Chapter 206
Aegir POV–
The entire scenery which can be seen through the window of the carriage is a reddish brown color, contrasting with the clear blue sky to make it seem even more depressing .
The rattling sound of the rolling wagon wheels can be heard as we travel along the path .
「This place is as dry as usual . 」
「There’s no water nearby so none of the land here can be cultivated into farmland . 」
Celia, who is sitting beside me, comments sincerely almost like she was talking to herself .
I rub her head thinking she’s cute, though it messes up her hair, causing her to fix it in a hurry .
Recently, I’ve been messing up her hair so that I can touch her ass and breasts while she’s busy tidying up her hair .
「Pipi likes it here . This is what I saw all the time when I was small . 」
Pipi points out the window on the opposite side of the carriage and tells me about the black beast she saw .
Unfortunately, my eyesight isn’t good enough to see the shadow or shape of the monster .
The eyes of the mountain nation are sharp like hawks .
「Here you go, Master~」
I take a sip of the fruit juice which Leah hands me .
It has a fairly sour taste but it’s still refreshing in this dry environment .
I finish drinking everything in the cup, though it seems I still have more waiting for me .
Leah’s cheeks are puffed out and when I kiss her, sweet fruit juice flows from her mouth to mine .
Sitting in the center of the carriage, she was continually stroking my crotch and chest with her hands .
It seems she feels the utmost joy whenever she manages to sexually arouse me .
「Are we there yet, Leopolt?」
「We are scheduled to arrive on time . Lintbloom should come into view within a few hours . 」
He responds with his usual affectionless voice, then closes his eyes again as if his duty was over .
He acts like some big shot and cleverly escaped giving a well-thought out answer, but I’m sure it’s because he’s thinking of something naughty .
For example……
Nina, who is sitting beside Leopolt, bows slightly to me .
This girl is admirable for being the attendant of this unsociable guy all this time .
She has quite the pretty face and her body has become more curvy compared to the first time I met her .
「He definitely tangles with her every night and enjoys himself . 」
「Auu!」
Oops, I said that out loud .
Leopolt says something to Nina as she covers her blushing face
「Lord Hardlett often says things out loud without thinking . You don’t have to respond to every comment . 」
「R-right . 」
Wait a second, you were making fun of me just now, weren’t you .
How dare you, as revenge I’ll fart in this sealed space .
It’s a really stinky one, let’s see how you like that .
Leopolt just ignores it, while Celia and the other girls look at me coldly .
「I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or just annoying that the dwarves don’t speak to anybody except me . 」
The reason we’re heading to Lintbloom is to check on the cannon which we entrusted them to make .
Apparently their efforts bore fruit, which is why they called me to come in person .
They don’t seem to trust many humans aside from me .
「The improvements to the cannon will largely affect our military strength in future wars . After all, we don’t have many options to choose from if Lord Hardlett leaves us for several days . 」
That’s fine and dandy, but why have you come along too?
I’m worried about the overly enthusiastic Myla, who was to be entrusted with the military affairs in Rafen .
Is it because this is as important as he says it is?
Incidentally, with Pipi also heading back to her village, Leah has been left in charge of taking care of my lower half .
Furthermore, there is another large carriage following us .
That carriage belongs to Celestina, who couldn’t bear to be apart from me for even one day, accompanying me for a tour of the place I’m headed to .
I actually didn’t want too many people…… especially those of another nation, to see this place but since the only ones coming along were Celestina and Monica, it should be fine .
The rest of the Malt envoy is doing something with Adolph in Rafen .
They must be excitedly fussing about all the imported goods .
Celia speaks timidly while resting her head against my chest .
「Maria-san and company as well as the women from Treia weren’t there to see us leave . 」
That’s because I fucked them a lot before leaving and all of them couldn’t stand up yet .
I think only Catherine was able to see us off with the help of a walking stick .
We chatted about some unimportant topics to kill time and before I knew it, black smoke can be seen in the direction we are headed .
The mining city of Lintbloom is an industrial city built around an iron mine and the steel mill, and is also the prominent point of provision for Goldonia’s iron supply .
