Ashen Dragon-Chapter 434 - 356: Arms Race (Part 2)

"Clang!"

Another crisp sound echoed.

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man patted the cannon on the Ogre's shoulder, brimming with excitement, and said, "And here we have our Klaubow Group's heavyweight product, the Thunder Hammer IV!"

Naven's pupils contracted once more.

This was the so-called "cannon"! This weapon played a significant role in the sixteenth Holy City War, even wounding several Titan Divine Descendants!

And now, for enough gold coins, Cassandra could also possess such a weapon! They could use it to strike down the Angel Divine Descendants from the other side!

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man caressed the cannon fondly and continued, "This smoothbore cannon's barrel is made of special alloy, effectively cooling down to prevent barrel explosions."

"And this new-type shell is even more remarkable. This is a blooming bullet carefully developed by the Imperial Arsenal. It contains gunpowder that explodes upon impact, maximizing enemy casualties."

"Come, show this customer."

The Ogre artilleryman accepted the Battlefield Wheelchair Man's silver coin, then placed the cannon on the ground. He calculatingly set the angle and immediately loaded the shell.

"Boom!"

The shell described a beautiful arc in the air.

It exploded several hundred meters away, scattering shrapnel like a blooming flower— true to its name, the blooming bullet.

Naven looked towards the distance, visibly amazed.

In terms of sheer destructive power, it was not inferior to a third-tier Fireball Technique. Moreover, in range and impact area, it was notably overwhelming.

Noticing the expression on the other's face, the Battlefield Wheelchair Man felt assured.

He put his hands on his hips and exclaimed proudly, "This is the Hammer of the Imperial, the absolute weapon on the battlefield, the unparalleled choice for igniting large-scale wars!"

Naven eagerly asked, "These rifles and cannons... How much gold coins do they cost?"

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man, however, played coy first, smiling as he asked, "Do you know how much Thrace Kingdom spent on their arms purchase?"

Naven shook his head.

"Their rifles were priced at 99 silver coins each, and each cannon at 30 gold coins."

Naven's eyes widened with astonishment.

So cheap?

The price of this cannon was even less than a Fireball Scroll.

"Precisely. Our Klaubow Group's products are always cost-effective, striving to bring the best experience to our customers."

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man continued, "The two products I introduced to you have far superior performance and appearance compared to those sold to Thrace, so we have increased the price slightly—which should be reasonable."

"Of course."

Naven nodded, prepared to spend a substantial amount.

"However, out of goodwill between His Majesty Cassius and His Majesty Audis, we can offer you a friendship price..."

"Each Wyvern Flame Type-I costs 128 silver coins and each Thunder Hammer IV costs 39 gold coins."

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man clutched his chest, pretending to endure the pain of parting with them.

"This is almost cost price, our acceptable minimum. How does that sound?"

Before Naven could respond, the Battlefield Wheelchair Man sighed heavily.

"Sigh—"

"In this war, although His Majesty Cassius remains neutral, he has a great liking for the Kingdom of Cassandra and has always believed that His Majesty Audis is the true heir of Fadlan."

"In that light, out of respect for His Majesty Audis, we are willing to do business at a loss and offer you an unprecedented discount!"

"If you place an order of over sixty thousand rifles and over seven thousand cannons, we will give you a 20% discount!"

Watching the Battlefield Wheelchair Man's exaggerated performance, Naven's face slightly twitched.

But deep down, he was quite pleased. He could finally contribute more significantly to the Kingdom of Cassandra!

"Alright, I will return immediately to discuss with Lord Audis and give you a definitive number as soon as possible."

"Great!"

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man's face beamed with joy.

But after a moment of thought, he took out an exquisitely carved gold coin—on the front was a lifelike, majestic dragon's head, and on the back was the Ashen Emblem with vertical pupils and flames.

This was the latest gold coin issued by the Imperial Bank, already widely circulating within the Empire, officially named Ginnar. Due to its unique appearance, it was also called "Golden Dragonhead" or "Emperor's Money."

"Lord Naven, I forgot to mention, our Klaubow Group only accepts Ginnar for payments. You will need to purchase an equivalent amount of Ginnar at the Imperial Bank before trading."

"Thank you for the reminder, I will keep that in mind."

Naven nodded, not overly concerned.

He had observed carefully that this gold coin did not weigh much less, which he regarded as the Empire's way to profit from minting coins.

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man took out a delicate wooden box and leaned in closer.

"By the way, are you interested in seeing this collector's edition handgun...?"

"Many Imperial generals carry it personally, and even Marshal Dolores is quite fond of it..."

Thus, in a friendly atmosphere, the Battlefield Wheelchair Man successfully made another sale.

Days later, the Cassandra diplomatic mission headed north once more.

The Klaubow Group received an order from the Kingdom of Cassandra, surpassing the previous one from Thrace Kingdom, causing another nationwide sensation.

Four hundred thousand Wyvern Flame Type-I rifles and thirty-six thousand Thunder Hammer IV cannons.

Countless ammunition and shells.

A total exceeding two million gold coins.

And the Battlefield Wheelchair Man once again became the sales champion of the month, basking in glory.

However, some questioned whether his success was due to his special relationship with the Iron Madman, which always afforded him such precious opportunities.

In the vast Fadlan Territory to the south, the war between Cassandra and Thrace intensified further.

With the Ashen Empire selling arms to both sides, Cassandra and Thrace recruited numerous commoners into their armies, providing quick and simple training and equipping them with guns and ammunition bought from the Empire.

The flames of war spread from the Holy City to every inch of the bordering lands between the two countries.

All across the vast territories of Holy Fadlan, smoke and gunfire filled the air, as people once proudly part of the same Empire now slaughtered each other.

With the Ashen Empire's secret support, this cruel game of war seemed to take on a new form.

A new era was dawning.

...

"Those guns and cannons are the sources of disaster. We keep purchasing more powerful and expensive military supplies, only to find our land increasingly devastated beneath us."

"The former citizens of Fadlan killed each other, yet no one emerged victorious. Their blood nourished the monsters of the North, making them stronger, until— their wings covered the entire continent."

—"Aftertalk" Naven Bassarius