Knight and Wand

Chapter 164 Silver Mountain Crossbow and Magic Materials
Looking at Deathclaw lying in the backyard basking in the sun, and little Goethe making a fuss beside the griffin, Leon sighed, no wonder some of the rich and inhumane dog owners in his previous life liked to raise tigers, leopards and lions. Looking at the lazy appearance of these big guys, he couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort and love from the bottom of his heart.

It would make one feel really safe if such a powerful auspicious beast came to the house every now and then.

At first, when Leon saw it coming so often, he was vaguely worried about the safety of his family.

After all, no matter how friendly a griffin may be, it is still a terrifying beast that can tear a lion or tiger into pieces like a rag doll.

In the past, even tigers and leopards raised in zoos from childhood would accidentally injure their keepers when they were playing around, let alone these giant creatures that were as big as adult African bull elephants.

There was no need to worry about warriors like himself and Olivia, but there were also fragile women and children like Elena and Lina living in the mansion.

But it turns out that this creature, whose intelligence is comparable to that of humans and Leon suspects even surpasses that of some human fools, knows how to strike a balance when interacting with humans and will not cause any accidental harm.

From the fact that he slaughtered and retaliated against the Kantadar thugs without harming any of the Selva villagers, we can see how high this big guy's ability to distinguish is, and the summary in the magic book is not false at all.

I don't know if all griffins are so gentle, or if Deathclaw is just too good-tempered.

Now even the servants in the house dare to step forward and touch this savior who once saved the village.

Ever since Lina took out a comb and started combing the big beast's fur on a whim, Leon noticed that the Death Claws came back to land more and more frequently.

It seems that even in another world, no animal can resist humans' tickling skills.

This big guy really knows how to enjoy himself. However, combing the hair of such a huge beast was very tiring for the servants, so Leon asked the craftsmen to make a big brush to satisfy it.

I didn't expect to establish contact with the griffin in this way. This big guy probably regarded Selva as a safe resting place.

It's a pity for the war horses that originally lived in their own stables.

Although noble war horses such as Wuzhui are handsome and have been disciplined and trained since childhood, they are more courageous than ordinary horses and dare to charge even in the face of swords and spears.

But they are still mortal animals after all, and their intelligence is far less than that of griffins. It is difficult for them to distinguish friend from foe of the terrifying beast in front of them in a short period of time.

After witnessing their bloodline enemies wandering around several times in a row, a terrifying aura was floating around the courtyard, and the war horses in the stables were so frightened that their limbs became limp and their spirits were depressed.

Leon had no choice but to move all his mounts far away to the stables of the Selva Barracks.

This also meant that whenever he needed a horse, he had to have someone bring it over every day, which was quite troublesome.

It's just that he doesn't have time now, otherwise Leon plans to build a separate nest for the Deathclaw mother and cub in the future.

According to records in books, griffins like heights, and the Lorelits raise them by generally building tall griffin nest towers or simply digging caves on cliffs.

Although letting Corvis take the little griffin and move out to another place to live is an idea, the boy is his important mage assistant and close aide-de-camp, and he has to take care of many things on a daily basis. It is impossible for him to be a full-time griffin keeper.

Little Goethe is too young. He has great value but no ability to protect himself. He must be looked after by trustworthy people at all times. It would be difficult to make him feel at ease even if he is arranged to be watched over by ordinary guards.

Besides, these are not horses or livestock. People would risk their lives to steal ordinary cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs. The value of a griffin cub is enough to make people risk their lives. It would not be surprising if the guards stole the property.

Apart from his current friends and family who can be trusted, Leon doesn't want to gamble with people's hearts with something of such great value.

If something unexpected happens and little Goethe disappears from his hands again or meets with an accident, I wonder how sad and angry the Death Claw will be.

Thinking of this, Leon suddenly understood why the Deathclaw didn't take the cub away.

If the child is brought back to the nest, the mate will die, and the Death Claw, which often needs to go out to find food, obviously cannot take good care of the cubs all the time.

Leon remembered that in many novels and movies in his previous life, adventurers would often sneak into the nests of legendary creatures such as dragons and griffins while they were out foraging for food and steal what they could.

Even if this world has not seen that kind of adventurer, there is probably no shortage of other predators in the wild, which is why griffins like to build their nests on the cliffs on the top of the mountain as much as possible.

Now that she had experienced the team hunting by the wizard Atias and lost her original husband, Deathclaw was absolutely unwilling to lose her last offspring again before finding the next male griffin that caught her eye.

Putting the little griffin in the home of a close friend like himself who would never harm the cub, with food, water and protection, is obviously a hundred times safer than following it back to the nest in the mountains to live alone.

Such long-term considerations like human thinking made Leon admire the intelligence of the griffin.

Of course, he was naturally happy to be a nanny for little Goethe. In this way, he could establish friendship with the Deathclaw mother and son, which would be a great benefit to both himself and the territory.

