Aisha interrupted Todd's thoughts: "You seem quite familiar with this musket."

The latter avoided the question: "Captain, could you tell me how you obtained this weapon? Of course, if it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Aisha raised one eyebrow: "There's nothing inconvenient about it. About a year ago, I hijacked a messenger ship from the Abbasid Empire, and this musket came from one of the officers on board."

"A year ago?" Todd turned the musket over and over again to examine it several times, and found a line of small print below the base of the handle.

Only shooting stars in the night sky can keep up with the pace of God.

"Aisha, I'm very interested in things in the South. Could you please tell me a little about it?"

Hearing Todd's words, Aisha laughed: "Finally, there is a member of the church who is willing to listen to the deeds of God instead of slandering him indiscriminately."

Aisha retrieved the musket, placed it on the shelf and secured it, then limped over to the bedside and said loudly, "The South you speak of is actually composed of two great empires and many smaller states. The two great empires are the Abbasids and the Ayyubids, and they have been at war since the end of last year."

“Ayyubid? I’ve heard people say that the two great empires in the south are the Abbasids and the Fatima.”

"The Fatima Empire has fallen... Just last year, Saladin, the former prime minister of the Fatima Empire, overthrew its last caliph and established a new empire—the Ayyubid."

"I see. So, in your opinion, who will win this war?"

Aisha tilted her head and pondered for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I favor the Abbasid Caliphate; it has more soldiers, more territory, and more wealth... However, the Ayyubid Caliphate has a wise caliph—Saladin..."

Todd nodded, steer the conversation back to firearms: "So, how many of these weapons were there in the Southern Empire, and how were they made?"

Aisha didn't speak, but looked at the man in front of her warily. Finally, she smiled self-deprecatingly and said nonchalantly, "Anyway, it doesn't matter if I tell you. As far as I know, the technology of firearms was introduced to the land of Allah a hundred years ago. I don't know the exact number of firearms, but unlike you cowards who are afraid of new things, the Abbasid Empire has made gunpowder a key focus of its military research."

Sitting next to him, Rachel couldn't help but interject, "It's only a hundred years of research, what kind of progress can it possibly reach?"

Aisha burst out laughing: "That's why I say, people in the north are so strange! They can clearly hear the sounds of progress, but they bury their heads in the sand and pretend nothing has happened!"

"The Abbasid Empire has 19 provinces, each with a capital city of no fewer than 500,000 people, and over a hundred renowned universities and colleges throughout the country. The Imperial Capital, Mairyan University, alone boasts thousands of scholars. The empire's harbors are filled with hundreds of Antora-class three-masted battleships..." Aisha turned her gaze to Todd, whose face was growing increasingly dark: "Do you know how many people are in the Abbasid Caliph's Guard alone?"

"100,000!"