Chapter Fifteen: The Bait (Part Two)

In these past ten years, the flourishing economies of the southern nations have drawn merchants to invest vast amounts of capital for their own profit. Guided by visionary leaders such as Andre, the Chancellor of Golden Broom, and Warrenheit, the Prime Minister of Landia, not only has the seafaring industry thrived, but notable achievements have been made in the military sphere as well—particularly in the development of cannons. Both Landia and Golden Broom encouraged merchants to invest in ironworking, while still sparing no expense to cast bronze cannons for the defense of their key locations and armed forces. The last time the Feixi people refrained from attacking Victoria Port, it was not merely due to the insufficient number of sea folk protecting Helen, but also because dozens of bronze cannons stood ready within the harbor, replacing sorcerers and aiming ceaselessly at the sea, day and night. Any rash assault would have faced dire consequences.

The technology for casting large cannons drew inspiration from the casting of bells. Artisans poured molten metal into clay molds, and once the casting cooled, they broke the mold to retrieve the finished piece. Each cannon thus became like a sculptor’s masterpiece, its quality entirely dependent upon the skill of the craftsman. Yet, this method could not solve the problem of mass production. Still, the artisans did not relent, continuing to search for methods of continuous casting.

Hegel’s role was that of a designer. It was he who sought to resolve issues of mobility, stability, and range through cannon design. In the reports and blueprints he submitted to Landia’s armory department, he discovered that to achieve greater range, destructive power, and accuracy, the cannon’s length must be at least twenty times its bore diameter. He also devised an entire set of precision measurement and verification methods for the thickness of the barrel’s walls, promising that with further experimentation, the optimal solution could be found. The aforementioned technique of drawing inspiration from bell casting was, in fact, first discovered by him.

Most crucially, only Hegel could provide a comprehensive solution to the issue of cannon mobility. He devised various methods for mounting cannons of differing weights to improve their maneuverability, such as using armored two-wheeled or four-wheeled carriages, and he designed gun mounts and bases. As cannons grew larger and their barrels longer, their weight increased, but the army sought not merely fixed artillery for fortress and wall defense—they needed cannons as nimble in their fire as sorcerers. Thus arose the question: how to strike the ideal balance between weight, accuracy, range, mobility, and cost? At present, only Mr. Hegel possessed the answer.

Of course, if other craftsmen studied the materials Hegel had submitted to the armory and spent time familiarizing themselves and experimenting, they could eventually master these methods and collectively substitute for his expertise. But would Landia willingly surrender years of advantage to Golden Broom?

The answer is no, just as the two special agents from Commineson now risk their lives to spirit Hegel and his family away from Landia. For once Hegel reached Commineson’s base, the revolutionary forces would see their armaments undergo a qualitative leap in short order.

Leiyad racked his brains to no avail, and at last could only turn to Gamio with an apologetic tone, saying, “We have only one option left.”

Gamio, discerning the note of resignation in his voice, retorted unwillingly, “You’re not going to try the last method again, are you? Sending me to distract them? There are three ogres down below, and in this jungle my speed is no advantage. I’ll be eaten alive.”

“It’s the only way, unless you want the mission to fail and return shamefaced to report to the leader that Leiyad and I stood idly by as a band of earth spirits and ogres devoured Mr. Hegel,” Leiyad replied unhurriedly.

“But why is it always me?”

Leiyad felt a pang of guilt. Though the two often bickered and even cursed each other, the internal unity of the Commineson Revolutionary Corps was strong—otherwise, they would not have survived the relentless campaigns of neighboring nations.

Yet Leiyad would not yield in words, “Of course it’s you. You’re renowned for your speed, and your Azure Wind Battle Aura is of the wind element—it helps you escape. I am but a sorcerer. I can fight, but fleeing is not my strength.”

“Fine, you win,” Gamio muttered, when suddenly a voice sounded in his ear.

“It’s indeed a clever plan.” A surge of force swept him away, and before Gamio could comprehend what was happening, he was sent tumbling down.

