Chapter 238

Unless there was a case in the Eastern Continent where someone was blessed by the Earth Goddess, which is unlikely, the news about Arcadia's rifles wouldn't have been kept secret for so long. They must have declared war as soon as they developed and put them into mass production.

Wow, DLC, paying for it really makes a difference.

However, comparing Arcadia technology with these materials, the difference in rifle technology shouldn't be too great, but as for warships, they definitely can't compare, and airships are another story; Ryan hasn't seen any country develop an airship yet.

"The steam engine, a fusion of Magic Power and mechanics... it can hardly be considered pure technology anymore."

Ba Yisi stable Ling tang Qi niu Ba

"Speaking of which, could this thing be integrated with a train? If we only consider the power, it could indeed be used on a train, and I estimate that doubling the speed wouldn't be a problem."

It's strange, really. Ryan, who's technically illiterate, actually thought about this kind of thing seriously.

Praise be to the Earth Goddess, for she is so generous.

"From now on, I will be the most loyal believer of the Earth Goddess."

Ryan took the blueprints and began to study them.

He wasn't a tech enthusiast, but he was so engrossed in studying the technology of civilization that the next day arrived before he knew it.

Because he had dismissed the maid in advance, no one bothered him. As the morning sun shone into the room, Ryan stood up, stretched, and nodded in satisfaction at the fruits of his labor throughout the night.

He divided the analysis of the design drawings into two parts and gave them to Motis and Vainay respectively. The first part was to study the rifle. It was not difficult to make it with the current technology level of the two countries, but it could only be a first-generation model. Its power could not compare with Arcadia, but its advantage was that the technical requirements were low and the time investment was short.

The most pressing need right now is time. Ryan can't afford to spend a year or two improving all the technology to build a higher-end rifle.

If we can mass-produce the first-generation rifles and build a sufficiently large rifle army, then we will at least have the strength to fight Arcadia in a direct confrontation.

"Let's call it the Chert Rifle, in memory of the fallen hero. You can rest in peace now. Your life's work of technology can still shine across time."

Next came the deployment of warships and research into airships. Take air combat for a look—this was a revolutionary innovation in warfare.

Warships are also necessary, but building warships is a huge project, requiring steel mills, parts factories, and component processing plants. More importantly, it requires the training of scientific researchers. Even if you have the technology, you still need to learn and understand it. In that sense, master craftsmen are indeed quite impressive.

Although artisans do not possess the same formidable combat prowess as other Supernatural Being, their contributions to technological advancement are epoch-making, driving national-level strength improvements.

However, in a world dominated by supernatural powers, when an individual's power reaches a certain level, they can ignore all rules. For example, if an Eighth Tier Supernatural Being appears, then rifles and cannons become completely useless.

This requires a balanced consideration, after all, the cost of cultivating high-level Supernatural Being is not low, and it is not something that can be done at will. No matter how much you cultivate, it will be useless if the talent is not sufficient.

Forget it, Ryan thinks it's enough to just live in the present. Why think about the future so far ahead? As long as we conquer Arcadia, we can directly improve our civilization from there, and then Augustus and the Northern Federation can also prosper together.

However, it's best to manage them separately on the surface. Ryan is worried about how to handle the next Alts, the witch's quest is still up in the air, and he doesn't know how things are going with Old Joe.

If we can get the second magatama, we might ask the invincible Janus for the last one. Maybe that god will think that Master Ryan is kind-hearted and help us out.

However, the Witch starts with Veldria, so it's probably unlikely she can control Arcadia. The next character could start with Arcadia, so theoretically, we shouldn't need to spend money on DLC anymore, right?

I have nowhere to spend my money.

"Although technological development is fundamental, the key is to explore extraordinary power. The potential of the Holy Blood Army is far greater than that of any rifle."

"And the Moonlight Knight Order, it's a pity that their elite forces were wiped out, otherwise, defending the Northern Continent border would not have been a problem."

"The training of the Hunter Army has just begun, but the future is promising. The key is to withstand this wave of attacks first."

If 'Shally's' trial mission can be completed, the benefits after the transformation will be unimaginable.

If Doklodus were generous enough, he might even grant 'Shally's' request. In that case, the power and Blood God's Will would descend upon this legion, and the bullets from the rifles might only turn into a pile of excrement.

The power of God has a conceptual attribute; He can distort reality and make the impossible possible.

Just tell me whether you're going to respond or not.

If you don't respond, then I'll turn around and become a chosen god for another god!

Well, it seems that Blood God is quite generous so far.

