Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 197

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

Then, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace explained the situation north of the Great Prairie to us. It seemed that he thought he owed it to us to share all sorts of information in return for the gold ingot we had given him.

“Currently, the Arasa Empire is engaging in powerful conquest activities centered around an autocratic ruler known as Ivan IV. Although they haven’t reached our region yet, they’re expanding their influence by uniting the northern ethnic groups year by year. Ivan IV is quite a fierce and wild conqueror, often referred to as the Thunder Emperor.”

“I see.”

“And the Arasa Empire has close ties to a western land known as the Western Regions, often clashing with a nation called Holland… In any case, it’s significantly different from the civilization of the Central Plains. During the times of the Yuan Empire, exchanges were sparse, but lately, news of them has been frequent. If you wish to head north to the North Pole, you will definitely have to pass through the territory of the Arasa Empire.”

At that point, I interjected with a question.

“Are there martial artists there as well?”

At my question, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace let out a wry smile.

“Well… it’s a bit hard to say. Really hard.”

“Of course, there are knights who can use Qi to engage in combat, but unlike martial artists, they pledge absolute loyalty to their lords. Moreover, the kingdoms in the west are increasingly reducing their reliance on hand-to-hand combat.”

“Does that mean they train a lot of archers?”

“Not quite. Hmmm…”

The Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace contemplated for a moment and suddenly went to his study nearby. He returned with a strange object and presented it to me.

“What do you think this is?”

“……? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

I tilted my head in confusion, but Miho recognized the item and narrowed her eyes.

“It’s a Matchlock Gun.”

Matchlock Gun?

At that, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace seemed to perk up, saying,

“So there’s someone who knows about guns. You seem to be a woman, how do you know?”

“I spent some time in the Wa Kingdom and heard many things about Holland’s culture.”

“I see… so the Holland merchants were the ones behind it.”

Not quite understanding what they were talking about, I blinked, prompting the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace to explain the Matchlock Gun to me while holding it.

“The kingdoms of the west are transitioning from knight combat to gun warfare. Although it’s still hard to penetrate the powerful armor of knights, it seems we will soon be entering the age of guns. If you plan to pass through the Arasa Empire, I believe it would be a big mistake not to understand this ‘gun’.”

“What is this thing? It looks like a hunk of iron…”

As I curiously examined the long barrel of the Matchlock Gun, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace gasped in shock.

“What are you doing?! That’s dangerous!”

He hastily pulled the gun away from me. I looked back at him, bewildered, and he sighed before saying,

“A hundred hearsay is not as good as one sight. Let me show you what this object can do.”

He led Miho and me to a quiet clearing. He took out the Matchlock Gun and seemed to attach something round to it, creating smoke. After putting the round thing inside the gun, he made a slight tap against what looked like an oil dish. After going through a long and messy process, he aimed the Matchlock Gun at a wooden barrel in front of him.

Pah!

A moment later, something shot out from the end of the Matchlock Gun at an incredible speed. It was as fast as a peak expert’s sword strike, and I flinched for a moment. It was several times faster than an arrow. That object struck the wooden barrel in an instant.

“Th-th-that’s incredibly fast.”

As I honestly expressed my thoughts, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace replied,

“This is what we call a gun, and the Matchlock Gun operates by using gunpowder to fire. This is likely what has spread to the Wa Kingdom as well.”

“Hmm…”

“You might have guessed, but reloading this is quite difficult. However, if a group of soldiers lines up and fires this in sequence, it could unleash tremendous power. It’s not a weapon to be taken lightly.”

“That does seem to be the case.”

Even if a Matchlock Gun were fired at close range, I could probably dodge it easily thanks to my peak expert reflexes and Destruction of Souls technique. But that was solely because I was an expert; for an ordinary person, facing multiple gunmen would surely be lethal. This weapon could be definitively said to surpass bows in performance.

The Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace put the Matchlock Gun back in his study, saying,

“Furthermore, the current gun technology of the Arasa is advancing even further, with Gear-type guns being deployed in practical applications. Although the structure is complex and they don’t use matchlocks, they’re significantly more portable, making them suitable for cavalry.”

“Hmm…”

“If I hadn’t given you this explanation and you found yourself facing many gunmen, it could have been dangerous, right?”

“That’s true.”

I openly acknowledged his point. While I might dodge bullets considering my prior knowledge, that knowledge didn’t exist for everyone else. If left to stare blankly, a sudden attack could lead to a bullet piercing through them, even with Soul Destruction active. The information the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace shared about guns was undoubtedly worth its weight in gold.

Miho, watching from the side, spoke up.

“Don’t you think you’re overestimating it a bit? While it’s true that an ordinary person could knock down a martial artist, I don’t see it being effective against peak experts or heavily armored troops like Iron Shield Soldiers.”

Although she rebutted her own point, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace smiled warmly in response.

“That’s true. It may struggle to penetrate heavy armor, but it’s still not enough to match a master’s techniques or physical abilities. However, if thousands of soldiers are involved, it will unleash tremendous power.”

“That could be the case…”

The Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace sat back down and savored his Fire Wine once again.

“Right now, the Ming Empire is feeling a robust sense of superiority because they have overthrown the Yuan Dynasty… but from what I see, their arrogance will eventually turn into a massive blunder. Even at this very moment, the nations of the west are engaged in numerous local conflicts, advancing their military techniques, with guns leading the charge. In a few hundred years, they’ll have a gap in gun technology that will be impossible to close.”

“……”

He smirked slightly.

“Well, there’s no use worrying about this sort of thing… In any case, you need to be cautious of gunmen in the Arasa Empire. No matter how skilled you are, one wrong shot could lead to instant death.”

“Thank you for the explanation.”

“It’s a bit odd, though. Arasa wasn’t originally such a powerful country, yet it suddenly grew dramatically over the last 20 years…”

As the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace mumbled to himself, I started sorting through the information he had just shared. It was then that I asked the crucial question.

“So, you mentioned the North Pole is a land of glaciers—can humans even survive there?”

“I’ve heard it’s not entirely impossible. They say there are a few tribes living there, but I don’t know how they manage to survive. After all, who would invade such a cold place? There’s nothing to gain, and no interactions or wars taking place…”

“So people do live there.”

“They don’t form any nations, just small tribes, to my understanding.”

The Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace stated this nonchalantly, but I sensed how significant this information was. After all, a region where humans could survive was vastly different from one where they couldn’t. Since I had already been there once, being able to return would make navigating to the North Pole much easier if I pinpointed where these tribes lived.

I quickly followed up with another question.

“Then do you have any idea what route to take to get there?”

“Huh? I hadn’t really thought about it… Hmm… I suppose I have to offer something in return for the gold ingot, so let me think for a moment.”

“Yes.”

The Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace pondered before saying,

“…I think it would be better to head to the Arasa Empire first and gather information from the locals.”

“Isn’t the Arasa Empire pretty far northwest from here? Wouldn’t that be a roundabout way?”

“The maps and geographical knowledge related to the north should be well-established there. Of course, you could go straight north from here, but I can confidently say you would cross through some of the most dangerous terrain for humans. No matter how great you are, you won’t make it to the North Pole without preparation.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“And surprisingly, the capital of the Arasa Empire isn’t that cold. I suppose it’s because it’s located inland; it’s bearable there. When I was young, I visited that area, and it actually felt less cold than here, haha.”

Miho piped up with a question.

“Do you happen to know the Arasa Language?”

“I know the basics of conversation and grammar. Anyone from the North Sea Ice Palace would have learned it, and not just me.”

Confused by the reasoning, Miho and I looked over at him, prompting the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace to elaborate.

