The story of the black silk female knight

Valensa wore the slightly smug smile that comes with a young person achieving great success:

"I was indeed badly injured this time, but fortunately, Her Majesty the Goddess is merciful. She not only miraculously healed my pain but also bestowed upon me new power... Now, I am also a Starry Paladin."

This news did not surprise the King and Crown Prince, because when the Church of the Sun announced the matter of the treasure, it stated that Valensa would receive a special blessing from the Sun Goddess as a reward.

Valenza's combat talent and achievements were evident to all, and it was widely believed that her advancement to the Radiant rank was only a matter of time. Now, with the blessing of the goddess, her direct advancement can be considered a natural progression.

Despite thinking this, the king still seemed quite pleased and burst into laughter:

"I told you long ago, Valencia, that you are exceptionally talented, the sword of Fran, capable of slaying all natural and man-made calamities that threaten Fran. And now it seems you are right! Hahaha..."

"Your Majesty flatters me. I merely put in some effort and had a bit of luck. Your Majesty is the one who truly strategized and planned..."

Valencia remained calm and modest, engaging in a mutual exchange of compliments with the King.

After exchanging pleasantries and flattering words, the king had the maids replace the cold tea with hot tea before getting down to business, inquiring about the details of the dungeon raid, especially the secret treasure of the Golden Lord that nearly wiped out the adventurers.

These questions were all expected by Valensa, and she had already thought about how to answer them.

Given the royal family's methods, there must be many informants among the adventurers. Apart from some extremely confidential details, the royal family should know everything, so most of the information absolutely cannot be lied about.

Therefore, Valensa answered most questions truthfully, making only minor changes to some key details.

For example, in Valensa's answer, the mysterious sticker was not eaten by her in the end, but was forcibly put into the storage space of the artifact cloak before it stopped working.

Valensa herself was severely injured not because of indigestion, but because she forced her way into the inferno to search while her energy was suppressed, resulting in burns.

As for why she had to stay in the Church of the Sun for so long for a mere burn injury, Valensa explained that her burns had actually healed long ago, and that she had been lying there for so long because she had been receiving blessings from the goddess.

Since it normally takes several months for a lighthouse to break through to the Radiant rank, Valensa's explanation suddenly became reasonable. It also matched the announcement previously released by the Church of the Sun and did not conflict with the information obtained by the royal spies from the adventurers.

So, although the King and the Crown Prince were somewhat reluctant to accept the treasure, they had no choice but to acknowledge and accept Valensa's explanation.

The matter of the treasure was thus completely over. The king didn't ask any more questions, but the crown prince, holding the automatic rifle, asked Valensa about it with great interest.

Although many people expressed curiosity about firearms, after careful study, they did not cause much of a stir.

After all, the basic principle of a gun is actually very simple, and there were already people in America using similar weapons.

Unlike mainstream firearms in technological civilizations that use gunpowder to give bullets kinetic energy, America's ice needle guns and iron ball guns are more like air guns, using wind-attribute magic crystals to compress air and fire various types of ammunition to kill enemies.

Of course, air guns are inferior to gunpowder guns in terms of power and range, and they don't have the convenient loading method of magazines.

So there are still some people who are interested in firearms.

For example, the Crown Prince, holding that automatic rifle, asked Valensa with great interest:

"Is this weapon easy to manufacture? What is the cost? Could you equip every soldier in my Fran army with one to enhance combat effectiveness?"

I have personally experienced and tested this weapon several times. Although it is not very effective against Pearl-level cultivators who are on guard, it still has a great advantage against those below the Pearl level.

If every soldier on the northern border could be equipped with such a weapon, casualties would be significantly reduced when facing the invasion of wild beasts.

Alternatively, these weapons could be sold to planters and gatherers who spend long hours working in the wild, so they could fight back against monsters.

"His Highness the Crown Prince's concern for soldiers and the people is truly a blessing for France."

After patiently listening to the Crown Prince's question, Valensa first sincerely praised him, then shook her head with considerable regret:

"Unfortunately, this weapon cannot be mass-produced at present."

Chapter 26 System Upgrade

If you really want to mass-produce firearms, it is indeed possible.

Of course, it was not Fran that was able to do this, but Wei.

Wei is now the boss's wife of the Arasaka Group, and the resources she controls are more than enough to satisfy national-level arms trade.

If Fran is willing to offer equivalent magical items in exchange, given the Arasaka Group's production capacity, all Fran soldiers could be equipped with automatic rifles within two months at most.

But such a large-scale interdimensional transaction could not possibly be kept secret.

