Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 522: A Very Solid Identity
Seeing that Steven had finally returned to something resembling normal behavior—at least he had begun talking about the weapon in his hand—Lin Yuhsia automatically ignored everything he had said earlier and nodded instead.
"That's right. I'm very interested in the technology behind the weapon you're holding. And that strange tube you used earlier, if possible, could the technology behind that also be part of the deal?"
Her gaze stayed fixed on the AK in Steven's hands. The design itself wasn't particularly complicated, but in Lin Yuhsia's eyes it seemed to possess some kind of magic that made it impossible for her to look away.
"Hm… the technology behind this thing isn't completely off the table for discussion. But how should I put it—you're a mafia princess. You wouldn't really have much use for something like this, right? Even if your dad showed up, he probably wouldn't need this kind of thing."
Casually swinging the AK in his hand like a fire poker, Steven half-squinted at the girl in front of him.
This wasn't something like a regulated knife or other small weapon. With the power of an automatic rifle, getting hit by it usually didn't mean "injured"—it meant dead. And considering that medical technology in this world wasn't particularly advanced to begin with, this was basically a weapon made purely for killing.
For ordinary gang turf wars, this kind of thing would be completely unnecessary.
"Besides, are you sure that if you mastered this technology, the Laterano people wouldn't come knocking on your door? As far as I remember, those guys are almost obsessive about regulating firearms."
Removing the magazine from the AK, Steven waited for the girl's response.
He had already considered becoming an arms dealer before. But Kal'tsit had reminded him that even though the weapons he called "guns"—rather than the Arts-powered guns of this world—didn't require Originium Arts to function, it would still be difficult to avoid attracting the attention of the Laterano.
Otherwise, Steven would have long since packed up all his weapons and sold them to the Inquisitors of Iberia.
Surely those saints would gladly exchange Originium for weapons that could allow ordinary Iberian citizens to gain the ability to fight the Seaborn.
As for the Seaborn's notorious evolutionary adaptability, Steven wasn't worried in the slightest. After all, those creatures could evolve resistance to almost anything, yet for some reason they had never been able to adapt to pure physical attacks.
And coincidentally, the weapons in his hands were truly the product of human science, no magic involved whatsoever. The bullets were powered purely by physical kinetic energy. You could even think of them simply as sharpened metal projectiles thrown at extreme speed.
If the Seaborn couldn't adapt to cold weapons like swords and blades, why would they suddenly adapt to this kind of purely physical attack?
Of course, Steven hadn't given up on the idea of selling weapons to Iberia. In fact, now that he had taken control of the K.G.C.C and essentially grasped most of the economic power of the Grand Knight Territory, he could openly negotiate arms deals with different nations.
If he could sell monopolized weapons, who would still bother with something as troublesome and unrewarding as knight tournaments? These days, the most profitable businesses are drugs and arms trafficking. And given the overall environment of this world, the status of arms dealing was even more unshakable.
Steven had already worked out the plan.
He could freely sell firearms—even allow others to reverse-engineer them if they wanted. After all, guns themselves weren't very difficult to manufacture. Once even a single weapon leaked out, it would only be a matter of time before someone figured out its structure.
But while guns were easy to copy, the ammunition they used belonged exclusively to him.
He had already consulted Nian about this. At least in this world, with the resources currently available, it was impossible to produce gunpowder.
Even when Steven tried mixing the raw materials using the same ratios used in his original world, the result still failed to produce the explosive force necessary to propel a bullet.
Steven himself couldn't figure out the exact reason behind it, but that didn't change the fact that the bullets he could manufacture in the future would be one of a kind.
Once a monopoly formed, how much profit could be made from it was something even Steven couldn't easily estimate.
Because of that, Lin Yuhsia's identity as the mafia princess of Lungmen simply didn't seem impressive enough in Steven's eyes. If someone really wanted to talk business with him, at the very least Wei Yenwu himself would have to come personally.
And even then, it would still depend on whether Steven happened to be in a good mood.
"The situation with Laterano isn't something you need to worry about," Lin Yuhsia said, frowning slightly. "As for why I need this technology, that's none of your concern either. You only need to tell me whether you're willing to make this deal."
Her tone clearly showed that she had no intention of explaining further. But when it came to technical knowledge like this, simply trying to force answers out of someone's head wasn't exactly easy.
"Even so, something like this should still be discussed face-to-face with your dad, right?" Steven replied, shaking his head as he looked at the girl. His expression clearly showed disbelief.
"Even if I agreed with you, I don't believe someone with your status actually has the authority to stop those angels."
You couldn't just take someone at their word. Without proof that what she said was true, Steven had no interest in discussing these things with her.
Besides, compared to this relatively unimportant matter, what he cared about more was who had been targeting Mostima earlier. Being a merchant was only his side job, being a gossip-loving bystander was his true profession.
"Just take me to see the Rat King already. I'm in a hurry," Steven said, waving his hand impatiently. "I've got questions that need answering."
He looked like a customer anxiously urging a guide to hurry up to a brothel.
"…I can answer your questions too," Lin Yuhsia replied.
To Steven's surprise, the mouse-eared girl in front of him didn't speed up. Instead, she stopped completely, turned around, and looked at him with a rather mysterious expression.
"And talking with me is different from talking with him."
"What do you mean?" Steven raised an eyebrow. "Are you two not on good terms? Or are you saying that after eighteen years of being a princess it's finally time to raise a rebellion—planning to overthrow him and become the underground empress of Lungmen yourself?"
Letting his imagination run wild, Steven looked at the girl who had just hinted that she wasn't on the same side as her father. His face lit up with excitement.
She was practically telling him that she represented another faction.
Now that was interesting.
Had the Rat King really managed to get even his own daughter to defect?
"No. I'm just doing what I should be doing, in another way," Lin Yuhsia said calmly. "If you insist on meeting my father, then don't blame me if I—"
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
A hint of panic appeared in her eyes.
Steven, standing before her, casually pulled open the front of his jacket, revealing what looked like a vest underneath—one made up of numerous red cylindrical sticks arranged across his torso.
Lin Yuhsia didn't recognize what they were.
But she did recognize the bold explosive warning symbols printed on them.
Combined with the instinctive fear of death rising in her chest, her intuition screamed that if those things detonated, even if she pushed her Originium Arts to the limit, she might not escape unscathed.
She hadn't even finished threatening Steven yet. Her tone had only gotten slightly harsher—she hadn't even said the actual threat.
So why was this guy suddenly looking like he was ready to blow them both up together?
If it had been anyone else, Lin Yuhsia might have gambled on whether they truly had the courage to die together with her.
But when the person involved was Steven, the man she had already concluded was somewhat mentally unstable…
She really didn't dare take that risk.
"Hmph. What kind of status do you think you have, talking to me like that?" Steven said proudly, holding a detonator in his hand. "Now can you behave yourself and keep leading the way?"
At critical moments like this, he had to admit that things like this were much better at persuading people.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 617: A Bold Guess[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628