"Tired from the journey, brother. ”

Kristen Ironpaw, a Blackhammer Ranger, has been with Lawrence since his father's time. Three months ago, Rhodes sent him to the Empire to buy firearms, trying to resist the invasion of the beastmen through gunpowder and guns. Ironclaw was never heard from, and Mulos and Lawrence suspected that the Norsca pirates had blocked the coastline. Nowadays, it seems that things are far from that simple. It can be seen from the tired look on his face and the scruffy clothes.

"My lord, to make a long story short, first of all, I'm sorry that I couldn't finish the task on time. The Norscan pirates blocked the bay for two and a half months. I was not able to hire a ship to return, and no captain dared to take the job. ”

Iron Claw sat on the stone chair and said with a heavy heart.

"I know this, it's not your fault. Let's talk about the situation in the Empire, what the Empire guys said, and the matter of firearms. ”

Rod asked with concern.

"They are not willing to sell firearms to us at this price. ”

"Why?"

"I don't know, but it's certain that the attitude of the new officials to us is not very friendly......"

"And what are their conditions?"

Rod asked.

"Triple the price. I have already procured all the other goods, which are firearms, and they are reluctant to sell them, saying that if we want them, they will give us more gold. ”

Iron Claw said helplessly.

"Why? Don't they know that we're on the front lines against beastmen and all sorts of mutated creatures, and they're enjoying themselves in beautiful houses?"

Lawrence was indignant.

They knew, but they wouldn't. ”

Iron Paw replied depressedly. In fact, long before sending Iron Claw out, Rhodes had guessed that there would be a similar outcome, but he didn't expect the new officials of the empire to be so narrow-minded. The Empire and Kislev were in fact good allies, going back two hundred years, when they were allied with the Imperial army, and they also had a good relationship with Magnus the Pious, who led the Empire's Dwarven coalition to defeat the Chaos invasion and keep the kingdom of Kislev.

It stands to reason that relations between the two countries should always be good. But no friendship can stand the test of time, and when the former person dies and the descendants who have no experience in combat cooperation take control of the government, everything begins to change slowly. The stubborn Mrs. Keithrie slowly got used to fighting against foreign enemy forces. Their warriors fought day after day, year after year, on their own land, and they could no longer see the Empire's reinforcements, so the Empire's influence in the northern kingdom was weakening day by day. Until one day, Lady Keshley no longer believed that the Empire would have reinforcements to fight with them. Later, Mrs. Keighrie became stubborn and rejected all the Empire's advice to them. Think it's pointing fingers at them. Coupled with border frictions, the relationship between Osterling on the Imperial border and Ostmark and Kislev is not very good.

"Brothers, I'm going to go to the Empire myself to buy the arms we need. Do any of you want to be with me?"

After listening to Ironclaw's introduction, Rhodes immediately made up his mind to go to the empire by himself and negotiate with those imperial Yankees. Because firearms are the key, without firearms, Blackhammer Fort simply cannot really develop. Beastmen, werewolves, and various forest beasts are all very strong and strong, and they have no firearms, and soldiers need to go through long and rigorous training to defeat these beasts. However, with firearms, there is no need for such effort, and ordinary farmers can fight these beasts, as long as they know how to aim and pull the trigger.

Moreover, the more important thing about the musket is that it saves physical strength, and in long-range strikes, ordinary archers begin to have sore arms after five rounds of shooting, and after seven consecutive rounds, the strength of their arms cannot keep up with the demand for drawing the bow. Ten rounds in a row, that must be done by the highly trained Prince's Guard. Therefore, on the battlefield, in theory, bows and arrows are highly effective weapons of destruction, but in practice, most of the time the army is still close to the battle to determine the final victory. And the advent of muskets solved this problem, and an ordinary musketeer, as long as he had enough ammunition, he could shoot all day long. (Don't think crookedly)

Back then, in the chaotic continent, the reason why the empire could rise strongly was because of this seemingly inconspicuous little thing. As a crossing dog, Rhodes naturally knows the power of science and technology. As a result, going south to the empire for help is one of the important links in the revitalization of Black Hammer Fort.

It's just that Lawrence and Virgil don't think so.

"Your Excellency, you went to procure supplies in person, which is not in line with your status. Those Imperial Yankees are too much, and without firearms, we can still hold on to Blackhammer Fort. It really doesn't work, we can go to the dwarves and buy some. ”

The chief knight, Virgil, said indignantly.

"Black Hammer Castle needs to develop, and if we want to revitalize Black Hammer Castle, we need firearms. Technology changes fate, and without the advent of the age of firearms, human beings may still be in a semi-nomadic state, chased by all kinds of beastmen and greenskins in the forest. Development is the last word. It doesn't matter if you are identity or not. Besides, I'm looking for their mayor, who is equivalent to the lord of a city, and in terms of identity, he is also equal. As for procuring weapons from dwarves, I've not thought about it, but it's not realistic. Dwarven territory is far from us, the transportation is long, expensive, and passes through forests, swamps, and mountains, all of which are frequented by greenskins and beastmen, and are also very risky. Dwarves are honest in business, but we can't afford it. ”

After Rhodes finished speaking, everyone had to fall silent. It is true that they have many options, however, being located at the northernmost point of Kislev and close to the Sea of Talon, trading with the Empire is the best of all. The premise is that those southern veterans are willing to cooperate......

"If you must go, let me come with you, my lord. ”

Chief Knight Virgil said. His expression looked serious and reverent. But Rod had the best candidate in mind.

"You can't. He said.

"Why?" asked Virgil, frowning.

"You are the best commander of Black Hammer Castle, you and I are gone, who will defend the castle? We have a lot of enemies, and after I'm gone, Blackhammer still needs someone to lead it. Brother, I believe in you, you can do it. After I'm gone, take care of the city. Muros will assist you. ”

Rod put his hand on the knight's shoulder, and his eyes showed trust. Then, he turned his head and said to the Ranger—

"Lawrence, you're with me, your scouting skills and archery skills will help me on the road. ”

A glimmer of glory appeared on Lawrence's face, and he felt honored to be able to entrust the Lord with the important task again.

"Roger, sir. As he spoke, he clenched one hand into a fist on his chest, indicating that he would do his best to complete the mission.