Chapter 429

Friends from Lingxi Kingdom, welcome to Squirrel Armory. I am the person in charge, Tinian Rain. Everything is arranged; please follow me.

Good, good, good……

The excited trade delegation representatives hurried to follow, but only a white-bearded old man hesitated in place, muttering as he watched the already-several-steps-ahead 【Songshu Shandi】.

Oh, my heavens……

If he could go back seven days, even if James were beaten to death, he wouldn't believe that one day he would be enthusiastically welcomed by a super‑super‑super‑super huge squirrel that walks upright.

By now, a full seven days had passed since they set foot on this foreign land.

But if those seven days were a nightmare for Boge, they were a fairy tale for James.

Because after finishing negotiations with the white‑eagle colonel, they obtained the right to temporarily dock at this port, so that the fleet's four merchant ships and two armed escort vessels could undergo maintenance.

Exactly, this fleet is actually a trade caravan; they originally intended to sail overseas, bypass the Deep Forest Tribe's sphere of influence, and go to the Hui Guang Kingdom to do business.

But things at sea are unpredictable; who could say for sure?

The massive storm the fleet encountered came far too quickly and fiercely; by the time the crew noticed it, they were already caught in the gale and whirlpool.

Even as a professor of the Flight Department at the Lingxi Kingdom's Magic Academy, James found it somewhat difficult to oppose the power of nature.

What's worse, the sea god sacrificed himself ten thousand years ago in the war against extraterrestrial invaders, leaving the unlucky crew with no one to pray to for mercy.

After a whole night of frenzy, the large fleet that originally had over ten ships was blown down to just six.

Moreover, the ships suffered heavy damage and losses; with their current HP and supplies, they definitely couldn't make it to the Hui Guang Kingdom.

They could only hurry to find a place to shore; coincidentally, after re‑checking their direction, their confirmed destination turned out to be near the White Eagle port.

They had thought the nearby area was inhabited only by harmless cannibalistic savages, where a brief rest would suffice, but they never imagined this place was already occupied by people.

Furthermore, they learned from the colonel that a vast, loosely organized multi‑ethnic, multi‑member collective centered on the Pioneers actually existed here.

Just like the desert tribe alliance of Lingxi Kingdom, not only this bay but the entire vast, boundless mountain forest is their territory.

... Actually, the colonel had originally considered whether to conceal the existence of others and conduct unilateral diplomacy with these Lingxi people.

But upon second thought, these are objective realities; if he hid them and the group found out, that would look bad.

Therefore, worried about offending both sides, he simply became the head of the novice village and proactively provided the Lingxi people with more information about the Pioneers.

For example, the Pioneers have an open mind; any race that loves peace and wishes to live in tranquility is happy to coexist and develop together with them.

Of course, this is because some players have screw‑loose brains, voluntarily becoming goblin dog‑heads or the like, which need not be mentioned to him.

For example, although the Pioneers' structure is loose and they compete with each other, because they share a common origin they maintain uniform action in major external events.

Of course, this is because in another world they formed a multipolar pattern, fearing that deepening contradictions might trigger nuclear war, which need not be mentioned to him.

For example, the Pioneers possess exquisite wisdom, creating all kinds of pure mechanical devices that can be used without magic……

"Oh~~~ It looks incredibly exquisite! Is this really such a miraculous principle? You lot are truly a bunch of geniuses!"

Eyeing the little old man's posture, as if he wanted to knead the gun into his arms, the colonel simply offered a friendly gesture.

"If you like it, this gun will serve as a token of our friendship; I'll give it to you."

If this were an ordinary medieval world, firearms and such certainly couldn't be just given away.

But considering that the old man can fly so leisurely, a gun for him…… might be more like an ornament.

However, not reciprocating would be rude; James, who had obtained a treasure, also gave the colonel a red magic crystal.

Moreover, as a kingdom founded on commerce, according to the rule set by the first Golden King, every caravan actually has the right and duty to explore more land for the kingdom and forge more connections.

Therefore, if the fleet reports back to the kingdom that it has found more potential trading partners here, the losses from this maritime disaster might be compensated; at least James, as one of the shareholders, would not end up losing his retirement fund.

So after repeatedly discussing with the fleet commander, who is also the head of this caravan, he obtained the opportunity to form an exploration team and venture into the heart of the wildlands.

But if he hadn't looked, he wouldn't have known; upon seeing, he was startled to find that the Pioneers' strength was many, many times greater than he had imagined.

And it's not just weapons; look at these architectural styles he has never seen before—they clearly are…… not one, but several hitherto unknown civilizations!

So this is hardly a case of being shipwrecked by a storm; it is clearly a great geographical discovery blessed by the goddess!

From White Eagle to Huaxia, then to Royal, Gaul, Russia, and EastJapan, James's pen never stopped.

"If I write up the discoveries made here into a book, this old coot will surely make a name for himself!"

It's a shame they've been out at sea for so long that the caravan has no time to waste; they only plan to resupply here for seven days before leaving.

He also has teaching duties at the academy, so he can't stay here alone; thus today is the last day of his travels in the barbarian wilds.

It could be because of this reason, or perhaps just a simple trade promotion, or more likely each side intends to keep a trick up its sleeve.

In short, as a standout among private military-industrial enterprises, Squirrel Ordnance, which had begun to show promise since the internal test, became their visit target for the day.

The White Eagle Navy colonel also gave him a master-crafted squirrel revolver that, if placed in any major shooter game, would easily earn a 'golden' prefix as a premium item.

So when he personally watched the workers busy at the assembly line, and then one after another, brand-new revised versions of the third-generation squirrel revolver—identical to the one in his own hand—rolled off the line.

"Is… it really over?"

