Chapter 47: I want to know all 47
"Bang!" Finally, Tagg, with a pang in his heart, pulled the trigger and fired the first shot. A gunshot echoed through the courtyard, but Alice and Fisheo couldn't discern anything significant from it.
They both waited, expecting Tagg to reload the pistol. Given their experience, Tang Mo, who had designed a breech-loading rifle that could be loaded quickly, must have endowed this pistol with a special feature in the reloading aspect.
Indeed, they were not disappointed... or rather, they were greatly surprised. For they hadn't seen Tagg perform any reloading action at all.
"Bang!" Tagg pulled the trigger again, firing another bullet, and the second gunshot abruptly resounded through the sky.
A pistol that could fire two shots in succession? Alice suddenly felt that the young arms dealer she had yet to meet seemed rather interesting.
Standing beside Alice, Fisheo's eyes widened as he stared at Tagg's arm that had not lowered, seemingly anticipating something.
True to form, Tagg did not keep them waiting; he pulled the trigger a third time and discharged the revolver, firing a third bullet.
The bullet struck deep into the tree trunk, shattering the bark and sending wood chips flying everywhere in an instant.
With the third gunshot, a thick smoke had begun to roll in front of Tagg, giving an impression of a mountain obscured by mist.
After Tagg fired the third shot, Count Fisheo's expression changed dramatically. Just like the first time he had seen this weapon, he suddenly had the feeling that it was a weapon only a god could possess.
The seemingly compact pistol appeared to have an endless firing capability, able to shoot three bullets rapidly without the slightest need for preparation!
You must understand, opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting. A military armed with such pistols could, at a critical moment, be as effective as an army of thousands!
Alice was also stunned. She had traveled far and wide and had never seen a pistol that could fire three shots in one go!
Thus, she curiously observed the pistol in Tagg's hand through the haze of white smoke, her interest greatly piqued.
Even without being a seasoned commander like Fisheo, she could easily imagine the vast market potential for this new kind of weapon that could fire three consecutive shots!
Nobility would carry such a weapon for self-defense, and kingdoms would pay top dollar to arm their elite troops... Just the Leite Kingdom alone, purchasing ten thousand such pistols for their troops was not an impossible scenario.
If one looked at the whole world, countless countries would want such weapons. Tang Mo would soon become wealthy enough to rival nations and a distinguished guest of all countries!
Of course, he might also be killed by an assassin's bullet from one country or caught by Shireck and imprisoned in a basement, his legs sawed off and interrogated daily...
As Alice's thoughts wandered and Fisheo was overwhelmed with shock, Tagg pulled the trigger and fired the fourth shot.
"Bang!" The fourth gunshot echoed through the courtyard, as thunder rolls across the sky. This thunderclap nearly stunned Fisheo and pulled Alice back from her fantasies to reality.
A weapon that could fire four consecutive shots... This had exceeded their understanding and plunged them into utter shock.
It was not only them. Whether it was Wes, Tagg... Anyone who saw this weapon for the first time was astounded by its terrifying capability for continuous fire.
Unconsciously, Fisheo's hands had clenched into fists, and they were trembling slightly beyond his control. He was eager to snatch the pistol from Tagg's hands and examine it thoroughly.
For him, it was the artifact he had dreamed of throughout his military career, the ultimate weapon that could bring him victory!
Just as he was about to step forward and take the pistol from Tagg's hand for closer inspection, Tagg pulled the trigger a fifth time.
"Bang!" The fifth gunshot sounded, and the tree with already four bullet holes splintered once more with a loud cracking noise.
And it was only in that moment that Alice realized Tagg had not moved his arm at all. He was still aiming the terrifying pistol at the tree that served as their target.
Huh? There seemed to be a familiar word that flashed through her mind like a shooting star, something Tagg had said... Yes! Terrifying! That was the word!
The word "terrifying" was an absolute understatement for the handgun in Tagg's grip! It truly deserved such a description and might even epitomize the very term itself!
At this moment, Alice couldn't help but feel a sense of awe towards the weapon in Tagg's hands; it indeed invoked an almost instinctive reluctance to touch.
