The Black Iron Glory
Night hunt

Chapter 31

Night Hunt

The four of them walked through the forest in silence.

Suddenly something happened to Claude. "Hey, Wero, I remember reading in the history books that guns have been around for more than five centuries. Why do we still use matches even though so much time has passed?"

He seemed to remember that weapons did not develop slowly in his past life. The distance between matches and automatic rifles is only about two to three centuries. Before he moved, the military documentary he watched mentioned that different countries are taking the first step in researching more advanced weaponry, such as laser weapons and rail weapons. However, parallels of Faslan's technological development seem to have stalled over the past five to six centuries. The matches are still matches. Various countries on the continent use them as standard weapons of war. Even war does not seem to encourage the development of better weaponry.

Borkal laughed and said, "What else are we going to use besides matches? Bow, knife or spear? Wartime has proven that matches are the most reliable and powerful weapon in the hands of soldiers. Without them, our kingdom would have already fallen . "

"That's not what I mean, you moron," Claude said, "I asked why the matches weren't fixed to make them easier to operate? Or, we can even get rid of match lighting systems and choose a more efficient and reliable ignition system, such as a flintlock? And what about choosing loading from the back of the barrel instead of loading from the muzzle? "

"There's improvement. The kingdom has gone to great lengths to increase the firing range of matches. The latest aubass 2 mark is said to be capable of shooting more than 350 meters in front, with an effective killing range of 240 meters. The knife can even be attached to the front of the weapon so that the gunmen can charge into close combat, eliminating the need for them to carry other close combat weapons with them, "welikro answered patiently.

Not that. . . What's the point of increasing your shooting range if you can't hit it right? Claude felt it was no different than trying to talk to a chicken and a duck. Their train of thought was on a completely different path from its path. He decided to change his approach. "I felt that using a slow match for ignition was too much of a hassle and we had to change the way shots were fired. Didn't the gun makers ever think of this?"

"My father did mention that before," Welikro said after thinking, "Our kingdom has four weapons-making weaponry and the one we are aiming for in the prefectural capital is the smallest of the four. Each of them can form about 200 thousand weapons in a year Aside from private commissions, the weapons they distribute are in accordance with the national firearms research institute.The design also comes from there and is made strictly according to specifications.

"My father said that he had been a guard soldier at the firearms research institute for two years. He said that there were a lot of crazy people inside the institute and he had seen quite a number of strangely designed firearms. The flintlocks and breechloaders you mentioned earlier do exist, but their firing range still cannot compare to the earliest matches.

"In addition, safety is also a problem. Among the guards who went to test the weapons, 17 of them were paralyzed by explosions from the barrel. My father then requested a transfer to a frontline unit so that he would not have to end a limp ride like his other colleagues. However, he was a bit unlucky and the war was over by the time he reached the frontlines. All he had to do was keep watch in the back. "

So the kingdom does have a national firearms research institute for that specific purpose. But apart from increasing the range of fire and the power of the weapons, they did not take a single step to change the basic match lock design. They can't even develop flintlocks! What a bunch of useless people!

"Then aside from the national firearms research institute, are there individuals who are creating new firearms? Maybe some hobbies?"

Claude recalls reading on the internet that firearm development was driven by two main factors. The first was driven by military demands to use more advanced and faster weapons for use in war. The second factor is hobbyists, who use all sorts of out-of-the-box methods to redesign their own weapons. Their contributions helped drive much of the development of weapons from matches to the automated era. Some of the big gun manufacturers in his past seem to have also taken root in small, private gun workshops.

"Maybe," said Welikro, "My father could be considered a gun-lover. The two hunting rifles assigned to him were designed by him. However, personal design should be given form in the national arsenal. It requires a blueprint to be carefully tested to ensure that there will be no security issues and a serial number will be provided to them as well.

"Searching for blacksmiths to create personal fashion firearms is against royal regulations. Both the counterfeiter and the commissioner will be arrested and punished. So, the blacksmiths were allowed to forge knives and bows without any restrictions, but personally making firearms was a crime. Sure, there are people who order weapons from the national armory and modify them at home. As long as the serial number is not tampered with, it will be fine. "

So there is a ban on making firearms personally as well. It was probably a policy that the kingdom used to regulate and control firearms. But it also indirectly limited their progress. At the very least, it seemed like the research institute was taking the wrong path. Claude did not understand why range firing and power were held as the highest priority. Shouldn't they focus on convenience of use, rate of combustion and storage of bullets? Research on range and power is in the sphere of ballistics, not the manufacture of weapons themselves.

Claude remained silent and pondered. The world he was in was a bit strange. For example, he had moved into the student body and he realized that they were not considered as basic subjects like physics and chemistry. He had tried asking his classmates and instructors but they all had no idea what he was talking about.

No wonder they still use matches after five to six centuries. . .

Welikro suddenly waved his hand twice from the front to signal for the others to stop. Claude tried to listen and found that they were there. He did not pay attention to the sound of flowing water as he thought now.

"Alright, hide there," Welikro said after examining the place and pointed at the pile of stones. "Did you see that big rock? We'll hide behind him. It gives us good vision and also against the wind. The animals that come to drink water will not be able to smell our scent. Streams also curled near the rock and this 50-meter stretch of river was within range of our weapons. We won't be able to look any further. I wish our luck well tonight. "

Welikro did find a good place. When the water in the river flowed quickly, the pile of rocks would sink in the water, so it was currently a bit clean without snakes or other creatures. The four of them hid behind a rock and Welikro found a skipped area to climb over. He pointed his weapon at the rock surface and scanned the surroundings from his point of view.

