Chapter 122: Chapter115:The Royal messenger

The mountain fortress of Elarion no longer resembled the isolated northern territory that the kingdom once mocked and ignored.

From the outer walls to the deepest industrial halls carved inside the mountains themselves, the entire region had transformed into something entirely different. Even the air felt heavier now, thick with smoke, heat, and the constant sound of machinery and hammers.

The war against the coalition had ended only recently, yet there was no celebration within Elarion.

Massive forge fires illuminated the snowy valleys throughout the night while black smoke rose endlessly into the freezing northern sky. Roads that had once remained empty for days were now crowded with supply wagons carrying steel ingots, timber, mana crystals, coal, artillery shells, and mechanical parts toward the rapidly expanding industrial districts.

Entire mountainsides echoed with construction.

New factories were being carved directly into stone. Additional rail tunnels were under development. Military depots continued expanding daily. Even the fortress walls themselves were undergoing reinforcement after witnessing the terrifying effectiveness of modern artillery.

The people of Elarion no longer feared war.

Now they prepared for the next one.

And at the center of all this madness—

Was Lucien.

Deep within the central engineering district, the atmosphere resembled organized chaos.

Dwarven engineers screamed at human mechanics while sparks flew across massive workshops crowded with unfinished machinery. Workers hurried between platforms carrying glowing steel parts while overhead cranes lifted armored plating through smoke-filled air.

Everywhere one looked—

Something impossible was being built.

The entire engineering district had effectively become the beating industrial heart of Elarion.

And today—

That heart beat faster than ever before.

"NO!" "YOU COMPLETE ORE-EATING MORON!"

Ironbreaker slammed a wrench onto a steel table hard enough to dent the metal itself.

"The rotational stabilizer connects AFTER the pressure manifold, not before it!"

One dwarf instantly screamed back from across the workshop.

"THAT MAKES NO DAMN SENSE!"

"IT DOES IF YOU STOP THINKING LIKE A DRUNK TUNNEL DIGGER!"

Another explosion erupted somewhere nearby.

BOOM.

Smoke burst upward from behind a testing platform while several engineers ducked instinctively.

A soot-covered dwarf slowly emerged from the smoke while coughing violently.

"...Good news."

Ironbreaker’s eye twitched dangerously.

"What."

"The engine survived fourteen seconds this time."

The workshop immediately descended into another wave of arguments.

Meanwhile, Lucien calmly ignored all of it.

He stood near the central assembly platform while observing the newest creation of Elarion beneath massive hanging chains and scaffolding.

The Warhound adapted from the blueprints of panzer 3.

The first true tank of Elarion.

Unlike the enormous landships that resembled moving fortresses, the Warhound possessed an entirely different philosophy of design.

Everything about it emphasized efficiency, mobility, and battlefield dominance.

Its armored hull sat lower to the ground than the landships, giving it a more aggressive profile while making it harder to target from long distances. Thick sloped frontal armor reflected forge light sharply, specifically designed to redirect incoming force rather than absorb it directly.

The vehicle looked predatory.

Purpose-built for mechanized warfare.

Wide reinforced tracks wrapped around heavy suspension wheels capable of crossing trenches, snow, mud, broken terrain, and battlefield debris without losing momentum. Every visible component carried a sense of brutal practicality.

At the center rested the rotating turret.

And mounted within it—

The main cannon.

The Warhound’s primary weapon was a fifty-seven millimeter mana-assisted high-velocity cannon.

Compared to traditional siege artillery, the caliber itself appeared modest.

But appearances meant nothing.

Unlike ordinary cannons that relied almost entirely upon explosive impact, this weapon focused upon shell velocity, penetration power, and sustained battlefield efficiency.

Armor-piercing rounds. Fragmentation shells. Mana-stabilized high-impact ammunition.

Its firing speed vastly exceeded ordinary artillery, while its accuracy remained terrifyingly precise even while moving.

Against knights, cavalry, monsters, fortifications, or infantry formations—

The result would be catastrophic.

Mounted beside the main cannon sat a coaxial MG34 Stormhowl machine gun connected directly to the turret targeting system which rotates with the turret.

While a second MG34 rested within the frontal hull for the assistant gunner.

Those weapons alone terrified nearly everyone who witnessed testing.

Earlier that morning, the engineers had conducted another live-fire demonstration.

The sound still echoed across the valley.

BRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTT.

The MG34 did not sound like an ordinary weapon.

It sounded mechanical,cold and relentless piece of metal.

Wooden targets had practically exploded beneath sustained fire while armored practice dummies were shredded apart within seconds.

Several nearby soldiers had watched the demonstration in complete silence afterward.

One eventually muttered:

"How does infantry survive against that?"

Another answered immediately.

"They don’t."

Unlike earlier heavy machine guns, the MG34 combined mobility with terrifying firepower. It could maintain sustained fire while still remaining practical for battlefield repositioning.

Which meant infantry assaults, cavalry charges, and even elite knight formations would become vulnerable before ever reaching melee range.

The implications alone were horrifying.