Standing beside Alice, Fisheo's eyes blazed with fervor. Yes, he was just too eager to test this weapon himself! It was literally the epitome of slaughtering armament, the ultimate weapon that all warriors dreamed of!
For him, what concept did a handgun that could fire five consecutive shots embody? It was almost tantamount to equating with victory!
What it felt like to hold victory in one's hands, to secure victory without battle... Fisheo really, really wanted to experience it.
If Tang Mo had seen the fervent look in Fisheo's eyes at that moment, he would have certainly sneered at such naivety.
You haven't yet seen Maxim, haven't beheld Vulcan, tanks, or planes... You haven't seen the gigantic mushroom clouds rising from the horizon... Is it not too early to be chanting 'ultimate weapon' in your mind already?
Indeed, it was premature, because just as Fisheo had settled on naming this new weapon, "Mad Quint Killing," Tagg fired the sixth shot!
In an instant, the beautiful number five vanished into thin air. Fisheo stared blankly at Tagg amidst the swirling smoke, unexpectedly filled with anticipation.
He truly felt, at that moment, an inexplicable expectation, hoping to hear a seventh shot—after all, seven was also a wonderful number.
However, when he was full of hope, yearning to witness a miracle, Tagg lowered the gun in his hand and turned towards the two people not far away.
"Lord Earl! This handgun can fire six consecutive shots if prepared in advance," he said, and handed the handgun to the Earl, who still stood there in a daze.
Fisheo subconsciously took the handgun Tagg handed him and then instinctively looked down at the seemingly delicate weapon that defied the heavens.
Only then did he notice the revolver in his hand had a cylinder that could rotate.
He shifted the angle slightly and saw the chambers for bullets, noticing some detailed structures of the handgun. To be honest, this object was much more sophisticated than the flintlock pistol hanging on his waist.
"This…" Fisheo was silent for a long time before finally speaking, uncertain of what to call the weapon in his hand. The embarrassing name "Mad Quint Killing" had already dissipated with the sixth shot.
"It's called a revolver, and it's a new type of handgun developed by Lord Tang Mo," Tagg immediately took over the conversation and began to explain.
"This revolver... Does Tang Mo plan to sell it?" Lord Earl asked, gazing at the weapon in his hand, almost as soon as his thoughts were organized.
"He can't mass-produce this weapon yet. He's only made a few to give to you, Lord Earl," Tagg unreservedly repeated Tang Mo's explanation and concluded.
Alice breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that if Tang Mo could mass-produce such a terrifying weapon at this moment, it would have been too exaggerated.
However, she quickly discerned something from Tagg's words: "You mean, as long as he has enough raw materials and some time to prepare, he could mass-produce this weapon?"
"Yes, that's what he said," Tagg nodded. "Miss, that's why I think the plan to coerce Tang Mo won't be easy to execute."
He gestured towards the weapon in the Earl's hands and explained to Alice, "If we send too few people, he and his men could use this weapon to break through and escape... but if we send too many... marching hundreds of soldiers through the Vicious Forest, isn't that blatantly inciting a civil war?"
"I understand now. Such a partner... is not suitable to be coerced with force," Alice conceded at that moment, truly giving up the notion of capturing Tang Mo to force him to serve Northern Ridge.
"I think, Father. Since we've found a more suitable partner than Shireck, we should show our strength and help Mr. Tang Mo clear his current troubles," Alice said, looking at her father Fisheo and suggesting.
"What's your plan?" Fisheo turned to his daughter and asked.
"Mr. Tagg, please bring out Mr. Tang Mo's list of required supplies. We need to help him gather the materials he wants as quickly as possible... and the manpower he needs," Alice said earnestly. "And Captain Tagg!
Tell me all of Tang Mo's actions in Brunas! The more detailed, the better! What he eats every day, how many times he goes to the restroom, when he rests... I want to know it all!"
"Before that! Where are the revolvers that Tang Mo had you bring back? Where are they?" Seeing the two moving farther away, Fisheo, who had finally come back to his senses, shouted and hastened after them.