Chapter 699: Dwarven Technology (2)
"Nee, this may be a bit insignificant and strange, but why does the Dwarven Continent's central region have a capital city called Katburg? Is it possible that this landmass has a history with cats?" Yuuki raised her hand to ask her circle of friends.
"That actually makes sense. It might just happen. This city probably used to be the Cat Kingdom before the dwarves invaded this territory!" Sylvia gave a mind-blowing hand gesture. She didn't wait for anyone to respond and quickly added. "Joke aside, the all-knowing boy, please tell us. Why is this city called Katburg?"
"..." Rei swallowed back his words as he almost refuted this devil girl. He then cleared his throat and straightened his back. "Ahem, this city was once just a barren land in an arid valley.
Long ago, the ancestor of my clan accidentally met a gorgeous village girl. He fell at first sight and immediately proposed to the girl. Unfortunately, the beautiful girl and her family could not accept the proposal.
However, the man did not give up easily and pursued the village girl's love. Until finally, she gave a condition before he could marry her. She wanted a fortified safe house surrounded by a beautiful valley.
The man accepted the challenge with determination. He built a fortress in an arid valley not far from the village. After that, he asked the help of the forest fairies to turn the barren place into a fertile one.
After successfully keeping his promise, he finally married the girl of his heart, and they lived happily ever after. Many things happened, and the small fortress gradually expanded until it became the grand city today. Historians interpret Kat as a beautiful girl and Burg for the fort."
"Woah, that's a good story." Ella clasped her hands. She was fond of the story with the happy ending.
"Wow, so this city has fairies in its history? Then why don't you get along so well with the Fairy Race?" Sylvia nodded in understanding, but there was still another confusion in her mind.
"That's not entirely true. Dwarves and fairies are fairly peaceful, just a few minor conflicts." Rei looked back at the front.
"Dwarves, fairies, and elves sent their ultimate weapons when the Tree of Life fell, right? I knew you dwarves were going to fight over that divine tree. The great battle of ultimate destruction was about to break out. Luckily, the Goddess of Light was there and prevented the war. Yet, your father stupidly challenged her and ended up losing miserably. Am I right?" Nell entered the conversation with a slap of reality.
"A-uhh… My father may have just wanted to test our Floating Fortress's might, but he chose the wrong opponent. We've learned our lesson and are grateful for the Goddess of Light's enlightenment. That's why we worship her now." Rei rubbed his head awkwardly. He didn't know what his father was thinking with that decision.
"Well, I remember the particular dwarves kneeling begging for forgiveness. They said they respected the strong and worshiped a benevolent Goddess afterward." Elena rested her cheek against her hand in her casual mumble.
"Ah, we have arrived at our arsenal. Let me show you our civilization in advanced technology." Rei immediately changed the topic of conversation as he didn't want to struggle with that matter. That was his father's business, not his.
"..." Elysia stared at the dome-like arsenal in front, then looked back. She could see this city as a future metropolis in the illustration she had seen a few years ago.
At first glance, this city was clearly more advanced than the big cities on other continents. Perhaps, also more advanced than the best city on Earth.
Elysia then looked down. They were traveling on a floating board, but it wasn't the Gravy Ark. 'The resource-saving version of the Gravy Ark, hmm... No wonder the dwarves are known as the technological center of the world. Not many want to make them enemies either because of this.'
'Hm, each race also has its own technology. But, yes, the Dwarven Race is quite advanced in this field. Perhaps, their lack of magic was compensated by a genius brain? Firearms and explosives can be very useful in assisting them in battle.' Elena asked in wonder.
'Can we buy some weapons from here? Or, we might get a reward like what Sylvia's father did?' Elysia took a deep breath as they arrived before the dome-like arsenal.
Rei then spoke to the imperial guards about permission to enter.
'They will comply with your request if you ask for it, Ely. Hmm?' Elena was silent as their floating board led them into the arsenal. She could see tons of weapons of various sizes and models neatly arranged in their place.
