Chapter 444: A mushroom cloud created by a single shot?
"It smells like stew..."
"What a delicious smell..."
"My brothers are just munching on dry food at Griffin Cliff, but these bastards are already living a good life!"
"Hey... this won't end well. These scum who betrayed Master Kailan's cause will not have a good end!"
In the forests downstream of the Rushing River, an army resembling bandits was marching, whispers spreading among the loose ranks.
They all wore green turbans on their heads, their eyes burning with bloodthirsty jealousy, and they looked at the smoke from the distant cooking fires as if they were looking at the murderer of their father.
A week ago, they learned that "Iron Bull" Brennan had betrayed the uprising.
That two-faced traitor not only let the Count of Quemu Castle go, but also shamefully made peace with the lackeys of Saint Sis and even changed their flag!
What a blasphemy!
The great true god "Urgos" will never let go of those who are not absolutely loyal!
They will surely go to a purgatory more desperate than famine!
Those who will eventually go to the hive city have no doubt about the fate of these traitors.
Just as anger spread throughout the camp, their leader, "Executioner" Aka, stood up and read out the orders from "Quartermaster" Silas to them.
"Our leader is too merciful and can't bear to take this to the extreme. But if we let the traitor go, how can we deter our enemies? Brothers, listen to my orders. Follow me to Quemu Territory immediately and 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 fierce eyes are not confused at all.
Amidst cheers and applause, the five thousand-man teams stationed outside Griffin Cliff Castle left the barracks under the cover of night and marched towards Quemu Territory in a mighty force.
Since Akka himself was the supreme commander of Griffin Cliff Territory, and the Green Forest Army had already marched to Dusk City for the decisive battle, his departure did not attract the attention of any other leaders.
Along the way, they advanced along the Running River, took a shortcut to Fort Quemu, and brought explosives for siege.
Just as they were marching towards the Wheatfield Village, they saw a large cloud of smoke rising from the plain outside the forest.
Along with it comes the aroma of food!
A-Ka, who was walking in the team, sniffed, licked his cracked lips, and a beast-like grin gradually appeared on his face.
"...It seems our 'Iron Bull' has been doing well lately. I wonder if his skills have improved."
It's been a while since I last sparred with him.
A-Ka still remembered that the last time he saw that guy, he seemed to be at the peak of the Gold level, and later he was said to have been promoted to Platinum.
Hopefully he's improved a bit since then, otherwise this fight could become quite boring.
After all, after slaughtering Griffin Cliff Castle, the renowned "Executioner" has reached Diamond rank!
All thanks to the blessing of the Eternally Hungry Claw...
He seemed to have seen the despair on the faces of the traitors and the so-called Saint.
This time he will not give these cowards the opportunity to commit suicide. He wants to enjoy it.
“Can you smell it, brothers?” A-Ka grinned and whispered to his subordinates behind him, “The traitors’ last meal smells delicious.”
Everyone laughed softly, but there was a naked green light flashing in their fierce eyes.
They had already smelled the rich aroma of meat.
The fragrance not only stimulated the hatred in their hearts, but also awakened the desire in their hearts!
"This is the last supper they paid for with their betrayal."
A-Ka pointed the guillotine in his hand forward and spoke in a cruel voice amid the sound of the chains snapping.
"Let's sneak past them, stand behind them, and give them an unexpected surprise..."
…
"...What's that smell?"
On the banks of the rushing river, sawdust was flying in the newly built timber processing plant, and rows of freshly processed pine and oak logs were neatly stacked in the open space on the river bank.
The dwarf who was looking up to check the wood suddenly twitched his nose, and his shrewd eyes, like the kerosene lamps in the mine, unconsciously drifted towards the north of Wheat Field Village.
It was a strange meaty aroma, mixed with the dwarves' favorite pickles, creating an unexpected and peculiar charm.
It's worth noting that both dwarves and helldwarves rarely eat pork. This is primarily due to a lack of dietary habits and a lack of places to raise pigs. For example, the Calamity Fortress in Stonecrush Peak primarily raises goats and other monsters suitable for the mines.
However, that day in Beifeng City, Grace Hammer ate two large baskets of bread, which was unusual for him, and left half of his stomach for the fragrant sauerkraut soup and the soft and tasty meat.
From that day on, he fell in love with Beifeng City, and used Beifeng City as a base to expand his business, selling the products produced in the cemetery to the underground world of the Old Continent.
In short, it was a really good place, whether it was food, supplies, or those hardworking and tireless undead.