With the everlasting flames of the steel mill and the continuous smoke emitting from this wasteland regardless of the time of day, it really makes me imagine those creatures of legends – the dragons .
「Welcome back, feudal lord-sama! Your Majesty, Celestina!」
When the carriages reach their destination, a middle-aged man jumps out to greet us .
He is the head of the city of Lintbloom…… whose name I can’t remember .
Celestina greets him with a casual good morning, only to be reminded by Monica to be talk in a more dignified manner .
It’s the usual spectacle .
「As I communicated, I will be in your care . Where are the dwarves?」
According to reports, several of them have temporarily come here .
「This way . I will also prepare your escort! In regards to dinner preparations……」
「I will provide my own escorts . As for dinner, you can make the choice . 」
The head of the city as well as the other men around him jump in surprise from my slightly harsh tone .
I’m not actually mad though…… are they really that scared of me?
I don’t think anything good will come out of wandering the town while Leopolt is with me .
I should finish my business here first .
「The dwarves are here in this factory dedicated for military purposes . 」
The place I was guided to was a prominent workshop even within Lintbloom, where all sorts of equipment meant for my personal army, like saddles and weapons, are created .
Because I can supply my own iron and steel equipment, I can steadily strengthen my army .
The dwarves were not waiting inside the workshop though, instead they were at the shooting range, which was for testing the cannons they created .
The glum look on their rugged faces turned into huge smiles when they saw me .
Spreading both arms wide and running towards me first is Balbano, who might cause an earthquake in doing so .
「’s been a while, pal! Would’ve been nice if you showed up more often . 」
「And as usual, you’re looking rather chunky . 」
Balbano is similar in height with the other dwarves but he has a muscular frame and a sturdier looking body .
His short and thick legs thumping their way to me as he walks is an amusing sight, although he’s an opponent even I had trouble overcoming if you simply consider his strength .
「Let’s celebrate our reunion first . Drink . 」
The stein handed to me is filled with their specialty, an extremely potent alcohol .
Leah steps back after taking a small whiff of the aroma, whereas Celia steps forward .
Even though she can’t handle alcohol, she likes drinking it .
「Don’t do it, Celia . If you drink this, you might start dancing naked in front of some random men . 」
「Uu……I-I’ll drink at night with Aegir-sama!」
I laugh and accept the offered stein, instantly downing all of the liquid .
Nothing will go well if I refuse alcohol from the dwarves .
That and I actually kind of like the taste of this alcohol which seems to burn your throat .
「Ooh, you’re different like I thought . It’s regrettable a man like you is human . 」
Balbano’s dark face relaxes as he comments happily .
I decline his suggestion of drinking another glass .
If I drink anymore than this, I won’t be able to do my work .
I’ll probably grab a passing prostitute and talk to you while she sucks me off .
「Let’s talk about the cannons before getting drunk . We can drink till we drop tonight . I can prepare as many high quality alcohols as you want . 」
The other dwarves smile at my words .
They really love their alcohol .
「’Cannon’ is that thin metal tube the man from the plains were talking about, right?」
Balbano gives the cannon I prepared an uninterested glance just for reference and declares .
「This is no good . 」
「Tell me what’s wrong with it . 」
You can call it defective, but we will make no progress if you stop there .
「The idea of lighting a fire at the base of this tube and using the force of the explosion to propel a metal ball is interesting, but the weak tubes you have will break and warp in no time . 」
「Yeah, that’s why I thought you guys could do something to improve them . 」
Balbano shakes his head .
「We can make something better than you . However, the material is too brittle in the first place . It doesn’t matter who builds something with this crude metal, most of it will turn out the same and it won’t last long . 」
「Hmmm……」
Leopolt and I, plus Celia, all have troubled expressions as we tilt our heads in thought .
Steel is not strong enough…… if that’s the case, we can’t do anything about it .
Now that I think about it, the dwarves have been going on all this time, saying how steel and iron is a weak metal .
「Nothing decent can be made from iron . But I can’t just refuse a request from a friend . You introduced a thick and sturdy woman to me too . I liked how she was hairy too . 」
Balbano goes into a corner of the workshop and pulls out some objects he prepared .