'If it's like this, I can say that Dylan's weaponry is number two to Nuraddir's arsenal. Oh dear, are those big guns that can fire laser beams? Ah, it's a shame. Magic shots are not effective against accursed creatures. Maybe firearms on Earth could be quite useful? And, they have that here too!?' Elena muttered admiringly in her mind. However, her expression still remained neutral and indifferent.
"Wow, I know dwarves have weapons like laser swords." Sylvia took a stick from a nearby shelf and pressed a trigger near the hilt, and it became a laser sword. 'Oow, this could be useful as a light in the dark too.'
'But not for the night fight.' Evelyn also wanted to take a look, but the Dwarf Prince looked annoyed.
"Please don't touch anything without asking, miss devil. You might activate a dangerous weapon without knowing what or how." Rei gave a piece of firm advice to the impolite devil girl.
"My apologies. We'll be extra careful. Does this place only store magic weapons? They won't be used in fighting accursed creatures, and I know you don't use any of these for that reason." Elysia deactivated the laser sword in Sylvia's hand and returned it to the shelf.
"Yes, we are using traditional non-magic weapons in our current battle. We will arrive at Sections Four to Six. We are currently in Section One, specifically for magic weapons." Rei responded in a relaxed tone again.
"Tra-traditional..." Elysia was taken back a little. If thone kinds of firearms were traditional things, then Earth technology was outdated?
"Hmm... That's not to say I've never come to an arsenal like this before. I've been trained in using weapons of mass destruction that can obligate this city to ashes." Sylvia pouted.
"I'm getting more worried because of your attitude. Especially for you, the devil. Please don't touch anything." Rei added one thing and pointed his finger at the devil girl.
"You can't stop me if I want to." Sylvia snorted softly.
Elysia then asked Rei a few things about weaponry as if she was a curious little girl but still polite. Somehow, Rei responded happily as if they were old friends. After the girls ' curious chit-chat, they were both the most-spoken throughout that tour.
"Is it possible these machine guns, rifles, and other traditional weapons were invested in other continents? The dwarves could help everyone survive the invasion of dangerous accursed creatures. We still have over one hundred and twenty big battles. The death toll will definitely decrease drastically with the help of a weapon like this." Elysia stroked a nearby advanced machine gun.
"Actually, other races also have their own weapons. However, they are not as advanced as ours, dwarves. Let's take the Devil Race as an example. They stole a lot of our technology and made copies of it with their own techniques." Rei shook his head. He avoided using the refusal words.
"Traditional weapons like these are effective against accursed monsters, but they only have enough for their troops. They also need it to protect their homeland. Moreover, fire powder materials can only be found on the Dwarven Continent.
Other races have their own way of defending themselves, Ely. And again, we have an anti-curse mechanism. It doesn't matter if they're going to fight head-to-head or with the help of firearms like this." Nell landed on Elysia's shoulder. She knew what this kind of girl wanted to do.
"So, that's impossible, huh..." Elysia muttered under her breath.
"Hm, I see what you wanted to say, Ely. Ah, you just haven't seen the Human Race's newly released weapon? The Holy Church and royal families mass-produce high-explosive bombs, cannons, warheads, spears, and more! We use alternative materials and those weapons to effectively slay many monsters. Unfortunately, they haven't been evenly distributed. Only the battles in the central region, west, and south. The north and east are still in the queue." Nell dropped her fist onto her open palm.
"Hm? Is that why you're in the north? And for the same reason, the reinforcements are pretty much in the east?" Elena felt it all made sense now.
"Yup." Nell nodded in confirmation.
"Hoo~ Then, are the technological dwarves more advanced? What do you all think?" Elena asks everyone's opinion.
"For mortal's weaponry, yes. They are more sophisticated than the others. However, no matter how great they were, none of them could match a divine weapon." Oceanid was not impressed by these kinds of weaponry.
"Compared to devil's technology, they only have a slight advantage. I mean, only slightly. Great weapons also require a good holder. However, they mostly rely on armored machines with little effort to operate. I know that." Sylvia felt somewhat proud in declaring her knowledge.
Ella, Yuuki, and Evelyn remained silent because they knew almost nothing about firearms.
"Is it possible for me to buy some advanced and traditional weapons from you, Prince Rei? Please tell me the price." Elysia brought up the thing she most wanted to say.