Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 520 Calming the Raging Spirit (Part Two)

Upon hearing the Beast Spirit Speaker's command, Xiao Bai stretched out his arm and groped behind his back, but dared not move his torso at all.

He kept a close eye on the wolf pack approaching the hillside, afraid of disturbing them.

“[Herd word] Don’t be afraid.” Bell calmly reminded him, “[Herd word] The wolf can’t see you.”

Following the instructions of the Beast Spirit Speaker, Xiao Bai became a little bolder. He bent down and crawled in front of the Beast Spirit Speaker, lay on the hillside, slowly unfolded his bipod, gently inserted it into the soil, and held it with his hands.

Bell's shotgun "stand" was specifically designed for shooting on slopes.

The matchlock guns commonly used in the army were very difficult to hold steady without the support of a fork. The hunting rifle that Winters and Anna gave to Belle was even longer than the military matchlock gun.

Although I have tried to reduce the weight as much as possible, it is almost impossible to shoot accurately without support, relying solely on my arms to hold the gun.

The vast wilderness was covered with rolling hills, covered only with grass.

Unlike in the forest, where you can find a tree branch to prop up your gun, shooting down a grassy slope, nine times out of ten you won't find anything to prop up your weapon.

Shooting from a prone position severely limits the field of vision.

So the little hunter specially commissioned someone to make a portable stand. Unlike ordinary iron fork stands, his stand has two legs that can open and close, and it is made of wood, making it more stable and lighter.

Bell lifted the shotgun from his lap, gently placed it on the rest, braced his shoulder against the stock, and put his finger on the trigger.

He felt the breath of the wilderness, measured the distance between himself and his target with his eyes, determined the wind direction and force by the undulation of the grass, and the hunting rifle in his hand gradually became a part of his body. He could already imagine where the lead bullet would land. He waited patiently, waiting for the wolf pack to get closer and closer.

The wolf pack became clearer and clearer, and you could almost see the dewdrops condensing on their fluffy fur.

Big White and Little White didn't dare to breathe loudly, feeling that time was getting incredibly long. They didn't dare to make any moves, afraid of disturbing the Beast Spirit Speaker or startling their prey. They could only silently pray to the heavens in their hearts.

Only when the wolf pack reached the hillside, when the two sides were only two hundred paces apart, and when the lead wolf suddenly stopped, did Bel Ralfnovich Pradov steadily pull the trigger.

The lead bullet entered between the giant wolf's eyes, shattering the base of its skull and cervical vertebrae along the way, and finally flying out from above its spine, carrying flesh and blood.

The giant wolf shuddered, collapsed, and immediately stopped moving.

The other adult wolf and the remaining two sub-adult wolves in the pack immediately turned around and fled back the way they came.

The dawn-like gunfire awoke the grasslands, startling a flock of birds into flight from the distant woods.

"Did you win [Herdode]?" Little White, who was lying on the ground holding onto the support, couldn't see anything and asked anxiously, "Did you win [Herdode]?"

“[Herd] Gun.” Belly put away his hunting rifle and placed it beside him, while reaching out to Big White.

"[Herd's] Hit! Don't move!" Big White replied to his brother, handing the spare shotgun to the Beast Spirit Speaker. The three of them had brought three guns in total, all pre-loaded with ammunition, ready to fire at any moment.

Little White, who had been waiting anxiously, was overjoyed to hear that the gray-haired beast that had harmed at least four palm-sized lambs had been killed. He couldn't help but shout "Hey!" and clapped his hands hard on the ground.

However, the moment his hand left the foot of the gun rack, the rack immediately tilted down the hillside. Xiao Bai couldn't react in time and tried to fix it, but it was too late. The other foot also broke off from his hand, and the gun rack rolled down the hillside, sliding for more than ten meters.

Big White was stunned, but Bell, who took the spare shotgun, did not hesitate. He corrected his sitting position to sit sideways with his legs propped up, using his knees to support his arms and hold the shotgun, aiming at the fleeing wolf pack.

Xiao Bai knew he had made a mistake and immediately wanted to make amends, but when he saw the position of the gun rack, he knew it was too late.

He gritted his teeth, scrambled to his feet, knelt on one knee facing the Beast Spirit Speaker, and braced the shotgun with his right shoulder.

