Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 766 Misunderstanding
“Sir… my name is Fleming, and this is Lang. We are the leaders of the gold mine protection team in the gold mine.”

The robust middle-aged man bowed slightly, and the bluish-black sun emblem on his wrist was revealed with every gesture... He was a devout believer of the church, and given his status as a bloodline warrior, he was very likely one of the members of the Holy See's Guard trained by a noble lord.

Benny nodded calmly, then put on a gentle expression and said, "Gold Sand Town is too close to the front line where we are fighting the alien races. There are always demon lizardmen breaking through the defenses and sneaking over. Why do you still want to stay here? Is gold really more important than life?"

Fleming and Lang exchanged a glance and gave each other a helpless, bitter smile. "It's not our fault for being greedy, sir... Many of them are refugees from Rhinoceros Horn City. They have families to support and little food. If they go south and don't encounter any aid convoys from the Saint Valens, they will only starve and die of thirst on the grasslands and deserts. It's no different from staying here and waiting to die."

These words were actually a mixture of truth and falsehood, and both sides were well aware of the truth... Those who were still willing to stay in Sand Gold Town were either taking advantage of the fact that the town was temporarily out of the control of the nobles, allowing them to freely mine gold without paying taxes, or their family property and valuables were still in Rhinoceros Horn City and they wanted to wait for the battle between the Saint Valen army and the alien race to be decided before seizing the opportunity to return to the city.

Essentially, they would rather risk their lives than give up the money they have in hand.

"Don't expect the battle on the front lines to be decided in a short time..." Benny's tone became stern. "The gold dust on the riverbed doesn't grow legs and run away. As long as people are alive, they will eventually return to their homeland. Persuade your people to cooperate with the evacuation, otherwise the subsequent transport teams will no longer supply you with food."

Sandstone Town itself does not produce food. On weekdays, the town's food supply relies entirely on regular deliveries from private caravans, mainly from the nearby Rhinoceros Horn City.

If these Saint Valens threaten to stop providing food aid, the nearly two thousand people currently stranded in the town will face a food crisis in three days at most. At that time, the mine protection team of less than a hundred people will not be able to maintain order, and this place will quickly become a gathering place for rioters and frequent violence.

Fleming was also aware of the situation. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "The elderly, women, and children are the easiest to persuade and mobilize, sir... We can guarantee that these people will obey and follow your transport to evacuate first."

That's four or five hundred people, Benny nodded reluctantly, then asked, "How much grain is left in the town?"

Lang frowned and continued, "Not much left. Half a month ago, the logistics officers of the Northern Army escorted military supplies and stopped in the town to resupply us with some durable wheat cakes and salted meat jerky, but now they're almost all gone... If it weren't for the fact that the people who escaped later carried some food with them, the refugees would probably be starving and starting to riot in the next couple of days."

"I heard that you killed a winged creature that had wandered into the area a few days ago?"

“Not bad, sir… that guy had half a wing shattered and was almost dead when he escaped here. It shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with him.” Fleming’s face clearly showed a hint of pride, and he was very proud of his feat of protecting his compatriots and killing the alien race.

Benny nodded slightly and said calmly, "Did you dispose of the monster's corpse?"

Lang shook his head blankly and mumbled, "I left it in the mill cellar. The other brothers in the mine protection team said... maybe we can use it to exchange for some military merits with the officers and get more food aid."

“Very good, take us to see it…” Benny subtly winked at his two adjutants, who immediately understood and quickly selected a few soldiers to accompany them. They followed Fleming and Lang straight into the town.

……

In the dark and damp cellar, the mangled corpses of the winged creatures emitted a strong, rusty stench. Benny and the others, who were already used to it, remained unfazed. On the contrary, the mine guards were unwilling to enter. Only Fleming and Lang, the leaders, stood by the door, covering their noses.

“Look… this is the bat monster.” Benny crouched down and turned the corpse over, discovering two through holes in its left chest and lower abdomen. The edges of the wounds were congealed with slightly blackened blood, the effect of the magic gun hitting the body.

"What weapon did you use to kill it?"

Fleming, unfazed, replied, "A weapon very similar to the magical artifacts you use... is called..."

Before he could finish speaking, Benny suddenly shouted, and the four soldiers who were waiting at the door rushed forward and knocked the two unsuspecting men to the ground, then pinned them down... The strength of a low-level bloodline warrior far exceeded that of an ordinary person. The two men instinctively tried to fight back, but when two cold gun barrels were pressed against their heads, they stopped struggling in shock.

"Sir! What...what's going on? We haven't done anything wrong!"

The adjutant stepped forward and ripped off the long guns wrapped in strips of cloth from the backs of the two men, quickly untying them to reveal silver gun barrels with obvious signs of use.

"Similar to the weapons we use... Hmph, I think they're exactly the same, aren't they? The standard weapons of the Saint Valen Northern Army, where did you get them from? And you dare to swagger around in front of us, you must have a death wish!"

Benny didn't need to think too much to guess how they obtained the magic gun... As the Guardians of the Church under the nobility, they most likely fled from places like Rhinoceros Horn City, which was the front line of the battle between the Northern Army and the Lizardmen. Many soldiers died in the fierce and bloody urban warfare, and their weapons may have been missed when collecting the bodies, and then fell into the hands of these people.

They often witnessed firsthand how Saint Valen soldiers used this weapon, and naturally, they gradually figured out how to fire it.

"Besides stealing guns, how many bullets did you steal? Have you used magic guns to attack your fellow countrymen? Tell me everything honestly... or I have the right to shoot you all on the spot!"

Fleming then realized the gravity of the situation and stammered in fear, "Sir! We absolutely did not steal any weapons! This...this is a magical weapon left behind by the Lord after his death in battle. I heard it came from the neighboring country of Daus...it definitely did not come from the Saint Valen army!"

What? Daus?
Benny was stunned, only then remembering to examine the two spears placed in front of him closely.

Judging from its appearance, it is indeed a very old model. In Benny's more than two years of military service, he had never come into contact with it. Whether it is the overall casting process of the barrel or the design of the joints in various parts of the gun body, it can be seen that this is a standard weapon that has been completely phased out by the army a long time ago.

He expertly disassembled the gun, leaving everyone present stunned... This thing was actually the most outdated single-shot type, the kind that required reloading after each shot...

However, many of the parts look brand new, making the spear appear to be a hodgepodge of various new and old components.

Could it be that some spellcaster families in Daus, or branches of the old Federation, are trying to copy our magic guns?
Benny stared at the old, worn-out thing in his hand and fell into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)