Chapter 567 - 349: Insufficient Firepower Phobia (Part 2)

Chapter 567: Chapter 349: Insufficient Firepower Phobia (Part 2)

The Griffin Knight Order was a common sight in armies. They had always been an elite force, boasting superior mobility and the ability to drop explosive Alchemy Jars from the sky while enemies struggled to hit them.

In the legions, their status was second only to Professionals, because a combat-ready Griffin was incredibly expensive.

The cost of raising one Griffin was enough to raise over ten warhorses; in contrast, the Knight riding the Griffin was considerably cheaper.

To deal with them, bows and arrows were insufficient. One had to use Heavy Crossbows—and Enchanted Heavy Crossbows at that, to ensure enough killing power.

Figxin had previously tested the firearms Zog produced. Only the sniper rifles could reach the altitude at which Griffins flew, but given the sniper rifle’s rate of fire, hitting a high-speed target was less about skill and more about luck.

Therefore, Figxin’s plan for dealing with Griffin Knights was to have her own Griffin Knights engage them in aerial combat. After the Northern Domain became wealthy, it had acquired a good number of Griffins.

"How do you aim this gun?" the officer from the Northern Domain asked.

"Come, give him a demonstration," Zog instructed.

A researcher sat down in the "Military Tribunal’s" seat and quickly turned two dials.

"These two dials are for adjusting the horizontal rotation and the machine gun’s elevation angle. Once you’ve aimed, you fire."

The researcher pulled the trigger. A purplish-red ion beam shot out from the barrel, so fast the eye could barely track it. It flew straight into the sky, shrinking until it was no longer visible.

’That altitude is definitely high enough to hit a Griffin.’

’And with that rate of fire and density, you probably don’t even need to be that accurate. A single one could create a web of fire, making it difficult for Griffin Knights to get close.’

’What a great piece of equipment.’

The officer gazed at the machine gun spewing beams of light, his eyes filled with longing. The barrels that had looked strange just a moment ago now seemed beautiful no matter how he looked at them.

’And the controls don’t look complicated. It shouldn’t take long to train a soldier to operate it skillfully.’

’It’s just too good.’

"Each barrel has a rate of fire of three hundred rounds per minute," Zog continued his introduction. "It uses our factory’s standard-issue, dual-use Magic Energy Crystal Stones. Each Crystal Stone can support two thousand shots."

"Doesn’t that mean one Crystal Stone will only last for about a minute?" Gelda asked.

"Just about. If you want to lay down suppressing fire, you have to pay a price. The good news is, our production capacity for Magic Energy Crystal Stones is more than sufficient."

Right now, the Magic Energy Crystal Stone production line can churn out three thousand units a day, which is enough for small-scale wars. And once we implement the wartime production plan, that number can conservatively be quintupled immediately. If we build more production lines, it can go even higher.

So, all in all, we have enough to fight with.

Besides, the average cost per shot is actually much cheaper than an Arrow.

Industrialization!

Figxin then asked, "Can this gun only be used to shoot at things in the sky?"

’In her view, the weapon was large and heavy, making it difficult to move. If it could only be used for anti-air defense after deployment, it wasn’t useless, but it didn’t feel good enough.’

"Of course not! Its elevation angle can be lowered to be level. It loves cavalry charges and the like."

Zog wore a friendly smile. "The high-temperature Element beam is enough to vaporize most armor. And the person inside the armor, of course. Guaranteed to not leave a complete corpse. Completely inhumane. That’s why it’s called—the Military Tribunal."

Zog’s tone was like that of a salesman promoting some harmless product.

Figxin’s expression twitched slightly. She felt something was off about what Zog was saying, but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was.

"What’s the highest grade of armor it can vaporize?"

’Actually, Figxin also wanted to ask what "vaporize" meant. She felt like she’d heard the word before but wasn’t sure of its exact meaning. It sounded like it had something to do with turning things into vapor, or gas.’

’But she was afraid that if she asked, she would seem stupid and be mercilessly mocked by Zog.’

As for why she was concerned about the grade of armor...

The original firearms had a significant impact, but due to problems like a low rate of fire, insufficient range, and low ammunition capacity, they hadn’t forced traditional armored Knight Orders off the stage of history.

