Pirate Kingship-Chapter 687 - 469: Sacred Relics: The First Bolt-Action Rifle (6100)

Torrent Fortress, located in the central part of Yucatan Island, had become the industrial, research, and economic center of the entire Sacred Golden Empire.

It was a pity that Whale Oil Steam Engines had not yet been successfully implemented. In the blast furnaces of the steel mills, coal still burned fiercely day and night.

As a result, a thin layer of fog always shrouded the skies above Torrent Fortress. Many local residents jokingly called this world-leading industrial city the "Fog Capital."

Given a few more years, it might even form a new [Civilization Miracle].

However, its proximity to the sea, along with the Golden Law and numerous Nature Spirits acting as regulatory nodes for the environment, was beneficial. The sea breeze that occasionally blew over the city prevented the fog from intensifying enough to cause severe pollution or threaten the residents' lives and health.

Currently, the two most crucial research institutions, the "Whale Oil Power Research Institute" and the "Flame Art Research Academy," were both located within the large Edge Fortress, Torrentfort.

The main force of the Whale Oil Power Research Institute was the "Virtual Ship Spirit" that had taken over the body of the [Sailboat Collector], Mordent Gray.

After being completely severed from its original entity and subdued by the "Faustian Contract," it had become an accompanying lifeform, much like those maids.

It had also transformed into a ruthless research machine.

His daily routine typically involved exchanges like:

"Master, please command."

"I order you to increase the precision of the machine tool by 80%."

Or:

"Master, please command."

"I order you to produce vulcanized rubber resistant to high temperatures and corrosion from raw rubber materials."

And even:

"Master, please command."

"I order you to generate ten design options for me to select, each one unique..."

His personality had been entirely reshaped by Byron into the form Byron required.

Moreover, even if he encountered phrases like, "I think the design is quite good, but...", or "I don't know what effect I want; just make something for me to see," or even "Perhaps we should revert to the first draft?" he would never go rogue.

Not only was he extremely useful, but he was also frequently borrowed by various departments. He never complained and always bore hardships willingly, even when operating at full capacity, never uttering a single word of protest.

Only during brief respites from work, when he inadvertently glanced upwards, would he subconsciously look at two Sacred Relics serving alongside him: the Quyuan Plough, which automatically tilled the land with an ox and a horse, and the Furnace Hammer, which felt uneasy if it didn't work for a day.

A sense of satisfaction, like seeing a "kindred soul," would flash in his eyes, and his body would be replenished with new strength.

Only those who are useless to the world take vacations. How could a great talent like me take breaks? I am here to serve all humanity. Work!

Compared to the Whale Oil Steam Engine, which was still in the theoretical discussion stage, the Flame Art Research Academy, personally led by Miss Violet, was progressing noticeably faster.

As the sunset stained the sky blood-red, the [Gunpowder Artist] continued her work, forgoing sleep and food.

DING! DING! DANG! DANG!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

In the deepest private workshop of the research academy, the cacophony of machining processes was incessant.

Some components required large hydraulic presses; others needed forging before machining, followed by heat treatment.

The complexity of this new invention far surpassed that of any man-made thermal weapon to date.

Fortunately, thanks to his increasingly potent Spirituality, Byron could perfectly replicate any material he had ever seen in his memory.

He had never seen the most advanced military blueprints, and even if he had, he would have lacked the necessary precision machining capabilities.

However, he had watched many excellent documentaries, such as "The Charm of Machinery" and "The Great Machine Advance." These covered everything from trebuchets and machine tools to firearms, internal combustion engines, and turbines. Even after a decade, the details remained vivid in his mind.

Lacking parameters was not a major issue. As long as they had research directions or even feasible plans, Violet, the firearms expert, could refine the details.

Violet painstakingly adjusted the components many times using Alchemy and files. Wearing petite tortoiseshell glasses, she had been bent over her work for a long time. She finally exhaled deeply.

"This time, it should be fine," she said.

She rolled up her shirt sleeves, revealing her fair arms, then picked up the gleaming black steel component from the table and began the final assembly.

She already had an intimate understanding of the new firearm's structure and didn't need to refer to any blueprints.

CLICK! CLICK!

With the crisp sounds of metal against metal, the barrel, stock, and bolt were assembled piece by piece. A new type of firearm, never before seen in the world, gradually took shape in her hands.

She tried the bolt. The exquisite mechanical structure offered an incredibly smooth tactile sensation.

It felt as if it hadn't originated from human hands at all. Instead, it seemed inherently destined to be this way, merely brought into the Mortal World through Byron's mind and her hands.

A flush of excitement appeared on Violet's face. She caressed the cool, hard body of the firearm and murmured, struggling to contain her joy, "The world's First Bolt-Action Rifle is born!"

Thanks to the earlier maturation of Whale Oil Base Fire and brass-cased Whale Oil Bullets, they had the opportunity to leapfrog over caplock firearms and develop the Bolt-Action Rifle in one go.

Following the general rule of naming weapons after the [Gunsmith]'s name, this groundbreaking Bolt-Action Rifle was named: Witch 1472, abbreviated as the "Model 72 Rifle."

Its significance went beyond the firearm itself. As its name spread, the legend of [Witch] Violet would also rapidly ascend.

It would leave an indelible mark on the annals of human firearms history.

Perhaps one day, the mere thought of this Witch would become synonymous with 'War.' When that time came, the Divine Domain would not be far off.

After thoroughly checking the firearm for any issues, Violet immediately took the accompanying magazine and loaded five gleaming, brass-cased Whale Oil Bullets into the chamber.