After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

Chapter 1: New Weapons of Ysgard

April 1, 1404 (World Calendar)

In the coastal region of Issugard, a tall female president is personally inspecting the application of new weapons in actual combat.

This was a campaign to wipe out pirate hideouts.

In Issugard, not everyone wants the country to continue developing in a democratic manner. A very small number of monarchists hope that Issugard will revert to the feudal autocracy of a century ago, where they, as emperors and nobles, would enslave the people.

This is a rebellious idea that the President and Parliament cannot tolerate. Knowing that they have no place in the current democratic Issugard, these royalists have become pirates who have plagued the Issugard coast. They threaten Issugard’s maritime trade routes and have become the best battlefield for Issugard’s government to use their weapons.

These pirates were deliberately left behind.

After all, the weapons of Ysgard must not only face the threat of resisting monsters, but also have the practical combat ability to kill humans.

Monsters are everywhere, but human enemies are a rare sight in the now unified territory of Ysgard.

Therefore, conducting real-world testing of new weapons means that a well-preserved pirate hideout must be completely wiped out...

This is a painful thing for the president.

Hopefully, these weapons will be able to perform their intended function.

At her nod, the accompanying general waved his hand, signaling the mage to cast the [Eye of the Sky] spell.

The magical resources of Ysgard are not abundant. While novice mages elsewhere can easily cast fireballs, even a high-level mage in Ysgard can only unleash two fireballs at full power.

The scarcity of magic power has relegated mages to a supporting role rather than a crucial force in the military and civilian systems of Ysgard. They may never step onto the front lines to unleash strategic magic that decides the outcome of battles, but they can transform magic power into various forms that gain advantages for their side.

Take the "Eye in the Sky" spell on the battlefield as an example. By having a mage create a magical eye in the sky that overlooks the ground, generals and strategists in the rear can obtain a clear map of the ground terrain through a magical artifact called the "Tactical Sandbox" in the absence of clouds and in the presence of light. Based on this, they can then command various units to cooperate and divide tasks.

Hundreds of years ago, this was a privilege that could only be enjoyed after gaining a geographical advantage in the mountains.

But now, it has become a common necessity for every army in Isgard. The President is proud of this and full of confidence for the upcoming war with the Roman Empire.

"The results of testing the new rifle."

She turned to the general and said, and the general nodded. He first ordered the crossbowmen carrying large shields to advance, and then ordered the test subjects holding the new rifles to follow a hundred meters behind the crossbowmen.

Through the Eye of the Sky, they could clearly see the pirates hastily closing the city gates and preparing to escape by ship—but the experimental new steam-powered ironclad warships on the sea of ​​Isgard had already surrounded all the sea outlets. The pirate ships that had just sailed out of the harbor were sunk by cannon fire within two minutes. Countless pirates struggled in the seawater, and finally, with the help of their companions and due to the deliberate "oversight" of the ironclad warships, they escaped back to their hideout.

The experimental steam-powered warship was a new product that had just been launched a month ago. Compared to the old wooden-hulled ironclad warships, the new ironclad warships not only had more horsepower and faster speeds, but more importantly, they possessed firepower far exceeding their time.

Old-fashioned wooden-hulled ironclad warships only had ballistae and simple cannons on the attack platforms on the sides of the ship. Although they appeared numerous, they were actually unable to sink wooden warships quickly due to their small caliber and insufficient power.

The new steam-powered warships were given the name "Shizhui". This refers to the great man in Isgard who established basic and advanced education for the people. Although he is dead, everyone remembers him and places his statue in the Hall of Fame of Isgard for future generations to admire.

Just as great as the name "Shizhui" suggests, the firepower of the new warship is also extremely great - the advanced 10 experimental 150mm cannons can destroy any old ships within their effective range, and its armor belt is also immune to the achievements of small-caliber cannons and ballistae. It can be said that it is the symbol of the invincible naval power of Ysgard!

...Once the remaining four improved [Shizhui]-class ironclad ships are launched next year, the conquest of the Roman Empire's coast will be just around the corner.

But this is only along the coast.

The President needs the Roman Empire's rich inland regions, its wheat and minerals, and its abundant geographical resources—the coast alone cannot satisfy Isgard's ever-expanding appetite.

So, how will the new rifle, bearing the immense pressure of advancing inland, perform?

The president squinted, using her vampire-like exceptional eyesight to observe the lab technicians who were jogging along.

The general directed operations from a sand table. He ordered the crossbowmen to enter the pirates' firing range, and after the experimenters found cover at intervals of 100 meters to determine their own firing positions, he gave the order to attack.

The crossbowmen of Ysugard advanced, braving enemy arrows. After unleashing a volley of arrows at the pirates' hideout, they immediately turned and used their large shields to cover themselves as they reloaded.