Lucas slowly circled around the Warhound while studying the unfinished tank carefully.

The adminstrator rarely looked impressed.

Today he clearly was.

"This thing doesn’t resemble a vehicle."

He lightly tapped the sloped armor plating with his knuckles.

"It resembles a predator waiting to hunt."

Cedric stood nearby with folded arms while staring at the rotating turret assembly.

"And that cannon isn’t even enormous."

Lucien answered calmly.

"It doesn’t need to be."

Cedric frowned slightly.

Lucien continued while pointing toward the landship schematics resting nearby.

"The landships rely upon intimidation and overwhelming firepower."

Then he gestured toward the Warhound.

"This relies upon speed, positioning, sustained combat capability, and battlefield control."

Nearby, several engineers carefully installed internal ammunition racks while dwarven mechanics argued violently over the transmission system.

The Valtherion Mana Drive remained the most difficult component by far.

Unlike ordinary mana-powered tools, this engine compressed mana energy into continuous rotational mechanical force, effectively replacing steam engines before steam technology had ever properly developed within this world.

That single invention alone possessed civilization-changing implications.

Factories. Transportation. Mass production. Mechanized logistics.

The engine represented far more than military advancement.

It represented a whole new level of industrial revolution.

Gandalf stood near the engine assembly while staring at the blueprint with visible suspicion.

The old wizard looked deeply offended by its existence.

"I still dislike this thing."

Lucien glanced toward him briefly.

"You dislike all machinery."

"Yes."

Gandalf pointed accusingly toward the engine core.

"Because machinery normally obeys logic."

Then he narrowed his eyes.

"That thing feels like somebody strangled physics until it surrendered."

Ironbreaker overheard immediately and pointed furiously toward the wizard.

"THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT LORD LUCIEN DID!"

Above the workshop, Aurethar observed everything from the fortress battlements.

The ancient golden dragon rested across several reinforced towers while his enormous wings partially covered the snowy walls beneath him. Massive golden scales reflected forge fires brilliantly even beneath the gray northern sky.

Even while resting—

He radiated terrifying majesty.

His gigantic head slowly lowered toward the workshop opening while golden eyes studied the Warhound carefully.

"...Smaller than the landships."

Lucien nodded.

"Smaller."

The dragon continued observing silently.

His gaze eventually shifted toward the cannon and rotating turret.

"...But faster."

"Yes."

"...And deadlier."

Lucien answered calmly.

"Much deadlier."

Aurethar remained silent for several moments.

Then finally—

"I dislike that answer."

Cedric laughed quietly.

"That means he approves."

The dragon narrowed one massive golden eye toward him.

"I approve only of destruction."

Then Aurethar returned his gaze toward the Warhound.

"That machine promises excessive destruction."

Another testing platform suddenly erupted nearby.

A newly developed fragmentation shell detonated across the distant hillside outside the fortress.

The explosion erased an entire snow-covered section of rock and trees instantly.

Cedric stared toward the blast quietly.

"We are absolutely becoming villains."

Lucas nodded thoughtfully.

"Extremely effective villains."

Lucien quietly observed the workshop around him.

This was only the beginning.

The Warhound was not simply another weapon.

It represented an entirely new doctrine of warfare.

The landships had been transitional machines—massive armored fortresses designed to terrify medieval armies through overwhelming presence.

But the Warhound—

The Warhound represented modern mechanized warfare.

Fast armored spearheads. Mobile breakthroughs. Coordinated combined-arms assaults.

Eventually entire battlefields would revolve around tanks like these.

The thought alone was enough to terrify kingdoms.

Ironbreaker suddenly approached carrying another stack of blueprints while muttering curses under his breath.

"You realize mass-producing these monsters will require entirely new factories."

Lucien answered without hesitation.

"Then we build new factories."

The dwarf stared blankly for several seconds.

"...You say terrifying things very casually."

Then suddenly—

A loud horn echoed across the fortress walls.

The entire workshop paused briefly.

A second horn followed shortly afterward.

This represented arrival of someone important.

Malen descended the upper staircase carrying several documents while already looking suspicious.

"We weren’t expecting visitors."

That single sentence immediately changed the atmosphere.

Aurethar slowly lifted his gigantic head toward the southern fortress gate.

Golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"...Someone important approaches."

Minutes later, a fortress guard hurried into the workshop before saluting immediately.

"My lord."

Lucien looked up calmly.

"What is it?"

"The royal banner has arrived."

Silence spread instantly across the workshop.

Cedric blinked slowly.

"...Royal?"

The guard nodded nervously.

"A messenger from the capital."

Even the dwarves stopped arguing briefly.

Which honestly felt unnatural.

Lucien slowly placed the blueprint down.

"Bring him."

The guard saluted immediately before hurrying away.

Aurethar’s deep laughter echoed from above the fortress walls.

The ancient golden dragon sounded deeply amused.

"Excellent."

Smoke drifted from his nostrils while his golden eyes gleamed with interest.

"The little northern lord has finally attracted the attention of kings."