As expected, it doesn’t matter what race you’re from, men love women…… their preferences differ greatly though .
「This is…… a cannon? It’s huge…… almost like Aegir-sama’s thing . 」
Leopolt and Celia stare curiously…… at the ten cannons lined up in front of them .
The cannons made by the dwarves are similar in shape to the ones we have but are double in size and has a more intricate design .
Most of all, the color of the cannons are darker than steel, obviously meaning they used a different material to make them .
「This is…… something you guys made?」
「It’s a primitive design but I didn’t think there was any point in changing the entire thing when creating it ourselves . We used our own materials . 」
I give them a light tap and they all seem thick and solid and won’t break after a few uses .
When I talk to them about it, they said that they have already been fired ten times and there was absolutely no flaws and no bending of the barrel .
「With these cannons, you can probably use several times more gunpowder! Not to mention they’re huge!」
Balbano sticks out his chest with pride but Leopolt has a sour look on his face .
I don’t say anything, guessing what he was thinking about .
「We won’t be able to use these in a field battle . They’re also going to slow down the pace of our march . 」
Balbano glares at Leopolt who deliberately voiced his opinion .
It’s nice that they’re big and durable, but these cannons are too heavy .
As they are now…… we can’t load them onto the wagons, and we’ll move really slowly even if we use six horses to pull them along .
「Still, they have a certain size to them if we fix them in place . Any subpar castle walls will be blown apart in an instant . They’re excellent cannons . 」
Balbano once again sticks his chest out with pride and agrees with me .
Leopolt doesn’t say anything further .
So he willingly played devil’s advocate…… he’s not that admirable of a person .
It’s definitely because he can’t understand how people feel .
However, I still have concerns .
「Can you prepare these cannons with that material easily?」
「We didn’t use as much as we did for your spear, but we used what we saved up to make the cannons . I don’t think we can make more for a while . 」
「Hmm……」
That doesn’t really solve the problem then .
It doesn’t matter if it’s a cannon or whatever, it’s still just a single weapon .
I’d rather have a bunch of weapons of usable quality than one masterpiece of supreme quality .
「Can you somehow make something good out of the iron?」
「I don’t understand why you’re so fixated on something like iron . What’s so good about a metal that rusts so easily?」
Balbano sits uninterestedly on his metal chair .
His butt is big enough to stick out from the side of his chair and he’s short enough that his feet don’t reach the ground .
It’s funny to see his legs kicking around in the air like a child .
「Well…… it’s because, excluding any special metals, steel is the hardest . 」
Mithril and the metal used by the dwarves is overwhelmingly strong, but we can’t obtain a large quantity of that stuff .
It’s more common and practical to use steel .
However, steel seems to be inadequate as the material for the cannon’s barrel .
The engineers in the workshop behind me also nod .
They look familiar…… from the fire nation, if I recall correctly…… .
Hm, I forgot .
「That is indeed true when it comes to hardness . But if we’re focusing on having enough strength to withstand explosions, then bronze is better . 」
「Bronze?」
I do remember my sword and spear being made of bronze at one point or another .
Things like that are treated like antiques nowadays though .
「It’s heavy enough to take a hit and its elasticity……」
Balbano starts talking boastfully about something, but it doesn’t make any sense to me at all .
「Hyauum!」
I rub Celia’s lower half while pretending to respond like I understand .
I’ll have fun with Leah’s ass too .
Umu, both of their thighs are plump, just the way I like them .
I’ll put my face between them tonight .
Getting sandwiched by their thighs while Pipi licks my cock…… that sounds wonderful .
「I-I see……」「Bronze wasn’t even considered . 1」「We’ll have to check whether there are any places within the tunnel that contain copper or tin!」
The engineers become lively over something .
Leopolt seems to be thinking earnestly about something .
I’m just happy that the problem was solved .
I’ll leave the rest to Leopolt .
「That aside, I have something I want you to see . You’ll be amazed . 」
Apparently, the ten cannons prepared by Balbano weren’t anything too fancy .
In his perspective, he sees them as imitations of our primitive designs .
It can’t be helped, I should be grateful that he at least made them without getting angry .
