Chapter 80
“What in the world are you talking about?”
The king of the Frankish Kingdom slammed the table with a loud bang.
The knight delivering the report bowed his head, trembling with fear.
“Well, it seems he walked directly through an unused forest path. Because of that, there were no witnesses…”
“So, you’re saying he still hasn’t been found?”
“W-We did find him, but…”
Alken had disappeared from the royal castle.
And he possessed complete knowledge of gunpowder formulas.
“It seems he has gone to Trinity. Apparently, he entered the Illusion Magic Tower there, but we also…”
“Sigh…!”
The king let out a deep sigh and leaned back against his throne.
The only solace was that Alken hadn’t fled to another nation like the Empire.
At least it seemed he hadn’t gone to divulge the Frankish Kingdom’s firearms research to foreign countries.
“We’re still monitoring him closely. He hasn’t left Trinity and doesn’t appear to be contacting other nations.”
“Hmm… That man…”
As the king, he couldn’t understand Alken’s motives.
A simple citizen who didn’t wish for war to erupt by his hands.
He was a being whose peaceful mind the king could not comprehend.
“Continue the surveillance. Also, ensure that the research continues. The gunpowder formula should still be intact.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Even without Alken, we can proceed with the research.”
“Phew… Dismiss everyone.”
At least the royal scholars were now capable of producing gunpowder.
Even without Alken, the research could continue.
For now, this was the best course of action.
It was impossible to demand Alken’s return from Trinity, a neutral entity even the Empire dared not provoke.
For the time being, the king had to be content with the fact that Alken hadn’t aligned himself with another nation.
But a few months later…
“What?!”
A piece of news shook the entire world.
***
“Oh… This is almost identical, isn’t it?”
“Exactly. As expected of the Dark Elves.”
“Wow… Amazing!”
We all marveled at the M16 rifle Kilia had crafted.
While bullets could be made, creating the firearm’s body had been challenging.
But the Dark Elves, known as the finest artisans, had solved the problem.
“This was easy. The internal structure is just as intricate.”
Click, clack.
Kilia disassembled the rifle like a seasoned drill instructor, showcasing its internal structure.
She had perfectly reproduced it based on my military experience.
Truly, no one could match the Dark Elves’ craftsmanship.
“Does this mean it’s finished now?”
“We’ll need to test it first to ensure it functions properly.”
Taking the rifle, I skillfully loaded the bullets Alken had created.
After carefully inspecting the chamber, I positioned myself.
“Oh, Riot. Have you been practicing a lot of ‘Hidden Attack’?”
Kilia admired my shooting posture.
Sorry, but this wasn’t from playing games—it came from real-life experience.
“All right, firing now.”
I aimed the reticle at the target, exhaled slowly, and pulled the trigger.
In case of a malfunction, I had equipped a defensive artifact.
However, I was confident in Kilia’s rifle and Alken’s bullets.
The sensation of holding this weapon felt as natural as during my military service.
The surroundings fell silent as the trigger moved.
Bang—
A heavy recoil hit my right shoulder, chest, and collarbone.
Thankfully, there was no malfunction.
“Whoa…!”
“Wow! It’s just like Hidden Attack!”
“Amazing…!”
Expressions of awe filled the room.
Kilia, in particular, seemed thrilled that her rifle had worked perfectly.
“It seems to be functioning without any issues.”
“So…”
“Yes. It looks like we’ve successfully created a real firearm.”
Applause and cheers erupted from everyone present.
I, too, clapped for Alken and Kilia.
“But what’s the plan now? We know how much effort Alken put into this…”
“We’ll distribute the firearm manufacturing techniques to every nation. Oh, and selling them would be great—our sales have been declining lately. Of course, Alken and the Dark Elves will receive a share.”
“Are you sure about this, Riot?”
Alken asked in a concerned tone.
After all, he had fled the Frankish Kingdom out of fear of starting a war.
“Eventually, someone else would have invented firearms. But if everyone has them, wars might not break out.”
“That’s true, but…”
“And even if a war does happen, so what? It wouldn’t be Alken’s fault. If you think about it, it’s more my responsibility.”
Despite my words, I was confident no war would occur.
The Empire, with its vast resources, would likely maintain dominance even in firearm production.
The current order would persist.
What I truly anticipated was something else.
“If anything, it will be Alken and the Dark Elves who’ll become busier.”
Shortly after, we shared the news with the world.
Unsurprisingly, it caused an uproar.
***
[Alchemist Alken succeeds in creating firearms with ‘Hidden Attack’—a collaboration with the Illusion Magic Tower and the Dark Elves.]
[The reality of firearms unveiled by the Illusion Magic Tower and an alchemist—exploring their structure and principles.]
[A surge of interest in alchemists—Academy seeks to invite Alken.]
[Is alchemy truly obsolete? Interview with an alchemist.]
[Gunpowder and firearms production techniques revealed to the public—the key lies in gunpowder.]
[Firearms that swords cannot counter—how will the continent change?]
[Illusion Magic Tower begins selling firearm and gunpowder production techniques—nations compete to purchase them.]
[Riot: The invention of firearms is merely the first step toward historical progress. Gunpowder’s potential is limitless, and the Dark Elves’ skills will be needed again.]
