The Gunpowder and....Bullet?

"Welcome to Titaniumforge," Gulark declared.

"A bustling and busy city indeed," remarked Mistral.

"What do you do here?" Marrie inquired.

"We do a lot of things, from crafting weapons to developing the latest prototypes of Automatons for Azeroth," Gulark explained.

"It's a pity that Father never wanted to use Automatons, fearing their immense destructive power... which is why..." Shadow trailed off.

"He never made it to the battlefield. If only the Automatons had been deployed, perhaps Azeroth would still thrive," Gulark lamented.

"Oh yes, is King Tederash still ruling? It's been quite some time since I last saw him," Shadow asked.

"Of course, I was the one who recommended Titaniumforge to join forces with Belarus and conceal your identity," Gulark replied.

"That mysterious King Tederash, huh? Have you ever met him, Luciana?" Mistral questioned.

"Of course, I was Prince Blackheart's bodyguard, so I've definitely met him," Luciana affirmed.

"Yes, we've met, but we haven't had a chance to have a serious conversation yet," Shadow added, prompting laughter from Gulark and Marrie.

Gulark, along with Shadow and their group, made their way to the Adventure Guild branch in Titaniumforge to report their success in taming the Wargs and using them as their main mode of transportation. The guild officer promptly stamped their mission completion on their assignment letter. Shadow took a seat at the Adventure Guild and ordered food, while Marrie, who had already seated herself, was engrossed in reading her spellbook.

"What kind of magic are you studying?" Shadow asked.

"It's a spell called Meteor Blast, quite complicated actually," Marrie replied.

"Meteor Blast, huh? Just imagine shooting Fire Balls with great force," Shadow commented.

"Is it really like that? It's a different incantation," Marrie clarified.

"I'll teach you the technique later; it's essentially the same thing," Shadow said, showing the seals and incantations from his own book.

"Luciana, what was Shadow's training technique like back then?" Mistral inquired.

"Shadow trained relentlessly every day without rest," Luciana answered.

"Was his training really that harsh?" Mistral asked.

"It was even worse. You can't imagine how Shadow encountered White Fang..." Luciana trailed off, leaving Mistral silent.

Suddenly, Marrie cast an incredibly large fireball, causing a commotion in the entire building.

"Marrie, please be careful with your magic," Shadow cautioned, using water magic to assist the Adventure Guild officers in extinguishing the fire. Marrie also used water magic to put out the flames, fortunately, several Wizards and Mages from the Dwarf race were also present and assisted in the effort.

"Typical Marrie, in situations like this, I really should teach her Mana Control techniques," Luciana remarked, while Mistral chuckled softly.

What's happening? Why is the Adventure Guild on fire?" the guard inquired.

"Just a little accident, but nothing serious," Gulark replied.

"By the way, Gulark, King Tederash is looking for you and your guests," the guard informed.

"Alright, we'll head there now," Gulark responded.

Shadow and the Adventure Guild members managed to quickly extinguish the fire. "We've been summoned by King Tederash. It seems he knows you've arrived," Gulark informed Shadow.

"It seems King Tederash knows that White Fang has entered Titaniumforge, so there's no need to delay. Marrie, Mistral, Luciana... let's go," Shadow said.

Shadow, along with Mistral, Marrie, and Luciana, quickly made their way to the Palace of Hammer, guided by Gulark. Shadow observed the bustling activity in Titaniumforge.

"Uncle, why doesn't Titaniumforge open up to outsiders? It could greatly boost the city's economy," Shadow asked.

"Two years ago, there was a rather mysterious incident. When the Belarus ambassador returned, it turned out he had stolen one of the secret weapon forging scrolls. Fortunately, what was stolen was the Mobile Siege Engine scroll," Gulark explained.

"And a few months later, the Kingdom of Almania was conquered by Belarus?" Marrie questioned.

"That's correct. Although the Siege Engine is quite vulnerable, the technology used is quite advanced, and the attack was launched at night," Gulark confirmed.

"Does that new weapon prototype also..." Shadow began.

"Are you kidding? That weapon was just completed two weeks ago, so it couldn't have been used," Gulark interrupted with a laugh.

"That's good to hear..." Shadow sighed.

"In fact, I obtained the design from an adventurer. I could tell from his weapon that he came from the Tanami region, although his attire was slightly different," Gulark added.