Eriksson's short barrel matchlock won't be much use now. Even if there were animals that came to drink water, it would not be of much use since the weapon was not effective enough and was ten meters tall. So, he just brought it in just in case.

Eriksson's short barrel matchlock won't be much use now. Even if there were animals that came to drink water, it would not be of much use since the weapon was not effective enough and was ten meters tall. So, he just brought it in just in case.

However, Borkal's bow and Claude's hunting bow had their uses. But the two of them never had shooting training at night. They could only aim at the general direction of the prey, but who knew where their shot would end up? Thus, the only reliable people during the hunt were Welikro and his weapons.

The night breeze was completely refreshing and the moonlight seeped through the leaves of the trees, scattering small bright spots on the ground. The river flowed profusely and seemed to be singing a never-ending lullaby.

The silhouette of the tree shook with the wind and took on all forms under the moonlight. The leaves rippled from time to time and strange sounds rang out from within the forest. Some of them were sharp, some were in a hurry, and some were even bone cold.

Borkal tilted his head down and subconsciously approached Claude.

Claude realized that he was slightly shivering and smiling. "Don't be afraid. Sounds normal. The leaves rustled as the wind blew and the cries in the forest were only from animals. But that sounds kind of creepy."

She has watched many documentaries in her past life, and one of them is titled 'The World of Night'. It details the activity of animals inside the forets. He was surprised to see that the forest was full of activity at night. Although it was dark all over, all kinds of bright sounds could be heard. There is even a shooting scene with an infrared camera from a panther hunting its prey. A startled monkey scream was also shown in the show.

The voices he heard from the nearby forest paled in comparison to those featured in the documentary, so Claude felt somewhat at ease.

"What to fear? In fact, most of it is only in your head. When you hear the creepy cries, you will imagine some scary creatures inside. Have you ever wondered why those fearsome creatures didn't just come out of the woods and eat us alive? Why did they bother to howl for no reason within the forest? Also, do you remember the time when you caught a frog, Eyke? Doesn't that sound a little harsh too? If you drop a frog in the woods, I'm sure the guys will sound a little creepy too. "

"Shut up and don't talk!" Welikro whispered angrily, "Did you not know that animals have a good sense of hearing? They won't come for a drink if they hear you!"

The three of them stopped talking and continued to lean behind the stone.

After some time, Claude almost fell asleep. But Welikro suddenly said in a soft voice, "Sst, don't make a sound. There's something out there."

After some time, Claude almost fell asleep. But Welikro suddenly said in a soft voice, "Sst, don't make a sound. There's something out there."

Welikro sounded very soft as he spoke directly to their ears. Claude did not dare to be careless and he carefully peeked out from behind the stone in the direction Welikro faced.

He heard a series of splashes coming from the bushes in the distance, but all he could see were some dark shapes moving in the shade of trees and bending down near the river to drink. Some of them were even playing around in the flow.

Welikro sighed a little and slid down the rock. He pulled Claude to have him follow him.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to shoot?" ask Claude slowly. The dark figures were no more than 40 meters tall.

Welikro shook his head and replied with a low volume, "That won't work. That boar and my guns won't kill them. If I kill the small one, the big one will come for revenge. Given that we are on the bank of a rocky river, we will not be able to escape if the big one chases after us. "

So they are wild boars. . . Claude really didn't manage to get a good look there.

"But it's okay. Now that we have the boar drinking from the river, I'm sure some other animals will be coming soon. We just have to wait patiently."

It was then that Claude realized that Eriksson and Borkal were asleep, lying down on each other. Fortunately, they did not snore and surprised the wild boar.

Welikro's claim was true. After half an hour, another group of animals arrived at the river. There are about eight of them.

"What's that?"

"We're pretty lucky. It's a deer."

They both spoke in their ears. Welikro slowly and gently broke the matchstick that was sandwiched between the handles of the gun in half. "Hold a match and light a match cord when I tell you."

Claude nodded nervously.

They both spoke in their ears. Welikro slowly and gently broke the matchstick that was sandwiched between the handles of the gun in half. "Hold a match and light a match cord when I tell you."

Claude nodded nervously.

Welikro aimed for a while and finally said in a soft voice, "Light on."

With a puff, the flame lit up brightly and lit a slow match.

Claude felt that time was passing very slowly. The slow match burned too slowly and when he glanced forward, he saw that the deer seemed to have been warned by a flash of light. However, they did not run and just looked towards them curiously.

After what seemed like an eternity, Claude finally heard the explosion he had hoped for. A deer in the distance staggered before falling straight into the river with its limbs twitching weakly. The deer on the side rushed back to the forest.

Borkal and Eriksson were leaning against the starting stone. "Did it rain? Is that thunder?"

Welikro came down from the rock and said, "Bumped. Light the torch and let's move."

Claude saw his face half stained with soot from the smoke of the gun.

The deer that collapsed in the river looked no bigger than a goat. The length of its horns is about ten centimeters. It should be a young deer, not a deer or an adult deer.

Welikro's shot was absolutely accurate. The bullet made a hole in the side of his head. No wonder it fell into the water stream right after the shot.

"Three of you, put a torch on the ground and use your weapon just in case. We'll skin the deer and cut the meat now so we don't leave a trail of messy blood by taking it back to our camp." Otherwise, we will not be able to sleep well, "said Welikro while taking out a short knife from his belt.