Three Treasures

Mo Xiaohu also urged: "That's right, that's right, since you're already here! Mr. Xie, don't rush to leave. I'll get you the good stuff right away!"

With that, he quickly ran off to fetch something, returning shortly with a small box.

Opening the box, there were only three items inside, apart from dried grass.

Mo Xiaohu took out the first item proudly: "This is the hand cannon Zhao Lie mentioned, called the Three-Shot Hand Cannon! It can fire three shots consecutively!"

"Though its power isn't as great as the flintlock, it's convenient and concealable, perfect for self-defense!"

Zhao Lie's eyes lit up: "Excellent! This is exactly what I meant!"

"Last time I came, you said it wasn't completed yet. Is this the finished product now?"

Mo Xiaohu shook his head: "How should I put this? This still doesn't meet the Master's requirements. It still has significant flaws, like slow reloading, but at least it can fire three pre-loaded shots to prepare for unexpected situations."

"Actually, it's not limited to three shots. It can load more ammunition, but the more bullets loaded, the more likely it is to jam or explode. We haven't solved that yet."

"Our institute doesn't have many people. Being able to make a stable three-shot firearm is already our limit, and each gun costs over six hundred taels to produce!"

Six hundred taels? Xie Xian looked at the hand cannon and felt more at ease. This thing seemed shorter and sturdier, so it probably wouldn't kill someone in an explosion...

"This thing... won't explode, right?" he asked.

"No mechanical device can be absolutely guaranteed problem-free, but this gun's safety is decent. The barrel has been thickened, making the chance of explosion extremely low, though it might still jam," Mo Xiaohu explained. "But that's no problem! Just carry a couple more! If one breaks, switch to another!"

Zhao Lie was clearly very impressed with the hand cannon, praising: "Good! Today it can fire three shots continuously. Maybe in a few years, it can fire thirty shots! Wouldn't that make us invincible!"

"Let's test fire one shot to see its power. If it's good, I want all the ones you have!"

Mo Xiaohu sighed: "There are only four. If you want them, take them all."

"Since we use open flames underground, the remaining ammunition and gunpowder are stored in the research institute above ground."

"Plus we have no funding now, so we can only draw designs."

"Oh, and when taking gunpowder or test firing, be careful to avoid the people from the capital. Though they usually stay at Xueyue Tower, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Using the gun is simple. Just hold the trigger, aim at your target, and fire. As for loading, someone will teach you."

Xie Xian took the gun and examined it briefly, then nodded.

Next, Mo Xiaohu carefully took out a large wooden box from the case.

Seeing this, Zhao Lie asked curiously: "What is this? I've never seen it before."

Mo Xiaohu smiled proudly: "This is called a land mine! It has a mechanism inside that triggers explosives when stepped on! Anyone caught in it will definitely die!"

"There's no gunpowder package installed yet. It's more troublesome than using a gun, and it can only be used defensively, not offensively."

"Besides being triggered by stepping on it, it can also be triggered with trip wires!"

"Even the Master hasn't seen this treasure yet!"

Hearing this, Zhao Lie immediately became excited: "Good! Good! This is truly practical!"

"If we had this when hunting tigers in the mountains, it would save so much effort. Why didn't you bring it out earlier?"

Mo Xiaohu smiled bitterly: "We just made it recently. The structure isn't complicated, and it's simple to produce."

"Most importantly, it's economical... we found two carpenters and made it. Except for the flint and gunpowder, it's mostly made of wood."

"But when loading it, you can add crushed stones or metal fragments, which greatly increases its power!"

Zhao Lie picked up the wooden box and examined it, smiling: "You've had it tough. But I think the step-on version is unnecessary."

"Such a large object is too troublesome to set up. We'll mostly operate in cities and can't bury them. What kind of idiot would step on it?"

Mo Xiaohu silently turned around, took a pen, and wrote a large line on the mine box: 【DARE YOU STEP ON THIS】.

"Now don't you want to step on it?" he asked.

Zhao Lie: "........"

Xie Xian: "........"

Both were speechless.

Yes, they did want to step on it... but this trick would only work once, and would need to be set up in advance...

"It can be used the same way in cities. You can extend the trip wire, throw it into someone's courtyard, and pull the wire to make it explode."

Zhao Lie nodded thoughtfully: "Hmm, not bad! Throwing and detonating sounds interesting! Good idea!"

Finally, Mo Xiaohu bent down to take out the last item, a uniquely shaped dagger.

"This appears to be a dagger, but it's actually a gun too!"

"There's a small trigger here. Just press the bottom of the dagger handle to shoot out a projectile. Though not lethal, it can create a surprising advantage in close combat!"

"With the hand cannon and dagger, an untrained ordinary person can resist three or four trained soldiers in close combat!"

"Add the land mine, and you can both attack and defend! Unless the enemy vastly outnumbers you, your safety is guaranteed!"

Xie Xian nodded with admiration.

It seemed the Firearms Institute's inventions were indeed useful. He could consider helping them request funding from the Master when he returned.

"That's all. Mr. Xie, what do you think?" Mo Xiaohu's gaze was full of hope.

For the past two years, the Firearms Institute had been constantly overshadowed by the Steam Institute. Whether they could get funding depended on this chance!

"Excellent! Excellent! After I use these, I'll report back to the Master!" Xie Xian assured him.

Mo Xiaohu's face immediately brightened: "Good, good, good! When the funding comes through, I'll treat you to a good time at Xueyue Tower!"

"I want to go too," Zhao Lie said.

"Then you're included."

"Mr. Xie, we have everything we need. Is there anything else to prepare? If not, we can depart anytime."

The timing for departure now seemed somewhat rushed. The Master had given a month for preparation, so they certainly couldn't just set off hastily.

They still needed to consult Zhou Tie and Qian Desheng about the southern Qian Dynasty territory, find more manpower, and make preparations.

Otherwise, rushing could lead to unexpected problems, and seeking supplies later might be troublesome!

Xie Xian thought for a moment and said: "No rush. The Master gave me a month. I need to practice with these guns first. We also need to learn more about the southern salt-producing areas. This journey won't be short, so you should go home and prepare too."

"Also... we may need to visit many places, so we need to go to the printing shop to prepare some travel passes. In the future, if our people make too much noise while traveling, we'll claim to be from the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"What does Embroidered Uniform Guard mean?"

"You don't need to know that. Just remember that you are from the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"Understood!"