The old-timer, well-versed and experienced, could naturally tell that the revolver the colonel gave him was not of the same craftsmanship or grade as these.

Even if placed in the most high-end clothing store in Lingxi Royal Capital, it would at least qualify as a custom-made piece.

Thus what actually surprised him was that producing a weapon so miraculous and with respectable lethality could be so simple.

This thing… even if given to dwarves, it would at least take three full months of hammering, and require plenty of advanced formulas to be produced.

How could I have seen several hundred revolvers assembled in less than three hours here? That's just too fast!

Seeing his doubt, the squirrel woman actually felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed her fluffy head.

"Sorry, our production speed here really is a bit slow, making you laugh."

"Mainly, demand for revolvers has dropped a lot recently, so we've shifted more production capacity to the new semi-automatic pistol line."

"If it were the past, output here would have to be at least tripled, with at least four-digit numbers of pistols shipped daily, otherwise dealers would send messages to complain."

That's not untrue—coming from a line where for eight generations they were either privates or farmers, their ancestors were top-tier rednecks who once entered the pass together with Washington.

Ever since star player 【Squirrel Sandy】 reverted to her real name, left the beast-men squad to start her own arms factory, countless righteous individuals have flocked to join.

By sheer coincidence, in White Eagle, where industry was already severely depressed, the vast majority of the few remaining skilled workers still belong to this circle.

This has created the 'Squirrel' brand, whose actual production capacity is surprisingly stronger than those old-brand conglomerates—a bizarre reality.

At the same time, this is also the fundamental reason why the Squirrel revolver became popular across the Wilds and was designated by players as their sidearm—after all, you need to have stock to distribute.

But.

I… I didn't mean to ask that…

Huh?

Seeing the old man frightened stiff on the spot, Squirrel suddenly realized.

I understand now, please follow me!

Then she picked up a freshly assembled revolver and led the observation team to the nearby firing range.

Now it's the startup phase; branding isn't easy, so every revolver leaving the factory must undergo strict testing here before being boxed and shipped.

In other words, as long as you have enough ammo to play with the gun for free, it's already been treated by the factory as one of the workers' benefits; everyone should practice well, and if you go out to grind monsters and end up with an empty gun, don't claim you're from Squirrel.

The observation team also managed to snag this benefit; although they fired off a few rounds with little accuracy, it still proved the pistol's stability and controllability.

So the quality of our pistol is still guaranteed—rest easy, everyone.

James only then realized belatedly, essentially saying you thought I was doubting how quickly the revolver was made, questioning whether its quality is guaranteed.

But by then he no longer had a chance to speak, because this overly successful promotion had already driven the other observation team members completely crazy.

There's nothing more to say—quickly take my money!

Are you open to barter? I have plenty of cloth prepared for sale to the Hui Guang Kingdom—very smooth, you'll definitely be interested!

How much stock do you have here? Bring it all out—I'll take everything!

Perhaps in the observation team a few days ago, most members were still thrill-seeking daredevils of the sea.

But once it was confirmed that the Pioneers meant no harm, it basically became the wealthier merchants from the fleet.

No choice—time is money, first come first served is the business opportunity.

So James just watched helplessly as they spent all the goods that were supposed to be sold in the Hui Guang Kingdom right here.

After all, if even this revolver can be bought casually, what else could be more worth hauling to Spirit Tide?

Squirrel is happy with that, too—since I'm now a merchant, if I can sell more goods, my third production line and the tank R&D line can be launched sooner.

But while they were urgently discussing business, a large crowd also rushed to the factory outside.

Sir, there seems to be a Pioneers' gathering point ahead—wow, there are a lot of buildings clustered here!

Ah, if you mistake the factory for a settlement, you lot are… well, considering the players' peculiar nature, it actually could count as a gathering place.

Shh, notify everyone, stay silent—let's just watch and see!

Ji Ming naturally knows this is Squirrel Armory, and also knows that the representatives from Spirit Tide are touring here—it's truly a hornet's nest.

The allied forces members aren't fools either; just look at the high walls and the guards on the watchtowers, and you can tell this is absolutely not a bone easy to chew.

But there's no choice—they've suffered four consecutive major defeats on this journey, with casualties exceeding half; if they return like this, they'll surely be held accountable.

And this conspicuous building complex before them, clearly unusual for the Pioneers, is obviously a good way for them to regain face.

As long as they can capture this place, no matter how great the loss, they'll be able to give the superiors an explanation upon return.

Therefore, no matter what, they have only one option—and must jump into the pit that Ji Ming dug for them, a pit with accumulated water making its depth indiscernible.

Either they flee in disarray, returning home in glory, or they simply drown here, ending it all.

After not much waiting, the factory gates were pulled open, and a group of people walked out chatting and laughing.

Ji Ming at a glance saw that the Spirit Tide people had finished their tour and were about to leave, so the Chosen One also instantly saw that now they should…

The opportunity has come—all forces, attack, charge the enemy!

This should be the first genuine offensive of the Southern Allied Forces after entering the Wilds, after their force of nearly ten thousand was reduced to just over four thousand remnants.

And saying charge they charge—Boge leads his eight hundred mounted troops straight at the factory gate, the clatter of hooves unceasing.

But unfortunately, this isn't Hefei, he isn't Zhang Liao, and Squirrel Shandi is certainly no Jiangdong rat—she's born with a 5.56mm bullet, an innate gunfighting holy body.

Thus the clatter only brings more clatter, and don't forget that shooting is part of Squirrel Heavy Industry's corporate culture—even the gatekeeper is a sharpshooter.

Thus the clatter quickly turned into chaos, as the players raised their AKs and began scoring headshots, and once again gunpowder shattered this world's knightly class.

(End of chapter)