Chapter 385
About a hundred dwarfs stopped shooting, following the order of the head of the factory and gathered in the special area to observe tests.
«What? A new generation of weapons?» – Gimli gasped. – «Do you want to say that you’ve created something more powerful than an artillery cannon?»
«You bet!» – Gennady’s black beard twitched with delight.
Baladin said abruptly, never taking his eyes off the golden case: «Don’t tell me that this powerful weapon fits in this tiny box!»
«Exactly! Behold the pulse rifle!» – The head of the factory announced solemnly.
Kyon took out a dark shiny weapon the size of a sniper rifle but a bit different: its magazine was half the usual size and there was a convex sphere the size of half hand in the front.
The three great brothers frowned in disbelief. They could believe that electricity was the most underestimated energy. They could believe in the existence of a “chemistry” that helped create unimaginable things with metals and not only. But to believe that this small toy was more powerful than artillery? No way!
«Shoot, my elder brother.» – Gennady said in a trembling voice.
Kyon aimed the pulse rifle at the meter-thick steel wall and pulled the trigger.
~bang~
In a split second, something flew out of the muzzle at an unimaginably high speed.
~BAM~
After a deafening roar, everybody saw a one-meter hole in the thick wall. For comparison, artillery would leave only a deep crater, so a shot from a miniature pulse rifle was about five times more powerful. To put it another way, an artillery shot could be comparable to the Annihilation Sphere of the 27th stage. It could harm even a noble phaser in the 5th stage ready to attack (for example, Timothy). As for a shot from the impulse rifle, it could injure a lord phaser in the beginning stages, which wasn’t very impressive. However, it could kill a peaking lord phaser if taken by surprise, which wasn’t so bad.
~BAAM~ ~BAAAM~ … ~BAAAM~ ~BAAAM~
Lovr made ten consecutive shots at one second interval, turning the steel wall into a sieve.
Leila and Eve clung to each other in fear. What a terrible weapon! What a crash! Did the dwarfs manufacture it from Zosimos’ invention? It was a living nightmare! Had they known they could wipe the entire factory off the face of the earth with a single blow, they would have forgotten to breathe.
«ОH GREAT THOR!» … «UNKNOWABLE POWER!» … «А-А-А-А-А-А-А-АH!» … «IT’S… SOMETHING… UNBELIEVABLE!» – The workers screamed, pulling their hair out. Insane delight was written all over their faces. The polygon filled with incessant noise created a unique atmosphere of primal happiness.
Tears came to Gennady’s and Lenny’s eyes, and they secretly brushed them away. What power! What beauty!
The three great dwarfs were speechless as their jaws almost dropped to the ground. How could such a small gun be so powerful? It took only a second to recharge! And there was no recoil at all! Did it mean that soon commoners would be able to make ranged attacks like lord phasers?
«What was that?» – Gimli asked Zosimos with a stutter as he approached them.
«A pulse rifle. The most powerful weapon in the factory so far. However, a couple of tons of explosives could make a bigger blast.»
«How… How is it possible that there is so much energy in this small thing the size of a crossbow? I didn’t see any smoke coming out of it!» – Gimli cried out. The other two brothers drilled Zosimos with a questioning gaze.
Zosimos explained dryly: «The pulse rifle, as you might guess, works on impulse, not pneumatics. Inside this spherical bulge, there is a magnetar that makes three hundred thousand revolutions per second. Electromagnetic force and vacuum reduce friction to zero. Every trigger pull converts rotational kinetic energy into translational kinetic energy that is transferred to the bullet. That’s why its power is comparable to five artillery shots, silent and without recoil. The fire-rate is one shot per second and twenty shots per minute with a magazine for forty bullets.»
The three brothers ran their fingers through their hair, trying to comprehend the information they heard. Everything he said was intuitively understandable but simply not feasible! Only a genius could create a working prototype, applying the laws of physics, taking into account formulas, creating suitable materials and making the correct design! But before starting all that, it required a lot of mental work!
«Wait!» – Gimli said. – «Wait, wait, wait! How can it fire ten shots in half a minute? Can the magnetar spin faster?»
«Magnetar is an ultra-strong superconductor with a specific structure. It’s accelerated with the help of high-frequency electromagnetic waves created by its shell, i.e., the weapon walls, that feed on energy. Initially, the design suggested a super-capacious battery, but due to the technological capabilities of this… Anyway, we used an ordinary lord phase formation that emits energy in exchange for spheres. A shot costs fifty spheres. It doesn’t come cheap, but it’s not too much, either. In the near future, we plan to create pulse artillery, which will cost much more! But it will be progressively more powerful, too…»
«Pulse artillery?» – The three brothers exclaimed.
A hundred hard workers cheered at the top of their lungs, hearing these words.
«Daddy, may I try it?» – Leila asked, tugging Zosimos at his shirt.
