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

"Look! That should be a aiming device... What is this? Our longbows don't have anything like that... Those numbers... 100? 200? And the cursor hovering above 900... We simply can't design a similar structure for our longbows!"

What kind of weapon is this? What are its design principles? It seems to have absolutely no unnecessary features!

Every part of it has its own purpose! Every part is useful, undecorated, simple and easy to understand, it is simply a weapon made purely for killing.

And are those parts on the body for real?

The experienced old elf could tell at a glance that this weapon, known as the Japa 144 rifle, did not use any expensive parts at all.

The material used for the structure, which appears to be supported on the shoulder for stability, is simply wood.

The long, cylindrical barrel might look a bit more sophisticated—but that's the only part of the weapon that looks slightly high-end.

The trigger mechanism and the bolt action look rather intricate... but compared to the reliefs the elves carved on their longbows, these parts seem like they could have been sculpted with a flick of the wrist...

[Cheap] – that was the old elves' first impression; [Cheap and powerful] – that was their second impression. They really couldn't find any [flaws]. If they had to say, perhaps this weapon wasn't suitable for close-quarters combat?

Only a fool would use a ranged weapon to fight an enemy hand-to-hand! Even elves themselves wouldn't use a longbow as a hammer, so why would we use this weapon as a hammer or a machete?

They stared in disbelief, and for a moment, a new idea suddenly arose in their minds:

"how..."

What a beautiful weapon... no... what a beautiful work of art!

The elves exclaimed in admiration, and it was at this moment that the test on the magic screen entered the next stage.

Since the first round of testing focused on range, the next round will naturally focus on other aspects—such as rate of fire.

...In terms of rate of fire, without a doubt, longbow archers only have a slight advantage when shooting at targets 100 meters away. But this is only temporary—after all, elves are also living beings, and as living beings, their stamina is limited.

After all, the longbow is still too cumbersome to use overall.

After shooting an arrow, you need to nock it again, draw the bow, aim again, charge up the arrow, and finally adjust the arrow based on the difference between your finger and the fletching.

Even an elf would feel a little tired after drawing the bow many times.

But what about that gun?

After the first aim, fire directly. After firing, pull the bolt, then the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth times—then quickly reload, fire again, and repeat the cycle.

There's absolutely no physical strain involved. If there's anything downside, it's probably that the gunshots are a bit too jarring...

And then? That's it.

The second round of testing ended in a complete failure with the bow and arrow.

In the third round of usability tests that followed, when the old elves saw the tester hand the gun directly to a five-year-old child, and the child actually completed a whole set of shooting actions, they knew that they had lost the third round of tests as well.

In the fourth round of testing, regarding portability, the bow and arrow were undoubtedly defeated once again.

After all, the arrows used for longbows are simply too long and too big; carrying 30 arrows is already the limit for a ranger.

On the other hand, the consumables used in firearms, which His Majesty the Regent calls "bullets," can be carried in a pocket of 10, and with a special bullet belt, more than a hundred bullets can be carried on one's body with ease, without affecting the body's flexibility at all.

The fifth round of testing was related to [power]. The test site was chosen to simulate the equipment worn by the parish knights, using a wooden barrel filled with water, an iron armor covering the barrel, and a thick wooden shield placed a distance outside the iron armor.

They placed the new targets randomly at the elves' normal combat distance—between 600 and 1000 meters. In this example, the difference between a regular elven archer and a rifleman became particularly apparent.

Without any enchantments on their arrows, ordinary elven archers must fully charge their arrows to pierce all the defenses of a target at a distance of 600 meters and inflict fatal damage on the wooden barrel hidden inside. At distances above 700 meters, their arrows will at most penetrate the wooden shield, slightly pierce the outer iron armor, and cause minor scratches to the inner barrel.

In contrast, what about the Japa 1404 rifle?