"At least Uncle didn't have to spend any money, right?" Luciana remarked.

"Not exactly. He wanted to modify his sword with some rather peculiar materials, supposedly from another region," Gulark replied.

"So, it's some kind of exchange? Seems fair enough to me," Marrie commented.

"Hahaha, exactly," Gulark chuckled.

Surprisingly, as they conversed on the journey, they arrived at the Palace of Hammer. The guards on duty promptly opened the gate and ushered Gulark, along with Shadow and their group, inside. They saw a princess carrying a hammer, discussing with a technician about testing weapons the next day.

"Princess Kirara is as enthusiastic as ever," Shadow remarked.

"Is she a royal princess? She doesn't look like Princess Marina of Belarus," Mistral observed.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA... Princess Kirara is the head of projects here in Titaniumforge. She oversees all requested projects, including the design of the weapons I provided," Gulark explained.

They entered the main hall of the palace.

"Your Majesty, King Tederash," Gulark said, kneeling, with Shadow and the others following suit. "Rise, Gulark. You have brought important guests to Titaniumforge," said the figure of a Dwarf with a golden beard wearing a horned crown.

"King Tederash, it's been a long time," Shadow greeted.

"So the rumors were true, then. That's good to hear; the Automaton can be deployed," King Tederash remarked.

"Not so fast. Belarus seems to be on good terms with all races," Shadow interjected.

"King Disonius may be a good man, but what about Prince Caspan and Queen Miani? They're quite poor at diplomatic negotiations," King Tederash countered.

"I've heard several times that King Disonius himself had to intervene to prevent internal civil war. Prince Caspan and Queen Miani are indeed poor diplomats," Gulark added.

"So, how's your adventure going, Prince Shadow?" King Tederash inquired.

"It's been quite enjoyable. I, along with the Knight Legion of Black Dragon, am ready to lead the rebellion alongside the other Knight Legions," Shadow replied.

"Why not start it now?" King Tederash suggested.

"As long as I'm still presumed dead, that's enough. What matters now is that the people are still prosperous," Shadow explained.

"Very well. Oh, by the way, since you happen to be here, there will be a test of new weapons tomorrow. I've made several prototypes of new weapons, and tomorrow they will be tested," King Tederash informed.

"Well, the thing is..." Shadow began.

"Don't worry, I'll prepare a room for you," King Tederash said, signaling to the servants. "Thank you, Uncle Tederash," Shadow said. Mistral nudged Shadow slightly.

"Hahahahahaha... It's been a long time since you've called me 'Uncle,' Shadow. It's fine if you call me 'Uncle'; your father was like a brother to me," King Tederash chuckled.

"Come with me," said the servant. Shadow and the others followed the servant.

Not long after, the servant led them to a room, opened the door, and Shadow and the others entered. Shadow quickly removed his armor and prepared to rest. Mistral also put down his arrows and rested, as did Luciana and Marrie. The next morning, Shadow woke up as usual and prepared for the day. King Tederash inspected the weapons for the last time.

"Uncle Tederash, the preparations for the trial are ready," Shadow said.

"Of course. Try this one," said King Tederash, handing him a weapon.

"What is this weapon?" Shadow asked.

"It's a small rifle, capable of firing bullets," replied King Tederash.

"How do you use it?" Shadow asked.

"A good question. Come, I'll teach you," said King Tederash, explaining to Shadow. Shadow tried to aim at a target dummy and fired the weapon. The first shot destroyed the target's head, and the second shot pierced its body.

"I thought this weapon would work well and have high destructive power," said King Tederash.

"But the sound..." Shadow said, trying to calm himself.

"Hahahahahaha, it's okay. Just use it when necessary," said King Tederash.

"As a reward, you may keep this rifle. We call it the Boomtrunk," added King Tederash.

"What about the person who designed it? What kind of weapon does he have?" Shadow asked.

"It's simpler but stronger. He said it's not time for us to have weapons like his yet," replied King Tederash.

"I'm curious who he is," said Shadow, sighing and storing the rifle.

"Wait a minute, use this," said King Tederash, handing him a rifle case.

"What's the matter, uncle?" asked Shadow.

"The weapon is very sensitive. I'm afraid something might happen to you," said King Tederash. Shadow immediately put on the rifle case and placed the rifle inside.