sjar Chapter 269: Crossbow
Chapter 269: Crossbow
Six powerful magic steel crossbows, each emitting a cold light, seemed to speak of their power and value. And Count Safin, a wealthy nobleman, actually bought them all for the astonishing price of ten thousand gold coins each!
Before completing the soufflé deal with Caesars, Count Safin had already incurred a debt of nearly 20,000 gold coins. However, he seemed unconcerned with the expense, his only focus being on the six coveted magic steel crossbows.
Kaisas smiled and took out several small wooden barrels from the room and placed them on the floor of the living room. These barrels contained special grease for maintaining the magic steel crossbow, which was crucial to maintaining the performance of the crossbow.
"Count Safin, these barrels are maintenance oils specially prepared for the magic steel crossbow. They are given to you for free!" Caesars said generously.
Count Safin showed a delighted smile on his face and accepted the small wooden barrels without hesitation, as if they were precious gifts.
At this moment, the weighing of the soufflés was successfully completed. Emily stood aside, carefully calculating the total weight.
"Brother, there are a total of 120,000 kilograms of cream puffs, and the remaining amount is only over 200 kilograms!" Emily's voice was crisp and loud.
She had obviously also learned some business tricks, eliminating the insignificant changes directly to make the transaction look more straightforward.
Count Safin was in high spirits. He waved his hand and said generously, "Don't count the decimals. Just calculate it as 120,000 kilograms!"
His decision surprised everyone present, but it also revealed his satisfaction with the deal. After all, not only did he obtain the coveted magic steel crossbow, he also successfully completed the deal for the soufflé, which would greatly enhance Safin Castle's defenses.
The transaction went very smoothly. Caesars only paid more than 20,000 gold coins and pocketed more than 100,000 kilograms of cream puffs.
The next morning, Caesars took Emily to the eastern Yellowstone Mountains, where several popular high-quality herbs were produced. Ice grass, mountain sage, sunflower, and thorn grass were purchased in large quantities by alchemists, and the prices were quite high.
Kaisas bent over, carefully picking herbs, his movements gentle and skillful. Emily stood beside him, watching his every move intently, afraid to miss any details.
"Look, this herb is called Ice Grass. It has slender leaves covered with a layer of white hairs, and it smells light and refreshing." Caesars said as he handed a stalk of Ice Grass to Emily. "This herb sells for about five gold coins each, and it's a key ingredient in high-level mana potions."
Emily took the ice grass and looked at it carefully, feeling its texture and smell.
Meanwhile, in the Count's Castle, Count Safin was enthusiastically fiddling with his newly purchased magic steel crossbows. These crossbows were pitch black, gleaming with a cold light, and looked very majestic.
"Haha, these crossbows are amazing!" Count Safin said excitedly, "I can't wait to see their power."
He called a guard and ordered, "Go get some crossbow bolts. I want to test shoot this powerful crossbow."
The guard took the order and left, and came back soon with nothing in his hands.
"Count, there are no crossbows in our warehouse!" said the guard helplessly.
Count Safin was stunned. He stood on the high wall, looking at the lonely magic steel crossbow, with an embarrassed expression on his face.
"This...what should I do?" he muttered to himself, "I think I only bought the magic steel crossbow, and I didn't even ask about the crossbow bolts!"
Nearing noon, Caesars still hadn't returned. Count Safin had been standing on the high wall waiting for the entire morning, so anxious that he kept circling around the magic steel crossbow.
"Count, the magician is not in the east. He is at the foot of the northern cliff and is already on his way back to the castle!"
The guard on the back wall of the castle hurried over to report.
"They went east in the morning!"
Count Safin was a little confused because that was what the guard told him at the time.
"Count, they should have made a big circle along the Yellowstone Mountains!" the guard replied.
"I'm glad you're back. Let's go see how many soufflés we've made!"
"Count, the maximum amount of soufflés we can make in a day is 500 kilograms. You know this better than I do!"
Hearing the guard's complaint, the white-haired earl did not get angry, but instead laughed at himself.
Count Safin waited anxiously for a quarter of an hour before Caesars and Emily returned to the castle. The white-haired Count was waiting at the door, a smile blooming on his old face.
"Mr. Caesar, do you have any crossbow arrows?" asked Count Safin.
"Yes! Count, don't you have any crossbow arrows?"