Within 900 meters, targets hit directly will be penetrated from front to back. Between 900 and 1000 meters, if the aim is accurate enough, the bullet can penetrate the wooden shield and then the iron armor, causing fatal damage to the wooden barrel inside.

His Majesty the Regent explained that this was thanks to the explosive ore used to make the bullet primer, which produced a high initial velocity due to its brutal destructive power. He praised the wonder and value of the explosive ore and also stated that the gun still had many problems and would require numerous improvements in the future.

But the elves knew that those minerals, known as "Explosive Ore," were once just annoying "junk" in the Oak Mine, easily damaging the oak trees. This new weapon, which claimed to have "countless problems," had completely crushed the perfect elven longbow.

In previous years, the elves would simply throw the trash outside for disposal.

Now, the "trash" has become a precious mineral deposit, which has left the old elves sighing with regret and falling silent after witnessing the debut of the firearms.

Everyone was extremely excited, including the elf Fen.

She was convinced that this was a revolutionary product that would usher in the next golden age for the elves, a monument worthy of being displayed on the elf flag for all time to come.

But precisely because of this... Fen's heart leaped into her throat amidst her excitement.

This is a new type of weapon that is destined to bring about a complete transformation to elven society.

Those whose social status will be seriously threatened by this weapon include bow makers, arrow makers, and archers themselves.

Bow makers and arrow makers—Fin can use his skills to give them new jobs and new status in the new society—since you can make bows, you can certainly make guns. Since you can make arrows, you can certainly make bullets.

These craft professions are destined not to disappear completely. Even if the Oak Factory takes over the manufacturing of guns and bullets, and even handles the enchanting process, there will always be elves who enjoy handicrafts, so these craftspeople don't need to worry about their social status being greatly threatened.

In any case, they are already highly skilled, and may even have incorporated their own inspirations into the process of learning gun and bullet manufacturing, eventually inventing unique weapons. So for them, the emergence of new weapons not only means a dramatic change in their work, but also means countless new and wonderful things, countless passions, and countless new possibilities that can stir up the calm emotions of the elves!

This will directly impact every aspect of elven society. Finn can even foresee that in the future, elves will not be bored and repeating the same daily routine, but rather exploring various possibilities with "imperfect" firearms, thus creating a wonderful illusion that invigorates the entire race...

But... what about the archers, what about the archery masters?

Their status was ruthlessly stripped away; their skills, accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of years, were no match for a child who had only been handling guns for a couple of days.

Will they accept this cruel reality?

At this moment, when Finn looked at the bowed and silent archery master in the meeting, her heart was pounding in her throat.

It was necessary to offer reassurance before the worst happened—just as Finn, sweating profusely, stepped forward, even amidst the heated atmosphere, it was time to pour cold water on the "gun" to ease the archery master's mind...

The archery master jumped out of his position right in front of everyone and landed directly in front of Yang Hao on the platform below.

"master!?"

Finn instinctively stood up, trying to stop the archery master from doing anything foolish, but what happened next left the nervous and anxious elven queen dumbfounded:

The archery master, his eyes bloodshot and his emotions running high, grabbed Yang Hao's clothes, but instead of a torrent of insults and accusations, he spewed forth...

"Regent! Your Majesty the Regent! Where is that weapon?! I need it now! I need it right now!"

That was an insatiable thirst for new, revolutionary weapons.

Finn seems to have forgotten. Even a master archer, after years and nearly a thousand years of studying the art of archery, will eventually feel bored with the weapon at hand.

After all, elves have incredibly long lifespans. No matter how many techniques there are in using bows and arrows, over hundreds of years, they have long since mastered their weapons, and may have even hunted down countless powerful beings with them. They also understand that different arrows have different uses, and how slight changes in the way they draw the bow can lead to different results.

They figured it out long ago.

Having seen through everything, they no longer felt any passion when using their love bows.

It's like asking a physicist to repeatedly calculate 1+1=2.

boring.

no change.