To be able to build such a city where humans, undead, hell dwarves and other races live together, and to manage all forces in an orderly manner... the demon king there is simply a genius!
That's getting off topic.
"...Mr. Grace Hammer, what did you just say?" Thomas, who was standing beside him, said in a kind voice, looking at the dwarf in front of him who suddenly stopped moving.
As the only businessman in the entire Quemu Territory who knew how to do business, Thomas was quickly valued by the top brass of the Salvation Army.
Now the first task that Her Highness the Saint gave him was to open up sales channels for the sawmill in Wheatfield Village.
Soon, he finally arrived with the first merchant mentioned in the oracle. And just as the oracle had predicted, this friend from afar was a dwarf.
"……nothing."
Grace twitched her nose.
Of course, he couldn't admit that he had just been absent-minded, so he put on a serious expression and said, "I mean, your wood smells bad... I wonder if a mouse peed on it."
"......?" Thomas was stunned for a moment.
Before he could react, Grace stretched out his thick knuckles and knocked on the oak in front of him. Listening to the dull sound, he continued in a deep voice.
"There are some scars here... and the grain is too rough. It can't be used as an axe handle for us dwarves. It feels damp to the touch, and I don't think it would be suitable for railroad sleepers either. Are you sure this is the best material you have?"
After pointing out a series of faults, Grace stood up and reached out to scratch her hair...or rather, her wig.
The low-quality glue made his scalp itchy, and he was always worried that the wig would not stick firmly enough and would fall off.
According to the Demon King, if they want to keep their business going for a long time, they must follow the local people's rules and wear wigs when doing business with them.
He felt awkward at first, but for the sake of the ghost money, he was completely relieved.
As soon as Thomas heard what the guy said, he knew that this must be his first time doing this business.
He had never heard of dwarves using high-quality wood to make axes. Aren't they all made from scraps left over from making wooden beams in mines?
Anyway, the axe handle is not the most valuable part, the good steel is all in the axe head.
Seeing this guy pretending to know everything and pretending to be an expert, Thomas couldn't help laughing and explained.
"Scars... those are signs of wood growth, just like scars on a man's body. They don't affect their quality! As for the grain... that doesn't affect their use either. Rest assured, whether you're using them to make ships or load-bearing beams for mines, they're top-notch material!"
Grace, whose thoughts were seen through, did not blush, but just snorted.
"Really? I haven't decided what to do with it yet, but since you said so, I'll just take it as it is. You humans know the consequences of deceiving the dwarves. We will carve you into the book of hatred!"
"Yes, yes! How dare I offend you? I could deceive anyone but you." Thomas smiled and followed his words, "I can swear in the name of Saint Sith!"
He had never heard of anyone being put in the Book of Hatred for such a trivial matter. This dwarf merchant from the countryside probably had never even seen what a Book of Hatred looked like.
Although he had no intention of cheating his dwarf friend, after all, what the Duskwood lacked the most was high-quality wood. The real wood was everywhere, while the fake ones had to be found with great effort.
In fact, Thomas was half right - this dwarf brother had indeed never seen the Book of Hatred.
After all, this guy is not a real dwarf at all, but a dwarf from hell wearing a wig!
The Running River flows southward through the Quemu Territory. It is the only tributary that enters the depths of the Wanren Mountains and passes by the dwarves' homes. It also connects to the infamous Broken Rock Peak in the dwarf world.
The lords who lived there were all famous lords in the Book of Hatred of the Mountain Kingdom, so how could they have the ability to arrange for others to live there?
"Really?" Grace snorted and smacked her lips, as if weighing the options in her mind.
That was clearly an expression of being moved.
Thomas, who had been in business for many years, saw through this guy's thoughts at a glance.
After all, if you really aren't interested, there's no need to make so much drama with me. Just turn around and leave.
Interested? That's easy!
In the entire Twilight Province today, only Quemu Territory can do this business.
Other places are either deserted, or there is a war going on, or there are simply no suitable channels to transport things there.
As Thomas expected, after picking and choosing for a while, Grace finally said the words he had been waiting for for a long time.
"We have a huge demand, and we need long-term purchases. Quality, stability, and production volume are all important to us... Let me be frank, if you want to keep this deal going long-term, you must agree to all these conditions."
Thomas had a delighted smile on his face.
"Dear Mr. Grace, please rest assured! These requirements you mentioned are our most basic bottom line!"
After a pause, he continued without stopping.
