Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

Andrew shook his head, his tense expression, which had been tense with anger at his own incompetence, relaxed a little, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "It's nothing, Norze. We're friends, there's no need to apologize. You're doing this for my own good, I know, I've always known. I remember all the good things you've done for me."

Noze smiled, the tightness in his chest easing a little. "The four of us finally graduated; we can't possibly meet again on the casualty list, can we?"

No, it won't.

Andrew raised his hand and patted him hard on the shoulder. "I'll live. We made a promise, didn't we?"

"I hope we've made a promise."

"Definitely."

"What they say is completely unreliable."

The two strolled slowly along the wall, remaining silent, but unlike before, their silence was heavy with the sadness of impending separation.

Before they knew it, the two had reached the westernmost part of the campus.

Before us stood the west gate, which had been abandoned for over a decade.

The heavy iron plate was covered in red rust, two thick iron chains were crossed and wrapped around the door knocker, the huge copper lock had long been rusted to death, the guard post behind the door had collapsed halfway, and waist-high weeds swayed wildly in the night wind.

This is the end of Norzer and Andrew's patrol.

Noze stopped, about to say something, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the southern horizon out of the corner of his eye.

In that instant, all his words caught in his throat, and his blood seemed to freeze.

The night, which should have been as dark as ink, was completely torn apart by a beam of orange-red fire that shot into the sky.

Thick smoke billowed up from the south of the city like a giant beast awakening, obscuring half the moon, and the blinding flames dyed the dark sky a scorching orange-red.

South of the city, that's the direction of Herb City's naval port and shipyard!

This is where the "Qiulin" warship, which he is to board tomorrow, is docked!

"What's wrong? Why do you look like that?"

Andrew turned around in confusion, then instantly realized what was happening when he saw the flames in the distance. His blue eyes, reflecting the towering fire, were filled with shock. "It's the naval port! Herbert Naval Port has been bombed!"

Just then, a thunderous explosion, several kilometers away, struck their eardrums.

"Boom—!"

One sound after another, continuous and unending, shook the ground beneath their feet, and caused rust chips from the iron gate to fall down in a flurry.

"Boom—!"

With each explosion, the flames in the southern sky grew even brighter, and the thick smoke billowed even more fiercely, as if the entire naval port had been thrown into a sea of ​​fire.

"Boom—!"

"Blow the whistle! Blow the whistle now!"

Reminded by Andrew, Norzee suddenly realized what was happening and took out a whistle from his pocket, blowing it rapidly in a certain rhythm.

But it didn't really matter anymore; the explosion had already woken up the entire military academy.

The sound of explosions and whistles reached the ears of all the personnel on duty. After confirming that there was nothing wrong, they also blew their whistles and searched for the nearest instructor to report the situation.

One by one, the windows of the dormitory building lit up frantically. As the whistle for emergency assembly sounded, the neatly dressed students poured out of the corridors, some still clutching their trousers that weren't properly put on, jumping down the stairs as they went.

Many more people crowded into the open space downstairs, craning their necks to look at the southern night sky that had turned half the sky red, their chattering like a swarm of wasps that had exploded.

"What happened? Did the armory explode?"

"It looks like a naval port! I just saw flames shooting up from the south of the city!"

"Could it be that the Imperials have attacked?!"

The sounds of explosions in the distance continued intermittently, the muffled roars causing the stone pavement beneath our feet to tremble slightly and the windows of the school building to rattle.

In the chaos, some people frantically ran towards the armory, while others tried to rush out of the school to check the situation. The entire campus was like a swarm of headless flies whose nest had been disturbed, in complete disarray.

Just then, a tremendous sound carrying a chilling murderous aura suddenly exploded like thunder across the entire campus, clearly drowning out all the noise and the distant explosions.

That was Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman's voice, imbued with magic.

"All personnel on campus! Assemble immediately at the training ground in the morning exercise formation! Instructors, take your positions immediately! Open the armory! Take attendance! Distribute melee weapons and equipment! Repeat! Everyone, assemble at the training ground immediately!"

The moment the voice fell, the noisy discussion stopped abruptly, and everyone subconsciously stopped in their tracks and turned to look in the direction of the training field.

The previously scattered and fleeing crowd suddenly found a clear direction. Instead of running around aimlessly, people spontaneously started jogging towards the training ground. Although their steps were still hurried, the previous panic was gone.

Norze and Andrew exchanged a glance, said nothing, and immediately joined the crowd, running quickly towards the training ground.

When they arrived at the training ground, the instructors from each grade were already standing in their positions with rosters in hand. The instructors, who were proficient in magic, held alchemical materials and cast light spells, illuminating the entire training ground.

"First batch of trainees! Assemble here!"

"Artillery section! Report out the numbers!"

"Second-term cavalry unit! All of you, come to me!"

The once empty training ground was quickly filled. The trainees quickly stood in the formation for morning exercises. Although many of them looked shaken, everyone subconsciously straightened their backs, clenched their fists, and tried their best to maintain the demeanor of soldiers.

The armory doors were already open, and several quartermasters pushed over wooden carts loaded with swords and began distributing standard-issue knives and swift swords by class.

"Where are the matchlock guns? Why aren't they being issued?"

Someone couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Shut up! Get the knife first!"

The instructor shouted sternly.

Noze took the Swift Sword handed to him and skillfully tucked it into his waistband. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the cold hilt, betraying his inner panic.

Lucas also appeared out of nowhere, gripping his Swift Sword with a very serious expression.

Andrew's blue eyes were fixed on the high platform in front of the training field, where Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman had already appeared.

The instructors from the three grades ran forward one by one, stood at attention, saluted, and reported loudly:

"Reporting, Colonel! 217 people were expected for Phase One, and 217 people are present. Everyone is here!"

"Reporting, Colonel! Phase II was expected to have 266 personnel, and 266 personnel are present. All personnel are present!"

"Reporting, Colonel! 302 people were expected for Phase III, and 302 people are present. All personnel are present!"

Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman stood on the high platform, his crisp service uniform already fully dressed. He didn't hold a microphone; he simply subtly channeled his magic, and his voice once again clearly resonated throughout the entire training ground:

"I know you have a lot of questions right now, so I'll keep it short."