Kays Translations

Chapter 29: Black Gunpowder

[But the combat ability of civilians is generally low. If we form a people’s militia from them, how are we going to train them?]

Owen asked.

Even though he understood that a strong and resilient army must be made up of common people, he also knew that an untrained force was nothing more than a disorderly mob—easily crushed.

[Don’t worry. I’ll provide a complete training program when the time comes. The goal isn’t to turn everyone into seasoned soldiers, but to let them learn with their bodies what discipline truly means.]

An army doesn’t necessarily need strong individuals—but it must be strictly disciplined and obey orders without question. That’s the foundation of a powerful military.

[But we only have just over a month left. Is that enough time?] 

Owen asked with concern.

[It’s enough. Based on our experience, even just two weeks of military training can turn a disorganized group of students into a cohesive unit.]

Winston was full of confidence.

While organizing a people’s militia was the top priority, that alone wasn’t enough. Even if the northern wall’s defenses had been reinforced, they still needed a powerful attack method that ordinary people could use—only then could Bianshu Town’s safety truly be ensured.

That method was black gunpowder.

From the moment Winston learned about the undead monsters, he knew Owen didn’t just need cement—he also needed black powder.

Although magic was already a powerful weapon, it was always smart to have other offensive options for contingency.

So, after dictating the formula and production method for cement, Winston also provided the recipe for black gunpowder. He urged Owen to purchase the necessary raw materials in bulk, especially the most critical one: saltpeter (potassium nitrate).

The first time Owen learned about black gunpowder’s uses, he was shocked. He only knew saltpeter as something used for making ice, and never imagined it could become the key ingredient in a deadly weapon.

It just so happened that demand for saltpeter was low ahead of winter. When the merchants suddenly received large orders, they were more than happy to sell large amounts of saltpeter to Bianshu Town.

Thanks to this, Owen was able to acquire a huge supply at relatively low cost.

Next came recruiting workers. In a tightly guarded facility, they used wooden tools to grind the delivered sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter into fine powder. After weighing them, they mixed the ingredients according to the specified 1:1:1 ratio.

To ensure optimal combustion performance, a series of post-processing steps were also applied to the mixture.

All of the completed black powder was stored in a warehouse near the northern wall. It was guarded around the clock by knights personally selected by Owen, and all unauthorized personnel were strictly prohibited from approaching.

[Looking back now, that was definitely the right move. Otherwise, we’d really be in trouble.]

 Winston said with relief.

[Agreed.] 

Owen replied.

Without the black powder, Owen wouldn’t have had the confidence to commit to staying and defending Bianshu Town.

[And that’s not all—black gunpowder has another critical use.]

[Oh? What else can it do?]

Besides being used to blow up undead monsters, Owen couldn’t think of any other purpose. Blow up buildings maybe?

[Think about it—once word spreads that the Temple Knights have abandoned Bianshu Town, how do you think the townspeople will react?] 

Winston hinted.

“…”

[Of course there will be panic… Oh! You mean I should demonstrate the power of black gunpowder in front of everyone, right?]

As soon as Winston hinted at it, Owen immediately understood.

[Exactly.]

Why would people panic just because the Temple Knights weren’t coming to support Bianshu Town?

Because the strength of the Temple Knights had already been deeply ingrained in everyone’s mind. For years, it was thanks to them that the northern wall held against the undead monsters.

If Owen wanted people to believe they could protect Bianshu Town on their own, he needed to show them a force just as powerful. Even better, it should be a display that shook everyone to their core—one that would make them recognize and trust in this new power.

And explosives made from black gunpowder were exactly what fit the bill.

[Looks like the first detonation of black powder must be done publicly.]

Owen said in his mind.

[It’s to boost morale. If everyone believes Bianshu Town is doomed, there’s no way the northern wall will hold.]

As the discussion continued, Owen and Winston moved on to firearms—the ideal way to maximize the power of black powder.

Bows and crossbows could work, but guns would be more effective.

However, manufacturing guns was not easy—especially the barrel.

Winston had already given Owen the design blueprint for a flintlock rifle. He specifically avoided suggesting a matchlock gun due to its numerous drawbacks.

To prioritize the development of firearms, they had to delay the long-anticipated steam-powered water pump in the mines.

Instead, they moved up the schedule for building a steam-powered boring machine, capable of drilling barrels into solid iron rods. Manually forging gun barrels was too time-consuming—once the boring machine was ready, production could skyrocket.

To speed up production of the boring machine’s gears, Owen planned to assign a critical task to Jita.

Meanwhile, the cement workshop would be temporarily shut down, since the northern wall had already been reinforced and there were no urgent construction needs elsewhere.

Next, Garcia and Fanny would dedicate themselves to working in the forge.

Garcia could wield high-temperature flame jets, making him ideal for welding work. Fanny couldn’t use flame jets yet, but her fire-based magic could still help with heating and forging iron billets—much more efficient than a traditional forge.

Naturally, Owen would also make time to help with the forging process.

Once the planning ended, Owen and Winston ended their call.

Owen opened the main interface and clicked on the file folder icon. A pop-up window appeared, notifying him that he had received an image from Winston.

Clicking on the latest image to enlarge it revealed a design blueprint of the steam boring machine.

He opened the extension menu in the upper-right corner and selected the tracing function. The blueprint was flattened and gradually turned semi-transparent.

Owen opened a drawer, pulled out a standard ruler and a large roll of parchment paper.

Standing up from his chair, he first laid the parchment flat on the desk. Then he aligned the semi-transparent blueprint slightly above it and locked its position.

Holding a quill pen in his right hand and the ruler in his left, Owen began carefully tracing the blueprint of the steam boring machine onto the parchment.

Not long after, Clive suddenly burst into the study—he didn’t even knock, which showed how urgent the matter was.

“Marquis Owen!!!”

Owen immediately lifted his quill and paused his tracing. After confirming that the drawing wasn’t smudged, he let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he reacted in time—otherwise, the blueprint would’ve been ruined.

“What’s the matter? Why didn’t you knock?”

Owen looked up at Clive, clearly annoyed.

But Clive showed no remorse for his interruption. Instead, upon seeing Owen drawing, he cried out anxiously:

“Marquis, how can you be drawing at a time like this?! Something major just happened!”

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