Chapter 198: Violet’s Sudden Visit

“My lord, the repeating crossbow you requested is finished. Please take a look.”

Gogris dragged a wooden crate out from beneath the table.

Phield’s eyes lit up. He had finally been waiting for this upgraded weapon. “Oh? Excellent. I’ve been looking forward to this for ages.”

“Hm? Phield, you can design weapons too?” Rosalia looked surprised, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes. “I didn’t expect that—you’re quite knowledgeable.”

“Not really. Thanks to Gogris. I just provided the concept.”

Phield smiled as he opened the crate. Inside lay a sleek, impressive repeating crossbow. The moment he picked it up, he could feel its weight and power.

“This crossbow… it looks huge.”

Everyone could sense a strange feeling—like seeing a train for the first time and being awed by it.

There were many differences compared to the originally planned high-tier repeating crossbow. The lever mechanism Gogris made—used to draw the string—was located underneath. Reloading required pulling the lever, making it slightly slower than a high-end model. However, thanks to an expanded energy-storage structure, its power was significantly greater.

With some inspiration from Phield, the overall design leaned more toward a modern repeating crossbow.

Using it felt like handling an M870 shotgun—pull once, fire once—hundreds of times faster than a traditional crossbow.

“My lord, we lacked materials, and many components were dismantled from regular crossbows. If we had more professional craftsmen, it could be improved even further.”

“It’s already excellent. Once industry develops, firearms will become the main force.”

Gogris froze for a moment. In her eyes, the repeating crossbow was already an incredibly powerful ranged weapon—perhaps only siege ballistae or catapults could surpass it.

“Are there really weapons stronger than crossbows?” Gogris rarely voiced doubt.

“Of course. Firearms that shoot bullets. Gunpowder ignites and then…” Phield trailed off. “It’s too early to talk about that. With our current technology, we can’t produce a proper gun barrel.”

“My lord, please explain it to me in detail. As for what comes next, I entrust myself to you completely. I already belong to you.”

Gogris looked serious and suddenly began loosening her skirt, revealing her slender, fair legs.

“???”

The other three were stunned: Is this how you usually do things?!

Let me explain—I’m a perfectly decent person.

“Ahem… that’s not necessary. Just come find me when I’m free.”

“Let me test this weapon first.”

Phield aimed at an open field in the distance and pulled the lever. The bolts in the magazine snapped into place.

“Whoosh—whoosh—”

A rapid stream of bolts shot out. Fifty meters away, ten bolts embedded themselves neatly into the ground.

“So fast!” Ashina was deeply shocked. “At this rate of fire, once scaled up, it would be like a rainstorm.”

If used against demi-humans, Ashina swallowed and dared not imagine further.

Demi-human combat relied on bravery, cunning, and high morale. With their lack of plate armor, facing such weapons would likely mean slaughter.

“Good thing I’m not your enemy, my lord.” Ashina patted her chest.

“If we had a thousand of these, the capital wouldn’t have fallen so quickly. My family… might have had a chance to escape.”

Amid her shock, Charlotte couldn’t help thinking of her homeland. Before long, her eyes grew misty.

Phield didn’t know how to comfort her, so he simply offered his shoulder.

“I’m going to drown my sorrow in alcohol.” Leaning against him, Charlotte grabbed a mug of barley ale and gulped it down.

“Pff—”

The moment it touched her mouth, she spat it out.

“Bleh, bleh! So alcohol tastes this awful?”

Her face twisted as if she were wearing a mask of agony.

Phield wiped his face with a handkerchief, utterly speechless. “You can’t even drink, and you want to drown your sorrows?”

“Sniff—”

Ashina suddenly became alert. “Wait. Violet is here. I remember her scent—she’s outside the manor walls.”

“Oh? Why is she here?” Rosalia was surprised, resting one hand on her hip. “Even though she helped us, corrupted beings usually aren’t very rational. We should stay cautious.”

“She’s right. We’re not bound by contract, after all.”

Phield frowned and handed the crossbow to the little fox. “Let’s go take a look together. If she does anything stupid, we’ll shoot her on the spot.”

They quickly arrived atop the walls. The guards had already noticed the strange woman standing outside. Their expressions were tense, and a messenger had mounted a horse, ready to report to Phield.

“Go to other positions. I’ll handle this.”

Seeing that Violet had no intention of attacking, Phield let out a breath of relief and waved the soldiers away.

It was his first time seeing Violet in full. Before, she had only existed in the Divine Chosen’s descriptions.

The girl wore a simple white dress, her smooth hair flowing down her back.

“…At night, she’s still kind of terrifying. Even if she’s very pretty.” Phield wiped his sweat and greeted her gently. “Violet, hello.”

Violet clearly wasn’t used to interacting with people. She gave a flat response. “Mm. Hello.”

“Why are you here? Want to join us for a meal?”

Charlotte leaned over the battlements, blinking her big eyes.

Everyone knew Violet was a “defector from the enemy side,” so they treated her kindly.

“No need. I came to warn you. Even though you’ve repaired the walls, they’re not enough to stop Divine Chosen.” Violet glanced at them and turned away. “A tide of corrupted corpses—around a thousand strong—will attack your territory tomorrow afternoon.”

“Stay.” Seeing her about to leave, Phield immediately invited her. “Like Rosalia, there’s a place for you here. Besides, as an anomaly, you’ll eventually be identified by other corrupted beings. That will be dangerous.”

“Sorry. There are things I must do. Maybe another time.”

With that, Violet dissolved into a pool of blood and vanished from sight.

“She ran off again. Who knows what she’s up to.” Rosalia shrugged.

Ashina’s crimson eyes looked into the distance. “I can track her scent. Should I capture her?”

“Not for now. Having a spy feeding us information isn’t bad.” Phield pondered for a moment before deciding. “I have a feeling this special corrupted Divine Chosen will bring us unexpected help.”

“Tomorrow, we deal with the corpse tide properly.”

After spending a long time with the Divine Chosen, Phield washed up, yawned, and returned to his room.

The moment he lay down, he suddenly sat upright.

This bed… is way too soft.

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