Boiling Beast Bloodline-Chapter 1336 - 376: Gnome Weaponry_2

This crossbow is the spitting image of the legendary ones and is a perfect amalgamation of fine weaponry and junk.

With steam power, this crossbow could deliver a range of three hundred yards-------------approaching the range of bow and arrows, a feat miniature crossbows on today’s Aegean Continent can hardly reach.

As for its lethality, within an effective killing range of one hundred and fifty yards, the bolts fired by the "Torrential Pear Blossom Crossbow" could penetrate a layer of rhino hide, exhibiting an astonishing level of piercing power. Liu was shocked after his first test shot, feeling that this crossbow’s penetrative power rivals that of a 54 pistol.

However, compared to the above advantages, this crossbow’s disadvantages are quite fatal. First is the issue with steam power: in a ready-to-fire state, the water source and coal particles must be replaced every two hours; second is the bolt issue, despite its long range, the lack of fletching means there’s no balance at all, claiming a three hundred yards range, but in reality, past a hundred yards, the bolts fly erratically; next is the recoil issue, although the steam engine part had been insulated by gnome craftsmen with graphite coating to prevent burns, the powerful recoil cannot be reduced, causing a serious lack of shooting precision-----------the trigger guard is too narrow, barely accommodating human fingers.

Using human strength, unless one has innate superhuman strength, it’s impossible to control the severe upward jerk of the weapon; for strong creatures, such as Tauren and Giants, their fingers can’t even fit into the trigger loop.

The solution devised by the gnomes back then was to order "gear shock absorbers" from goblin craftsmen to offset the recoil; Liu’s solution was to hold the crossbow sideways, preferably firing it from behind his back, so that the "Torrential Pear Blossom Crossbow" wouldn’t jump upwards but automatically sweep out a fan-shaped rain of deadly bolts in front of him.

This innovative firing technique astonished everyone, but they couldn’t help but admire it; using an Andulan elder’s words, it boasted a farmer’s cunning.

Even so, the "Torrential Pear Blossom Crossbow" couldn’t become the standardized military armament for Phelan Cui, this type of sweeping fire weapon, with its low precision and inability to fire single shots, has substantial operating requirements and is only suitable for small-scale conflicts or surprise attacks.

Liu distributed all of these crossbows, handing them exclusively to short-statured Vassal Clans, hiding the weapons among the people, and also providing them to priests and Mages for self-defense, to guard against the unexpected.

The longstanding problem of how to ensure the short-statured Vassal Clan weren’t bullied was suddenly resolved, which tremendously pleased the crafty old man.

Considering the future development of his Summer Palace guard, apart from intimidating the masses with his bootleg Golden Giant Beasts, Liu has always prioritized air superiority, not because of far-reaching strategic brilliance, but purely due to his previous military mindset lingering.

The countries of the Aegean Continent do not prioritize the development of air forces, and there’s a fundamental reason for that – fearsome flying Magical Beasts like Gryphons and Giant Dragons are currently impossible to mass-produce, so to develop an air force on a large scale, made up largely of low-quality units, would not only be a waste of money and effort but also have no strategic value.

The unique difference in Phelan Cui is the discovery and use of oil melons.

With the presence of Mud Giant Beasts, Liu’s desire to build an airborne heavy cavalry is becoming increasingly plausible, but without oil melons, even if Phelan Cui were to develop an air force on a large scale, aside from looking impressive, it would not be particularly useful in practice.

Containing air corridors is a decoy; the real goal is to strike ground targets, all of which serve as a prelude to carpet bombing.

Thus the "Life Spring" within the Dark Elf nest in Ink Crystal Valley once again became a fixation for Old Liu’s aspirations. free𝑤ebnovel.com

However, before that, there are still too many matters awaiting his attention, firstly, he must confront the Fallen Elves, showing some muscle. Being clever, Old Liu will not stand to suffer a loss to "Bloody Mary" in vain! As for the current pillage by relocating Fallen Elves on Cave Dweller food and slaves, Liu is incredibly angered, as bullying the weak is something he absolutely loathes.

Recently, there’s been definite news from Caiyu City about why the Cow-Eagle People have been frequently seen at the Bering Mountains and Southern Cross Star Forest – it turns out the Fallen Elves are planning to prey on the Giants and Elves living there, with the Cow-Eagle People merely acting as Scouts. However, the Fallen Elves have such a large number of Cow-Eagle People that sending a Scout unit often means dispatching a force of a thousand, causing the Bimon border troops to be highly alert.

