Warhammer Divine Throne

Baron Gene’s Domain on a winter morning, a not-so-clear cloudy day.

In the master bedroom, Laine was still resting, but the maid, Ollica, was already awake. She forced herself to get up, her legs trembling slightly, and changed into the maid uniform she had prepared.

She now felt mana surging within her again.

Ollica tied up her black hair, which reached her waist, using hair ornaments and ribbons. She changed into a new maid outfit, and while Laine was still asleep, she quietly walked to the bedside and let Laine lean against her.

Ollica, whose soul was severely damaged, knew that the only way to cast magic was by relying on Laine to provide her with mana. Through this method, she could slowly use magic to repair her soul; she herself had no magic power.

The fire in the master bedroom crackled, and the dark elf whispered, ”Master~ Master? Wake up, today you have to go see the Dwarves testing their latest artillery.”

”…Yes, today we go to see the Dwarves test the artillery.” Laine gradually woke up, burying his head in the ample bosom of the dark elf: ”Ollica? How are you feeling?”

”Well… what else could I feel? Just very comfortable...” the dark elf blushed. Recently, Veronica’s energy was focused on the Wizard Tower, so it was usually Ollica who rested with Laine at night, naturally responsible for serving Laine and meeting his needs.

After a good morning kiss, Laine got up and changed his clothes. He suddenly asked with interest, ”By the way, Ollica, what siege weapons do you dark elves use?”

”It’s the thousand-pound siege crossbow cannon, Master,” the dark elf helped Laine wash up and continued, ”This powerful siege crossbow cannon is blessed by the warlocks of the Hecate Witch Association, possessing immense power. Those struck by the crossbow cannon, even if they don’t die, will be severely injured.”

”Well, could you make a crossbow cannon like the Dwarves?” Laine joked.

”The technology to make such thousand-pound crossbow cannons has long been lost, Master~” Ollica said helplessly, holding Laine’s hand from behind, ”Perhaps the High Elves still have it, but here in Duruzi, we do not. All thousand-pound crossbow cannons are strictly guarded and only retrieved when needed for war, and... many people believe that for sieges, the Hydra and Black Dragon are sufficient.”

”Alright, I’m going to check the artillery, would you like to join me?” Laine, having dressed, washed up, and prepared to head out.

As always, the dark elf was reluctant to leave the castle.

Coming out of the door, Teresa the female sorceress stood at the entrance with a purple magic staff. She was wearing a purple robe today, with black leather jacket and pants underneath. As she saw Laine come out, her tone was indescribably strange: ”Finally willing to come out?”

”Oh, come on, dear Teresa, I need time to get up too,” Laine said helplessly, ”Aren’t you going to join me to see the artillery?”

”Yes, I’ve seen quite a few cannons from both Nord and the Empire, but I’ve never seen the Dwarves’ heavy artillery,” the female sorceress said, showing an interested expression: ”It’s said that the most powerful Dwarf cannon can rival a Forbidden Curse.”

Thirty minutes later, at the chosen test firing site in the wilds.

Four Dwarf heavy cannons lined up in a row, and behind them, an artillery piece with a peculiar design. This cannon comprised four smaller barrels side by side, mounted on a large carriage.

Dugen the Ironman, the Dwarf Engineer, stepped out. He stroked his now lush and smooth beard, clad in somewhat comical heavyweight clothing—custom-made by the castle’s tailor for Dwarves. Dugen wore a round hat adorned with feathers, arms crossed, head raised: ”Living up to expectations, my Baron, I’ve crafted four Dwarf Heavy Cannons for you, along with one Organ Cannon.”

”These cannons alone cost me nearly seven hundred Gold Crowns, my Dwarf brother, you almost bankrupted me, did you know?” Laine reached out to touch the Dwarf Heavy Cannon, the thick cannon body, the large, blackened muzzle, Laine felt quite satisfied.

”Alas, Dwarf items are indeed costly, but rest assured, Baron, the cannons crafted by us Dwarves are miles above those made by Imperials beyond the mountains. Their cannons easily misfire or explode, whereas our Dwarf-made ones absolutely do not have such issues!” Dugen also reached out to caress the body of his cannon, a grin unwittingly stretched across his face: ”Worth every penny, my friend.”

Gunpowder is a testament to the peak of Dwarf military strength, and touching the black cannon barrel, the Dwarf engineer found deep comfort and a sense of kinship.

Laine too reached out to touch the Dwarf Heavy Cannon, and without a doubt, the emergence of gunpowder altered the course of warfare. He’d witnessed the power of Imperial cannon, and now he possessed Dwarf artillery.

Without a doubt, the Dwarf cannons were mightier than those from the Imperial Nuer Armory or Brunswick Military Factory, with greater range, though at a higher cost.

With artillery, future wars will be entirely different. Unlike large catapults, Dwarf artillery is easy to transport and carry, equipped with massive wheels, able to be pulled by pack horses or pushed manually. Compared to catapults that require several large carts for dismantling and assembly taking hours, Dwarf cannons are vastly superior.