[Academy scholars: Firearms will revolutionize the world.]
[The fear of war brought by firearms—will conflict erupt?]
[Governments swiftly ban civilian use of firearms.]
.
.
.
The reactions I anticipated poured out from each media outlet.
Each country spent a fortune to learn the methods for crafting M16s and gunpowder from us.
Of course, that was not the end of it all.
To develop further, much more research and technology would be required.
They would likely begin to dig deeper into Alken’s and the Dark Elves’ technologies.
The nations and academies were already scrambling to recruit Alken.
“This… this much money…!”
“With this, we might finally escape Dihelium…!”
“There may be even more wealth to come in the future. However, please restrict yourselves to trade alone. If knowledge and technology tilt in one direction, as Alken fears, war may break out. Moreover, there will likely be limitations on ordinary citizens owning firearms.”
“Yes, yes. I understand, Riot.”
For an astronomical amount, we sold the methods for making firearms and gunpowder to various nations.
Truthfully, the amount was enough to buy a small country.
But every nation, without exception, made the purchase.
If any nation ended up without firearms, it was clear they would face inevitable destruction.
And it didn’t seem like the global order would change even if weaker nations acquired guns.
The empire was already mass-producing firearms, adding its wealth to the acquired technology.
Few weaker nations had accumulated wealth comparable to the empire.
Even with international laws in place, the empire maintained its superiority.
“I recommend that Alken join the academy. You’ll be free to conduct research there and can largely escape the entanglements of national interests.”
Alken couldn’t stay in the Illusion magic Tower forever, so I suggested the academy.
Though it’s only a small gun now, I foresee a tremendous revolution beginning soon.
Naturally, the related fields of study will advance as well.
There needed to be someone to become the father of that academic field.
And above all, the one who delved into science rather than magic was Alken.
Though he initially began with mere alchemy, my observations from the Phantom Tower confirmed he was suited to being a scientist.
“Yes. I’ll do so. Thank you so much for everything.”
“Yes, yes. The academy is near Trinity, so you’ll be able to visit anytime.”
“Yes. Truly, thank you.”
“Kilia, how about researching something other than ‘Minecraft’ for a change?”
“Alright. We’ve also drawn a lot of inspiration from making guns.”
Thus, the world grew noisier, and the Illusion Magic Tower returned to normal.
I questioned whether it was right for a magician to lead such advancements.
But, after all, I only had useless illusion magic. Actually, this is better.
Time passed like that.
***
“Ha… these days, we’re short on workers. Demand is through the roof.”
Uracal Mountains. Urac Mine.
A supervisor sighed and muttered to himself.
Ever since the popularization of fantasy games, more miners had been quitting their jobs.
Nowadays, people preferred earning just enough to get by and enjoying the virtual worlds in games.
Moreover, in games like Maple Leaf Story, becoming a high-level player could be enough to make a living.
Today’s weak-willed youth disliked hard labour like mining.
“I’ve got to meet this month’s quota, but it’s hopeless again…”
With so few miners, it was difficult to meet the usual output.
Even increasing wages and work intensity didn’t change the fact that there was only so much a human could do.
To make matters worse, it was currently the phase for digging new routes, which doubled the workload.
“Screw it. I’m just going to play games.”
The supervisor’s concern was only temporary.
Once his shift ended, he, too, would spend his time gaming.
Recently, he had become obsessed with Hidden Attack.
-“Fire in the hole!”-
He gleefully threw grenades in the game.
Then a thought crossed his mind.
‘Wait… explosion?’
Recently, even in the real world, it had become possible to make gunpowder and firearms.
The Phantom Tower had collaborated with the alchemists and Dark Elves to make it a reality.
“Boss!”
The supervisor, struck by inspiration, dashed off to the mine owner.
The owner, immersed in Maple Leaf Story, was forcibly logged out.
“What the hell?! What’s the big idea?!”
“I have a great idea.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Blow it up. The mine!”
“What?”
His idea was both an explosion and a masterpiece.
Manually digging into the earth required extensive labor and time.
But if they simply blasted through with gunpowder, a path would be created instantly.
Then they could just clear the way and extract the ores, drastically reducing the effort required.
The supervisor enthusiastically explained his idea, spitting as he spoke.
“What do you think? It would also make finding new mines easier.”
“You genius bastard!”
The owner, initially enraged at being interrupted mid-game, suddenly leapt to his feet.
“You’re a damn genius?!”
A revolution had arrived in the mining industry.
But that wasn’t the only revolution.
“With this, we could even tunnel through mountains! No more arduous journeys over or around them!”
“What’s this black rock? It keeps coming up while we recklessly drill through the ground and mountains.”
“Wait, tunneling through mountains? That means the time spent commuting will exceed the time spent mining.”
“Just lay down tracks and use carts. We’ve always done it that way.”
“But it’s still exhausting to travel such distances.”
“If we use inclines, the carts will roll down by themselves!”
“No, it’s still too tedious! If we’re already shooting guns, why not make the carts move automatically… Ugh, I need to visit the Dark Elves! They’ve been developing incredible technology lately!”
The world’s transformation had only just begun.
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