Caesar's question embarrassed the earl, because he had not asked to buy crossbows yesterday. In fact, Caesar did not want to sell those magic pattern crossbows, as they could pose a threat to him now.
"Mr. Caesars, there's not a single crossbow bolt in my castle!"
"I don't have ordinary crossbow arrows, only magic pattern crossbow arrows. You can try them first!"
Caesars produced two magic-patterned crossbow bolts, approximately 1.5 meters long, one with a wooden shaft and the other entirely metal. Count Safin took the bolts and felt their substantial weight. The arrows were etched with numerous magic patterns, but he couldn't decipher any of them. He turned to Caesars for help.
"Mr. Caesars, what are these magic patterns?"
"Armor-piercing, piercing, sharp! It's best to test your arrows with various shields, not targets, otherwise you won't be able to see the power of the crossbow!"
Caesars said a few words lightly, then led Emily to the living room of the castle. After picking herbs for a whole morning, Emily could hardly walk.
"Brother, you haven't collected the gold coins for the crossbow arrows yet!"
After sitting on the soft sofa, Emily reminded Caesar in a low voice.
"Don't worry, there are only two crossbow arrows. Once they test-fire, Count Safin will come looking for us!"
"Why is that?" Emily asked curiously.
"The power of the magic steel crossbow is very strong. The magic pattern crossbow arrows will be deeply nailed into the wall. There are barbs on the arrowheads, so it is not easy to remove them!"
After hearing Caesar's explanation, Emily nodded repeatedly.
"Brother, are crossbow arrows expensive?"
"It's not cheap. A wooden shaft costs one hundred gold coins, and a full metal one costs at least three hundred gold coins!"
A few minutes later, the training ground in the castle's front yard was quickly cleared. Servants removed the original archery targets and replaced them with a heavy wooden shield and a coldly gleaming magic steel shield. These two shields were securely fastened to specially designed brackets, their surfaces reflecting distinct lusters in the sunlight—the wooden shield was rough and unadorned, while the magic steel shield had a faint blue metallic texture, clearly meticulously forged by a blacksmith.
In the center of the courtyard, a formidable, pitch-black, demonic crossbow of magic steel was set up, its heavy base sunk deep into the ground to ensure stability during firing. The crossbow was crafted entirely from refined magic steel, its surface etched with intricate magic patterns, a faint shimmer of flowing magic energy. The Safin family members around them murmured, some with anticipation, others whispering nervously. Several guards stood a little further away, their gazes fixed on the terrifying weapon.
The crossbowman expertly loaded a walnut-thick crossbow bolt into the quiver. The arrowhead, forged from demonic steel, was sharp and heavy. The crossbow string, made from the sinews of some magical beast, was incredibly tough. It was now being slowly pulled by a mechanical pulley, producing a teeth-grinding, tense sound. The click of the gears meshing was distinctly audible until the string was finally locked securely by the buckle. The entire crossbow resembled a beast poised for action, ready to unleash devastating force at any moment.
"Aim!"
Count Safin stood nearby, draped in a dark blue robe embroidered with gold, his fingers unconsciously clenching around his sleeves. His breathing was slightly rapid, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. As the ruler of the Safin family, he had high hopes for the power of the magic steel crossbow—it not only affected the family's military might but also had the potential to alter the family's status.
"My Lord, I've taken aim!" The family's chief crossbowman turned around, his voice steady and confident. He adjusted the final aiming angle, ensuring the arrow's trajectory was pointed directly at the distant magic steel shield.
This massive crossbow bolt was incredibly heavy, even for someone with less strength, unable to lift it with bare hands. Yet, it rested securely on the crossbow, requiring no support. Compared to the skill-intensive bow and arrow, the crossbow's advantage lay in its stability and accuracy—with proper aim, even an ordinary soldier could unleash terrifying devastation.
"Fire!" The count finally couldn't hold back and shouted the order.
——The next second, the crossbow string burst out with a deafening roar, and the entire crossbow suddenly shook backwards. The giant crossbow arrow tore through the air like lightning and shot out with terrifying kinetic energy!
The moment the extremely fast magic steel crossbow bolt made contact with the magic steel shield, it gave people a very strange feeling - the shield felt like it was made of paper. Only a small sound was made, and the shield was shot through without any hindrance, and the magic steel crossbow bolt was deeply embedded in the wall behind it.
