"I have no intention of giving this weapon to the peasants." Laine gripped the gun barrel with both hands and continued, "I plan to order the recruitment of new soldiers from all Free People families to form the Free People’s Musketeer Team."

Kasenberg breathed a sigh of relief. Free People were those promoted for displaying loyalty during war. It was more comforting to give firearms to them than to peasants. The steward considered for a moment and continued, "If that’s the case, the resistance we face will be much less, but this means a significant additional expense, Count. Establishing a new Standing Army costs a lot."

"It will be worth it." Laine certainly understood the power of firearms. Whether muskets or crossbows were better was a topic debated by the Dwarves for two thousand years. Laine didn’t dare claim musket soldiers were definitely superior to longbowmen and crossbowmen, but they were essential.

"Besides the standard long-barreled fire cannon, the Gunpowder Workshop can also produce standard dwarf hand cannons, slow-firing dwarf shotguns, and the best rapid-fire hand cannon—the kind used by the Imperial Vanguard Knight that can fire multiple bullets in succession," Laine continued. "Especially the top-quality dwarf master-crafted rune four-shot hand cannon, paired with mercury bullets, Angerong brother used it and praised it highly!"

"Oh! That must be a great weapon, Laine, I think I need one~" Teresa the female sorcerer said, her eyes lighting up as she whispered to Laine, "Give me one, will you?"

"Two hundred Gold Crowns~ a bargain." Laine laughed heartily. Seeing the Count laugh, everyone also let out joyful laughter. Teresa gave Laine a playful eye-roll, and unceremoniously took the finished product from the table, then strutted her long legs and disappeared beyond the workshop walls.

Her Wizard Tower was nearing completion; she was busy checking the progress of the construction, and happened to pass by today just to take a look.

It was said that her mother, Aurora, was organizing a large witch delegation to visit Laine’s domain, but there’s been no news yet that the delegation has assembled or is ready to depart. If there was, Teresa would certainly inform Laine immediately, so he wasn’t worried.

Speaking of which, Angerong brother had been in the south for quite a while, and Laine’s thoughts drifted back to Angerong.

...

The Old World, Tiriel, west of Miraglino, the swamp where the legendary city "Tetus" disappeared.

A tall Horned Eagle Beast soared in the sky, laden with cargo, as the World-Devourer Primarch surveyed the muddy swamp below.

This swamp, called the "Withered Swamp," lies west of Miraglino, always a symbol of mystery. All attempts to establish villages and colonies here have failed, as all settlers and their structures would completely vanish.

Indeed, completely vanish, the entire village would disappear entirely with nothing left behind.

In Tiriel’s legends, the swamp once housed a resplendent civilization—Tetus, where Dwarves and humans formed a powerful nation and thrived. They planned to build a towering edifice to display their might, glory, and gratitude to the gods.

Strangely, after spending centuries, the tower remained incomplete until a man in robes brought forth his design—adding a large bell at the top of the tower. A week later, the tower was finally completed.

The bell sounded thirteen times within Tetus, leading the entire city to destruction as swarms of rats engulfed all humans and Dwarves, leaving no survivors. Tetus vanished from history, leaving the area prohibited and desolate.

Having procured goods in Miraglino, Angerong ignored the Half-Elves and Tiriel merchants’ heartfelt warnings and insisted on flying here to see.

Initially, the World-Devourer Primarch found the endless swamp boring, its fresh green waters resembling earth’s pus, nauseatingly spanning expansive territory. Strange animals roamed this swamp with bizarre and foul forms that mildly unsettled Angerong, especially a creature with a rat head, snake body, and deer tail that almost prompted him to order the Horned Eagle Beast to cleave it in two.

However, he was no longer the madman who acted solely out of anger and hatred; he signaled the Horned Eagle Beast to continue its flight.

"Tired?" After another forty minutes of flight, Angerong noticed signs of fatigue in his Horned Eagle Beast mount, Nukelion’s wings, prompting him to order it to land. The Horned Eagle Beast descended to a slope passable for standing, where several half-dead, large trees stood.

"Rest a moment, Nukelion, then we’ll proceed." Angerong tied the Horned Eagle Beast’s reins to a tree and gently stroked the feathers on its neck. The beast chirped in delight, now Angerong’s loyal steed. It opened its mouth to savor the jerky and water.

Only halfway through feeding, the World-Devourer Primarch instinctively sensed danger, swiftly grasping a pair of axes behind him: "Who’s there!"

"Shuriken!"

His answer was six poisoned shurikens, flying towards Angerong from six directions simultaneously.

"Haa!" Angerong wielded the War Axe "Meat Cutter" and "Tearer," surrounded by a blood-red aura. With a few swift moves, he knocked all six shurikens away.