Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 13 Hand Crossbow

Vilan placed a pile of goblin magic cores on the desk.

"Igris, could you please tell me again the magical properties of the red-skinned goblin and the gray-skinned goblin?"

He sat up straight and looked at Iglesias with an attitude of equality, as if he were asking an old friend a question.

Iglesias found it a bit strange, but the series of events that had just occurred had given her more trust in Vilan, so she didn't mind granting his small request.

"I've seen three to five different goblin races, but there are probably more, they just aren't distributed in Anvil Territory."

"Red goblins have a very high body temperature, and their corpses often burn very easily when used as firewood. Gray goblins are particularly tough, especially their skin and bones; even a dull knife cannot harm them."

After Igris finished speaking, she waited quietly for Vilan's response.

Vilan was clearly disappointed. "Is it still so vague? I do understand that the effect of magic powder is related to the characteristics of goblins themselves, but I still can't figure out what use the magic core of a green-skinned goblin would be?"

Vilan picked up a magic core, inside which a trace of blue magic power was moving.

This is precisely why Vilan kept Iglesias.

Magic powder produced from red and gray goblins has many uses; it's no exaggeration to say that it can even help Vilan realize his industrial blueprint.

But even though it was also blue magic powder produced by goblins, he still couldn't figure out how to use it.

Seeing Vilan's worried face, Iglesias could only shrug helplessly.

"Lord Vilan, the only difference between green goblins and other goblins is that they run very fast. Other than that, I can't think of anything else."

"Can it run fast? The consultant has already told me, but no matter how I try, I still can't change the speed of the object."

Vilan tried pouring blue magic powder onto the quill and then throwing the quill away.

Unfortunately, the quill pen's flight speed wasn't much faster.

"Isn't this how it's triggered?" Vilan fell into deep thought.

At that moment, Igris suddenly realized something, "Could it be that the speed isn't fast enough?"

Vilan immediately smiled. "Just as I thought. I'm about to do a small experiment. Want to come with me?"

Igris shook her head. "Thank you for the invitation, but my esteemed lord, you seem to have forgotten that you have assigned me a day's work."

She rolled her eyes at Vilan, then walked out of the study without saying goodbye.

Vilan then remembered that Igris was supposed to be cooking a big meal with the girls.

He was alone in the study. Vilan no longer maintained his aristocratic manners, lazily stretched out his arms, and let out a long, comfortable yawn.

"I got up too early, I really want to go back to sleep..."

Looking at the scenery outside the window, Vilan ultimately resisted the urge to go back to sleep.

He doesn't have the luxury of leisure now; there's a huge unfinished project waiting for him to resolve.

Vilan regained his composure and walked out of the study. Since neither Igris nor Llorente were there, there was only one guard outside.

His name was Behring. He was very tall, with a thick head of blond curly hair and very noticeable freckles on his nose.

Among the guards, Belin was the most honest, perhaps because of his serf background.

Yes, Bering was chosen as a guard entirely because his parents had gone to war with the Duke of the North. Although they were only servants of the knights, they saved the knight's life in a battle.

Young Belin was thus given an opportunity, though he was clearly more unassuming compared to the other guards who were of free citizen origin.

"Lord Vilan... what are your orders?" Bering shrank back nervously.

"Are you all alone?" Vilan looked around curiously.

Bering nodded immediately, and said hastily, "Yes! Saka and Gei have gone to maintain order, and the rest of you are guarding the castle. Please rest assured, sir, we will ensure your safety!"

Vilan chuckled at his accent, which betrayed his nervousness. "Relax," he said, "this is a castle, not a battlefield. I remember you all have a crossbow, right?"

"Yes!"

"Would you mind helping me with an experiment?"

"Of course, it's my honor!"

Bering's face flushed red, and his voice trembled slightly.

His presence among the guards was only slightly higher than Mount's. He was somewhat envious of Saka for being able to do such a big thing for the lord.

He just didn't expect it to happen to him so soon. But he wasn't Saka, and when things really came to a head, he was far less composed than Saka.

Vilan didn't make things difficult for him. As he went downstairs, he said, "I remember there's an open space below the castle. Go get the crossbow and set up a few targets while you're at it."

Bering nodded hurriedly, and ran off without even bothering to reply.

Vilan changed into a well-fitting overcoat and walked out of the castle, calling to the guards who were protecting the castle to follow him.

Although he couldn't speak, Belin was quick to act, and he had everything ready in just ten minutes.

Vilan sat on the haystack, looking at the target in front of him while playing with his light crossbow.

This is a small crossbow used for self-defense. It is not very powerful, and the bolts are only the length of a forearm. Although there is visible wear, it feels extremely smooth to the touch, which means it is regularly maintained.

Vilan skillfully operated the crossbow, and a memory that did not belong to him naturally surfaced.

In this world, nobles are born to learn horseback riding and archery, and Vilan's predecessor was no exception. Although he wasn't particularly outstanding, he was at least skilled in these skills.

After confirming that he could use the crossbow, he aimed directly at the target in front of him, set the crossbow to sights, and fired.

With a whoosh!

Amidst the guards' tense expressions, the crossbow bolt missed its target!

Bering froze on the spot, repeatedly reminding himself, "Calm down, calm down, think about what Saka would do right now..."

Before he could even think of it, Vilan's voice came over.

"Go measure how far the crossbow bolt flew."

"Ah... okay!"

Bering was somewhat relieved that Lord Vilan wasn't embarrassed, which made things easier for everyone.

He immediately went to measure the distance. Since Vilan used a horizontal shot instead of a projectile shot, the crossbow bolts flew a slightly shorter distance. In addition, this type of crossbow was a close-range weapon, so Belin quickly found the bolts.

"Lord Vilan, 40 steps!"

40 steps is roughly 60 meters, which is a pretty good distance.

However, Vilan only measured the maximum distance, not the lethality. He estimated that the maximum lethal distance of this crossbow was between 10 and 20 meters.

"Okay, it's still the same location, and the wind direction hasn't changed."

Vilan picked up the crossbow again, then poured out a little blue magic powder and sprinkled it gently into the slot where the crossbow bolts were placed. He aimed at the same spot and took a deep breath.

call out!