Chapter 3: 3 secret weapons

Brunas was a small seaside town, with a dock where many fishermen from the vicinity would come to exchange their daily catch for cash. Thus, the town bustled with activity most of the time, appearing quite prosperous.

Tang Mo's weapons workshop was situated on the edge of this small town, producing a variety of products by relying on coal dug from the nearby mountains and iron that was purchased.

The best-selling items had always been longswords, as most of the mercenaries as well as the City Defense Forces within the kingdom still used cold weapons, and longswords were their weapon of choice.

Next were not military products, but rather items such as hoes, farm tools, iron pots, and kitchen knives. These items might seem to have little profit, but they were another significant source of income for the weapons workshop.

That was the reality, a fact Tang Mo was reluctant to admit but had to face—rather than calling his place an armory, it would be more accurate to say it was a blacksmith shop!

Originally, such a blacksmith shop could just about maintain itself, continuing to survive in calm and stability. However, recently, relations between the Leite Kingdom and the Suthers Kingdom on the northern border had grown tense, causing steel prices to soar.

The clouds of war cast a shadow over the land, people became anxious, orders began to decrease, and the public started to watch the situation cautiously—all of which led to Tang Mo's weapon store experiencing growing difficulties.

After enduring another sleepless night and dragging his tired body back to his own territory, Tang Mo was too exhausted to want to speak anymore.

It wasn't that he didn't want to spend a night in the city and come back the next day; it was just that he simply couldn't afford the cost of accommodation. So, he and Roger had traveled throughout the night, arriving back at the workshop by dawn.

"Ha..." Yawning widely, Tang Mo slumped into his chair. The ledger on the table was still open to the page it was on when he left.

In one corner of the desk lay a lonely ink bottle and a somewhat old dip pen, and in another corner, a gas lamp.

This device, when used inside a room, required opening the windows. It was dangerous but cheap. At least until Tang Mo could invent a tungsten filament lamp, this thing was irreplaceable.

He was not like those nobles who could afford to use precious candles. Maybe he could afford them in the future, but for now, he belonged to the category of the pathetically poor.

This office was actually Tang Mo's bedroom as well, containing a single bed and a large closet full of clutter.

When the workshop couldn't pay out salaries and was facing bankruptcy, Tang Mo had to choose between selling the workshop and selling his home, and he chose the latter. He kept the workshop and sold the beautiful house that once housed a happy family of three.

Things had deteriorated to an extreme point before his arrival, with the workshop having little working capital. Fortunately, he had arrived!

"It's not my style to sit around and wait for death, Roger! We should try again; is there any way we can get an audience with the King if we go to the King City?"

"That's impossible; why would the King meet with a commoner for no reason at all?" Roger said, shaking his head at Tang Mo as he massaged his somewhat stiff legs.

Tang Mo was stunned, then looked at the new rifled gun he had propped against the corner of the wall, and with a hint of surprise in his voice, retorted, "Isn't this a reason?"

"People from Shireck won't let us see the King. I can say with responsibility that once our technology becomes known to them, they will not hesitate to immediately copy it, then easily crush us with pricing," Roger continued shaking his head.

"Alright! You haven't slept all night; go rest first," Tang Mo sent old Roger out of his room, then twisted his neck a couple of times and waved at a young apprentice peeking around not far off, "Did you finish the things I arranged before I left?"

Of course, because they had also repaired muskets before, there was some woodworking equipment and machinery along with the corresponding operators, plus several women cooking for these workers and apprentices; indeed, it counted as quite a few people.

Apart from the apprentices, everyone depended on Tang Mo for their livelihood, and of course, these people had skills. Many were craftsmen who could hold their own, which was the main reason Tang Mo decided to keep working with them.

What's the most expensive thing these days? Talent, of course! After more than ten days of contact and work, Tang Mo felt these workers truly were top talent!

It was relying on these skilled workers that Tang Mo was able to complete the design and manufacture of that needle-gun, and dare to challenge Shireck, the arms behemoth that stood before him!

After passing through the manufacturing workshop and coming to the fiery furnace of the smelting workshop, Tang Mo met the man who had come from afar, dusty from his journey.

Among them, Tang Mo recognized one at a glance; he was the guard who had been by Baron Stela's side when he test-fired the gun.

"Sir!" Upon recognizing the other party, Tang Mo stretched out his hand and shook hands with him in a symbolic gesture: "Welcome to Tang's Weapons Shop."

"My name is Wes! We've met before at Baron Stela's place." Wes introduced himself: "I followed you all the way here, not expecting that you would hurry back overnight."

Tang Mo signaled for the onlooking workers to continue their tasks, then turned with a smile to ask Wes, "So, what is it that you've chased all this way to do?"

"I'm here to buy weapons." hearing Tang Mo's question, Wes immediately responded: "I'm interested in that..."

"K1 Quick Gun." Tang Mo reminded.

"I'm interested in the K1 Quick Gun," Wes took off his gloves: "Or rather, one of my old patrons... would certainly be interested in the K1 Quick Gun."

Tang Mo nodded slightly: "That's good news for us. Can we talk about this old patron of yours? I need to know who to collect the final payment from, don't I?"

"Hahaha!" Wes laughed loudly, then nodded: "I used to work for Earl Ronin Fisallo, and later I was employed by Baron Stela... But I prefer Earl Fisallo a bit more than that profligate."

He paused for a moment and continued: "As you know, relations between our kingdom and Suthers Kingdom have been increasingly tense... Situated at the northern border, Earl Fisallo's territory has become perilously unsafe. The pressure of war compels him to be prepared, but the Lord Earl, who loves his people like his own children, does not wish to conscript civilians to die."

"Regrettably, relying solely on well-trained regular troops, the Lord Earl has to face the dilemma of insufficient manpower. Therefore, he urgently needs some means to resolve the current difficulties." Wes spoke: "I believe that the K1 Quick Gun in your hand might be the answer."

"Then you've indeed come to the right person!" Tang Mo snapped his fingers and pointed at himself: "Believe me, the rate of fire for the K1 Quick Gun is three times that of the Shireck Flintlock Gun! Those invading Earl's territory will experience what's called a steel storm head-on!"

"I have no doubts about that, which is why I quit my job to find you... I hope you can accompany me to the Northern Ridge. Take your new weapon! The Earl's bounty is not low, 500 Gold Coins... I take thirty percent." After saying this, Wes looked at Tang Mo, waiting for his decision.

"Twenty percent." Tang Mo thought for about ten seconds and finally could not resist the great temptation, ready to take a risk.

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