But it cannot change because other things are even more boring.

Even if I find a powerful opponent, I will remember what can be defeated with a bow and what must be defeated with magic.

An opponent who can be killed with a bow can only be dealt with almost mechanically, while an opponent who cannot be defeated with a bow cannot be defeated no matter what.

In other words, it was essentially a battle of brand names where the outcome was already known.

It's just boring.

This has been the mindset of the elven archery master for the past few hundred years.

Now, someone suddenly tells him that there is a new type of weapon that not only completely surpasses bows and arrows, but it is also a flawed weapon that can be improved countless times and even spawned into many variants with different uses.

I was initially astonished, but after witnessing the actual test, that astonishment turned into enthusiasm.

Countless passions.

Unparalleled passion.

According to tradition, elves will probably lose all their passion after they turn two hundred years old—because they learn everything very quickly, do everything very quickly, and can even develop the skills of a socialite in bed through their imagination during their virginity.

They are perfect, and this perfection limits their development—but now, suddenly, an imperfect new weapon has appeared, one that is destined to ignite countless passions in the elven society... and right now, their archery skills, honed over many years, are being directly rendered obsolete.

How could this not shock the archery master? How could this not stir his passion? How could this not ignite his... passion for the unknown possibilities?!

Therefore, the archery master accepted the decline of the bow and arrow almost instantly.

This weapon, which has been used for countless years, is due for retirement.

Now is the era of the new generation.

As an old man, he absolutely had to get that weapon!

Otherwise, if the younger generation catches up and tramples them underfoot...

That would be a huge disgrace to a "master".

.....

The Elf Master's sudden attack and request really startled Yang Hao.

However, after glancing at the stunned Fen, he smiled and said that he would give a satisfactory answer later, thus temporarily calming the archery master back to his senses.

Yang Hao then coughed twice and began to explain the advantages and disadvantages that must be noted when using the Japa 1404 rifle.

Because this is a new type of weapon different from bows and arrows, the Elven Kingdom must adjust its factories before large-scale assembly can begin. However, because war with the diocese is imminent, Yang Hao does not mind if the elves immediately abandon all production of longbows.

After surviving this invasion, they will have plenty of time to consider a full-scale arms rollout. But before they can survive the war, they must make the most of their existing resources.

"Moreover, for the production of the Japa 1404, I decided to use the Oak Factory to make adjustments, mass-produce parts, and then assemble them. Of course, just like mass-produced arrows, the Elven artisans can still customize their rifles, perform various enchantments and improvements, and even carve lyrics for songs that can be sung for an hour on them."

But I implore you, masters—at least don't do this while at war with the parish. In peacetime, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to carve an abalone on it, but in wartime, please consider the practical needs of combat more, okay?

Yang Hao's plea brought an extremely awkward smile to the faces of the old fogies.

Because, to be honest, even the older elves who weren't combat specialists were already pondering what kind of exquisite reliefs could be carved onto the wooden stock of that gun. Some were even considering whether the sights could be transformed into a dragon's head about to spew flames, which would look more artistic...

But since His Majesty the Regent has said so, then we should exercise some restraint on our side.

The elf masters nodded in agreement, and Finn finally sat back on his throne in astonishment.

Qinna muttered to herself: Even the oldest and most stubborn one has chosen to heed the Regent's plea, so the Elf Council has already succeeded in a sense. Can't we just end this now?

Before Fen could respond, Yang Hao took a sip of refreshing lemon juice and said that he was going to talk about conscription and mobilization.

"This is a temporary measure in preparation for the upcoming war, so please don't worry about the future social structure of the elves."

This is generally one of the changes that aligns with the characteristics of an elven society. Taking conscription as an example, Yang Hao included young elven men who were not considered regular soldiers but had received training in the conscription list.

They would provide fire support to the regular army from a very safe location using longbows and rifles. Because they were far from the main battlefield, there was no need to worry about them suffering any losses.