“Swish!”
A firearm that seemed to have only a frame, resembling the skeleton of a discarded relic, fired a molten fire beam.
Although its power was still somewhat lacking compared to the spells cast by true second-tier professionals, it was definitely a second-tier magic.
Lind picked up this weapon, which currently was only a frame. To be honest, the final shape of this magical weapon was closer to a compact submachine gun than to a rifle.
Disassembling the gun barrel, Lind marveled at the multiple magic circles intricately carved with metallic rings inside the barrel, realizing that trained professionals were indeed more reliable than amateurs. The Sisters had not only simplified the spell structure of the molten fire beam to the extreme but even optimized it using multiple rune magic circles.
In simple terms, they split the structure of the molten fire beam into several magic circles.
A complete spell structure requires not only the structure of the spell itself but also the parameters for spell strength, launch angle, and firing power, among others. However, the Sisters retained only the structure of the molten fire beam, while setting the subsequent parameters through separate magic circles.
Breaking down a spell structure into several magic circles seemed like an unnecessary optimization from a conventional standpoint. However, using it in a weapon that did not require a professional to activate meant that not only was a large magic circle divided into several smaller ones, but it also compressed space. If needed later, one could even adjust the parameters of the weapon in hand.
Rather than a gun barrel, it could be called an automatic wand shaped like a gun barrel. Since the magic circles were set to define the launch angle, rifling was unnecessary. Lind suspected that, if not for the need to make space for a cooling system, this thing could even be strapped to a hand like a wrist crossbow.
The materials for these multiple magic circles were merely some alchemical materials imported from Fasen Town and the Shining Gold Merchant Guild, and those materials might still have potential for optimization.
Lauri was looking at the finished ray gun as if he were a thirty-something single mage who had encountered a succubus, touching and polishing the gun’s body repeatedly, practicing aiming, pulling the trigger finger, then lowering the gun down to reveal a goofy grin, as if he wanted to take it everywhere, even to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom.
Meanwhile, the gun’s main creators, Flora and the Sisters, were outputting firepower towards a distant target. Although they claimed it was for testing the gun and they needed to know where improvements were needed, the gradually intensifying laughter emanating from behind the masks made Lind feel somewhat creepy.
“Were they like this before?”
Lind asked Isha, who was nearby.
“No, I don’t think so? I left the Cathedral of the Blessed Mother of Relief too long ago and might not recall clearly.”
Isha wiped the sweat from her forehead as she looked at the Sisters whose laughter was increasingly overshadowed by the firepower, doubting whether she had rescued a group of fake Sisters.
As for the charging issue, as long as the production of magic stones kept up, it would not be a problem. However, the charging efficiency still needed optimization—not only the efficiency but also the charging ratio, aiming to allow a small magic stone to recharge several times.
Lind planned to equip each soldier with a tactical backpack to not only charge the ray guns but also carry other supplies.
If charging efficiency was too low and the charging device was too heavy, it could require each gun to be matched with a logistics support person to carry the charging equipment.
After testing the gun, Lind approached the distant, distracted Lena and patted her shoulder.
Lena, not noticing, jumped in surprise and relaxed when she turned to see a familiar face.
“You scared me, brother! How come you walk so silently?”
How could a mid-tier knight fail to notice Lind’s half-hearted approach? Lena probably wouldn’t believe it herself.
“Are you alright?”
Lena had been like this for several days, and Lind was genuinely worried.
Likewise, the Lars Family was supposed to transport supplies to Graywhite Territory and had delayed for several days. Up until now, there were still no sightings of Lars Family ships at the docks.
This was Lind’s first experience with the Lars Family missing an appointment—that group of rigid knights had actually not shown up? Even Lena was aware that something felt off. Coupled with recent rumors, it kept Lena restless, and the only thing that allowed her to sleep slightly better was listening to Lind’s reports about Graywhite Territory—although it used to be like that most of the time as well.
“Of course there’s nothing wrong! What could possibly be wrong? Didn’t you want to design some kind of backpack, along with a close-quarters weapon? I’ve designed everything for you.”
With that, Lena put on her usual smile and started rummaging around her armor.
“Strange, I clearly remember putting it in this pocket!”
Although Lena wore a smile in front of Lind every day, he knew well that it somewhat masked her true feelings of distress.
“Ah, I found it! Brother, look!”
Lena finally pulled out a large blueprint from her chest armor, but it was completely blank.
“How could this be? I distinctly remember having drawn everything down!”
Staring at the empty blueprint, Lena appeared increasingly downcast, and her eyes even misted slightly.
“Take a break, really. If you want, you can go hunt like before to clear your mind; there’s no problem with that. I will notify you immediately if anything comes up.”
Lind gently stroked Lena’s golden hair, feeling a bit heartbroken for her. She had already become much more haggard due to the messages brought by merchants.
But Lind felt there were deeper reasons for this. Lena was quite clever; she might have realized something early on. The recent rumors confirmed the suspicion in her heart, but since Lena was not very good at expressing her feelings or sorting them out, even she did not understand why she felt this way.
“I’m sorry, brother. I just…”
Lena stopped mid-sentence. Clearly, she had not yet organized her emotions and did not know how to express them.
“I’ve already had Lila send people to gather intelligence. We should have news soon. Really, if necessary, we can go directly to Winter Fortress and check it out, okay?”
Lind’s words served as a reassuring pill for Lena. Finally, she returned to her usual self and said, “Yeah, brother, I trust you!”
The Lars Family was definitely in trouble; Lind could nearly confirm this.
After all, even rumors were circulating in the western Northern Border.
However, how severe the trouble was still needed further investigation and reporting.
Lind finally realized the shortcomings of information systems in the territory. They were somewhat weak; previously, it had all been about self-development and passively receiving information, which was actually very dangerous.
Currently, the information foundation relied on merchants and bards for transmission. Merchants were somewhat reliable, as they did things for money, but Lind was really not fond of those bards who spoke of epic tales. He vividly remembered the exaggerated descriptions of the bards when he had asked for information from Fasen Town.
