Chapter 729: Silver Dove

While everyone stares at him in disbelief, Henwell lifts the double-barreled shotgun in his hands.

"What? You didn't really think I'd come exploring without preparing anything, did you?"

Alex moves closer and reaches for the weapon, but Henwell pulls it out of reach.

The beast-eared young woman asks curiously, "Is that a firearm made by the dwarves? Where did you get it?"

Henwell answers smugly, "You've got a good eye."

Alex studies the weapon, then shakes her head. "No. This isn't a dwarven firearm!"

Once he has reloaded, Henwell aims toward the place where the statue knight vanished. "I bought this beauty in the Western Regions. It cost me quite a bit."

A long moment passes, but the statue knight does not emerge again.

Miller comes to Henwell's side. "Did that thing shatter?"

Henwell shakes his head. "Of course not. It ran."

"What do we do now?"

Henwell thinks for a moment. "Back to the church."

Dacro immediately objects. "Guild Master, why go back there? What if we run into that statue knight again?"

Henwell counters with a question. "What if that cursed thing goes back and pulls every sword out of the floor?"

"Imagine a whole horde of statue knights rushing out. Do you honestly think we'd still have a chance to escape by another route?"

The thought fills everyone with fear.

Two statue knights are already difficult enough to handle. If several more awaken, they will be finished on the spot.

In the end, the group swallows its fear and follows Henwell back to the church complex.

Since no one else dares enter, Henwell reluctantly leads the way with the shotgun in hand.

Once inside, everyone sighs with relief. The remaining swords are still embedded in the hall floor.

Abbas, the archaeologist, recommends a secure room that is sturdy and easy to defend.

Once the door is sealed, they collapse where they stand, gasping for breath as they consider their next move.

Abbas is fascinated by Henwell's weapon. "Adolf, where in the Western Regions did that shotgun come from?"

Henwell shows it to him. "It isn't mine! How could I afford something this expensive?"

"A powerful figure from Peace Haven commissioned it from the Western Federation. I'm only responsible for transporting it."

Daisy, the little spy, leans closer. "If it belongs to Peace Haven, aren't you afraid they'll hold you accountable for using it?"

Henwell shrugs. "I'm about to die. Why worry about that now? If I die here, none of it matters."

"If I make it out alive, the weapon will still be intact. I'll only have used some ammunition, and I can pay enough to compensate for that."

Abbas presses him. "Was it commissioned by Blood Hill Lord Henwell?"

Henwell smiles. "We may be close to dying, but we aren't dead yet."

"I still have professional integrity. I can't reveal a client's information whenever I please."

Dacro eyes the shotgun greedily. "Guild Master, is it expensive?"

"More expensive than you can imagine!"

"Guild Master, what is it called?"

Henwell points at the silver pattern along the weapon. "See that bird?"

"The weapon has the same name: Silver Dove. A dove represents peace!"

Remembering the violent blasts it produced, Dacro mutters, "For something named after peace, it doesn't look very peaceful."

Henwell glares at him. "What do you know? Once the enemy is dead, there is no dispute. Doesn't that mean peace?"

As the immediate tension fades, everyone begins to relax. The dim light soon makes them drowsy.

While the others sleep in shifts, Henwell and the Lady of Calamity speak in private.

"How much longer?"

"Not much longer. All I know is that we need to descend beneath the city."

"Whatever lies down there will severely suppress extraordinary professionals, but it won't weaken their bodies."

"That is why I need Knight-class professionals to protect me."

"The stronger Knights become, the stronger their bodies grow. You must remove the threats down there and escort me to the lowest level of the city."

Alex cuts in. "What about my husband's Fate Rail? Don't tell me you left it outside."

Henwell counters, "And where is your husband? Don't tell me you lost him before he even made it inside."

Alex replies, "He's here. He has been all along. He'll appear when we need him."

Henwell answers flatly, "I brought the weapon. I'll take it out when we need it."

Once Alex realizes Henwell will not hand over the weapon before Steve appears, she drops the subject.

Henwell turns back to the Lady of Calamity. "Is there another way out? I need some of these people to survive."

She does not ask whom he wants to save. After thinking for a moment, she says, "There is, but we need to descend two more levels. Can you keep them alive that far?"

Henwell does not explain. He has made preparations of his own.

Silver Dove itself is one of them, a weapon Henwell built with his own hands.

The Lady of Calamity once asked him how much it cost to make.

Henwell told her only that the weapon offers abysmal value for its price.

Although it can fire with the power of a Grand Knight, the gun alone costs more than a hundred thousand gold coins.

Worse, each round costs dozens of gold coins.

Calling it shooting is almost misleading. He is pelting the enemy with money.

Silver Dove is only a prototype Henwell built to test the idea. Mass production remains a distant prospect.

He drew most of his inspiration from Origin, Newwood's extraordinary flintlock, which Henwell has coveted for a long time.

Origin is a vicious growth-type weapon capable of growing alongside Newwood's strength.

It can match the force of Newwood's strongest attack. A surprise shot can instantly kill an evenly matched opponent.

Unfortunately, Newwood explains that the organization issued it to him, leaving Henwell no way to obtain one.

By comparison, Henwell's Silver Dove can only fire with the power of a Grand Knight, and every shot literally burns through gold.

To Henwell, the weapon is worth far more as a showpiece than as a practical firearm.

Still, this expedition gives him a chance to test the concept behind it.

Once Peace Haven's metallurgy advances far enough, firearms and artillery must become a major project.

Conquering the entire continent, containing the Western Federation, and eventually driving it back to the Abundant Continent will require a fundamental increase in military power.

Peace Haven may one day produce Knights in large numbers, but training a capable soldier will still demand enormous time and resources.

Using those soldiers as front-line fodder would be a despicable waste.

For now, Henwell must focus on completing the Lady of Calamity's mission.

He will use the opportunity to collect performance data, then improve the weapon and establish a production standard after returning home.