Fine armor forged with Enchantments, or the use of specialized Shields, still offered decent Defense against Ordinary firearms.

Therefore, the ones who had been completely eliminated were actually the unarmored or even Light-Armored Warriors, as well as those unlucky races that were large enough targets to be pumped full of bullets at close range.

I’m looking at you, Dragon!

Zog didn’t answer directly. Instead, he made a claw-like gesture to a researcher.

Then, a researcher was seen carrying out an armor stand, upon which rested a magnificent suit of armor.

Dwarf-made, forged from Refined Gold. A Knight without a sufficiently wealthy family probably couldn’t afford this thing.

For the sake of demonstrating the anti-aircraft machine gun’s damage, Zog could be said to be "sparing no expense."

The armor was placed a hundred meters away.

Aim. Fire.

Accompanied by the relatively quiet WHIZZ of the Element beam, the armor stand turned into a cloud of smoke.

Through a pair of binoculars, Figxin saw the tragic state of the expensive armor.

Only shattered metal fragments remained, scattered on the ground. The edges of the breaks showed signs of extreme heat; some parts were burned red-hot, while others had melted into liquid.

’Now Figxin understood. The gas rising a hundred meters away must be the vaporized Refined Gold.’

’So that’s what "vaporized" means.’

One of the hardest metals on the Continent, turned into wisps of ethereal gas.

’What if there had been a person inside that armor?’

Figxin imagined the scene. It seemed it would be worse than just "not leaving a complete corpse."

’And if you used that rate of fire to strafe charging Knights...’

’It’s too cruel.’

Figxin even felt a bit of sympathy for the enemies who would be on the receiving end of this thing.

’It seems traditional legions are about to be completely phased out.’

’My decision to reform the Northern Domain’s army was indeed a wise one.’

"Of course, this thing isn’t without its flaws," Zog said from the side. "To prevent the barrels from melting, the entire length of each barrel is engraved with special protective Inscriptions. These Inscriptions have a cooling period. If you hold the trigger down, they’ll overheat in two minutes at most. So it’s best to fire in short bursts—that is, fire a few dozen rounds, then pause for a few seconds."

Figxin nodded after listening. That didn’t seem like a serious flaw.

"Then what’s that other thing?"

She pointed to the device that was still covered.

"This one," Zog said, "is even more incredible. An excellent design from the goblins."

’Goblins?’

Figxin had heard before that a batch of goblins had gained sentience and embarked on the path of scientific research. She just never expected to actually be using things made by goblins now.

She had no idea that she had, in fact, already used many gadgets made by goblins.

Zog pulled off the cover. "The multi-functional Magic Grenade Cannon, the Truth!"

’Another strange name.’

Figxin looked at the weapon. It was also massive, and looked even heavier. It didn’t have a barrel in the traditional sense, but rather six metal rails clamping a long hexagonal column. Even stranger, there was a control console and a screen at the weapon’s base.

The more she looked, the more familiar it seemed.

’Is that a computer console?’

"This weapon is a bit more demanding on the user. It requires mastery of some coordinate calculation Skills, as well as a basic understanding of Magic construction principles."

Zog explained, "What the grenade cannon fires is a ’grenade’ with an integrated, deployable Magic Array—in other words, this hexagonal column.

"After determining the target’s location, you use the console to calculate the coordinates and the required firing angle. At the same time, you have to set the deployment time for the grenade, which is why you need to understand Magic principles. We don’t have a method for automatic deployment yet.

"As for the effect, please watch the demonstration..."

After a series of complex operations, the grenade cannon locked onto the target’s position and adjusted its angle. With a deafening BOOM, like the fiercest thunderclap from a stormy sky, it fired.

The hexagonal column flew toward the distant horizon, trailing a pale blue Element wake.

"Can we see any effect from this far away?" Figxin asked, puzzled.

Zog didn’t answer. The unfolding Magic Array did.

An uncertain number of kilometers away, a massive Magic Array unfurled in mid-air, facing the ground.

After a delay of a few seconds, the biggest explosion she had ever seen in her life erupted.

A surging fireball dyed the horizon red, while rubble and dust were thrown high into the air.

’Was that mountain peak just flattened?’

Figxin now understood why it was called the Truth.

Within this thing’s range, whatever Zog said was the truth.