Bell and Little White briefly locked eyes.

Bell, who was not surprised at all when Xiaobai accidentally dropped the gun rack, raised his eyebrows in slight astonishment.

Xiao Bai gripped the gun barrel with both hands, grimacing as he waited for the deafening bang that was sure to make him dizzy and his ears ring.

“[Herd word] Don’t move,” Bell said softly.

He then pulled the trigger.

Another thunderous gunshot rang out. Among the wolves charging wildly towards the woods, the adult wolf at the forefront suddenly stumbled. A bullet pierced its hindquarters; the impact and excruciating pain caused it to tumble and fall. Lying on the ground, it writhed in agony, emitting mournful howls.

Big White immediately handed over the third shotgun and patted his younger brother on the back. Little White nodded at his older brother, lowered his head to give way, and waited for the third shot to ring out.

However, Bell, who had already aimed at his target, ultimately did not pull the trigger, watching the two sub-adult wolves flee into the forest without looking back.

Both Big White and Little White looked puzzled.

Bell raised the muzzle of his gun, fired a third shot at the open space, and then handed the shotgun back to Big White.

“[Herd’s words] These days, the wolves are all a male and a female with some cubs. If you kill the adult, the cubs won’t dare to come back,” Bell said. “[Herd’s words] Go and bring the horse.”

Xiao Bai got up, ran to the back of the hillside, and after a while brought the horse over—to prevent the wolves from noticing, they hid the horse in a relatively far place.

The three put away their hunting rifles, mounted their horses, and galloped down the hillside, arriving first at the giant wolf's carcass.

Big White and Little White dismounted, clicking their tongues in admiration: "[Herd] What a magnificent gray-haired beast!"

The two of them grabbed the giant wolf's head and slammed it against their own foreheads three times.

Then Big White took out his small knife, cut off the giant wolf's tongue, and respectfully handed it to the Beast Spirit Speaker, because the Hed people had a custom of collecting the tongues of the beasts they killed, drying them, and making them into amulets.

“[Herd] What an extraordinary being.” Big White tried to say something auspicious: “[Herd] He will surely be able to create an amazing talisman.”

Bell shook his head with little interest: "[Herd] You keep it."

"[Herd's words] It only works if you kill it yourself."

"[Herd] This wolf was killed by you and me together."

After a moment's thought, Da Bai, without a second thought, put his tongue back into the giant wolf's mouth. He and his brother carried the giant wolf's carcass onto their horses and then headed towards the spot where the second wolf had fallen dead.

Unexpectedly, the second wolf, which had been struck in the waist, did not die. It lay in its pool of blood, its eyes open, twitching slightly.

Big White looked at the Beast Spirit Speaker.

Bell nodded.

Big White stepped forward with his knife and ended the wolf's suffering.

This time, Big White and his brother worked together to put the wolf carcass on Little White's horse, then turned and asked, "[Herd] are we still going hunting tomorrow?"

Bell gazed at the vast wilderness in the morning light: "[Herd] Ceasefire, for now."
-
[West shore of Shovel Lake]
[Wen Duo'er's Old Camp]
News of the Beast Spirit Speaker's victorious return spread throughout the camp in an instant, and almost everyone, young and old, came out to greet him.

The children played and frolicked, running around behind the horse carrying the wolf carcass.

The women covered their noses with their sleeves to block out the stench emanating from the wolf carcass, watching the teeth protruding from the wolf's mouth with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

The men who rushed back from outside the camp marveled at the giant wolf's size, their expressions a mixture of awe and relief—these grey-furred beasts had been causing unrest in the pastures for days. The camp had had to assign more men to guard the herds at night. Now, they could finally get a good night's sleep.

The elderly people then pressed their hands to their chests and bowed to the Beast Spirit Speaker.

Little White rode his horse through the crowd, feeling incredibly proud, and unconsciously straightened his chest.

A hint of pride also lingered in Big White's expression.

Although they didn't pull the trigger to kill the wolves, the two wolf carcasses were undoubtedly the culmination of their tireless search for the wolf pack.

Bell simply nodded in return to the elderly people, his expression calm.

Until he noticed that Pierre was smiling at him from behind the crowd.

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