"Oh …" Late at night, when Theresa went to rest in the guest room, Ryan was chatting with Olica in the master bedroom. At the same time, he smiled at the big lump on his bed that was wrapped in a blanket. "Veronica, come out!"
"This is the most humiliating day of my life!" Garlan was still wrapped in her blanket. She sounded exasperated. "I actually lost to Trovic, the little princess of Garlan! Laing, hug me! "
Laing had no choice but to pull her out of the blanket and put her on his lap. Even so, she still buried her head in his chest and refused to get up. Laing stroked her back. "It's normal that you can't beat her. Teresa is weaker than you, but her equipment and staff are far better than yours."
Laing then thought of something and couldn't help but laugh.
"You're still laughing!" Veronica was so angry that she pinched her man's waist hard. Then, she thought of something and buried her blushing face into Clayon's chest again.
When Laing rushed to the guest room, he saw Garlan tied up on the sofa. Her eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry. Laing hurriedly untied her and hugged her for a long time to comfort her.
Laing wasn't surprised that she lost to Teresa. In terms of power, Teresa was slightly weaker than her, but in terms of equipment and scrolls … Not to mention, she was an expert in light and fire magic. She wasn't a match for Teresa without going all out.
"Alright, it's fine. I won't look down on you because of this," Laing comforted, "It's fine if you lose. You can beat her again in the future."
"Hmph! I originally made an agreement with her that if she lost to me, she would immediately scram. But I didn't expect that she would actually obtain a seventh-circle magic scroll from Elder Aurora." Veronica finally recovered. She sat on Ryan's lap and hugged his neck as she complained, "At first, we were evenly matched. Ryan, my legs are sore. Help me rub them."
Leon smiled as he massaged Garland's feet. He sighed in his heart. Veronica was a smart woman. She knew exactly what she wanted. It didn't matter that she had lost to Theresa in terms of magic. She would use this opportunity to get back at him.
Teresa still needs more training.
… …
Ever since the sorceress had arrived at Ryan's territory, the two witches had been fighting both openly and covertly. Theresa had the advantage in terms of capital, while Veronica had the advantage in terms of intelligence. The battle of wits and courage between the two witches was a joke to Ryan. Of course, in the end, the one who benefited was the baron himself.
At first, Teresa was very unconvinced. She always thought she was the best, until she met Suria.
The appearance of the Duke's daughter finally made her understand something.
Laing didn't care so much now. The baron had his own business to attend to.
It was about the cannons.
When Laing first mentioned cannons to the dwarven craftsmen, Delon refused because Laing couldn't just tell him to make cannons.
At this point, I couldn't help but mention the "Holy Alliance" between the Empire and the Supreme Dwarven King. Even after countless eons, this alliance was still respected by both the Empire and the dwarves. Among them, the secret of gunpowder was a gift that the dwarves had selflessly shared with the Empire. Powerful gunpowder weapons opened a new page in the history of war.
Therefore, the Empire and the Dwarves kept the gunpowder technology a secret. In Brittany on the Grey Mountains, the only cannons that the knights could get were some outdated cannons that the Empire had eliminated. Most of them could only be used to defend the city, and they were not convenient to carry and transport.
So what was Brittany's main siege weapon?
It was the trebuchet.
Laing had seen this huge siege weapon in Colona. It was made up of six to eight large carts of wooden parts. Through a series of levers, gears, and curling mechanisms, the trebuchet's huge arm was pulled down to the firing position. The other end was connected to a huge stone counterweight. A huge noose was connected to the trebuchet's long arm, which could accommodate rocks, stone debris, and even dead livestock. When the trebuchet fired, the noose increased the momentum of the moving long arm, allowing the trebuchet to shoot further and be more powerful than ordinary Arbalests.
If Ryan were to look at it from the perspective of the Celestial Empire, this thing was the "Returning Cannon" that the Mongols used to besiege cities.
The trebuchet was powerful and comparable to the Empire's huge cannons. The huge rocks thrown by the trebuchet could destroy most enemies. It was even the nightmare of the Green Dwarves and Orcs who liked to move in groups. The trebuchet's disadvantage was that it was inconvenient to carry and load. Compared to the cannons, the trebuchet's firing speed was much slower.
With the blessings of the Lake God Prophet and the Lake God Witch, the trebuchet could throw three times the normal rocks and deal additional Mana damage. This proved the power of the trebuchet.
Most of the knights despised the trebuchet, and a few Dukes refused to use it. Even so, a trebuchet was a symbol of wealth and status. The trebuchet required a long time and manual craftsmen. Brittany had a limited number of craftsmen who could build the trebuchet, and the Dungeon Lords needed them to serve them. Though the knights wouldn't operate the trebuchet, they understood the strategic value of the trebuchet. The serfs were ordered by the Dungeon Lords to operate the precious trebuchet because the serfs couldn't obtain glory and wouldn't understand the meaning of fighting for the Lady.
The craftsmen who could build trebuchet were in Lyonnesse or Montfort. With the bad relationship between Laing and the two Dukes, it was impossible to borrow craftsmen to build trebuchet.
It was midsummer. Laing brought his subordinates, Olivier and Hex, and Butler Katzenberg to the Dwarves' workshop at the Shinon River to check on the latest results.
"My Baron, since the Dwarves aren't willing to share their technology, why did you persuade them to build the cannons for you?" Butler Katzenberg's big bald head reflected the bright sunlight. This Baron's butler had to shave his head every ten days.
"I can't get the dwarves to share their technology with us, but we can hire them." Laing put his hands behind his back and walked into the workshop. "I've reached an agreement with Mr. Deron. He will build the cannons for us, and we will hire the dwarves to operate the cannons."
"Dwarven mercenaries?" Olivier was very interested. As a young knight introduced by Duke Schultz of Marienburg, it didn't seem like a big deal for him to fight alongside the dwarves. In the Empire, mercenaries were a common sight.
However, Hex, who was serious, seemed to have a lot of doubts. After several expeditions, the ranger knight's temperament became more and more stable. He was also responsible for most of the training in the territory. The Baron now had about fifty sergeants and three hundred infantrymen. Hex had already trained them to a certain level of combat power.
Neither Laing's training method nor Anglo's training method was suitable for these serf soldiers. Because the situation was different, that kind of intense training was too difficult for the serfs who couldn't guarantee enough food and nutrition.
"My Baron, Brittany doesn't have a tradition of hiring dwarves. We only hired mercenaries from the Empire, and that was with the permission of the King. You directly hire dwarves like this, is it … subject to discussion?" Hex said hesitantly.
"I've prayed to the Lady, and she agreed to this request." Laing didn't care. He directly announced his decision. "The dwarven brothers are our friends. We will fight side by side."
Now, neither Olivier, Katzenberg, nor Hex had any more objections.
If a 26-year-old baron had said this, the knights would have scoffed at him and would not have believed him at all. They would have thought that the baron was lying, a complete lie.
However, Laing was different. When he said this, the knights and even the sergeants believed him without a doubt. Their Lord had created too many miracles. The Lady of the Lake had performed one miracle after another on him. He was the Lady's Chosen Champion, and the Lady of the Lake's favorite knight. If Laing said that the Lady of the Lake had agreed, then the Lady of the Lake must have agreed.
The knights couldn't help but feel a little excited when they thought about the giant cannons of the dwarves. The Brittany knights were known as the best knights in the old world. If they could have the help of cannons …
When they arrived at the dwarven workshop, a whole team of dwarven mercenaries was already waiting for them. The leading dwarf was wearing a round helmet, and his long beard covered half of his stomach. He carried two large long-barreled muskets on his back and had a long white bread in his mouth. Even from a distance, everyone could smell the thick smell of black gunpowder from him.
"Hello, Long Beard." After Laing identified the length of the dwarf's beard and the gold and silver jewelry on it, he said in a respectful tone, "Welcome to my territory. I am the Baron here, the Holy Grail Knight Laing Macado."
"I've heard of your name, Baron. The Lady of the Lake's Chosen Champion. You killed a bunch of green-skinned creatures, and the Chaos Champion." The dwarf's eyes widened. He raised his head and crossed his arms. "Dylon told me that you could bring work, income, and endless ale to my brothers and sisters, so I brought my brothers and sisters here. My name is Dugan Ironman. Nice to meet you."
"That's right, my Baron. When you said you wanted to hire a team of dwarven mercenaries, I immediately thought of my good friend Dugan. He's an excellent warrior and an expert in engineering." Dylon walked out of the workshop. "He knows how to make the cannons you want. He can make heavy cannons, organ cannons … as long as the price is right."
"Very good. How many people do you have?" Laing nodded and asked Dugan.
"About a hundred. Sixty of them are excellent warriors and workers." Dugan looked up. "We've been drifting in the mountains for too long. Maybe Dylon is right. It's time to come out and find a job. We can't let our children starve."
"I'm willing to accept you and your tribesmen, but I hope you'll follow the rules in my territory. Also, you'll have to pay for the endless malt wine with your hard work and the fruits of your labor." Leon extended his hand to the dwarf.
"A fair decision. We've never taken advantage of our human brothers. I believe that as a Holy Grail Knight, you won't treat us badly either." Dugan agreed. The dwarf reached out and shook his hand. "Also, dwarves are never afraid of battle. If there's any war, dwarves will never run away!"
"Then … Katzenberg, I'll leave the arrangements for the Dwarves' community to you." Laing said to his butler, "Remember, keep them far away from the pointy ears. I don't want to see the Battle of the Long Whiskers happen again in my territory."
"Okay, Baron, I'll arrange a safe place for them. Baron, your territory seems to be blessed by the Lady. Ever since I came to Zeon Territory, I haven't been harassed by the Green Dwarves and Orcs." Katzenberg nodded repeatedly. He was wearing a pair of round-framed sunglasses. This was the masterpiece of the dwarven craftsmen. It was made by Deron using some leftovers from blacksmithing and glass. It was unexpectedly very popular, and orders were endless.
"Hehe, take it that you've received the Lady's blessing." Laing smiled disapprovingly.
Anglo and the Royal Guards killed the Green Dwarves and Orcs without mercy. Only the slaves who couldn't survive and became bandits were turned into bandits. Since they were all Humans, Anglo and the Royal Guards turned a blind eye to them.
This was what Lopes and Olivier were mainly doing. The two knights often led their troops to exterminate the nearby bandit lairs. Firstly, it was to train their troops. Secondly, it was to earn some extra money. The furthest they went was already into the territory of another duke.
Dugan didn't understand what Laing and the others were talking about. He wasn't good at the Human language, so he asked Dylon, "Is this Human trustworthy?"
"Don't worry, I've been working for him for a few months. This Human is trustworthy and very powerful. He's also a younger brother." Delon stroked his beard with satisfaction. "He has everything here, and unlike many nobles in this country, he won't tell us what to do. He's willing to give us full power, and the taxes he collects are much lower than other territories. If you ask me, this is a good place. I'll stay here."
"He's so powerful, but he's only a younger brother?" Dugan was surprised. He looked enviously at Dylon's shiny beard.
To the Dwarves, a beard was a symbol of status, age, and identity. Beards had to be combed and washed frequently to be beautiful. Dugan was envious of Dylon's beautiful beard.
"That's right. If you've seen his brother, you'll know how strong his brother is. Moreover, he seems to know some unknown secrets. Look at this." Dylon took out the Rune that Laing had given him and said, "I've searched through all the ancient books, but I couldn't find any records of this Rune. I've written a letter to the Dwarf Chief Rune Lord of Eternity Peak, Clark, to ask him to look at the origin of this Rune. Perhaps this will be the most important discovery of the Dwarves in hundreds of years."
"What a mysterious Lord." Dugan nodded. "Alright, let's settle down first. After so many wars and drifting, it's time for our people to have a home."
Just as the Knights and the Dwarves reached an agreement to settle down here, a group of Wood Elves appeared.
The Wood Elf in the lead was Forest Lord Dalina, whom Laing had met before. "Greetings, Lord Laing. You've finally returned. We've been waiting for you for a long time."
"My friends in the forest, why are you looking for me?"
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