"Then, for our long-term benefit, let's discuss the price and the method of cooperation... If you plan to purchase long-term, my suggestion is that we can sign a contract and agree on the time and place of delivery and payment—"
He had only said half of his words when the dwarf brother standing in front of him suddenly coughed, interrupting him.
"There's one more thing I forgot to tell you. I don't have any money."
Thomas' smile froze.
No money——
Are you kidding me?!
"So, what do you mean?"
Grace gestured with her fingers and spoke in a serious tone.
"Literally. We don't use the imperial currency there, so I propose barter."
Thomas was stunned when he heard this.
It is true that dwarves have their own currency, but I have never heard that dwarves do not trade with the Empire?
How could they not have the imperial currency!
However, this flexible businessman did not hesitate for too long, because he quickly came up with a reasonable explanation -
That is the tribe of the dwarf in front of him, which is located deep in the Wanren Mountains.
If that was the case, it was possible that they had never done business with the Empire. After all, ordinary Imperial merchants would not go there, and most goods from the Dwarf World could be purchased at the Brass Pass.
"Then...what about gold? You must have some, right?"
"Uh... that's a bit difficult. We have all our gold with our neighbor."
"Neighbor?!"
"That's what the neighboring tribe means!"
Looking at the human in front of him who seemed very disappointed, Grace felt a little embarrassed and said while touching his red rosacea.
"My idea is to barter... You guys have no use for money anyway, right? I have something better than the Empire's gold coins, and I'm sure you'll be interested!"
As he spoke, Grace waved to the attendant next to him and took a rifle as big as a hammer from the guy with a beard and many braids.
At first Thomas didn't realize it was a gun, he thought it was a hammer.
The black muzzle was as big as an adult's fist, and the dark blue barrel was as thick as a thumb. Rather than a musket, it looked more like a handheld cannon!
Thomas swallowed.
"What's this?"
Talking about the thing in his hand, Grace suddenly became excited and spoke with saliva flying.
"A hand cannon! You can think of it as a cannon held in your hand! Our soldiers can use it to hurl fist-sized grenades two to three hundred meters away! The only side effect is that it can easily dislocate the shoulder, but that's not a big deal. We can fix that by adding a rune to the leather holster, and then we'll sell it to you!"
As he spoke, he insisted on demonstrating it to Thomas, so he took a bronze "cannonball" from his companion's hand and was about to load it into the gun barrel.
Thomas was startled by the madman's actions and quickly reached out to stop him.
This is the Salvation Army's lumberyard!
If this place is set on fire by a cannon, he might not be able to afford the compensation even if he sells his entire caravan!
"No, wait a minute, Mr. Grace! Calm down! 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 almost popped out of her head.
"Is it useless? How could it be useless? Aren't you fighting a war?"
He couldn't understand what these humans were saying. In a land ravaged by war, was there any currency harder than arms?
Thomas said with a wry smile.
"That's true, but the war is mainly between the Kingdom's regular army and the rebels. It has nothing to do with us... for now. Rather than weapons, we need production tools like steam engines... oh, and fertilizers."
He had only recently heard of the word fertilizer.
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 certain: 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? Why didn't you tell us you needed those things? We already have them!"
"You, you have it?!" Thomas' 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 saw that thing in the human town north of North Peak... ahem, Rock-Breaking Peak! Don't worry, they have all sorts of goods. Just deliver the wood to our agreed location, and we'll definitely deliver what you need! The price is absolutely fair!"
If that's the case, it's not unacceptable.
It is indeed just as the dwarf brother said. Given their current situation, they probably wouldn't be able to spend the money even if they had it. Bartering might be a solution.
As long as the other party has enough goods, these are acceptable.
Looking at Thomas who seemed to be moved, Grace chuckled and said, strike while the iron is hot.
"You can give us a list! We will calculate the value of the goods using the imperial currency, but when delivering, we won't use currency, but goods for settlement!"
Thomas pondered for a long time and did not make a decision immediately, but spoke.
"I think your suggestion is good, but I can't make a decision personally. I need to consult Her Highness the Saint."
"No problem!" Grace knew it was just a formality and said with a happy smile, "But you better hurry up. I won't stay here forever. Time is of the essence!"
The two finally reached an agreement.
Grace shook Thomas's hand enthusiastically, shook it vigorously for a long time, and then proposed to demonstrate the power of the dwarven grenade launcher to him no matter what.
Thomas couldn't resist his enthusiasm, so he reluctantly agreed to follow the dwarf brother and several followers to the grove outside the sawmill.
