Chapter 392: The Arms Dealer
The envoy delegation slowly recovered from their shock.
After all, they still had a mission to fulfill.
Under the guidance of the Tiefling Imperial Guard, Saxe Barry and his party boarded a novel steam locomotive, arriving at a clearing on the outskirts of Isthalia.
The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder. There weren't many structures around, just dozens of humanoid target dummies riddled with bullet holes.
Saxe Barry frowned slightly.
He had expected to see the Empire's military putting on an impressive display of armor and weapons, but that wasn't the case.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"Yes, this is your destination."
"Ah, you must be the clients from the Kingdom of Thrace."
Saxe Barry turned to see a half-dragon striding toward them, dressed in a strange mix of black and dark green clothing. He waved enthusiastically, carrying several long wooden cases on his back.
"Hello, hello!"
"I'm the Empire's arms sales representative. You can call me Battlefield Wheelchair Man."
Battlefield Wheelchair Man beamed brightly and grasped Saxe Barry's hand firmly.
Beyond the odd name and attire, the half-dragon's enthusiasm made Saxe Barry feel somewhat uneasy, even suspecting a hidden agenda.
Trying to maintain the demeanor of Thrace's Chief Diplomat, Saxe Barry kept a serious expression.
"You should know that the Kingdom of Thrace is currently engaged in a large-scale war."
"We need to procure a batch of weapons."
"I hope your goods won't disappoint me."
"Of course, of course. This way, please."
"Let me introduce the Empire's armaments in detail. The samples are all here, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed."
Battlefield Wheelchair Man warmly led them to the shooting range, setting down the wooden cases on his back.
"Are these it?"
Saxe Barry frowned again.
From his experience, weapons commonly used by mortal soldiers on large battlefields included spears, bows, and armor. Elite units often had magical runes inscribed on their gear.
Yet these wooden cases didn't look like they could hold such equipment.
Battlefield Wheelchair Man eagerly opened one of the cases, revealing a finely crafted "long stick," which he skillfully held in his hands.
"This is…"
Saxe Barry recognized this type of weapon—it was similar to what he had seen the Tiefling Imperial Guards wield.
However, he didn't know how it was used and felt no magical energy emanating from it.
How could something like this…
Be used to kill enemies?
Noticing the doubt in Saxe Barry's eyes, Battlefield Wheelchair Man patted the gun confidently and explained:
"This is the Empire's latest model from our armament research—[Enemy-Breaker Firearm, Model III (Export Version)]."
"It's the pinnacle of the Empire's gunsmithing, the finest of smoothbore firearms."
In truth, Battlefield Wheelchair Man was lying.
The Machine God Cult had already advanced their research to the level of WWII-era weapons, producing replicas of the M1 Garand, Simonov, and Mauser 98K, among others.
They had even developed a prototype of the Type II submachine gun that Battlefield Wheelchair Man had been longing for.
The "Enemy-Breaker Firearm" smoothbore musket, however, was an outdated model that the military had completely phased out, generations behind the standard rifles.
Most of them were left to gather dust in the armories or used by auxiliary kobold and goblin troops.
Saxe Barry carefully examined the so-called "smoothbore firearm," trying to find magical circuits on it, but found nothing.
"How is it used?"
Saxe Barry couldn't help but ask.
"It's very simple and intuitive. Let me demonstrate."
Battlefield Wheelchair Man replied enthusiastically.
From his camouflage uniform, he pulled out a bundle of ammunition wrapped in oilcloth and expertly loaded it into the gun's muzzle.
Then, with practiced ease, he raised the gun, aimed at the target, and quickly pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The gun roared, smoke billowed, and lead shot flew from the barrel, riddling the target with holes and knocking it over.
"Such power…"
"How is this possible?"
Saxe Barry's expression was one of amazement.
He sensed a sudden and intense magical reaction the moment the firearm discharged. The power was comparable to certain third-circle spells.
Seeing the diplomat's astonishment, Battlefield Wheelchair Man grinned, revealing sharp white teeth, and continued his pitch:
"Compared to the previous generation [Enemy-Breaker Firearm, Model II], this model has undergone significant performance upgrades."
"The [Enemy-Breaker Firearm, Model III (Export Version)] boasts improved accuracy and range, a drastically reduced chance of misfire, and an extremely elegant design."
"It's the perfect choice for home defense, battlefield dominance, or even highway robbery."
As Saxe Barry listened to the sales pitch, he lowered his head, deep in thought.
Though powerful, this weapon was nothing remarkable in the days of Holy Fadlan.
During the Empire's peak, the "Sunwheel Bows" of godspawn nobles could fire arrows as powerful as eighth or ninth-circle spells.
However, mortals couldn't draw the gilded bowstrings.
This so-called "Enemy-Breaker Firearm," on the other hand, could be easily wielded by anyone—women, children, or the elderly—provided they had basic intelligence.
But such magical weapons surely wouldn't come cheap.
The Emperor likely intended to "sell" them under the guise of commerce, extorting a significant sum from Thrace while framing it as "support for the Kingdom of Thrace."
Saxe Barry sighed, resigning himself to reporting this to King Wilhelm later.
"Originally priced at 199 silver coins, now only 99 silver coins!"
"And if you place an order for more than 50,000 units, you'll enjoy a 15% discount!"
Battlefield Wheelchair Man enthusiastically announced the pricing.
"So…it's 99 gold…"
Saxe Barry sighed at first but then suddenly looked up, his pupils dilating in shock, his mouth agape.
"Wait—"
"What did you say the price was?"
Battlefield Wheelchair Man, slightly confused, repeated, "Single unit, 99 silver coins. Orders of 50,000 or more qualify for a 15% discount."
"This…this…"
Saxe Barry's voice trembled as he repeatedly confirmed the price, wondering if he had misheard.
Not because it was too expensive—
But because it was too cheap.
So cheap it was unbelievable.
Each "Enemy-Breaker Firearm" was priced at only 99 silver coins.
This meant they could train ordinary mortals with minimal effort and equip a 100,000-strong infantry army for less than 10,000 gold coins.
With the population and resources of the Kingdom of Thrace, they could easily field an army of hundreds of thousands.
While the weapon wouldn't pose a significant threat to legendary forces, it would be more than sufficient against regular armies, slowing the Kingdom of Kassander's advance.
"This weapon could change the war!"
"I must report to His Majesty immediately!"
Saxe Barry thought to himself.
Yet he didn't realize that what he believed to be a bargain was actually a meticulously laid trap by the Empire, leading the Kingdom of Thrace into a carefully designed pitfall.