The Sage's Tower nearly triggered a cataclysmic crisis because it once made a deal with an otherworldly civilization. Since then, the Sage's Tower has been wary of anything, strictly prohibiting anyone from having any in-depth contact with otherworldly civilizations.

While the Church of the Sun and the Witch's Forest did not explicitly agree with this, they also did not object, which can be considered an implicit acquiescence.

With Valensa around, the Church of the Sun doesn't need to worry, but the Sage's Tower will definitely cause trouble because of this, and it might even lead to a full-blown armed conflict, which would be a loss.

Therefore, Valensa gave up on the idea of ​​having the government intervene in large-scale trade with the Arasaka Group after a little thought.

Therefore, it is impossible for Franz to mass-produce firearms based on its current industrial level.

"why?"

The Crown Prince seemed very puzzled by this answer. He skillfully disassembled the automatic rifle and neatly placed all the parts in front of Valensa.

“I have studied it myself and consulted some craftsmen. The principle of this weapon is not difficult, so why can’t it be mass-produced? The craftsmen I asked all said that they could replicate it.”

"It's not difficult to make a small number of imitations."

Valensa smiled:

"Given detailed parameters and blueprints, a mid-level alchemist can create this weapon themselves. Your Highness, the craftsmen you consulted must be more than just mid-level alchemists, right?"

A weapon that requires a mid-level alchemist to craft by hand, yet can only be used against enemies below the Pearl level… Does Your Highness really think there's any need for mass production of such a weapon?

"This……"

The crown prince frowned immediately, while the king remained silent and smiled.

Alchemists are a crucial production profession in magical civilizations, holding a status almost equivalent to scientists and researchers in technological civilizations.

The number of registered alchemists of intermediate or higher rank in the Kingdom of Fran has never exceeded one thousand. Each one is a very valuable talent resource, and even the core of production for many shops and departments.

It's such a waste to make these precious alchemists handcraft weapons every day.

If this weapon could really change the course of the battle, that would be one thing, but the royal family has already tested it many times, and as Valensa said, its effectiveness against cultivators above the Pearl level is greatly reduced.

Especially for mages of the Pearl level and above, a simple deflection field is all it takes to stroll leisurely through a hail of bullets.

Using magic-piercing metal might be effective, but the bullets from firearms are too small, and that little bit of magic-piercing metal is unlikely to be enough. It's far less effective than using magic-piercing arrows fired from a powerful bow or crossbow.

Overall, equipping Franz soldiers with automatic rifles would certainly improve their combat effectiveness, but not by much... at least it's not worth having our precious alchemists manually craft weapons every day.

"Why……"

The crown prince, still seemingly unwilling to give up, stared wide-eyed at the gun parts on the table:

“I admit that this weapon is very ingeniously designed, but its principle is not difficult... America has had similar weapons for a long time, and it doesn’t require a mid-level alchemist to handcraft them. Many workshops can produce them.”

"Your Highness is referring to various types of magic needle guns, isn't that right?"

Valensa chuckled and shook her head:

“I’ve seen that kind of weapon before… When I participated in duels in America, quite a few contestants chose that weapon. The principle of the Magic Needle Gun is indeed similar to that of my rifles, but the most crucial aspect, the way the ammunition is fired, is completely different.”

Regardless of the ammunition used, the Magic Needle Gun fires rely on compressed air from wind-attribute magic crystals. My firearms, however, fire their ammunition through gunpowder explosions.

Before the Crown Prince could express any further doubt, Valensa took the initiative to pick up the barrel of the rifle:

"In terms of range and power, gunpowder guns are undoubtedly more powerful... but gunpowder guns also have a significant characteristic, which is that they have very high requirements for the barrel. If the barrel is not strong enough, the gun will most likely explode and injure the shooter."

The barrel of this gun must be a seamless steel tube, so blacksmiths cannot simply hammer and roll up steel plates using forging methods. While one-piece casting can create a seamless steel tube, the cast steel itself lacks sufficient strength. Currently, the only way to manufacture a qualified barrel is for mid-level or higher alchemists to hand-forge it, which is the biggest obstacle limiting the mass production of this weapon.

"That's...ok."

Having said that, the Crown Prince naturally couldn't insist any further.

He could only sigh reluctantly, and then asked curiously:

"Valenza, how did you get these weapons? And there seem to be quite a few of them?"

"Of course, it comes from underground ruins in the desolate lands."

Valensa naturally shifted the blame back onto Frieda:

"These were originally weapons of soldiers from an ancient civilization. There are still a few parts and materials in the underground ruins. I initially wanted to enhance the combat power of the undead soldiers, so I asked that great witch sister to help me manufacture a batch of these weapons."