The pirates also had wooden shields and stone fortifications, and the two sides fought back and forth in a turn-based manner, resulting in relatively few casualties. In this situation, the pirate commander even rushed up the city wall to personally boost morale.

He was surrounded by solid shields erected by shield bearers. The shields provided too much resistance for arrows and crossbow bolts. Unless ballistae were used, very few projectile weapons could penetrate the shields.

That commander probably dared to charge onto the city walls only because Ysgard hadn't deployed any ballistae or ballistae units, right? But he was completely unaware that Ysgard possessed a new type of weapon with extremely high penetrating power...

The general estimated the distance. The crossbowmen cited the pirates' defensive wall as an example, saying it was about 150 meters away, which was the optimal firing range. The experimenters were more than 260 meters away from the city wall, but considering the accuracy of the new rifles, this should indeed be the optimal firing range.

He ordered the experimenters to fire a volley at the enemy commander who was swaggering on the city wall.

With a deafening roar, the enemy commander, protected by layers of shields, was seen through the Eye of the Sky to be pierced by countless bullets, along with several layers of wooden shields.

"...I now wish for these new rifles to be issued to all my troops, Miss President, now."

The general turned to look at the president.

His eyes were filled with a burning desire for the new weapons.

............

The pirate hideout was quickly breached, and both new weapons proved their worth. Now, the president sits in a conference room in a city near the battleground, with her most recently arrived staff in front of her.

The president and her staff briefly explained the effects of the new weapons. She then proposed that all military factories should abandon the production of old crossbows and instead produce bullets for the new rifles.

Although they still have to make the new rifles one by one by hand, at least they can now make as many bullets as they can.

However, this makes reforms to the future army of Ysgard inevitable.

"These weapons rendered most armor and shields useless burdens."

"Miss President, I hope that all shields will be removed from the new army's equipment, and our soldiers will be provided with more lightweight leather armor instead."

"Leather armor?"

"Yes. Because, as it stands, neither plate armor nor chainmail can withstand direct fire from the new rifles at their optimal range."

If the Roman Empire also possessed such weapons, rather than letting iron affect the soldiers' agility, it would be better to abandon iron armor and use steel in more appropriate places.

After all, leather armor is both comfortable and lightweight, and from my observation, it can also be modified into a "pocket" for carrying bullets, making it the standard equipment for our country's infantry in the future.

At the same time, I also hope to lighten the cannons on the [Shizhui] and turn them into army artillery, and I also hope that cavalry can have new rifles that can be used normally while riding at full speed...

“Okay, I’ll consider it. But that would make our need for a steam plant even greater… Without a steam plant, given that our domestic industry may need more than five years to improve and transform, we simply cannot satisfy our appetites for both military and civilian industries at the same time.”

All the conditions the general proposed can be put to good use, but the problem is—everyone knows you're doing this for the good of Ysgard, but how can Ysgard's current industry simultaneously satisfy its huge appetite for both civilian and military needs?

This is like asking an ordinary human male under 30 to marry a vampire woman who might be hundreds of years old. Expecting this young, energetic man to satisfy the vampire's appetite is less likely than hoping the vampire will spare his life out of regret...

Therefore, we still need to find a way to obtain the secret of the Roman Empire's steam factory.

The president sighed heavily, while the other staff members exchanged glances and could only shrug in agreement.

Just then, the Minister of Research stepped forward and expressed his hope that, taking advantage of this "trade" opportunity, they could start another fleet to establish a secret port belonging to Isgard on the continent of Elusia, and at the same time sell some of the no-longer-used experimental equipment in the Academy of Sciences to earn some funding.

“We no longer need those muzzle-loading guns, and those inferior gunpowder and lead bullets... Oh, and these too, these... We don’t need them either. Rather than letting them rot, we might as well sell them and make some money.”

"Considering that the Roman Empire might also be developing similar weapons, simply selling muzzle-loading rifles wouldn't pose much of a threat to us... If all else fails, we can sell them to smaller countries in the surrounding region. We'll just have to raise the price."

"Raise the price?" The president smiled mysteriously. "To fool primitive people, a 500% increase shouldn't be a problem... Get them to trade with gold and jewelry instead of currency, and ideally, exaggerate the value of these scraps to sell them for a 1000% premium..."

"In that case, we might need to prepare magical items on the ship that can communicate across continents, so that we don't miss out on a great opportunity to earn 1000% if we don't know what's happening over there."

"That's settled then. Oh, and send some more test engineers equipped with the new rifles over there. We need to test the adaptability of the new rifles on the continent of Elusia. Also, send a few mages over there to test the magic there."

"Yes."

Issugard is making thorough preparations for its colonial war. Issugard is very patient; they don't mind waiting a while to win.