The Safin family members froze in place, their gaze fixed on the pierced magic steel shield. The edge of the hole in the center twisted and twisted, as if torn by the gnawings of some terrifying beast. The air was filled with the smell of burning metal, and on the high wall behind the shield, the tail of the crossbow bolt, deeply embedded in the stone, was still trembling slightly, emitting a low hum.
"Switch to the crossbow and shoot at the wooden shield!"
Count Safin's voice trembled slightly with excitement, and he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. This power far exceeded his expectations.
The crossbowman moved swiftly, placing the specially crafted crossbow bolt—wooden shaft, magic steel tip—smoothly into the quiver. The mechanical pulleys creaked, and the taut metallic grating of the string was a tooth-grinding sound. At the earl's command, the bolt roared out like thunder, its shriek tearing through the air and causing everyone present to wince.
"Bam—!"
The wooden shield exploded upon impact, sending splinters flying like a torrential rain. Several sharp splinters even pierced the nearby grass. The wooden frame supporting the shield was ripped apart by the violent impact, leaving debris scattered across the ground. The crossbow bolt, however, continued its momentum, piercing deeply into the stone wall behind, its tail almost completely embedded, leaving only the butt end exposed.
"This...this is simply..." A guard muttered to himself, his face turning pale.
"Hurry and pull out the crossbow!" Count Safin's voice was filled with excitement and a hint of uneasiness. "This time, put on a heavy magic steel shield and a full set of magic steel armor, and try firing again!"
"As you command, my Lord!"
The guards sprang into action, some carrying new targets, others attempting to extract the crossbow bolt deeply embedded in the wall. However, even with the combined efforts of five strong men, the bolt remained motionless, as if fused to the stone wall.
"Go get some help!"
Count Safin's forehead was covered with sweat. Such power was certainly exciting, but if even the arrows could not be retrieved, wouldn't it mean that a wall would be destroyed every time he trained?
A dozen guards armed with crowbars and hammers tried to pry out the crossbow arrow, but the barbs on the arrow were stuck in the wall and no matter how hard they tried, it was useless.
"My Lord Earl, there are barbs on the crossbow arrows. Unless we chisel away the stone, we can't pull them out!" The crossbowman wiped the sweat from his forehead and reported helplessly.
Count Safin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "First, chisel the wall. Make sure to remove the crossbow bolts, then have someone repair the wall." He paused, his brow furrowed. "I need to consult Mr. Caesar. We can't tear down a wall every time we practice!"
After saying this, he strode towards the castle, thinking in his mind how to solve this difficult problem.
The castle's living room was deserted, with only the fire burning quietly in the fireplace. Count Safin stopped a passing maid and asked anxiously, "Where are the magician and the little girl?"
The maid bowed respectfully and said, "Master, Mr. Caesars and Miss Emily are having lunch in the restaurant."
Count Safin then realized that it was almost noon, and his stomach began to protest. He walked quickly to the restaurant, and when he opened the door, the rich aroma of barbecue hit him in the face.
Caesars was slowly carving a piece of roasted venison, while Emily was sipping from a cup of honey milk. Seeing Count Safin hurried in, Caesars raised his eyes and asked, "Your Excellency, is there anything I can help you with?"
Count Safin sat down at the dining table, signaled the maid to bring him lunch, and then spoke impatiently: "Mr. Caesar, I need your advice on the training ground for the crossbow." He briefly described what happened in the front yard, his tone unable to conceal his anxiety.
After listening, Caesars gently put down his knife and fork, pondered for a moment, and said, "It's very simple. Build a two-meter-thick sand wall behind the target, and three or four meters high. The wall must be compacted and reinforced with wooden planks on the outside to prevent collapse." He paused and added, "This structure can effectively absorb impact and make arrows easier to retrieve."
Count Safin's eyes lit up, and the heavy stone in his heart finally dropped. "Great! I'll arrange for someone to do it right away!"
Caesars smiled slightly, took a sip from his wine glass, and said, "Also, if the Earl is interested, I can cast some simple reinforcement magic on the earth wall to further reduce the damage."
"That's what I wanted!" Count Safin was ecstatic, his worries completely gone. He raised his glass and said solemnly, "To your wisdom, Mr. Caesars!"
In the restaurant, amid the crisp sound of wine glasses clinking, the problem that had troubled Count Safin was finally solved.