contemporary romance
"We have sent several scouts to every part of the Kingdom to check if there are any remnants of the Monster Army," Great General Sherlock said as he pointed at the map on the table. "Watson had informed me just a moment ago that the scouts have not seen any Monster Army that could potentially harm our Kingdom."
Lux nodded his head in understanding. "That means that the last remaining enemies are currently within the borders of the Ammarian Kingdom."
Great General Sherlock snorted. Clearly, he had no love for the Kingdom that had repeatedly sent their armies to try to conquer their lands.
The Half-Elf also understood what the Great General was thinking. Because of this, he no longer said anything.
"I have also sent my own scouts to the Ammarian Kingdom," Lux stated. "Contrary to what I expected, only the outer cities have been destroyed. Those near the center of the Kingdom remained intact, but the two Dreadnaught-Ranked Monsters seemed to have occupied the Capital City."
Lux knew that saying this to the Great General would not change things, but he still felt that the Gnome should know about the current situation of their greatest rival.
"So, what do you plan to do?" Great General Sherlock asked. "Are you going to poke the hornet's nest?"
Lux nodded. "I am not doing this because I want to, Great General. You also know that just like you, I have no love for the Ammarian Kingdom. However, regardless of what I feel, I must go."
Great Sherlock didn't know why Lux wanted to go to the Ammarian Kingdom just to fight against Dreadnaught-Ranked Monsters. Still, he had known the Half-Elf long enough to understand that he had his reasons for doing so.
"Do you need anything from us?" Great General Sherlock asked. "If it is within our abilities, we will lend you our hand."
"Yes, there is one thing I need from you, Great General," Lux replied.
"Speak. I'm all ears."
"Can you give me some of your latest inventions? I'm very interested in Gnome technology. Actually, I've had the opportunity to come across something like this."
Lux showed him the blueprint of the Magical Cannons that he had gained during the battle in the Wanid Kingdom.
Just like he expected, the Great General became engrossed when he saw the blueprints that Lux's Shadow Lord, Draven, managed to acquire in the enemy's camp.
Their only regret was that they didn't get the chance to get the blueprint of the Destroyer, which was made by the Mages of the Haca Dynasty.
Because of this, they were doing their best to reverse engineer it with the help of the Dryads, and blacksmiths of the Blackrock Clan.
Even Lux's Dwarven Master, Randolph, was doing his best to better understand this magnificent weapon.
Currently, the Destroyer could only be used one more time. What they wanted was to create something similar, or even something better, that would help their Guild have a Trump Card that could unleash an attack that was equivalent to a Grand Spell.
Although it wasn't able to defeat Calamity Ranked Monsters, it was still very possible to lethally injure Empyrean-Ranked Enemies, if they managed to get a direct hit.
"These Magical Cannons are better than what we have invented in the past," Great General Sherlock admitted. He then closed his eyes and pondered for a bit.
He looked like someone who was having an internal battle inside his head, which made Lux wonder what the Gnome was thinking at the moment.
After several minutes passed, the Gnome finally opened his eyes and asked for Lux to follow him.
After leaving their temporary residence, the Gnome took him to a spacious location.
"Truth be told, I shouldn't be showing this to you right now," Great General Sherlock said. "But, you have saved our Kingdom many times in the past, and I believe that you will not use this technology against us."
The Gnome then raised his hand and a magic circle appeared on the ground. A moment later, something unexpected materialized in front of them, which made Lux gasp in shock.
'H-Helicopter?' Lux didn't hesitate and approached the helicopter-like vehicle to give it a closer look.
Of course, it didn't look like the modern helicopters on Earth. Aside from the rotor blades that would allow the Magical Vehicle to fly, everything about it was different.
"What do you call this invention?" Lux asked.
"We call it the Blade Rider," Great General Sherlock replied. "It is the newest invention, but we still haven't used it on the battlefield. Originally, we planned to test it out against the Monster Army. It is made by the best minds of our nation, and we planned to mass produce them."
"How strong is this Magical Artifact?" Lux asked.
Great General Sherlock rubbed his chin. "Currently, this can only fight against 5 Monsters and below. Although they are fast, we still don't know if they are able to outfly flying monsters in the skies. We added some boosters that can momentarily increase its speed, but at most, the boost would only last for a minute. This is why this can only be used as a last resort to escape more powerful enemies."
The Gnome stopped his explanation before pointing at the two magical cannons on the sides of the Blade Rider.
"Although it can only fight against Rank 5 Monsters at the moment, with the blueprint you gave me, it is possible to raise its firepower to be able to deal with a Deimos-Ranked Monster," Great General Sherlock then took out a scroll and resolutely handed it to Lux. "I pray that you will not betray my trust, and use this weapon against us."
The Half-Elf carefully opened the scroll that was handed to him and his eye widened in shock after seeing what was inside it.
It was the blueprint for the Blade Rider, which made the Half-Elf look at the Great General with gratitude.
"Thank you, Great General," Lux said. "I promise that I will never betray your trust, and put this gift of yours to good use."
Great General Sherlock nodded. "Make no mistake, Lux. The only reason why I gave you this blueprint is because you have helped us time and time again. Although the blueprint of this magical artifact is precious, our people's lives are priceless. Think of it as our way of showing our undying gratitude to you for everything you have done for us."
Lux once again thanked the Great General for his gift.
Although he already had flying mounts to allow his Guild Members to fly in the skies, having the Blade Riders would greatly increase the aerial superiority of his Guild, in more ways than one.
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