Meanwhile, on the continent of Elusia, the Roman Empire's military districts were embroiled in a dispute with the parish's friars.

They argued for a whole month about who should be responsible for the devastating news from Earl Kagard. Finally, with the Night Witch as witness, the Guardians of the Church relented because over 70% of the people in Earl Kagard were followers of the Church of Light. They took on the main responsibility for the demon invasion, but also had to pay a huge sum of money in compensation to the Roman Empire.

A huge sum of money flowed from the parish bank into the Roman Empire. Peter, heartbroken, squeezed out a few tears and could only grit his teeth and prepare to send a religious army to the Elf Forest in November of this year to make up for the gold coins that had been taken from him by the elves.

Meanwhile, Yang Hao and Theresa were resolutely advancing towards the border of the Elf Kingdom in the Monster Forest.

Compared to before, he now has Dr. Joseph and his family by his side, Golem, and the entire Ling tribe.

Perhaps the past experiences are still stinging the Regent's already aggressive heart, which is like a sea urchin.

He harbored a deep distrust of the Listeners, his former employer, and also of Mr. Joseph's family.

Mother Teresa simply shook her head, intending to have a proper talk with him when they set up camp that evening.

Chapter Two: The Nun's Ecstasy

"Oh dear, my little puppy, even after all this, you still refuse to believe the Ling people?"

On the night of April 1st, when Yang Hao and Theresa found a good place to rest temporarily, the Ling tribe also stopped there to set up their camp.

Dr. Joseph and his wife and daughter are helping to care for the wounded members of the Listening Clan. During this time, they have learned some basic demon language. However, in order to avoid communication errors, Theresa has chosen to maintain the [Word Magic] continuously to provide space for normal communication.

...It was under these circumstances that Naruja, the chief of the Ling tribe, came to ask Yang Hao what they should do—and it was at this moment that Teresa noticed Yang Hao's distrust and resistance.

Although he held back and allowed the Ling tribe to rest and prepare food or something else before letting Naruja leave, his apparent distrust of everyone still worried Theresa.

Therefore, Teresa specifically chose a place where no one would disturb them, intending to talk to Yang Hao about this matter. But she hadn't noticed before, but now, as she did so, the little nun felt the pressure emanating from Yang Hao.

The man shifted his position as if in a huff. He didn't want to talk, but Theresa needed him to—how could they talk if he wouldn't even speak?

"Besides the Ling clan, Joseph is the chief physician of the Red Cross, which you personally founded. Isn't it strange that even Joseph doesn't believe you?"

Theresa and Yang Hao sat together on the same large rock. When Yang Hao heard Joseph's name, he simply turned around again, while Theresa could only give a helpless, bitter smile.

That's not incomprehensible... but with the Ling clan and the doctor present, if we don't make a statement now, going to the Elf Kingdom later will only... sigh!

If the Elf Kingdom asks about these people, and the Ling tribesmen say they're his subordinates, and Dr. Joseph says they're his troops, and then Yang Hao turns around and simply says, "I don't know them," that would be troublesome...

Theresa needed to avoid such a hassle. After all, settling down would take time, and she didn't want to spend a whole year cleaning up this mess after arriving in the Elf Kingdom.

Moreover, to prevent Yang Hao from being bullied in the Elf Kingdom due to his lack of strength, she personally felt that accepting the Ling tribe and Dr. Joseph was a good idea.

After all, Golem is really practical, and the Listeners are willing to trust him, not to mention that Dr. Joseph, as the chief physician, does indeed possess powerful medical skills—but the key issue is that Yang Hao doesn't trust anyone else...

"After all, the Ling Clan only came here because they heard about the magic that allows severed limbs to grow back in the Elf Kingdom. Don't worry about them having any designs on you..."

"..."

"Besides, Dr. Joseph was absolutely loyal; he never broke his oath until the very end. Furthermore, his whole family is with us now. Even for his own sake, he wouldn't possibly have any designs on you..."

"..."

"Oh...you sulking, naughty dog, what do I have to say to make you relax?"

Somewhat annoyed, Teresa clung to Yang Hao's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Naruja, watching from a short distance away, thought to herself that if she did the same, she'd probably be violently attacked by that man.

Envious of Theresa's privileges, the Ling tribe chief simply shook his head and used his horn to order his people to quickly start a fire and cook in preparation for their journey.

Even if Teresa clung to Yang Hao's back and acted coquettishly, the man remained silent. He simply lowered his head and rubbed his chin against Teresa's arm for a while, expressing his bad mood in this silent way.

His beard made Theresa's heart itch. The beard, which hadn't been groomed in a long time, was messy and stiff, making Theresa wonder if it weren't for the sleeves of her nun's habit, her hands would probably have been poked by the beard.