After a while of walking together with the elated Balbano, we arrive in front of a certain building .
「Is it inside here?」
He’s smiling so confidently, so I’m certain something interesting will come out .
「Now lay your eyes on this, this is our greatest work!」
「I’m looking forward to-…… what’s wrong? Don’t just put on airs, hurry and bring it out . 」
Balbano’s arms are spread and he isn’t moving .
What’s going on here, you’re telling me to look at the building but nothing’s coming out .
「A-Aegir-sama…… it’s this!!」
Celia shouts in amazement .
Looking at where she’s pointing, I only see a building…… no, this is-
I thought for sure this was just a building, but the structure seems strange after a closer look .
There is no entrance or exit and there is a ladder on the side, which leads up to somewhere .
I can also see some gears and springs here and there
And finally, there is a long tube that extends out from the building, resembling the barrel of a cannon .
「This…… entire thing is a cannon?」
「That’s right! It’s stately presence and sturdiness makes it a true dwarven masterpiece!」
It’s height is easily as tall as a two-story building .
The part which resembles a pedestal isn’t just a simple piece of metal either, all kinds of springs and gears arranged in a complex manner and attached to it .
It looks very complicated and I have no idea how to use it .
What draws my attention the most however, is the giant barrel .
Its length makes the cannons we saw earlier look like toys…… it easily surpasses ten meters .
It’s a majestic and detailed piece of work constructed by the dwarves .
Balbano smiles, feeling satisfied after seeing us in shock .
「It only took us one or two days to make those cannons you saw earlier . We poured all our efforts into making this bad boy! Its name is Urgan, a nice, powerful name, don’t you think?」
「Yeah…… it’s incredible . How long has it been since I’ve been this surprised?」
It isn’t flattery .
This gigantic mechanical cannon, worlds apart from being just a simple building, has a strong enough impression to overwhelm all those who see it .
When this towering monstrosity of a cannon is fired, it could probably destroy the greatest castle walls in the Federation’s White City too .
Celia and I are dumbfounded while Leah and Pipi, who don’t really understand what a cannon is, disregard the weapon and start jostling with each other .
It goes without saying that the only one person who is keeping his cool is Leopolt .
「So…… how do we use this?」
「How, you say, of course you just pack it with gunpowder and a bullet, and then shoot it . 」
What’s this guy saying?
「Where do you aim it?」
「Aim at the enemy . It’s not like we’re going to shoot our allies . 」
Is this guy not well? Maybe he needs some time off .
「And where is the enemy?」
「……」
At this point, I realized .
Lintbloom is in a remote location of a remote region, a place where an enemy raid is highly unlikely, When an enemy does come here, not just Rafen, but the entire land would be captured .
Thinking about it just for the sake of answering the question, the only possible sources of attack are from a herd of black beasts or a few brigands here and there .
If we let this thing loose on a worthless enemy, they’ll be the ones who will make a huge fuss .
「Can we transport this to Rafen somehow?」
I was thinking the same thing, Celia .
But this thing is practically as big as a building so it’s impossible .
Even if several hundred people were to pull it, it would not budge at all .
「……Shall we use it as a signal cannon to tell the time?」
「That would be a waste of gunpowder . Besides, it would make the craftsmen in the city flip . 」
This thing looks like it’ll need an entire barrel of gunpowder for one shot…… .
「This thing…… was also made using the same material as those new cannons, right?」
「Right! It used 50 times more than those worthless cannons…… or was it 100 times . 」
I would have liked 100 cannons made from that material instead .
That would mean I no longer had to worry about a lack of cannons .
However, it’s not like I can complain to the dwarves who gladly helped out with my request .
「And also, you guys were using the burnt remains of wood to make your steel…… but that’s a waste . There’s something even more worthless than wood if you want to make steel . 」
The dwarves lived in caves their whole lives so they don’t have many opportunities to obtain wood .
It’s also because trees can’t survive in the heat and humidity of the caves .
「It’s because we have plenty of trees on the plains . Besides, there isn’t anything we can use as a substitute for fuel, is there?」
Balbano and the other dwarves don’t really leave their caves often .
If they don’t use trees, what do they use as fuel?