Liu feels the Fallen Elves are acting swiftly: not yet settled in, but already seeking to increase their power.

From the Bering Mountain Range to the Southern Cross Star Forest, and then to the Sunset Swamp, this green treasure trove stretching over three thousand miles is home to various tribes of Forest Elves, Mountain Elves, Basin Elves, Moon Elves, and the rare Flower Elves, in addition to the Druids. With dozens of tribes and a few small kingdoms, they collectively have a population of over a million. The mountain giants have a fairly harmonious relationship with the Elves, and if the Dark Elves truly managed to conquer them one by one, they could very well stand shoulder to shoulder with the Bimon Kingdom.

After this non-secret intelligence was gathered, Liu Zhenhan knew that these Dark Elves would definitely not surrender to the Demon Clan. If they really wanted to cozy up to the wealthy, there was no need to start this war at all. They could have just waited for the Demon Clan to step in and take care of everything, which would be far more cost-effective and easier than taking action themselves.

According to the information fed back by Mourinho, the Dark Elves had even extended an invitation to Caiyu City, hoping to form an alliance and divide the spoils after the battle. As for why they didn’t invite Fēilěngcuì, Liu Zhenhan surmised it was due to his own overbearing style and greedy nature.

Dammit! Liu Zhenhan was inwardly fuming.

Putting everything else aside, who wouldn’t drool over these Elves? They possess outstanding magic abilities, extraordinary archery skills, and they are each a pleasure to the eyes. Take Gomes’s follower, the Flower Elf Ramos, for example – even just looking at him made Liu Zhenhan’s heart race.

This wasn’t because Liu was lascivious; Ramos was a male Flower Elf, and Liu Zhenhan hadn’t quite reached the level of lechery of Prince Zhang Bolun. Instead, Liu coveted the magical abilities of the Flower Elves.

Flower Elves, also known as "Sif Elves" and sometimes referred to as floral demons, are the only branch of High Elf with wings that can fly, favored by the Moon Goddess Elune. They are only about one and a half meters tall, with exquisite and delicate figures.

These rare Elves are the bane of Mages----------------they possess excellent Magic Dispel, reduction, lure-arrow tactics, and barrier abilities, and their casting speed is extremely fast.

But Flower Elves are also the partners Mages drool over---------they have a magic spell "Spring Rain Transformation" that can replenish magic power!

It was purely by chance that Gomes, that little fool, had a Flower Elf follower. He saved Ramos from the jaws of a Magical Beast in the Southern Cross Star Forest during an adventurous trial and acquired this precious Elf.

The existing Flower Elves are even rarer than the Moon Elves. As for their territories in the Southern Cross Star Forest, those are kept secret. Due to their love of flowers, Gomes’s follower, the Flower Elf Ramos, and the master of a thousand blooms, Flower King Liu Zhenhan, have had a couple of brief conversations. For others, this would be a great honor, but the Flower Elves even look down on their fellow Elves, let alone waste words with strangers.

It’s like trying to eat a steamed bun without breaking it apart first – the Dark Elves won’t get to fart around in bed and play their games of monopoly!

Since they’re planning to sweep through the Southern Cross Star Forest, of course, Liu Zhenhan can’t miss out!

He had not had the opportunity to get his hands on the solitary Flower Elf, but now that the Dark Elves were preparing to ignite the flames of war, Liu Zhenhan found himself itching to join in. After all, as a Flower King himself, he shared some commonalities with the Flower Elves.

It’s rather funny when you think about it; as an ethnic Night Elf who practices Blood Elf magic, Liu Zhenhan spends his days plotting when to stab the Night Elves and Blood Elves in the back.

However, these nefarious deeds would have to wait until the Saint Paul Church’s baptism ceremony was over. Right now, the most important thing was to resurrect Avril. Trading an egg for the return of Little Ai, Liu Zhenhan felt it was well worth it.

The tricky part for him was dealing with Joan of Arc. Just thinking about it made his thoughts chaotic, and he knew that this matter would greatly damage his reputation. But that was secondary; the real question was what to do next?

What a sin!