The test site was chosen to be a small mound beside the rushing river. It had a wide view, with a view of two to three hundred meters downstream, and no villagers were around, making it the perfect spot to test the grenade launcher's power.
Thomas even thought to himself that if a fire broke out, he could find someone to put it out in time.
Holding a large gun with a caliber about the thickness of a fist in his hand, Grace put on the leather holster with runes, placed the butt of the gun on his leather-protected right shoulder, and winked at Thomas.
"Brother Thomas, watch carefully! This one shot of mine can knock down at least two trees that are so big that two people can hug them together! When you go to your Saint, demonstrate it to her just like I did!"
"I understand...please get started." Thomas nodded with a helpless smile.
Grace didn't waste any words. He aimed at the downstream direction and pulled the trigger. With a "bang", the gun flashed like a torch, and a black shadow rushed towards the woods 400 meters away like a speeding meteor!
The sound was like thunder, which scared Thomas who was standing nearby. He thought it was a musket exploding, so he bent down to hide subconsciously, but found that the dwarfs next to him laughed out loud.
Thomas' face turned red, and he pretended nothing happened. He coughed and stood up again.
"It seems like it went a little too far." Grace lowered the muzzle of the gun and chuckled, his voice a little boastful, waiting for the explosion to sound.
However, just as he finished speaking, a blazing flame shot up into the sky from the woods four hundred meters away. The deafening roar was like a mighty thunder hitting the ground, and there was a faint mushroom-like cloud floating upwards!
"boom--!!!"
The shock wave of the explosion not only knocked down two trees, but also swept the surrounding trees all over the ground!
Hearing the noise, not only the workers in the lumberyard were startled, but even the dwarf who was laughing at Thomas a second ago was so scared that he sat on the ground like a tilted barrel.
"...Saint Sith, when did your dwarf weapons become so terrifying?!" Thomas stared in shock, looking at the clouds floating in the distance and the crooked treetops. His astonished eyes seemed to have witnessed a miracle.
Even a salvo from an Imperial battleship wouldn't have such power, right?
Judging by magic, it was at least silver-level magic! Maybe even gold-level!
"No...it's not mine..." Grace's face was pale, and her expression was as if she had seen a ghost.
Meeting Thomas's confused gaze, he swallowed hard and whispered in a hard voice.
"We might have hit something..."
Before he finished speaking, an uncontrollable roar suddenly came from the forest ahead, like the roar of a wounded lion.
Then the woods seemed to boil, and shouts of charge were heard.
"Damn it, we've been discovered——"
"It's an ambush!"
"Kill!!! Charge!"
"These traitors! Chop them into pieces!"
traitor?!
ambush?!
Thomas's head buzzed, and he didn't react to what happened for a moment.
But his legs moved instinctively and he ran desperately towards the sawmill, shouting loudly as he ran.
"It's bandits! Go and notify the garrison!"
Knowing that he couldn't outrun this long-legged guy, the hell dwarf simply did the opposite, diving into the rushing river and swimming for his life downstream.
They all know how to swim as they often mine. After all, digging into water layers is a common thing for them.
Meanwhile, at the Rock Inn in Wheatfield Village.
The slightly drunk Gunter suddenly opened his eyes, then narrowed them dangerously.
The Chaos Apostle that he had been looking for for over a month actually showed up in front of him.
That’s good!
It saved him a lot of trouble.
"Don't stop, man, let's have another drink! This one's a toast to you, burp—" The drunk old man pulled him, trying to give him another drink, but he was gently pushed away by his broad palm.
"I'm going out to do something. I'll be back to drink later."
After saying that, Gaunt pushed the table away and stood up. He took one step and stood in front of the door more than ten steps away. At the same time, a big sword was already on his back.
Old Hank looked around blankly, but couldn't see Gunter. He muttered "weird" and continued drinking.
At the same time, bells rang loudly to the west of Maitian Village, and the patrolling sentries ran towards the military camp in panic.
The thousand-man team stationed in Wheatfield Village quickly assembled, and the holy spirits also threw down their pots and pans, grabbed a variety of weapons, and rushed towards the direction of the smoke.
Although most of the players active in this area are professional life 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 the silver level!
"Monster hunting, brothers!"
“Ahhhh!”
"Experience! My experience! It's all mine!"
There was chaos in the wheat field village.
No one noticed as a figure passed by them and headed straight towards the Chaos Apostle...
(End of this chapter)
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