「We use this . 」
Balbano takes out a black rock from his pocket .
「Is that coal? We certainly can’t get that easily here . 」
Before I knew it, the engineers behind me have gathered around .
「For us, it’s better to use kindling or charcoal2 . 」
Coal isn’t particularly rare .
It appears in many mineral deposits and is often excavated along with the other ores .
If you throw it in fire, it can be used as fuel, but it’s quicker and more economical to use firewood rather than making the effort to transport coal from the mines, which is why we don’t use it much outside the vicinity of the place it’s produced .
Not many trees are located near Lintbloom so coal is what they should normally be using as fuel .
「If you’re going to burn it, wouldn’t this be better? It takes more effort and time to chop down and carry the trees . 」
The dwarves try telling the engineers, but they have a strained smile on their faces .
「No…… if we use coal in the production of iron, an undesirable element will enter the steel and it won’t be usable . 」
「Oh, so it doesn’t work?」
Balbano turns around, seemingly believing different .
「Fool, that’s obvious if you just burn it as it is . You need to burn coal while covering it, then drain the toxic liquid……」
Ah, I’m out of my depth with this jargon, speak to the engineers and craftsmen .
I rub Celia’s ass .
Balbano raises his voice with pride while sticking out his chest while the engineers listen with wide eyes .
Their lively conversation makes the enormous Urgan seem lonely .
After that, Balbano leads the other dwarves to drink a few glasses of alcohol with me before I take a look around the city feeling slightly intoxicated .
There is not much meaning for me to stay behind for all the engineer-related talk, besides the engineers seem to want to put into practice as soon as possible the many things they learned from the dwarves .
The dwarves have not really opened up to many humans aside from me, but I’m sure their attitudes will soften up after a couple drinks and they will happily answer any question you ask as long as you don’t do anything to make them mad .
「Fumu…… it’s been a while since I’ve had a nice long look . It’s incomparable to what it was before . 」
「It’s an incredible city…… it’s completely unlike Biado . 」
Celia, Leah and Celestina, as well as Monia and Pipi are here .
I walk around the city accompanied by the aforementioned five girls .
Gido and Christoph are also with us as guards but I’m only concerned about the ladies .
Lintbloom’s population is 4000, making it a mid-sized city, but all the blacksmiths and blast furnaces lining the streets make it seem like a larger city than the population suggests .
On the other hand, there are no shops which sell luxury or high-class goods and the few stores which sell the necessities of life are grouped into one area of the town .
「Lintboom buys everything from miscellaneous goods, food supplies and even water from Claire-san after all . 」
The land around the city is all wasteland, so no fields can be made .
Only poisonous water can be pulled from the wells, so there is no other method to obtain drinking water .
Claire’s wagon carries the water of life, meaning it’s safe to say she holds the city’s fate in her hands .
She is the one who employs and pays the miners and inhabitants of the city, but the food, drinks and everything they use in their daily lives are bought from her as well .
Not to mention, the prices cannot be considered cheap compared to other cities .
Furthermore, everything from the rent of houses people live in to the clothes that prostitutes wear is controlled by Claire .
This city is an important base of mine and at the same time Claire’s castle, which she has built up and bet her own fate on with all that money being exchanged here .
「Aegir-sama…… look over there . 」
I reach my hands out to lower Celia’s short pants .
「Not there! Why are you doing that in a place like this!!? I meant over there!」
Oh, I misunderstood, I thought Celia was acting bold for once and got excited .
She was pointing to the luggage unloading zone, where an incredible number of wagons have gathered and many barrels of water are being unloaded, then being replaced by a large chunk of metal .
「I did a rough count and there are at least 50 of them, and there are probably no fewer than 100 wagons which enter and leave the city every day . 」
There may be more wagons that go in and out this city than Rafen .
Food, water and the charcoal which is used as fuel for iron production is needed in large amounts everyday .
If they can manage using coal instead, that would help with their fuel problem .
「With that many caravans passing through on this road…… wouldn’t there be savage tribes or monsters that come out to attack?」
Monica is pragmatic unlike Celestina and Leah, who seem to be detached from the real world .
「We are actually fine on that front . 」
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login