Reaching out to touch the griffin's huge eagle head, Leon turned to look at the back of the big guy. To be honest, he couldn't help but feel eager to try it.

But reason has been dissuading him. As friends, especially considering the intelligence of the griffin, it might not be a wise move to rashly climb onto the other's back.

Put yourself in their shoes. Even if they are your close friends, if one day they want to ride on you,
It’s even weirder to think that way.

Still have to be careful and try it out.
The guards standing outside the yard immediately walked into the backyard when they received the message from the soldiers.

"My Lord, Lord Azerien has returned from Silver Mountain City, and the convoy carrying military equipment has arrived at the barracks."

Leon was delighted when he heard this. He could finally start selecting heavy shield crossbowmen in the army.

He told Corvis to stay and look after the griffin and immediately set off for the military camp.

The recruitment process for the second army went smoothly. On the Selva side, except for the wounded who had experienced the Battle of Longca last time, and a few wealthy families who did not want to go to the battlefield again and instead tried small business, the vast majority of the armed civilians chose to return to the barracks again.

Only this time, they were no longer conscripted militia, but professional warriors in full armor, the lord's personal guards under the Pendragon Sword Wings banner.

Upon hearing that Selva was officially recruiting standing troops, naturally many young and strong men who had participated in previous bloody battles in Lonka and Preton came to sign up one after another.

There were even young men from villages and towns outside the three surrounding territories who secretly ran to Selva and tried to join Pendragon's army.

Even if there is a standard for admission based on merit, the quota of only eighty or ninety people will be filled up quickly.

The reason why so many people were eager to join the army was certainly not just because of the victory in the Battle of Longka, which gave Leon considerable reputation in Cossus County.

More importantly, word of mouth spread in the surrounding countryside, especially among the people of the three regions, that Sir Pendragon was not only brave and good at fighting, but also had a reputation for generosity and kindness. Such rumors were not groundless. Even apart from the villagers of Longka and Plydon who had received substantial rewards, as Selva opened up trade routes, the exchanges between the surrounding people became more frequent. Villagers from other regions discovered that Selva, which used to have only a bunch of poor farmers, was now rich and the size of the village had more than doubled.

This can be testified by the villagers who received large sums of betrothal gifts and rushed to marry their daughters to Selva. The wealth of Selva was praised by the fathers-in-law who returned from the wedding.

The various facilities under construction, the new houses where the residents moved to, the market that was as bustling as a town, the tall barracks and castles, all of this started when the knight named Leon was canonized in Selva.

As a result, many outsiders who were eager to change their current situation came here and tried to join the ranks of this generous knight.

Of course, Leon didn't accept everything.

After all, all the high-quality soldiers outside the three territories have been screened by the Thorn Flower Family's previous conscription, leaving no talents behind.

Except for a few hunters with archery skills who were recruited into the barracks as an exception, in most cases, he still gave priority to the local soldiers in the three territories.

We arrived at the Selva Barracks which was almost completed. We walked inside and saw soldiers shouting in unison on the wide training ground. They were practicing the formation and movement of the phalanx.

Old Brian walked through the infantry line with a slight limp, but no one dared to ignore his majesty because of his lame leg.

It was not only because of the strong physique of the old knight of the previous dynasty, but also because the soldiers had witnessed the Battle of Longka, where the old but strong centurion led the troops to kill the enemy bravely.

Without disturbing the soldiers' basic training, Leon rushed to the armory and saw Azerien supervising the workers moving the goods.

"You've come such a long way, it's hard work. I'm here, go back and take a shower and rest. I asked Lina to boil water for you in advance." Leon came to the carriage and greeted.

He felt ashamed for having Azerien travel for every major purchase, but the son of a nobleman was so effective and easy to use. It was hard to ensure that the upright Lohak would not be cheated if he was asked to handle matters like dealing with guild merchants. Recently, the troops mobilized by General Trosa had frequently passed through the territory to the forest. He needed to contact foreign troops to maintain regional stability, and it was not convenient for him to travel far, so he had to continue to exploit his brothers.

"I'm not too tired. Let me show you the things first. This trip to Silver Mountain City really opened my eyes. The tools made by the craftsmen there are truly amazing. I'm afraid even the craftsmen in Rolandar can't compare to them. Even the light crossbow I bought this time, the quality is beyond my expectations." Recalling the sophisticated turning crossbow he saw at the Silver Mountain Craftsmen's Guild, Azerien sighed in his heart.

The kind of crossbow that rotates the arrow nest with the push of a trigger and fires round after round crazily, even if he just looked at the exhibits and listened to the merchants bragging about it, he could feel the horror of that weapon.

However, the price of such fine weapons is really shocking.

Azerien just compared them in his mind and estimated that only princes and nobles could afford to buy them for fun.

