[74] The First Shot

-Arkan Lawrence-

The next morning, Rainer and I returned to Gunnar's workshop, eager to see the progress of his work. As we arrived, the familiar scent of hot metal and oil greeted us, mingling with the faint smoke drifting through the air.

But the moment I laid eyes on his workbench, I was stunned.

Instead of just a single component as I had requested, the old blacksmith had built a fully assembled version of the mortar—though its shape was crude, asymmetrical, and far from perfect.

Rainer, standing beside me, blinked in surprise. "This… is faster than I expected."

Gunnar laughed, wiping his soot-covered hands. "You're slow. I couldn't hold back my curiosity, so I just built the whole thing. It might not match your fancy sketches exactly, but it should work."