Flowering Shell
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
After more than half a month of traveling, Giles and his group finally entered a relatively safe area. The local lord, Sir Minos, was one of his most loyal vassals.
The key point was that the royal army had not yet arrived here.
When Lord Minos received a report that a group of shabby, bearded wanderers wished to see him, he immediately ordered the guards to drive them away.
At that moment, Lord Minos was in a state of confusion, overwhelmed by the current situation, and had no time to deal with a few beggars. Ten days ago, he received the earth-shattering news that the Eagle's Beak Pass had been captured by the royal army, and his liege, Duke Giles, along with several high-ranking officers, had disappeared.
For a time, Lord Minos didn't know what to do.
Surrender? Or resist? It was a big issue.
He sent people to inquire with neighboring lords, but without Giles as the central pillar, his vassals had become a disorganized mess, each one spinning aimlessly like headless flies. After inquiring around, Lord Minos didn't obtain any useful information, which only deepened his confusion.
"My lord, he… he… he…"
Just as the lord was feeling frustrated, a guard hurriedly ran back.
"What do you mean, 'he'?" Minos said, irritated, ready to give the clueless guard a slap across the face.
"He is Duke Giles!" the guard blurted out.
"What did you say?" Minos exclaimed.
Ten minutes later, in the grand hall of the lord's manor, Lord Minos faced the angry Giles and his group.
"My lord, how… how have you changed like this?" Minos asked, his emotions mixed. Part of his excitement stemmed from neglecting his liege, and part was the relief of finding his central pillar again—like a lost dog finding its owner.
Giles glared at him, "In just half a month, Lord Minos, your prestige has grown quite a bit!"
"My lord, please allow me to explain…"
Minos was profusely apologizing and trying to calm his liege's anger.
Giles settled a little, took the water Minos handed him to soothe his throat, and explained to the confused Minos, "After Eagle's Beak Pass fell, we barely escaped the royal army's pursuit, and we took more than half a month to reach here by going through Devil's Belly."
"I see, you've worked hard," Minos said.
"Quickly, tell me about the situation over the past half month."
After just ten minutes of Minos' explanation, Giles couldn't contain his anger anymore and jumped up from his seat, his face turning bright red from fury.
"These spineless fools!" the Duke roared.
From Minos' account, Giles learned that, in the face of the royal army's advance, there had been little resistance south of Eagle's Beak Pass, and several lords around Minos had already hinted they would surrender to the royal army, while others were ambiguous in their stance.
They've all turned traitors!
"Even without my news, my heir is still in Five Goats Fortress! Have they lost their backbone?"
"My lord…" Minos hesitated.
"Speak!"
"According to the information I received earlier, your son has been imprisoned by his uncle! The situation in Five Goats Fortress is chaotic, and your subordinates are in constant disputes."
The news struck like a thunderbolt.
Giles was stunned, his mind racing. What's going on? The royal army hasn't even arrived, and now my own people are in disarray?
"Get me the fastest horse! I must reach Five Goats Fortress as soon as possible!"
...
Near Alden Town, Area 51.
In the faint light of dawn, a cannon stood silently on the test field, its barrel gleaming coldly in the metallic glow.
The gunners were nervously and systematically conducting the final checks to ensure the cannon was in perfect condition.
"This is the new toy you wanted to show me?"
A group of people stood at a safe distance, all wearing the standard military uniforms of Alden, looking neat and orderly.
At the center of the group stood Lord Paul Grayman and his newlywed wife, Catherine Rodney. Correction—now she should be called Catherine Grayman.
Princess Catherine, dressed in an Alden military uniform, looked more heroic than before, though there were no military insignia—indicating that she was not a true member of Alden's military.
This was her first time wearing this uniform, which caused Paul to glance at her repeatedly.
In front of so many people, Catherine felt a little embarrassed and gently nudged her husband with her elbow, "I think you should focus on the new weapon test."
"Ah, you're right," Paul coughed, leaned closer to his wife's ear, and whispered, "We have plenty of time."
Catherine's face turned red, and she quickly asked, "You said you brought me to see the new weapon test, but that cannon seems no different from the others."
Paul regained his seriousness. "The cannon is the same, but what's different is the ammunition it uses."
"Ammunition?" Catherine said, suddenly understanding, "You mean the shells it fires?"
"Exactly. You'll see soon enough."
Catherine focused her attention on the test cannon in the distance.
As the gunners moved with practiced ease, the steps for firing were proceeding methodically—loading the gunpowder, inserting the shell... Wait, the shell looks a bit different from the usual iron balls.
With sharp eyes, Catherine noticed that, unlike the usual spherical shells, the test shell had a distinct front and rear; the front half was a hemisphere, and the rear half was cylindrical—almost as if an iron ball had been fitted into a cylindrical wooden mount.
Once the shell was loaded…
"Everyone, attention, prepare to fire!" The experimenters quickly covered their ears.
"Fire!"
At the command, one of the gunners pulled a rope, igniting the fuse. Instantly, the cannon roared, and the barrel seemed to tremble as the shell shot out like a meteor, leaving behind a series of high-pitched whistling sounds as it tore through the air.
From Catherine's experience, the shell would land some distance away and then bounce and roll—it was exactly this property that made it so terrifying.
However, today's shell was different.
Boom!
What happened next surprised the princess. At the spot where the shell was supposed to land, there was another explosion!
She clearly saw the impact point burst into a dazzling flash of light, scattering shrapnel, like a flower of death blooming in an instant.
Amidst the smoke and dust, cheers erupted from the test field.
(End of the Chapter)
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