The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1550 - 443: Firing a Shot and Making a Mushroom Cloud? (Part 3)

How could they not have Imperial coinage?

However, this quick-thinking merchant didn't dwell on it for long, because he quickly came up with a reasonable explanation—

The dwarf in front of him belongs to a tribe located deep within the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range.

If that's the case, they indeed might not have traded with the empire, as most Imperial merchants wouldn't venture there. Most goods from the dwarf world can be bought at Brass Pass.

"Well... what about gold? You must have gold, right?"

"Uh... that's a bit tricky too. Our gold is stored with our neighbor."

"Neighbor?!"

"I mean the neighboring tribe!"

Watching the seemingly disappointed human, Grace felt a bit embarrassed and touched his red wine-nose sheepishly.

"My idea is to barter... Anyway, money wouldn't be of use to you, would it? Compared to Imperial Gold Coins, I have something better that you're sure to be interested in!"

While speaking, Grace gestured to his attendant, who handed over a huge rifle like a club from that beard-locked fellow.

At first, Thomas didn't realize this thing was a gun, mistaking it for a hammer.

The gaping muzzle was about the size of an adult's fist, and the jet-black barrel was as thick as a thumb. It looked more like a handheld cannon than a firearm!

Thomas swallowed hard.

"What is... this?"

Speaking about the item in his hands, Grace became instantly excited, spitting as he spoke.

"A hand cannon! You can think of it as a handheld cannon! Our soldiers can use this to launch fist-sized grenades two to three hundred meters away! The only downside is the risk of shoulder dislocation, but that's manageable. We solved this by equipping the leather gun case with a rune, which we'll sell along with it!"

While explaining, he insisted on demonstrating, taking a bronze-colored "shell" from his companion to load into the chamber.

Thomas was startled by this crazy action and quickly reached out to stop him.

This was, after all, the wood mill of the Salvation Army!

One misfired shot here could burn down the whole place, and even selling the entire caravan wouldn't make up for it!

"No, wait a second, Mr. Grace! Calm down first! We have no doubts about the power of the item in your hand, but we.... don't need it for now."

Grace's eyes almost popped out.

"Don't need it? How could you not need it? Aren't you at war?"

He couldn't understand what these humans were saying. On a war-ravaged land, what could be better hard currency than military weapons?

Thomas chuckled and said.

"That's true, but the war is mainly between the Kingdom's regular army and the rebel army, and has... little to do with us for the time being. What we need more than weapons are production tools like steam engines... oh, and fertilizers."

Fertilizer was something he had only heard about recently.

It was said to be a magic potion formulated by alchemists to enhance crops, supplement composting, and substantially boost crop yields!

Though he remained skeptical of its actual effectiveness and didn't know where to buy it, one thing was undeniable: they needed developmental tools more than weapons.

Upon hearing this, Grace's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Steam engines and fertilizers? You should've said you needed those earlier, we have them!"

"You just said you have them?!" Thomas widened his eyes in disbelief and stared at this dwarf brother before him, "Are you sure? Do you know what fertilizer is?"

Even he had only heard of this term recently, yet the dwarf before him seemed to have known about it for a while?

Grace laughed heartily.

"I've seen that stuff in human towns north of Shattered Rock Peak! Rest assured, they have all sorts of goods there, as long as you bring the timber to the agreed location, we can surely deliver the goods you need! Prices are absolutely fair!"

If that's the case, it might be acceptable.

Just as this dwarf brother said, given their current situation, even if they had money, they couldn't spend it; bartering might be a feasible solution.

As long as the goods are enough, these are acceptable.

Seeing Thomas appear interested, Grace grinned slyly and pressed him further.

"You can give us a list! We'll use the Imperial currency to calculate the value, but settle it with goods instead of money!"

Thomas pondered for a long time without giving an immediate decision, instead speaking up.

"I think your proposal sounds good, but I personally can't make that decision; I need to consult the Holy Daughter."

"No problem!" Grace knew it was just a formality, laughed and said, "But you'd better hurry; I won't be here forever, time is gold!"

The two finally reached an agreement.

Grace enthusiastically shook Thomas's hand, gave a hearty shake, and insisted on demonstrating the power of the dwarf grenade launcher.

Thomas couldn't resist his enthusiasm, and reluctantly agreed to follow this dwarf brother and a few attendants to the small wooded area outside the wood mill.

The test-firing location was chosen at a small knoll by Rushing River. With an open view, it offered a line of sight of two to three hundred meters downstream, with no village activity, making it the perfect spot to test the grenade launcher's power.

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