Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

"This is Edric's repeating pistol? To be able to miniaturize the repeating mechanism to this extent, you really can't judge a book by its cover..."

Graham looked at the musket in Sophie's hand and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Warrant Lieutenant Nozer saw my shooting skills at the dock; I really can help you."

Her fluid gun-drawing motion and astonishingly steady gun-holding stance clearly demonstrated that she was not just putting on a brave face, but genuinely capable of self-defense.

Having witnessed Sophie's marksmanship, Norze naturally had no doubt about her abilities.

Graham glanced at Nozer, who nodded earnestly, before speaking.

"Since Miss Sophie has put it that way, let's go and explore the lower city together. With me and Norze here, plus your new firepower, those weaklings in the lower city are no match for us."

Graham had to admit that this young woman, Edric, who wore a half-mask, was never as delicate as a typical young lady. Whether facing the corpses in the morgue or the chaotic downtown she was about to enter, she remained calm and composed.

That's truly extraordinary.

"However, before we go to the lower town, we need to do some disguise and preparation. We can't just swagger into the lower town in military uniform and a skirt, can we?"

Graham was clearly quite skilled in disguise, and he spoke about it with great expertise.

"It would be best to find some old, coarse cloth clothes and tattered cloaks. The three of us are dressed so well, and as soon as we enter the alleys of the lower town, we'll be kicked out by those guilds."

As he spoke, he took the lead and walked out, not forgetting to tell us, "I know a shop near the lower town, run by Dorothy's men, that specializes in serving dockworkers. They have as many coarse clothes and cloaks as you want, which is just enough to give the three of us a change of clothes."

"Miss Sophie, especially your dress is too eye-catching. You need to find a large cloak to cover your figure. Pull the hood down so no one can see your face. That way you will be the safest in the lower town."

When the three left the port authority, the sun was already setting.

We must move quickly; time is of the essence.

The owner of the secondhand shop was an old sailor missing an ear, who was clearly an old acquaintance of Graham, and his service was top-notch.

Nozer chose a faded, coarse cloth sailor uniform with two worn patches on the shoulders. He put it on, smeared some charcoal ash on his face, and deliberately hunched over, instantly losing his officer's dashing and sharp appearance, looking like a young sailor who made a living at the docks year-round.

Graham changed into a dockworker's uniform stained with oil, his hair was haphazardly tousled, and he had a cheap cigarette dangling from his mouth. He looked exactly like a downtown hoodlum, a far cry from his former aristocratic demeanor.

Sophie chose a large, dark gray hooded cloak. The material was rough but thick, and when she wrapped it around herself, it perfectly covered her figure. When the hood was pulled down, even the silver mask on her face was completely covered. She blended into the crowd in the lower city and did not stand out at all.

"It's perfect."

Graham looked the two of them up and down, then nodded in satisfaction. "With our outfits, even Admiral Leopold might not be able to recognize us at a glance."

The three of them left their clothes and swords at a secondhand shop, as the exquisite swords were too conspicuous.

So Norzer and Graham chose sailor's daggers with handguards as their weapons and hung them conspicuously at their waists.

"Showing the knife is what makes it intimidating."

Graham said so.

Sophie then hid her sidearm, along with the pre-packaged gunpowder and bullets, in a hidden pocket in her cloak. After tidying up, the three of them left the secondhand shop.

Walking past the Orentia Cathedral, listening to the church bells and prayers, and crossing the stone bridge over the Emerald River to the south, you've officially arrived in the lower town of Orentia.

Upon arriving in the downtown area, it didn't seem much different from the uptown, with a post office, police station, and barbershop all readily available.

But the further south you go, the more dilapidated the surrounding scenery becomes, and the stronger the strange, pungent smell gets.

The smooth stone-paved road in the upper town has turned into a bumpy dirt road, and the streetlights on both sides have almost disappeared. Only the oil lamps hanging in front of the shops on the street are almost extinguished.

On the road, you can see homeless people drunk and passed out on the side of the road, as well as guild thugs with knives and fierce eyes.

Occasionally, a few malicious glances would sweep over, but upon seeing Graham's nonchalant demeanor and the half-exposed hilt of his knife, they would all shrink back.

Noze subconsciously moved closer to Sophie, his hand quietly resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, while also secretly and warily scanning his surroundings.

As you continue walking, the strange, foul odor grows stronger and stronger, even becoming somewhat irritating, making your eyes water.

"The smell of this roasted skin is really awful."

Graham frowned, glancing at Nozer and Sophie, who both looked pained, and said in a low voice, "Weren't these things all moved to the outskirts? How come there are still people doing this down below town?"

It's not that they're spoiled; it's just that the smell is simply too unpleasant.

The most disgusting and smelliest step in tanning leather is removing the hair from the softened raw leather by soaking it in quicklime water and fermented urine.

Please imagine the following flavors carefully.

The pungent alkaline smell of quicklime mixed with the strong stench of urine, the putrid smell of rotting hair, and the fishy, ​​putrid smell of decaying leather.

This mixed odor is pungent and irritating to the eyes; it can be smelled from hundreds of meters away, and it is extremely persistent and difficult to get rid of.

This doesn't even mention the subsequent steps of using pancreas and feces to degrease the leather.

The three covered their mouths and noses with their hands and quickly left the gas-filled area, soon arriving at their destination.

"This is it."

Graham stopped in front of a square wooden building. "Blackwater Casino, the largest casino in Downtown."

Compared to the dilapidated and crooked houses we saw along the way, this brightly lit casino could be considered a mansion.

A bronze plaque hangs at the entrance, with several dice and playing cards painted in red paint, and the words "Blackwater" written crookedly on it.

Strangely, there weren't many burly men acting as bodyguards and thugs at the entrance.

Graham reached out and pushed open the heavy wooden door of the casino, and a deafening roar instantly rushed in like a tidal wave.

The clinking sound of dice hitting the dice cup, and the shouts and curses that erupted from the card table were incessant.

Winners cheered with relief, while those who lost everything could only wail in despair as the next eager gambler dragged them off the stage.

The casino was packed with people, with most of the space completely surrounded.

Apart from those gamblers with some wealth who can afford to sit at the gambling table, the vast majority of people in the casino are dockworkers and sailors.