“The North Sea Ice Palace is originally a clan from Arasa who ventured down to the Yodong area by chance and eventually settled down after mastering martial arts. Our main lineage is in the west… it’s only natural.”

“Could you teach us the Arasa Language?”

“It’s not difficult. This will conclude our transaction.”

“Understood.”

Miho and I became guests in the North Sea Ice Palace to learn the basics of the Arasa Language and script. While we stayed there, we had the opportunity to see the clan members of the North Sea Ice Palace, and indeed, most had fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, resembling the Man with Colorful Eyes. Of course, there were also many with black hair scattered among them, confirming that they were mixed with Yodong ethnicities.

‘The intonation and stress seem to be very important in this language.’

Miho and I held magical tools that facilitated language acquisition, allowing us to learn faster than ordinary humans. However, despite that, the Arasa Language was quite challenging, especially when it came to written script.

“What’s up with these squiggly characters?”

“That’s called Cyrillic Script.”

“Cyrillic Script?”

“It might be challenging to learn, but there’s no helping it. Even the clergymen of Arasa struggle with that writing.”

Clergyman?

Surprised by the unexpected word, I countered,

“Are you talking about Sorcerers?”

The Cyrillic Script bore some resemblance to the characters used in Otherworldly faiths, raising my suspicion. But the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace seemed completely unaware of the Otherworldly Race, tilting his head in confusion.

“Hmm… I don’t know what you’re talking about, but clergymen are just clergymen. They believe in Monotheism.”

“Monotheism…”

“Really, the folks from the Central Plains know nothing about the West.”

Grumbling, the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace continued speaking.

“That place is a completely new world. Approaching it with preconceptions will only lead you to disadvantage.”

Thus, roughly three months passed. Miho and I managed to learn enough of the Arasa Language to communicate reasonably with locals. The Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace was surprised by our quick learning and remarked,

“You’re learning extremely quickly. Impressive.”

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“I truly hope you find that treasure.”

He wished us well as we parted, but I knew it wasn’t entirely sincere. After all, he believed humans couldn’t survive in a place like the North Pole, so he was only halfway sympathizing with us by sharing his knowledge. I said to Miho as we left the North Sea Ice Palace,

“Miho, I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while.”

“Yeah?”

“Do they use the Matchlock Gun in Dongyong as well?”

“It was adapted by a guy named Oda Nobunaga from the Holland merchants and became the Teppo (火槍). It played a huge role in ending the Warring States Period in Dongyong. Even now, the Tokugawa Shogunate operates Teppo infantry as their main force, so it’s hard to miss.”

“A country effectively uses Matchlock Guns?”

I suddenly felt a chill. While it’s true my martial prowess wouldn’t be shaken by Matchlock Gun infantry, I realized that the power of the Teppo infantry could easily overwhelm existing spear and foot soldiers in inter-country warfare.

As my expression grew serious, Miho chuckled mysteriously.

“Perhaps the thoughts of the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace aren’t so wrong.”

“That’s unsettling to hear…”

I muttered.

It’s just that in battle, ‘distance’ is everything. The reason a spear is more powerful than a sword is largely due to its ability to control range; the same goes for why bows never vanish from warfare. However, this species of firearms seems entirely different.

With a range similar to that of a bow and with bullets that can kill an enemy at speeds that even a peak expert can hardly dodge once fired, if many of these shots were fired in tandem, the entire nature of warfare would change.

‘And if guns develop even further…’

The end of martial artists.

I felt a sense of frustration but shook my head to dismiss it. No matter how it was, the Matchlock Gun was notoriously slow to reload and had a high failure rate. A top-tier expert could easily take down several opponents with ease. With current firearms, it was still far too inadequate to disrupt the world of martial artists who had honed their skills.

“Alright, let’s go!”

We were heading toward the capital of the Arasa Empire!

Following the advice of the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, we aimed to find the Orthodox Church known for possessing the richest knowledge in Arasa. Perhaps they might even have maps leading to the North Pole!