“Sorry, good luck.” Leiyad, thinking Gamio had leapt of his own accord, added a gleeful remark. But when he heard the unexpected note of approval, Leiyad’s expression changed at once—it was not his voice.

A third figure appeared among the branches. Wei Wujie, clinging to the tree like a cicada, smiled at the sorcerer, “Will you go down yourself, or shall we spar and waste precious time? If you delay, your companion will be captured before you join him.”

Leiyad’s heart sank. The syllables of his incantation hovered on his lips, yet he dared not utter a sound. Not only was the stranger correct—he could hear from the sounds below and Gamio’s cries that the earth spirits and ogres had discovered and were pursuing them—but this man had stealthily approached and pushed Gamio down as bait, demonstrating terrifying prowess. Had he intended to assassinate, one or both would be dead or gravely wounded.

In such a situation, to act rashly was folly. The opponent’s strength was unfathomable. Leiyad, a sorcerer, had been invaded within his closest range. If he tried to cast a spell, his throat might be cut before the incantation finished. Though it was a matter of moments, sweat beaded on Leiyad’s brow; in front of this man, he had no confidence he could finish even the simplest spell. His only hope lay in his mastery of shadow manipulation. As a shadow mage, blessed by past encounters, he could silently and instantly cast some low-level shadow spells, though higher ones still required incantations. Even so, it was impressive; with shadows present, he could resist close-combat opponents like swordsmen, rather than relying solely on pre-cast defensive magic.

But against a foe with assassin-like skills and overwhelming strength, these abilities were less effective. This stranger possessed both: he had evaded their senses and pushed Gamio before either could react.

Yet, though Leiyad feared, he was not without hope. Plainly, the stranger had no intent to kill; otherwise, he would have struck already. His purpose seemed to be to adopt Leiyad’s own plan, using one to lure the earth spirits and ogres away, enabling him to rescue the captive. Unfortunately, he had decided to use both Leiyad and Gamio as bait.

The leader of the Commineson Revolutionary Corps was surely a master of recognizing talent. For this mission, he had chosen Leiyad as deputy commander rather than Gamio, whose combat prowess was slightly superior. The reason: Leiyad possessed intellect. Thus, in Valencia City, Gamio had first lured away the agents guarding Hegel’s family, enabling Leiyad to calmly escort them out. With the guards unaware Hegel’s family intended to flee to Commineson, Leiyad, aided by Hegel, boldly used a special armory pass to commence their escape. Abandoning stealth, he commandeered relay horses at post stations to gain a speed advantage. Everything proceeded smoothly—except for the unexpected mishap caused by their own poor sense of direction.

“No need, I’ll jump down myself. But can you guarantee Mr. Hegel’s rescue?” Leiyad saw impatience flicker across Wei Wujie’s face, steeled himself, and leapt from the tree. As he neared the ground, he manipulated the shadows of the branches below to coil around him, landing safely.

Gamio was under assault from enraged earth spirits. Even with wind-element Azure Battle Aura, facing nearly a hundred earth spirits was no easy feat, let alone with three ogres among them. Meanwhile, the other half of the earth spirits still surrounded Hegel and Lady Seraph, denying him any hope of approaching them.

As sweat poured from him, Leiyad descended from above, extending a shadow-formed hand to pull Gamio to safety, then conjured a wall of fire to temporarily block their pursuers.

“Just now—it was someone else who pushed me down,” Gamio sputtered.

Leiyad, gazing toward the spot where Hegel and his wife were held, replied, “I know. I was forced down as well.”

Gamio jumped in alarm, “Really? I thought you had hidden reinforcements and shoved me down for disobedience…”

“Use your head, would you? If I had help, would I need you as bait?” Leiyad yelled.

“So what now?”

“What now? I made a deal with that man: we act as bait, he rescues the captives. Now we have no choice but to trust him.” Leiyad suddenly broke into a run, and Gamio, glancing back, saw the earth spirits renewing their pursuit.