Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

It wasn't that he was reluctant to give up the power he held; he had long been fed up with this tedious and boring job.

The mere thought of having to choose one of these complete failures to be the chief of staff gave Malone a terrible headache.

No matter how much I dislike this job, I don't want the Port Authority, which I've worked so hard to build, to be ruined by these idiots.

Malone walked to the window and looked at the ships in the monsoon harbor, his inner cry growing stronger.

Finally, he made up his mind.

He wanted to leave this damned office and return to the sea he loved.

"Once this case is closed, I will go to the Jade Palace to submit my resignation."

Malone's calm, deep voice carried an air of composure and fearlessness: "The Emerald Palace will decide who the next Grand Chancellor will be."

"You guys...sigh...sigh..."

After a few helpless sighs, he left the office, leaving behind several department heads looking at each other in bewilderment.

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The temporary morgue of the port authority is very cold and damp. Ice blocks are placed in the corners to keep the body cool and prevent it from decomposing too quickly.

Graham and Chief of Staff Malone were exchanging pleasantries, while Norzer and Sophie were working diligently on the side.

Noze was responsible for lifting the white sheet to reveal the face and body outline of the corpse, while Sophie quickly sketched out the general shape in her notebook.

To Noze's surprise, Sophie didn't react much to the corpses.

"Chief of Staff Malone, I've heard about it. You've really suffered a great injustice at the Emerald Palace, caught between the Army and the Navy, suffering from both sides. Anyone would feel bad in that situation, and I understand you."

Upon hearing this, Ma Long gave a wry smile, shook his head, unscrewed the metal bottle, tilted his head back, and gulped down most of it. The spicy liquor slid down his throat, finally suppressing the pent-up frustration in his heart.

He sighed and said listlessly.

"Sigh... The Navy wants to shirk responsibility, the Army wants an explanation, and I, as the Director-General of the Port Authority, am just a punching bag caught in the middle. This has happened so many times, I'm used to it."

"To be honest, I've had enough of this damn Chief of Staff. Those days when I went to sea with Admiral Lancaster were truly exhilarating... firing cannons into the sea breeze, colliding with Imperial warships..."

"Back then, we didn't need any ropes to board ships. We just used the ram to crash directly into the side of the Imperial warship, and jumped straight in, running up the bow to the opposite deck."

Chief of Staff Malone reminisced about his youthful exuberance, his eyes filled with nostalgia and resentment towards reality.

"Unlike now, sitting in the office every day, watching a bunch of people passing the buck, scheming against each other... and they're all fucking stupid."

"I've thought it all through. Once this matter is over, I'll hand in my resignation immediately. Even if I go back to being a captain on a merchant ship, or even if I go to 'New Territory' to do ocean freight, it's better than suffering here."

Graham smiled upon hearing this.

"I take your words as a joke, Chief of Staff. You are a veteran of the Navy. If you were to submit your resignation, not only would the Navy Department not let you go, but even the Emerald Palace Committee would not approve it."

"They won't agree?"

Malone scoffed, "They'd love for me to get out of here so they can put their own people in this position. I know perfectly well how many people's path to wealth I've blocked from this position."

He waved his hand, clearly not wanting to talk about these unpleasant things anymore.

"You guys take your time, I won't disturb you any longer. I still need to clean up this mess, so please excuse me."

"Take care, Commander."

Malone nodded, turned and walked out of the morgue.

"So, any discoveries?"

After seeing Malone off, Graham walked over to Norzer and Sophie and asked them a question.

"Lieutenant Colonel, come and take a look."

Noze looked at the appearance of the assassins, his tone tinged with doubt.

"These people don't have the deep-set, angular features of the Valencian Empire people, nor the typical brown curly hair, thick body hair, and beards of Edric native men. They even have very few of their characteristic sunspots. Instead, they look more like us Orentia people and people from coastal areas like this..."

Graham walked over upon hearing this, bent down and stared at the corpse's face for a long time, then glanced at the faces of the other corpses one by one, and nodded.

"Hmm, it's also possible that they were hired assassins. If that's the case, it will be even more difficult to investigate..."

"Lieutenant Colonel, the portrait is finished."

Sophie's words interrupted Graham's thoughts. He took the drawing paper Sophie handed him and quickly scanned it.

The lines in the portrait are clean and crisp, without any unnecessary embellishments, yet they perfectly reproduce the facial features of each corpse.

The contours of her brow bone, the angles of her jawline, and the old scars of varying depths on her cheeks were all clearly outlined.

The estimated height and weight of each portrait were marked on the side in neat and elegant handwriting.

"Amazing, absolutely amazing!"

Graham flipped through the portraits one by one, and couldn't help but exclaim, "They're much better than those forensic artists' work. Oh, if you weren't a woman, I'd love to keep you in our army as an artist."

"These are basic drawing skills, nothing special. It would be best if they could help Lieutenant Colonel Shang and Warrant Officer Nozer."

Sophie said modestly.

Graham immediately folded the portraits carefully one by one, placed them close to his body in the inner pocket of his robe, and pressed them firmly to make sure they wouldn't be lost.

"Now that we have the portrait and the clues, the next step is to find Monet, that reliable guide, to take us into the black market downtown."

"Lieutenant Colonel, shall we go find Commander Monet now?"

"Nozer asked."

"Yes, let's go now, time waits for no one."

Graham nodded. "Monet was not only a notorious smoker and drinker, but also the War Department's most famous gambler. He's definitely in the biggest casino in downtown right now."

As he spoke, he turned to Sophie and said, "Miss Sophie, the portrait is finished. The lower city is too dangerous and full of all sorts of people. How about I arrange for someone to send you back to the Army Ministry?"

"No need, I want to go with you. More people means more strength."

Sophie shook her head, her eyes calm yet resolute. "I want to find out who's behind this more than anyone else. My father and I won't be able to have peace of mind until this matter is completely resolved. Besides, I know how to use a gun, so I can not only help you but also protect myself and won't cause you any trouble."

As soon as Sophie finished speaking, she pulled out a finely crafted, compact repeating pistol from her pocket.

The gun body was polished to a shine, and the inside of the barrel was rifling. It was clearly a meticulously crafted weapon. The grip was also wrapped with a thin leather strap for non-slip grip, indicating that it was a tool that was carried around all year round and was extremely easy to use.

The girl and the musket actually have a strangely fitting combination...

Norzer thought to himself.