The valley did not sleep that night.

Not after the sound of thunder echoed across the mountains.

Workers gathered in small groups throughout the fortress whispering excitedly while guards repeatedly discussed the strange "metal staff weapon" Lord Lucien had fired near the western cliffs.

Rumors spread faster than snowstorms.

Some claimed the weapon pierced steel using compressed lightning.

Others insisted Gandalf had trapped thunder spirits inside iron tubes.

One particularly dramatic worker swore he saw the projectile glow blue before impact.

That part was completely false.

But the fear spreading through the territory—

That was very real.

Inside the upper industrial halls, the atmosphere remained far calmer.

Mostly because everyone present was too exhausted to panic properly anymore.

The first flintlock musket currently rested atop a reinforced forge table surrounded by tools, powder residue, and several exhausted dwarves arguing loudly over barrel balance despite it already functioning perfectly.

Bromgar pointed aggressively toward the weapon.

"The stock weight is slightly wrong."

One human blacksmith looked horrified.

"It pierced steel!"

"And it could pierce steel better."

Another dwarf nodded seriously.

"Good craftsmanship demands suffering."

The blacksmith looked emotionally damaged afterward.

Lucien ignored the argument while carefully examining the musket again beneath furnace light.

Crude by modern standards.

Primitive.

Slow-loading.

Inaccurate at range.

Yet despite all those flaws—

It changed everything.

A common soldier using enough training could now threaten armored warriors from distance.

Not easily.

Not consistently.

But possible.

And once something became possible—

It became inevitable.

Malen stood nearby with arms crossed while watching the weapon thoughtfully.

"I still dislike it."

Lucien glanced sideways.

"Because?"

The Peak Knight’s expression remained calm.

"It reduces the value of martial mastery."

Fair concern.

Lucien understood completely.

Knights spent decades training their bodies and mana control to superhuman levels.

Now ordinary soldiers could potentially kill them using massed gunfire.

Not immediately.

Not yet.

But eventually.

Lucien answered honestly.

"Strength should not belong only to bloodlines."

Malen remained silent afterward.

Not offended.

Thinking.

Good.

Because Lucien would need the loyalty of strong people during the changes coming ahead.

Above them, Aurethar rested atop the upper forge supports lazily while his golden eyes reflected the furnace fires below.

The Dragon Lord looked deeply amused.

"You humans always invent ways to terrify yourselves."

Bromgar snorted.

"Says the giant flying apocalypse."

"I am a refined apocalypse."

"You burned three roof sections yesterday."

"That roof insulted me."

Several workers quietly accepted that explanation somehow.

Gandalf meanwhile continued studying the flintlock carefully beneath magical light while his beard nearly dragged across the worktable.

"The ignition principle is surprisingly elegant."

Lucien nodded slightly.

"Simple mechanisms scale better."

The old mage looked thoughtful afterward.

"With enough production..."

Another pause.

"...kingdom warfare changes entirely."

Yes.

Exactly.

And that realization hung heavily inside the industrial hall afterward.

Because everyone present understood now—

This was no longer experimentation.

It was revolution.

Then—

The system appeared.

A pale blue screen materialized instantly before Lucien’s eyes.

[HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETED]

[QUEST: PRODUCE THE FIRST FLINTLOCK FIREARM]

[STATUS: COMPLETE]

Golden light spread across the interface immediately afterward.

The surrounding sounds of the forge seemed quieter suddenly as Lucien focused entirely upon the next lines appearing before him.

[REWARD DISTRIBUTION INITIATED]

[BLUEPRINT ACQUIRED: EARLY RIFLED FIREARM]

[BLUEPRINT ACQUIRED: FIELD CANNON]

Lucien’s eyes sharpened instantly.

Rifling.

Cannons.

The system truly intended to drag this world forward aggressively.

New information flooded into his mind immediately afterward.

Weapon schematics.

Internal barrel grooving.

Pressure reinforcement designs.

Wheel-mounted artillery systems.

Ammunition molds.

Recoil stabilization concepts.

The knowledge settled rapidly inside his thoughts while Lucien processed everything silently.

And slowly—

Very slowly—

He smiled.

Aurethar noticed instantly.

"Oh no."

Malen sighed deeply.

"That expression again."

Bromgar narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What happened?"

Lucien looked toward the group calmly.

"We’re improving the design."

The dwarves immediately became interested.

"How?"

Lucien grabbed a piece of charcoal before sketching quickly across a nearby planning board.

Longer barrel.

Improved firing mechanism.

Then—

Internal grooves spiraling through the barrel interior.

The surrounding blacksmiths frowned in confusion.

Bromgar stepped closer.

"...Why carve lines inside the barrel?"

Lucien answered simply.

"To spin the projectile."

Silence.

Then Gandalf blinked once.

"...That’s insane."

Lucien continued sketching calmly.

"Rotational stabilization improves accuracy."

Another pause.

"And penetration."

The room became quiet afterward.

Because nobody there was stupid.

They could already imagine the implications.

Malen frowned slightly.

"How accurate?"

Lucien looked toward him.

"At ranges where ordinary bows become unreliable?"

Another pause.

"It could still kill."

Even the Peak Knight looked unsettled hearing that.

Meanwhile Aurethar appeared delighted beyond reason.

"Hah!"

The Dragon Lord’s tail smashed accidentally through part of the upper scaffolding while he laughed.

"Yes! Better violence!"

One worker screamed from below as falling dust covered him completely.

Aurethar blinked downward.

"...Minor structural sacrifice."

Lucas Marcus entered the forge hall moments later carrying administrative reports before immediately stopping at the sight of destroyed scaffolding.

He looked toward the dragon slowly.

Aurethar looked away suspiciously.

Lucien ignored both of them.

Because another blueprint remained.

The cannon.

That—

That was terrifying.

He began sketching again.

Larger barrel.

Thicker reinforcement.

Heavy wheels.

Artillery positioning.

The blacksmiths stared increasingly harder the longer the design expanded.

Finally one younger worker asked carefully.

"My Lord..."

Lucien continued drawing.

"Yes?"

"...Why does this weapon look large enough to kill buildings?"

Lucien looked up calmly.

"Because it is."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Then Bromgar whispered softly.

"...Beautiful."

Of course the dwarf loved artillery immediately.

Aurethar leaned downward excitedly afterward.

"Oh I definitely approve of this one."

Golden smoke drifted from his nostrils.

"It resembles proper warfare."

Gandalf looked horrified.

"You’re encouraging him!"

"Yes."

The Dragon Lord grinned.

"Rapidly."

The old mage rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"We are industrializing too fast."

Lucien didn’t disagree.

But slowing down was impossible now.

Because the moment the first flintlock fire.

The future already changed.

And deep within the ancient ruins of Elarion, beneath smoke, steel, and dragonfire, humanity’s next age continued taking shape one blueprint at a time.

End of Chapter 34

Author:Give me the stones

Reader:which stones

Author:The power stones:)