I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 116 Dwarf Musket
"To establish my authority?" Deva thought for a moment, "For example, by catching some serious criminals?"

"No, what serious criminals could there be in such a small place? At most, there are a few incompetent gangsters. If you want, you can ask your guards and they can probably wipe them all out. I don't think it's a big problem."

"Huh?" The paladin took out his notebook and copied it down: "What about the rest?"

"Many people have a tendency to admire warriors. You can use your free time to do some contract tasks, kill some monsters and hang their heads at the city gate. Then, whether it's the guards or these ordinary people, they will have a direct impression of your bravery. They will not only fear your power, but also admire your bravery."

"I see." Deva thought for a moment and was somewhat tempted: "But normally this seems to be an adventurer's job. I can't possibly send out guards to get rid of the monster. The city hall won't approve it."

"Who said we should send those guards? You're a paladin yourself, isn't it normal to want to eliminate the troublesome monsters around the town for the safety of Beer Town? You just need to hire a local guide and your friend, and the guide will naturally help spread the word about your heroic fighting."

Upon hearing this, Deva suddenly realized: "That's a great idea! There's news about a goblin tribe with trolls in the northern mountains. We can go and pacify them, and then donate the bounty to the farmers who have suffered losses. It's a win-win situation!"

This person is truly wealthy and powerful: "Doing things is fine, but donating money is out of the question."

"Oh, why?" Deva looked at DuPont. "Are you short of money?"

DuPont shook his head and said, "That's not the key point. The main thing is that by taking on contract quests, you're taking away business from those adventurers. You've gained a good reputation by donating the money, but what about those adventurers who earn their bounties through life-or-death battles? Are they supposed to donate their money too?"

DuPont drew a line on the table as he spoke: "If you really want to donate, we can send some food and supplies to the disaster victims. Otherwise, those adventurers will be caught in a moral dilemma and may not come here to carry out adventure missions in order to avoid trouble. In that case, the lives of these ordinary people will be affected even more. Your good intentions have backfired and harmed the normal interests of others, which is not in line with our original intentions."

The paladin thought for a moment and finally nodded: "What you said seems to make some sense. So when shall we set off?"

“Actually, I’ve already accepted that quest you mentioned, and I even spent 200 gold on a bunch of potentially useful items. Trolls are a real nuisance if you don’t deal with them.” DuPont pulled out a piece of parchment. “If you’re interested, finish your meal, and then we’ll head to the back mountain.”

Upon hearing this, Deva swung her fork wildly and finished off the entire plate of steak and ribbon pasta with tomato meat sauce in less than three minutes. DuPont quickly handed her a cup, saying, "Hey, what's the rush?"

"We'll be leaving after we finish eating." The paladin wiped his mouth. "Don't worry, I've been trained in fast food. I've done similar training for combat professionals. Only you spellcasters are so particular about eating slowly. By the way, shall we set off now? Should we rest a bit more, or maybe you can prepare some countermeasures or spells tomorrow?"

"This quest only requires killing two trolls to earn 800 gold coins. Each additional troll increases the bounty by 2. The ears of derivative monsters such as goblins also have basic value. The bounty is quite generous. If you don't accept it, someone else might steal it."

DuPont snapped his fingers as he spoke, a tiny flame flashing on his finger: "As for dealing with the troll's acid and fire, it's certainly not a problem for a mage. It's just that at least half of this 40-mile journey is mountainous, which is quite difficult to traverse."

"We'll hire a carriage up ahead. There's really no good way to get through the mountain roads. Just remember to prepare boots and dry rations." At this point, the paladin suddenly realized a problem: "Just the two of us? This is supposed to be a four-person mission, right? Isn't that a bit too few?"

"One person is enough for a master. How much money can four people split? Besides, temporary teams don't always have good teamwork and are prone to trust issues. It's better for the two of us to go. If we really can't win, we can just run away and come back to call for reinforcements later."

That's the situation, but Deva looked at DuPont's somewhat thin frame and asked, "I don't care about myself, but are you alright? You fainted in the carriage earlier."

DuPont clenched his fists, annoyed that a mere girl was saying he was physically weak. "I can cast spells like Bear's Resilience and Oily Feet on myself. But if you're not feeling well, don't try to tough it out, run! Otherwise, if you get captured, you might end up on the barbecue grill." "Go away, you're the one who'll become goblin food!" Deva retorted, but remembering the academy's teachings, she was still worried. "But neither of us, a mage nor a paladin, are known for our agility. Even if we find the goblin camp, the guides won't be able to take us in. Without thieves or rangers, will we lack the means to detect traps and launch ranged attacks? We might suffer then."

“I can attack from a distance, and darkvision isn’t a problem for a mage.” DuPont said, taking out a spell scroll. “As for detecting traps, just summon a skeleton. You can also take a spear or lance and poke the ground inside. As long as you’re careful, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

At this point, DuPont remembered the firearms he had seen last night: "By the way, does your guard unit have any muskets?"

"A musket? Oh, you mean that thing the elves call a 'vulgar noisebox'?"

The paladin took out a long and a short crossbow from his spatial bag, looking disgusted: "But this thing is not good to use. The firepower is not bad, but the rate of fire is slow. Its biggest advantage is that the armor-piercing effect is not bad and the bullets are relatively cheap. But it is noisy and troublesome to clean up after use. The range is not as good as the bow and crossbow. Basically, no one in the guard team likes to use it. It is usually kept in the warehouse. It is not as convenient as the light crossbow."

"This pistol is even more useless. It solves the problem of rate of fire, but its lethality is completely lacking. It can basically only hit enemies with light armor or no armor. It can't even penetrate monsters with thicker skulls. It's good that it makes a loud noise to intimidate people."

“Then let me borrow it for a bit.” DuPont took it casually. The gun was about three feet long, with a barrel forged from fine steel and engraved with some mysterious runes. The caliber was as wide as a dwarf’s thumb, and the wooden stock smelled of malt. Touching the trigger even produced a flash of electricity.

+1 Dwarven Thunder Musketeer
Quality: Rare

Lethality: 1-12 x 2
Current probability of barrel explosion: 5%
Attribute 2, Double Shot: The Thunder Gun can hold a total of four bullets, firing two bullets at a time.

Attribute 2, Lightning: When using this weapon for physical attacks and projectile attacks, it will inflict 1-4 lightning damage.

Note: This classic gun, designed approximately 100 years ago, has become quite remarkable after years of modifications by dwarven engineers. They abandoned the fragile flint and instead used the "static glands of the lightning lizard" as the ignition source, making it more stable but increasing costs. The deafening roar upon firing is comparable to the explosion of a detonator. Ultimately, it was sold to Harua as an outdated but peculiar magical product.

Warning: Observe the condition of the bullet and musket each time you load. If there is a problem with cleaning, the barrel may explode and accidentally injure the user.

Goblin Slayer Revolver

Quality: Extraordinary

Damage: 1-4
Magazine: 6 rounds

Current probability of barrel explosion: 0
Enemy of Goblins: When attacking goblins, large goblins, and bear goblins, the damage is increased by 1-3 points.

Note: Compared to the Thunder Rifle, the revolver is undoubtedly much less powerful, but its extremely fast rate of fire and resistance to jamming make it quite popular among dwarven engineers. However, many dwarven rangers reject this novel weapon, believing that the traditional heavy crossbow is more reliable and quieter, which aligns with their survival and combat principles.

DuPont's eyes lit up.

(End of this chapter)