Doughty Matte nodded toward the door.
A servant carried in a long, narrow package, wrapped tightly in coarse linen and tied with several ropes. He gently placed the package on the table in front of Dorti and quietly stepped aside.
Dorti cleared his throat: "Gentlemen, this is Aldor..." The soldiers ' weapon— the firearm, or what could be called a mortal version of the Fire Crossbow.
Everyone stared at the package with varying expressions—some curious, some wary, and some with obvious contempt.
Only Mariana's expression was somewhat strained; the mortal version of Fire Crossbow... sounded somewhat ironic to her.
Dorti didn't explain much, but simply reached out and untied the hemp rope, peeling back the layers of hemp cloth. The cloth slid down, revealing a long, thin, black object.
The monks stepped forward to observe, and some even picked it up to examine it themselves.
If this object were to stand upright, it would reach about the chest of an adult male. The front part is a straight metal tube with a matte, dark gray-black finish. It feels cool and smooth to the touch, as if it had been repeatedly polished, yet there isn't a single magical mark on it. The tube isn't thick, slightly thinner than a wrist, but it's heavy, clearly not a hollow ornament. Near the end, the metal gradually narrows, embedding itself in a piece of dark brown wood—the wood has been shaped to fit the human shoulder and arm, with a natural curve and rounded edges, clearly the marks left by long-term handling.
Most striking is the small hole near the wooden support on the side of the iron pipe, with a small, hook-shaped iron piece welded to its edge, resembling a broken candlestick stand. A few charred ashes and strands of burnt hemp thread remain on the hook—it looks like a device used to hold some kind of ignition source. The entire weapon has no trigger, no spring, no gears, and no other moving mechanism; only the small hole and the iron hook stand there alone, exuding a primitive and clumsy aura.
The entire piece was devoid of any gemstones, rune etchings, or even the most basic energy channels. Unlike a staff, it couldn't channel magic, nor did it have a string or arm like a crossbow. It was silent, rough, and even somewhat shabby, yet it inexplicably instilled unease, as if a thunderclap, yet to erupt, was hidden within that iron pipe.
It exudes a cold, hard, and murderous aura, like a silent beast that neither roars nor howls, yet commands respect.
"This is a firearm?" Helga frowned, his tone full of doubt. "It looks like some kind of... iron rod for starting fires?"
"Yes, it was captured from the Red Stone battlefield," Dorti said calmly. " That's what the ordinary soldiers of the Ausser Army used."
Unlike the others, Mariana remained calm. She recognized Dorti the moment he untied the burlap sack; it was Firearm.
Just like the ones she had seen from afar in Northwest Bay before, these were the same things that Paul's soldiers carried on their shoulders. Although she couldn't explain how they were fired, she remembered the deep rumble and the white smoke rising from the battlefield.
"That's it?" Duke Mason scoffed. "You can hurt people without even a magic circuit?"
Enoch leaned closer and sniffed, then immediately wrinkled his nose: "A smell of sulfur and rust...like a failed alchemy apprentice's work."
Carol cautiously reached out and stopped a few inches from the barrel: "How...did it fire? With a spell?"
"No spells are needed," Dorti said. "It's said that you can shoot iron pellets just by lighting a fire."
"Ignite it?" Grim Gavin looked at him incredulously. "Just by burning something? How powerful could that be? Our Fire Crossbow can pierce through thick armor with a single shot!"
Mages have every reason to be proud of the Fire Crossbow. This weapon is a masterpiece that integrates spells from different schools of thought. The effective integration of a series of complex mechanisms, such as crystals, runes, and magic circuits, provides ample energy. Triggered fire magic gives the crossbow bolts abundant power, and the enchanted bolts have armor-piercing effects. More importantly, there are two other key points: first, it does not require the complicated and lengthy casting preparations of other spells; second, it does not have to be used by a professional mage. Anyone who can sense magic can use it. Its ease of use (compared to traditional magic) and the number of users make the Fire Crossbow a standard military weapon on the battlefield, giving mages a reliable source of military support for the first time in history.
"But it's this thing," Dorti said in a low voice, looking at the cold, lifeless firearm before him, "that allowed the Sentinel Legion to hold our army back for a whole day."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. In their eyes, this so-called firearm resembled neither a staff nor a crossbow, nor even the magical weapon that the empire was so proud of. It was silent and cold, and although it looked exquisitely crafted, it was devoid of any spirit. It was probably something a mortal blacksmith had just whipped out in a fit of whimsy.
Dorti waved towards the door.
Just now, the servant came over again and handed Dorti a small cloth bag. Dorti took it, untied the bag, and poured out a small pile of black powder onto the table.
The powder was jet black and shiny, with fine yet uniform particles. Unlike ordinary charcoal ash, which was light and airy, it was heavy and carried a faint, pungent smell.
This is from the Ausser Army "They were found on the soldiers ' bodies," Dorti said. "According to observations from the front lines, the Ausser Army..." Before firing, soldiers would pour this black powder into an iron pipe, then insert a lead shot, and ignite it through a side hole. We speculate that it was the force generated by the burning black powder that propelled the projectile, causing the fatal impact.
The crowd crowded closer to examine them, their expressions suspicious.
"By burning things?" Duke Mason scoffed. "No matter how fierce the flames are, they're just heat. Can they move iron?"
"It might not be ordinary combustion," Viran Thorne said thoughtfully. "Perhaps it contains an alchemical catalyst."
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's see how it burns. Be prepared, the smell will be terrible."
Dorti didn't argue; he simply raised his hand and waved it, sending a cluster of eerie blue flames leaping from his fingertips, which gently landed on the pile of black powder.
"call--!"
With a short, loud bang, a thick cloud of white smoke suddenly rose from the black powder. The flames flashed and then went out, but they brought with them a scalding wave of air that rushed straight to everyone's faces.
"Cough cough!"
"I choked to death!"
"What's that weird smell?!"
The hall was immediately filled with coughing, and the pungent white smoke made people's eyes water.
"It's sulfur!" Grim Gavin exclaimed first, covering his nose and frowning. "It smells so strong, it must have been mixed with sulfur."
"Yes, it's definitely sulfur." Helga nodded, then forced himself to sniff carefully again, enduring the strange smell. " It's not surprising that sulfur, being a flammable substance, would be found in here."
"There's also a… it seems to be some kind of spice." Carol frowned, fanning herself with her hand; her sense of smell was exceptionally keen. "Maybe it's pepper?"
No one can answer that.