Unfortunately, in later combat, it was found that this weapon was not very effective, and the parts and materials found in the ruins were also used up, so I didn't manufacture any more. I only kept a few as toys for my collection. Unexpectedly, they came in handy in the dungeon.

"That's true..."

The royal family seemed to have guessed this all along; the crown prince showed no surprise, only a greater curiosity leading him to ask further questions:

"You say this is a weapon used by soldiers of an ancient civilization... How did the ancient civilization manage to mass-produce such weapons? Could it be that the ancient civilization had many excellent alchemists? Were mid-level alchemists in ancient times similar to farmers today?"

"No, that's not it... I heard from the Great Witch that excellent alchemists were very valuable talents even in ancient civilizations."

Valensa shook her head with a smile, then lowered her head to think for a moment before saying:

"The ancient civilizations were able to mass-produce such weapons not because of magic, but because of a power called technology or industry. I don't know the specifics, but it's something like..."

Then Valensa explained the concept of large machine tools in simple terms that most people in the world could understand:

"...That's about it. I heard from the Great Witch that ancient civilizations could use these large mechanical devices to allow ordinary people to create many high-level alchemical products."

"Technology... Industry..."

The Crown Prince seemed quite fascinated by the large machinery Valensa described, gently touching the barrel of a rifle while muttering to himself with shining eyes:

"Perhaps, Fran should also pay more attention to the training of talent in this area in the future."

. . . . .

Completely unaware that her audience with the king had inadvertently sparked the industrial development of Fran, Valensa did not rush to the underground ruins of the Wasteland after leaving the palace. Instead, she went straight into the gate of Pink Rose.

Of course, she couldn't possibly be here to drink and seduce women. After all, the current owner of this shop is Tia, and even if she wanted to drink and seduce women, she would only do so secretly at other shops.

Valencia came to Pink Rose for basically only two things.

One reason is to come here and have the girls entertain Wei in various ways, and the other is to enter the Dimensional Hardware Store through room 305.

Valensa hasn't been here in a long time.

As her strength grew, the equipment and items she obtained from the Dimensional Hardware Store were no longer as valuable as those provided by the Church of the Sun. Now, the Dimensional Hardware Store's greatest help to her came from the enhancement cards she initially had more than she could use.

Every time Valensa breaks through to a new level, she can reach her peak in a very short time, becoming almost invincible at the same level and able to defeat opponents of higher levels.

Outsiders all thought Valensa was exceptionally talented, but in fact, it was mostly thanks to the enhancement cards... which allowed her to reach the maximum level once she broke through, just like in many anime-style card-collecting games from her previous life.

Valensa has now broken through her level again... Although she needs three times the experience to level up again while cultivating three paths at the same time, what if she has already saved up more than 1000 draws and has tens of thousands of gold coins in cash?

As long as you max out all the Star-level attributes to the maximum, and add some trump cards, you won't be without a fighting chance even when facing Moon-level enemies!

However, while the idea was wonderful, reality was cruel.

"I'm sorry, Miss Valensa."

After listening to Valensa's request, the owner of the Dimensional Hardware Store gently shook his cube-shaped monitor head, and a regretful soybean emoticon appeared on the screen:

"Since you have already completed the evolution of your life level, the enhancement card is no longer effective... To be precise, the machine that can enhance you can no longer meet your enhancement needs."

"what?"

Valensa glared at the shop owner with displeasure, leaning forward and pressing her heavy breasts firmly against the table, putting pressure on the shop owner.

"It can't be enhanced? Isn't your Dimensional Hardware Store supposed to be a cheat code for transmigrators? How come it's already failing at this point?"

"Well..."

The expression on the shop owner's square monitor head turned into sweating like soybeans again:

"With your intelligence, Miss Valencia, you must have guessed it long ago, right? Our Dimensional Hardware Store is actually an organization similar to your Sun Church, except that it specializes in serving transmigrators from various worlds."

We're not exactly some kind of cheat code for time travelers; at most, we're just a beginner's shop that can make things a little easier for them.

"For Miss Valencia, who has already completed her evolutionary journey, the services we can offer are now quite limited."

"Oh, I see~~~~"

Valensa deliberately drew out the last syllable, making no attempt to hide her disappointment:

"I thought you guys were like the systems of some protagonists in novels, all-powerful."

"An omnipotent system does not exist."

A few more beads of sweat appeared on the shop owner's face as he earnestly explained to Valensa:

"In the endless void, there may be some great beings who will create systems with similar functions to our store for their chosen people to use, but the functions of such systems will never exceed the power of the gods themselves."

"So the idea that a nobody can turn their life around and defy fate just by getting a system is nothing more than a joke created by the gods?"

Valensa gave a thoughtful hum, then shook her head: