Chapter 264: Boom!
The sound of horses’ hooves erupted through Eldora City. People hurriedly dodged to both sides of the avenue, watching the officials race past on horseback. Such chaotic scenes usually only appeared when the reavers were approaching Eldora. Now the citizens murmured among themselves in surprise.
Riding hard, Alaric galloped all the way. He had rarely felt so happy in many years; this year alone had brought more joyful events than the previous ten combined. All of it had been brought by Simon. At the thought, Simon’s weight in his heart grew a little heavier.
"Hughes, hurry up too! You’re really dawdling; it’s killing me."
Informants from the castle had already spread word to the officials throughout Eldora City. Lancet received the message as well. Overjoyed, he immediately sought out Hughes so they could go together.
Liam had spoken of this artillery many times while in Eldora, and since Liam oversaw the artillery in Brambleford, Lancet’s interest had only grown sharper.
Hughes looked lazy as he replied, "You also got the message from the informants?"
"I’ve got it all. Aren’t the officials heading south because of the artillery? Don’t hesitate; let’s go. This is from your son-in-law." Lancet said. "Liam said the artillery is a cannon that can shatter a stone wall. I can’t wait."
"Isn’t this us going already?" Although Hughes moved with lazy actions, he was actually very anxious. As Lancet had said, this was a treasure sent by his future son-in-law; how could he not care?
"It’s just that on the surface I still want to leave some face. I don’t want to be laughed at by the other officials."
The two of them talked all the way as they left through the South Gate and followed the other officials. Soon they arrived at the firearms battalion. By then the place was already surrounded by civil and military officials. Many were talking among themselves, pointing from time to time at something outside the door.
The crown prince and the other princes had also arrived; they stood by Alaric’s side.
Entering the firearms camp, Lancet and Hughes saw a hundred swarthy objects lined up in a row. Black canvas still lay on the ground where it had just been lifted.
They squeezed their way inside. This was the first time either of them had seen such things; these must be the legendary artillery pieces.
Alaric had been the first to arrive at the firearms camp, and he himself had ordered the canvas opened. This time Simon had sent a hundred artillery pieces at once and promised to continue providing more in the future, provided, of course, that the court allocated the necessary funds.
Walking around to the front of one cannon, Alaric looked excited. He had tried pushing it just now; the thing was so heavy he could not move it. Yet Simon had not lied. The cannon did look a great deal like a torch.
Three artillerymen from Brambleford had accompanied the shipment. They would remain in Eldora for a time to teach the firearms battalion how to operate the pieces. After all, there was a proper set of procedures for handling this artillery.
For the guns sent to Eldora, proper instruction was essential. It was directly tied to whether Alaric would open the treasury happily.
Looking at the black cannons, Alaric felt proud. Then he spotted Lancet and Hughes squeezing through the crowd and called out, "Come on. I’ve been waiting for you to try the power of these cannons."
Lancet stepped forward and examined one carefully, running his hands over the barrel from time to time. The heavy metal felt shocking to him. Finally, he pressed his face to the muzzle and peered inside.
"Father, this cannon is just like a torch. There’s nothing special about it."
The crown prince kicked the artillery with his foot, a look of disdain on his face.
Today his position as crown prince felt secure. He knew King Ravencrest had helped him a great deal, so he had always vented his anger toward that quarter and stayed close to William. When he learned that William had been humiliated in Brambleford, he had grown very angry; now he deliberately belittled the artillery.
Alaric was a little unhappy at the words, yet he was in high spirits and did not want to spoil his own mood. He said, "How can one speak of artillery without seeing its actual power? Of course it depends on what it can do."
Lancet nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. Let us see how powerful this artillery truly is."
Alaric was growing impatient himself. "I have that very intention. Today I will let all of you witness the power of this artillery."
He had already instructed the artillerymen from Brambleford to demonstrate in person.
Before the three gunners had left, Simon had told them they must obey Alaric. Therefore, they quickly took out the tools from the ammunition boxes beside the guns and loaded the gunpowder according to the proper process.
Just before lighting the charge, one gunner said to Alaric, "Your Majesty, please cover your ears. The sound of this cannon is so loud it might startle even the Emperor."
Cover his ears? Alaric was puzzled, yet he did as the artilleryman asked. The other ministers, seeing this, also covered their ears.
The crown prince, however, looked disdainful. He turned to the second, third, and fourth princes and said, "William told me the power of this artillery is only a little. Don’t be nervous."
He did not know that William had deliberately belittled the guns; most of what William had said was not the truth.
The second prince and the others exchanged glances. They were not as foolish as the crown prince. They still covered their ears. Only the crown prince remained smug, as though waiting for a joke.
On one side of the firearms battalion lay a small forest. The artillerymen aimed their piece at the woods. Seeing that Alaric had covered his ears once more, they lit the fuse.
Boom!
Flames sprayed. The earth trembled. A sound like thunder rolled out.
In an instant, the crown prince was stunned by the loud noise. His body began to shake violently; his legs trembled. A trace of warmth appeared in his pants; he had been so frightened that he lost control and wet himself.
The second prince and the others lowered their hands, hearts still pounding. The artillery’s report was like thunder. Horses in the firearms battalion screamed continuously in fright. They had even felt the ground under their feet tremble.
What shocked them most, however, was the sharp crack-crack-crack from the grove: three trees as thick as a bowl’s mouth had snapped cleanly in the middle.
Alaric’s face was a little pale, yet surprise outweighed fear. The forest stood two hundred meters from the firearms camp. Even at that distance, three trees had been broken, enough to show the artillery’s power.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Carl immediately flattered after recovering from the shock. "With such a powerful weapon, it will be difficult for the Imperial Army to find an enemy in the world."
Alaric did not speak. He walked to the cannon and found the words "Made in Brambleford" stamped upon it.
His face remained calm, but inside his heart was like a stormy sea. In his view, the power of this artillery was simply incredible.
He finally understood why Simon had been able to defend Dunmere. When the reavers first saw this weapon, they must have been even more shocked and frightened than he was now.
If such artillery were placed on the city walls, who would dare attack lightly?