Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 27: Cannon Demonstration

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

"Respected Earl Paul Grayman, we deeply regret the death of your father. The battle at that time was a necessity..."

"Port Frand will continue to exist as your territory, but if you could bestow it upon us as our residence, we would be willing to offer you our loyalty..."

"Every quarter's revenue we collect, we will give half to you. We guarantee that the money you receive will be much more than the taxes you previously collected..."

This was a letter sent by the Shark Gang, who were entrenched in Port Frand. Paul had someone read it aloud during the meeting.

After the letter was read, everyone in the hall chuckled. These pirates were truly delusional, dreaming of becoming territorial lords, especially when the Aldar army had an absolute advantage.

Paul took the letter and tore it to shreds. "Utter nonsense."

Not to mention that the defeated pirates had no qualification to challenge him. Even based on the grudge of killing his father alone, Paul couldn't let them off. Otherwise, how could he maintain his reputation?

"My lord, two fully equipped infantry battalions have completed their training. Please order them to recapture Port Frand and completely eliminate these pirates," Bryce voiced the desire of most officers.

However, the Earl disagreed, "No rush. They are already like locusts after autumn, barely able to hop for a few more days. Let us first test the newly developed firearms. If they prove effective, our army will be greatly strengthened. It's just right to use these short-sighted pirates as a test."

After hearing this, everyone was curious. Rifles and grenades had already been eye-openers. They wondered what novelty this young Count had come up with now.

At this time, the Earl was full of spirits. The paper mill built near the lord's castle had finally overcome numerous challenges, and the produced paper was finally usable. After summarizing a feasible production process, the steward Ford carried the first batch of paper to promote it across the Northwest Bay area, finally opening up some sales channels.

Nobles and merchants found this new type of paper to be both excellent and affordable. For just a few coins, they could buy a large stack of it, suitable for writing, drawing, communication, and accounting, without any hesitation. It was much better than the expensive parchment.

Another major buyer was various monasteries around. In this era, monasteries still played a role in education, so their demand for paper was naturally significant.

The paper produced now was still relatively rough and fragile. Paul ordered the craftsmen in the workshop to continue improving the papermaking process and tailor different prices based on product quality to meet the needs of customers from different social classes.

With sales channels opened, money started flowing in. Although profits were still meager at this stage, as they were only selling in the Northwest Bay area, the future prospects were bright.

Of course, as happened on Earth, the invention of papermaking would eventually challenge the nobility and the church's monopoly on cultural knowledge, benefiting the lower classes. "I guess I'm pushing the wheels of history a bit," he felt a small sense of satisfaction in his heart.

...

In the forest camp previously used for training new recruits, the temporary tents and low fences had disappeared, replaced by brick buildings and walls over a person's height. It had been transformed into a "military base" as mentioned by the Count.