According to his later inquiries in the city, this was indeed the case. It represented the highest masterpiece of Silver Mountain City's dwarven craftsmanship. It was also the lowest-selling product in the Silver Mountain City Artisans' Guild.

If not every contemporary craftsman in Silver Mountain City has made a Dwarf Crossbow as proof of his mastership, perhaps that thing would have been discontinued long ago.

Recalling the legendary stunning craftsmanship inherited from ancient dwarven craftsmen, Azerien took Lion into the armory and opened the leather-covered moisture-proof box in front of them.

Inside are several sets of disassembled crossbows and crossbow bodies, as well as corresponding disassembly and assembly tools, winders and pulley tools.

Leon looked at the things inside and his eyes suddenly brightened.

It's not that he hasn't seen the crossbows in this world. As early as when he was trapped in the slave cage, Leon had seen the crossbows used by mercenaries. In the city of Farolis, he also saw the crossbows in the hands of the soldiers of the Thorn Flower Family. Those looked very similar to the ancient crossbows he had seen in his previous life.

But the steel bow and light crossbow in the box in front of me.
Leon picked up a crossbow and looked at it carefully. Even if you only looked at the shape, the craftsmanship was much higher than that of ordinary crossbows.

The end of the crossbow body is not straight like most crossbows, or it only has a slight arc.

Instead, like the early rifles, it has a grip design that is suitable for holding and aiming, and the ergonomics deserves a thumbs up.

"I learned how to disassemble, assemble and maintain it at Silver Mountain. I'll teach you later." Azerien said as he picked up the crossbow parts and assembled them.

He quickly assembled the light crossbow, took a pot of arrows, and took Leon to the shooting range outside. He handed Leon the crossbow and the handle pulley and taught him how to draw the bow.

Lowering the crossbow body, the pulley ruler was placed on the bow body, and the buckle at the end just happened to lock the trigger. Leon understood and turned the pulley ruler. After only a few turns, he fully wound the bowstring without much effort. It was much easier than a hard-pull pulley crossbow.

He had played with bows a lot in his previous life, but he was not very interested in crossbows. After all, there were cooler guns that could replace them in terms of appearance.

Leon put the crossbow on the rack and took aim. Originally, due to its shape, he habitually held it like a rifle, but he realized that with his inhuman knight's wrist strength, there was no need to do so, so he switched to shooting with one hand holding the crossbow.

Pulling the trigger, the crossbow arrow shot out with a whoosh. Feeling the force of the bowstring rebounding, Leon realized that because the pulley ruler had pulled the bowstring too easily just now, he had misjudged the situation. The poundage of the crossbow was much higher than he expected.

The crossbow arrow that pierced through the wind easily penetrated the center of the 20-meter target. The power and accuracy surprised Leon. He fastened his tools and loaded another arrow, then turned to aim at the 50-meter target that was farther away.

An arrow flew past and pierced deeply into the target again.

However, the impact was very off-center and only hit the edge.

Of course, Leon knew that it was not his own water, nor the crossbow's water, but he was just not used to this weapon yet.

Of course, from an ordinary person's perspective, using this crossbow to hit the target at 50 meters away would make one an extremely good archer.

After moving to another open space, Leon loaded the crossbow and arrow again, but he did not aim at the target and just shot the arrow directly at random.

After the crossbow arrow fell, he ran over to look for it, and after a rough estimate, the farthest landing point was about 400 meters away, and the actual effective range should be between 200 and 300 meters. Of course, at this distance, unless a volley of arrows covered it, if a single archer wanted to hit the enemy, it would cost him his entire life to win the jackpot.

Considering the outstanding accuracy of its performance, Leon looked down at the materials in his hand and couldn't help but sigh that the money was indeed worth it.

With such low difficulty and performance, it won't take him long to have a group of archers whose abilities are equal to those of excellent archers except for the shooting speed. The excellent weapon performance even makes up for the range disadvantage of ordinary crossbowmen. Moreover, the defense of heavy shield crossbowmen is much higher than that of archers. Of course, their flexibility is definitely worse.

"Did you find the materials I needed in Silver Mountain City this time?" Leon and Azerien asked him as they walked back, asking him to find materials for the Neti cards in the big city market.

Upon hearing this question, Azerien, who was originally in good spirits, dimmed his eyes and shook his head helplessly. This was just the gain from this trip. Resurrecting his family might be a long way off at the moment.

"No one has heard of Elosa Crystal, but according to a pharmacist in Silver Mountain City, the description of it not melting sounds like the 'eternal ice' recorded in ancient books, but it can only be seen in the eternal frozen land in the far north.

I also asked the alchemists at Silver Mountain, and they had never heard of the 'Isua Soul Stone', nor had they heard of the so-called Spirit Soul.
Some people do know about the other items, such as 'Moonfall Silver' and 'Molten Gold', but they are only available in the Alchemy Guild in the capital. It is said that they are extremely precious and rare, and are only available to the royal family and never sold outside. "

(End of this chapter)