grace chuckled and said while the iron was hot.
"You can give us a list! We will use the currency of the empire to calculate the value of the goods, but when delivering the goods, we will not use currency, but settle with the goods!"
Thomas thought for a long time, and did not make a decision immediately, but said.
"I think your proposal is good, but I personally can't make a decision. I need to ask Her Majesty the Saint for instructions."
"No problem!" Grace knew it was just a formality, and said with a cheerful smile, "But you'd better hurry up, I won't stay here forever, time is gold!"
The two finally reached an agreement.
Grace took Thomas's hand enthusiastically, shook it vigorously for a long time, and then suggested that he should show him the power of the dwarf grenade launcher no matter what.
Thomas couldn't resist his enthusiasm, so he reluctantly agreed to follow the dwarf brother and a few followers to the grove outside the lumber factory.
The location for the gun test was chosen on a small mound beside the running river. The view here is wide, you can see two to three hundred meters downstream, and there are no villagers moving around. It is perfect for testing the power of this grenade launcher.
Thomas even thought in his mind that if a fire broke out, he would be able to find someone to put it out in time.
Holding a large gun with a caliber about the size of a fist in his hand, Grace put on the leather holster with runes, put the butt of the gun on the leather-protected right shoulder, and winked at Thomas.
"Brother Thomas, look at it, I can knock down at least two big trees with two people hugging each other with this shot! When the time comes, you go to your Highness the Holy Lady and demonstrate to her like I do!"
"I understand... you get started quickly." Thomas nodded and said, dumbfounded.
Grace didn't talk nonsense, she looked downstream and pulled the trigger. There was a "bang" sound, the gun flame was like a torch, and a black shadow was like a speeding meteor heading straight towards the forest 400 meters away!
The sound was like thunder, startling Thomas who was standing nearby. He thought it was a musket exploding, and he subconsciously bent down to hide, but he found that the dwarves next to him laughed out loud.
Thomas's face turned red, and he coughed and stood up straight again, pretending that nothing was wrong.
"It seems a bit too far." Grace smiled as he pressed down the muzzle of the gun, with a hint of showiness in his voice, waiting for the explosion to sound.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, a scorching fire shot up into the sky from the woods four hundred meters away. A deafening roar was like thunder falling to the ground, and there was a vague mushroom-like cloud floating upward!
ifyous The shock wave of the explosion not only knocked down two trees, but also swept the surrounding trees to the ground!
Hearing the movement, not only the workers in the lumberyard were startled, but even the dwarf who was laughing at Thomas a second ago was so frightened that he sat on the ground like an overturned wine barrel.
"...Holy Saint Sith, when did the weapons of your dwarves become so terrifying?!" Thomas stared in surprise, looking at the floating clouds and the swaying treetops in the distance, his stunned eyes were like witnessing a miracle.
Even if it is a salvo fired by an imperial warship, it may not have such power, right? !
Measure it in terms of magic, it is at least silver level magic! Maybe even reach the gold level!
"No...not mine..." Grace's face was pale, and her expression was like seeing an undead.
Meeting Thomas' confused gaze, he swallowed and whispered in a difficult tone.
"We, maybe we hit something..."
Before he could finish his words, an angry roar suddenly came from the forest ahead, like a wounded lion howling.
Then the woods seemed to be boiling, and the shouts of charging were heard.
"Damn, we've been discovered——"
"It's an ambush!"
"Kill!!! Charge up!"
"These traitors! Chop them up!"
Traitor? !
Ambush? !
Thomas's mind buzzed, and he couldn't realize what happened for a while.
But his legs still moved instinctively, and he ran desperately in the direction of the lumber factory, shouting loudly as he ran.
"It's a bandit! Go and notify the garrison!"
The hell dwarf knew that he couldn't outrun this guy with long legs, so he simply did the opposite, dove into the running river, and swam for his life downstream.
They all know how to swim because they often mine. After all, it is normal for them to dig into a water layer.
At the same time, the Rock Hotel in Wheatfield Village.
The drunk Gunter suddenly opened his eyes, and then narrowed them dangerously.
The Chaos Apostle, whom he had been looking for for more than a month but could not find, was actually delivered to him by himself.
This is good!
It saved him a lot of trouble.
"Don't stop, man, let's have another drink! I toast you with this drink, burp——" The drunken old man pulled him and tried to drink him another drink, but he gently pushed it away with his generous palm.
"I'm going out to do some errands, and I'll be back for a drink later."
After saying that, Gunter pushed away the table and stood up, taking one step forward and standing in front of the door more than ten steps away. At the same time, a big sword was slung on his back at some point.
Old Hank looked up blankly and looked around, but there was no sign of Gunter. He muttered "Weird" and continued to drink.
At the same time, the bells in the west of Maitian Village rang loudly, and the patrolling sentries rushed to the military camp in panic.
The thousand-man team stationed in Maitian Village quickly gathered, and the Holy Spirits also dropped their pots and pans, grabbed a variety of weapons, and rushed towards the direction of the smoke.
Although most of the people active in this area are professional players, they basically all have extraordinary powers of black iron, bronze and even fine steel levels!
There are even a small number of first-tier players who have reached Silver level!
"Monsters spawned, brothers!"
"Ouch!"
"Experience! My experience! It's all mine!"
Wheatfield Village was in chaos.
No one noticed that a figure passed by them and headed straight in the direction of the Chaos Apostle...
(End of this chapter)