RELEASE THAT WITCH

Chapters 431-440

Chapter 431: From the Kingdom of Dawn

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

Apart from the upgraded heavy machine gun, Roland also planned to develop a bolt rifle which would have a mid to long shooting range. He did not need many, a mere hundred or so would suffice. The rifle would have the same caliber as the heavy machine gun, and could be easily transformed into a sniper rifle by simply installing a gun sight.

In this way, he could continue to manufacture revolving firearms and black powder bullets without a huge waste of the products.

During a battle, soldiers could use field artilleries to suppress enemy forces within 800 to 1,000 meters and heavy machines guns 500 to 800 meters. Snipers could take care of enemies in less than 500 meters, and revolving rifles could be used to clear out enemies within the last 200 meters. Therefore he could, in theory, make sure every inch of the battle field was covered.

Of course, it would probably take three or four months to fully equip his army with the whole set of weapons he planned to make. He might not be able to complete it before the spring attack. Therefore, he needed another weapon, an inland river gunboat equipped with a culverin with a 152mm caliber. One would be enough to pressure on enemies when he launched the attack.

Roland felt he held more responsibilities upon his shoulders than before. He thought of the founding ceremony subsequent to the Months of Demons, the unification of the entire Western Region and the new population that would swarm in after he kicked Timothy off the throne. He even wished time could have slowed down its pace, and that the Months of Demons hadn't ended so soon.

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Upon entering the Western Region, the landscape started to change.

Otto Luoxi lifted up the blinds and peeped through the window. Heaven and earth were washed out altogether. The sky was covered with dense snowflakes which swirled in the harsh wind, drifted down to the ground and blended into the vast canvas of whiteness.

It seemed that the heavy snow would never cease. He could see nothing other than piles of snow cloaking the soil, rocks and woods in the past two days. If the boat was not wobbly, he would even think it remained on the river.

"Shut the blinds." The captain grunted. "Go out on the deck if you really want to see it. Nobody will care."

He did not take the captain's words personally, but shut the blinds and asked, "Does it always look like this here?"

"Of course, do you think I was bluffing?" The captain sipped wine from his decanter and said, "Every year when the Months of the Demons arrives, the Western Region is cut off because of the snow. There's no way to get here except through the Redwater River. I can use my fingers to count how many people in the entire King's City are willing to ferry you over here in this bloody weather. Well, they also gotta have a boat." He grumbled, letting out a burp. "So five gold royals is an awfully good deal. You got it?"

"It's a bit expensive, but I didn't bargain with you when I paid," said Otto, smiling.

"That sounds better." The Captain tossed the decanter to him and said, "It's warm. Drink some. It'll warm you up." He wiped his mouth and continued, "There was once this tradesman who wanted to purchase goods from the Western Region faster than anyone else, but he didn't want to pay a little more for the fare, so he asked the rats on the black street to ferry him. You know what? That fellow was killed halfway. Those few mercenaries he brought with him were craps. They all ended up feeding the fishes."

"That was... really unfortunate." Otto took the decanter, but did not pull out the cork to drink the wine. Instead, he took off his gloves and held the decanter in his hands. He really did not feel comfortable sharing drinks with others.