Bai He, standing beside Dai Mubai, was seeing this weapon for the first time. His eyes lit up with fervor.
Lou Gao's eyes gleamed as he asked urgently, "Your Highness, could you teach this old man how to make the pistol?"
Dai Mubai shook his head. "Senior Lou, to be frank, this weapon can be mass-produced. If it falls into the hands of a faction with ill intentions, the consequences would be unthinkable. I don't want the method getting out."
He looked at Lou Gao and continued earnestly, "But if you're willing to join me, I'll give you the complete method for making pistols."
Lou Gao froze, longing showing on his face.
To a master craftsman who had devoted his life to forging, nothing was more enticing than a revolutionary way of making things.
"Do you mean that, Your Highness?" Lou Gao asked solemnly.
Dai Mubai nodded. "Of course. I keep my word."
Lou Gao immediately straightened, clasped his hands, and bowed slightly. "I, Lou Gao, am willing to follow Your Highness."
Dai Mubai was ecstatic, though he kept a calm smile on his face. "Thank you for placing your trust in me, Senior Lou."
Then and there in the workshop, Dai Mubai explained the pistol's manufacturing process and the recipe for its bullets in detail.
The more Lou Gao heard, the more astonished—and excited—he became.
When he finished, Dai Mubai prepared to leave. "Senior Lou, I can't stay long this time. Could you make five hundred pistols for me within six months? I'll collect them when I return."
Lou Gao nodded gravely. "Rest assured, Your Highness. I can have members of the Blacksmith Association help make the parts, then assemble them myself. Six months is a little tight, but it should be possible."
Dai Mubai cupped his hands in