Therefore, Ryan is now focused on 'Shally's' trial, and the key to completing this task may lie in the Eye of Dawn and the Blood Cult's scheme.

He walked out of the room, and the maids who had left yesterday had returned one after another.

A day has passed; it's time for Creed to take some action.

Sure enough, not long after Ryan finished breakfast, the head maid came to inform him that Keisha had arrived.

This time, Ryan let her into the house directly. After dismissing the servants, Keisha said, "Lord Creed has agreed to meet with you. I have brought his relics. You can talk directly."

She kept a considerable distance from Ryan as she spoke, seemingly wary of his strange Power of Desire. Yesterday they had only shaken hands, and there was that strange ugly-faced pot. He shouldn't have taken it out today, right?

Keisha glanced around warily, and when she didn't find the Pot of Greed, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"They don't even dare to come and see me in person?" Ryan curled his lip. "That Creed guy has no sincerity."

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"This is not something I can decide."

As Keisha spoke, she placed an eyeball-shaped relic on the living room table, channeled Magic Power into it, and a beam of light projected from the eyeball, transforming it into the appearance of a gray-clad man wearing a hood.

"Ryan, it's been a long time," Creed said in a hoarse voice. "The first time I saw you was in Berman City, when you swore allegiance to the Grand Duke. I never imagined that in less than half a year, you would already be a nobleman with great power in the Empire."

"In comparison, you've become a rat crossing the street in the empire," Ryan said, shrugging.

"Even rats have their joys." Creed chuckled hoarsely. "Ryan, let's get down to business. I've already reached an agreement with General Horton of the Temple of War. As long as Grand Duke Magana agrees to cooperate, the Eye of Dawn and the Blood Cult will do everything in their power to help her seize the throne."

"Oh? How exactly do I do it?"

"The day after tomorrow night, General Horton will lead the Blood Cult to attack the castle. We need your help to remove the Burning Covenant's patrols so that our people can enter Baron smoothly. At that time, you just need to have Magana lead the Hand of Darkness to support you. The Blood Cult and the Eye of Dawn will help her clear all obstacles. Once Emperor Vainay is dead, no one can compete with the Grand Duke."

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"The day after tomorrow? The Grand Duke is still in the Western Territory Grasslands."

Creed smiled faintly, "You must have a way, right? The Grand Duke can even go to the Kingdom of Lotte, so what's coming to Baron?"

Ryan understood. Back then, Magana Elvian in the Kingdom of Lotte, and it seemed that Creed had also investigated the matter.

The specific request to operate the day after tomorrow clearly indicates that they do not want the Iron Blood Army to come over. Meanwhile, the Holy Blood Army is fighting in the Kainter Kingdom, and Augustus's two main armies are restricted, leaving only the Royal Guards that can be mobilized.

However, the Royal Guards lacks top-tier combat capabilities and appears overly balanced in all aspects.

Moreover, Ryan knew that Creed was not telling the truth at all. The main force that attacked the castle was not the Blood Cult or the Eye of Dawn, but definitely the Demon Legion in the Chaos Space beneath the castle.

If the Demon Legion were to descend upon Baron, the consequences would be unimaginable. After all, even the Temple of War has intervened this time. Judging from the power fluctuations in the Chaos Space during this period, Blood Hand Butcher Barton, one of the Great Demon under the Blood God, is Creed's target.

"Sure, I'll talk to the Grand Duke, but I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"I don't trust you, and I trust the Blood Cult even less, so I need you in Baron, and you must be present when we take action."

Creed fell silent.

Ryan's meaning is simple.

If you come, and things don't go as planned, then don't even think about running away.

To put it bluntly, his goal was to kill Creed. If Creed didn't show up, how could he kill him?

If they don't agree, that's fine; we'll just refuse to cooperate. Ryan will continue to have his men slowly search for Creed's whereabouts.

But he thought Creed would agree, because the Blood Cult had already begun their operation. If Creed couldn't get Magana involved, the Blood Cult and the main force of the Eye of Dawn wouldn't even be able to enter Baron. After all, 'Vainay' had significantly strengthened the Baron City's defenses, and no supernatural force could sneak in.

"Baron, I'm here now. I'll be there on the day of the operation." Creed suddenly smiled, his voice hoarse. "Ryan, you're much smarter Magana."

Ryan didn't say anything.

But his murderous intent toward Creed grew even stronger.

The Grand Duke wasn't stupid; she just preferred to choose to believe.

You can become a mole for your own schemes, but to turn around and mock Magana is something Ryan won't allow.

Whoosh!

A gray-black light condensed in the air, transforming into a contract that appeared between the two.

"With the God of Contracts witness, how about we share the position?" Creed chuckled. "Ryan, sign it, or you can choose to waive your terms."

Ryan sneered and signed the contract without any hesitation.

With the power of the God of Contracts present, he wasn't worried about Creed playing tricks, and this was the most reliable method to ensure there would be no mistakes. The downside was that, according to the contract, before the day after tomorrow, his and Creed's locations would be able to sense each other's.

In other words, if Creed wanted to kill him, he could send someone over at any time.

The reverse is also true; it all comes down to who is more ruthless.

Creed was clearly confident he could escape Ryan's pursuit, though he might also be playing psychological tactics, betting that Ryan wouldn't dare sign, but Ryan would.

Seeing the power of the contract imprinted on his soul, Creed's eyes flickered slightly, and he let out a strange laugh, but said nothing.

Keisha, standing to the side, secretly shook her head. She thought Ryan and Creed were both a bit crazy. How could they sleep soundly at night if they dared to sign such a contract?

"See you later, Ryan." Creed said, glancing at Keisha before disappearing from the living room.

"Well then, Lord Ryan, I should be going now. If there's anything, feel free to contact me anytime. This is my temporary base."

Keisha accepted the eye, then placed a piece of paper on the ground, bowed slightly to Ryan, and left the house without looking back.

Ryan ignored him. He closed his eyes and, guided by the power of the contract, sensed that somewhere in Baron, to his southeast, perhaps only ten kilometers away in a straight line, was where Creed was.

"That location should be... somewhere around Baker Street."

The noble district where Ryan lives is located in the northern part of the city. Ten kilometers to the southeast is the southern part of the eastern city, where there is the busiest commoners' market in Baron City.

Baker Street is located in the heart of that area, a typical slum with a mixed population. In most cities, it would be called a slum. However, Baron is the Imperial Capital, and Her Empress Your Majesty tolerate poverty. Therefore, her people have done everything they can to ensure that Baron City has no poor people, or at least that their quality of life is slightly better than that of the poor.

If it weren't for the Contract Sense, it would have been impossible to find Creed on Baker Street.

"That guy is quite strong, conservatively estimated to be at least fifth or even Sixth Tier, and he definitely has ways to protect himself."

"The success rate of asking Hainuo for help is probably fifty-fifty. Once he escapes, the chances of catching him again are slim."

It's not the thief you should fear, but the one who has his eye on you.

Ryan's goal is to kill Creed and thwart the Temple of War's scheme. To achieve this, he needs to take a gamble and win everything.

"Shally must return. This war is her trial. The Royal Guards needs to protect Baron's safety, and..."

Ryan took out the mirror and contacted Magana.

"Hmm? Ryan? Is something the matter?"

At this moment, the Grand Duke stood on a hillside, clad in armor, his long-handled giant axe planted firmly on the ground, exuding an imposing aura.

He's only 1.5 meters tall, but his imposing presence is 5.1 meters tall, exuding an aura of utter disdain for the world!

"My Grand Duke, is there a war going on your side?"

"It was just a small skirmish. I got itchy hands and came out to clean up some rats."

Recently, the Western Barbarian Army has been reorganized by the newly emerged hero, and the war between the two sides has temporarily stopped. Magana, bored, came out to plunder and sweep away the small tribes that could not endure the harsh winter and wanted to sneak across.

Ryan chuckled, "How about coming over and killing a Creed for fun?"

Magana's eyes lit up. "Creed? Where is he?"

"Baron, if you have time, I'll open Chaos Channel for you to come over."

"I, the Grand Duke, am currently very free!"

Upon hearing this, Ryan immediately set up the Janus ritual.

Oh, Almighty Janus, please do me another favor.

Wait a minute, wasn't this ritual originally meant to answer questions? Why is it now used for teleporting through Chaos Space?

Never mind, it's not important anymore.

Janus responded to Ryan's request once again, accepting the offering, and then Magana's figure appeared in Ryan's room through the Chaos Space.

She looked left and right, taking in the layout of Ryan's room.

"So this is your house in Baron? It looks pretty good."

This was her first time in Ryan's room.

"Waaah~ My Grand Duke, it's been so long, I've missed you so much."

Wow, here's an adorable Grand Duke! She's tiny, soft, and smells wonderful!

Hug me!

"Hey! Ryan, what are you doing?!"

"Your Grand Duke, you have no idea how precarious my life is in the Imperial Capital. I have to guard against the despicable Empress and deal with the treacherous Creed. How could I survive without you, Your Grand Duke!"