Work Prophet
Chapter 492 - 110: Hand of Judgment

Chapter 492: Chapter 110: Hand of Judgment

"Do you want me to bring it directly to you?" Li Yu asked.

"Exactly, if it’s not for mass production, it would be simpler for you, Prophet Merlin, to bring the barrels from another universe directly to me. After hundreds of years of development, the quality of materials produced by large machines is surely much better than those hand-forged."

"Then do you have any specific requests?"

"For rifles and pistols, cold-forged steel tubes work best, but those would probably be unavailable, and besides, we’re just making flintlock guns, so we don’t need material that good; seamless steel will do, or cast steel is fine too. Homemade guns use cast steel, it’s just a bit heavier and the walls are thicker, but it’s still safe. It’s just that..."

"Just what?"

"It’s pretty obvious what someone is up to when they purchase materials like these for personal use, and it would almost certainly attract police attention."

"Since you’re mentioning this, you must have thought of a solution, right?"

"Yes, indeed, we can buy finished products," said Ge Lipeng, "like scaffolding and bicycles, which have some components made of seamless steel. You can bring them to Bulati, and I will reprocess them."

"Alright."

"......"

The above was the content of the first conversation between Li Yu and Ge Lipeng about gun manufacturing.

After acquiring the necessary materials and having the Black Dog guards help purchase some raw materials and tools here, Ge Lipeng couldn’t wait to dive into the beloved task of gun-making.

In less than a week, he had made the first pistol.

This was also the first time someone on the Bratis Continent had produced a flintlock pistol!

However, since Ge Lipeng didn’t speak the Universal Language, and no one had seen a pistol before, even the people around him didn’t realize that this new Saturday’s servant had done something that could change the continent’s history of warfare.

As for Ge Lipeng himself, he was pleased and excited, but not overly so.

After all, he hadn’t invented the thing; he had merely picked up existing technology and successfully replicated it.

And with the gun, came the need for bullets and gunpowder.

For the bullets, Ge Lipeng still chose lead bullets, not because he wanted to exactly replicate the historical flintlock gun bullets, but because after trying many materials, he found that lead bullets were the most suitable.

Firstly, they were heavy enough and dense enough, and when flattened, they could cause greater damage. Secondly, due to the unique properties of lead bullets, they could act as a buffer and absorb the excess force in the barrel when the gunpowder ignited.

People at that time might not have understood the principle behind it, but it was likely chosen as the best option after many trials.

As for the gunpowder used in the flintlock guns, Li Yu found the recipe directly on Google: 74% saltpetre, 14% sulfur, and 12% charcoal. These three components were not hard to come by.

Saltpetre was found in natural caves, sulfur was found near sulfur springs and volcanoes, and charcoal was produced by the incomplete combustion of wood. Mixing them in the right proportions resulted in black gunpowder.

Today, this recipe might not seem like a big deal, but in the Middle Ages, it was the closely guarded secret of gunpowder makers, with different makers having a variety of ratios.

Fortunately, for Li Yu and Ge Lipeng, they didn’t have to continue wracking their brains over this like their predecessors did.

Later, Ge Lipeng and Li Yu worked together to modify and optimize the pistol.

When it was placed in front of the Lady, it resembled an elegant work of art, with beautiful patterns and the symbol of the Double Rest Sect carved into the grip.

Miss Rabbit was dazzled by it at first glance, but soon she became worried again.

"Is this little thing really useful?" she paused before adding,

"I don’t doubt the power of Saturday; Merlin, the two Holy Artifacts you lent me before were very powerful. They allowed me to defeat a young Squire Knight of the Royal Knight Order. But my skills... um, you know."

"Even the most powerful Holy Artifact can’t unleash its full potential in my hands."

"This one’s different," Li Yu said, "It has very low requirements for the wielder and isn’t greatly affected by the user’s strength, agility, intelligence, or stamina, and its power is greater than any Holy Artifact you’ve seen before."

"Are there really such weapons in this world?" Ireya said in surprise.

"There are. This Holy Artifact is called the Hand of Judgment; all who are guilty can be judged by this gun."

"But the problem is that this isn’t a gun," the girl gestured with her right hand, "Guns are supposed to be long."

"That’s not the point. The point is, although the Hand of Judgment has low requirements for the user, proper use still requires your practice."

"Practice? But I don’t have any time left, the martial arts tournament starts tomorrow. I don’t have to compete on the first day, but I will surely be unable to avoid it on the second."

"A half day’s time will be enough for you to master the basics, and when it’s time for you to compete, Watt the servant will be with you to help you adjust the Holy Artifact."

Hearing this, Miss Rabbit finally felt a bit more at ease and said eagerly, "Then let’s start now."

But Li Yu said, "You should rest more while it’s still dark; conserve your energy. When we can leave the city tomorrow, we’ll practice outside. The New Holy Artifact makes a lot of noise, and practicing now would probably attract a lot of attention."

The Lady understood at once.

Having already reaped the benefits of surprise attacks with anti-wolf spray and the electronic explosive device, she knew the importance of the element of surprise, especially for someone like her with little strength, who relied purely on borrowing power from Saturday. It was essential to keep her trump card hidden.

Still, Miss Rabbit had many doubts, such as what to do after the first round when the existence of the New Holy Artifact would certainly be known to the other competitors.

Could it be that Li Yu would give her a fourth, a fifth Holy Artifact? Then Li Yu would really become a Holy Artifact wholesaler.

Besides, it was uncertain how effective this Holy Artifact would be against the Earth Bear, and whether it could do the job—a prize of ten thousand Gold Coins was no small sum, and it came with the bonus of friendship from the Second Prince. Ireya was admittedly a little tempted.

The girl heeded Li Yu’s advice and went back to sleep for a while, but early the next morning, guards from the Imperial Palace arrived outside the inn, inviting Dragon Slayer Knight Ireya to watch the upcoming martial arts tournament with the Emperor.

At the moment, the Lady was more anxious about learning to use the Hand of Judgment, but she couldn’t refuse the invitation from Edward II, so she had to visit the venue first and look for a chance to slip away later.