Kyon marveled at her courage for a second, then nodded: «Of course, love. Come on.»
Lovr handed Leila the pulse rifle, helped her take the correct pose for the shot and told her to pull the trigger, holding her by the arms just in case. After the shot, Leila’s eyes lit up with happiness. It was much more exciting than watching cartoons!
Eve also wanted to shoot, but she didn’t dare to ask Zosimos because she would have to be too close to him then, and she shuddered at the very thought of it… Imagine her surprise when Zosimos handed her the weapon and gave her verbal instructions! Under his and hundreds of bearded dwarfs’ gazes, Eve timidly shot at the steel wall! Her heart was overflowing with gratitude to her father, who had shown remarkable consideration for her feelings. He was so… cool.
Leila pouted and wanted to shoot herself too… However, the three brothers, Gennady, and Lenny had already lined up before her… With a fight, she managed to cut in line.
After about an hour, the five dwarfs, Zosimos and his girls came to the head office.
«What are our plans for the future, Zosimos?» – Gennady asked excitedly.
«To begin with, we will improve the technology to create pulse artillery. The next-generation weapons are too complex. That’s why then we will focus on alpha TNT, the most powerful explosive. Grenades with this filling will surpass even pulse artillery, but it will take at least three years even with the support of all the dwarfs in the world. The same applies to the hydrogen bomb with a yield equivalent to one hundred megatons.»
«One hundred megatons!» – Gennady and Lenny exclaimed in disbelief.
«Is it a lot?» – Gimli wondered.
«It will blow Dantes off the face of the earth!» – Gennady barked.
«It can’t be!» – The three brothers gasped.
Gimli, Baladin, and Dorin had been planning to manufacture artillery and some firearms at their factory soon, but now they fully realized the insignificance of their ideas. Pulse artillery! Alpha TNT! H-bomb! That’s real power!
The dwarfs didn’t stop talking until Kyong asked for silence: «Gentlemen, we are going to design a resonator along with alpha-TNT and hydrogen bomb. It’s a weapon of mass destruction that uses sound vibrations to create an earthquake…»
«You can do that? How do you know all this?» – Gimli asked, stuttering.
«Imagine that Thor himself told me about it in my dreams. It will be easier for you to understand.» – Zosimos smiled and created a piece of gold in his hand. – «Now let me tell you about chemistry.»
«Is it gold?» – The five dwarfs gasped in shock.
For the next half hour, Kyon explained what chemistry was and how it worked, creating gold, platinum, diamonds, emeralds, rubies and other minerals with the earth element to demonstrate the world at the atomic level.
While the girls played with beautiful gems, the bearded dwarfs listened and watched Zosimos as if enchanted. He was Thor himself giving them a private lesson. The world turned upside down. This man could create any rock or metal in his hands! Wasn’t that proof enough that he knew the way the world worked? It would take anyone else years to create at least one piece of rock, studying family heritage, i.e., through enlightenment.
Gimli, Baladin, and Dorin had realized what kind of monster they were dealing with. His disrespect for them was fully justified! They couldn’t hold a candle to him, to put it mildly! They were specks of dust compared to his phenomenal knowledge!
Gimli hesitated for a long time, and then said the following as if trying to persuade a stranger to marry his dog: «Zosimos… I have never met anyone smarter than you… I really want to have someone like you in my factory. Being the head of all the factories in Saturn, I have to offer you a job on your terms…»
Gennady and Lenny tensed.
«I appreciate it, but no.» – Kyon declined the offer with a gracious smile. He had to go to Cernos because he was too weak for Dantes. In Saturn, there were beings on a completely different level! Lovr liked to keep his life under control. He’d hate to become a small boat in the raging ocean full of monsters. Therefore, he was not going to deviate from his original plan.
Gimli reacted as if it was what he had expected to hear: «So, you want to conclude a “bearded agreement” to create a worldwide dwarf center in Dantes?»
«That’s right. We need clever heads like yours.» – Zosimos said condescendingly.
The dwarfs did not mind his attitude. He was a gold mine. No, he was incomparable to any riches. He was a star descended from heaven!
«In short, my basic conditions are as follows: the best minds and hands of the dwarf race and all kinds of resources will be secretly delivered to Dantes for implementing new technologies. The governments of your empires should stay in the dark as the possible consequences are too unpredictable. All new technologies and weapons will stay in Rosarrio until I say otherwise. Leaks are unacceptable. You may discuss with Gennady the details like determination of seniority, places of residence, and so on.»
The three brothers were made an offer they couldn’t refuse.
After that, Kyon asked in a deep voice: «Gimli, do you have an earth grade?»
Grade specifies a certain level of expertise. Basic grade makes it possible to use the element, but even a heaven genius can’t use more than five elements. Advanced grade removes the restrictions from the element and enhances it by 2 stages, allowing to create unique and more powerful techniques. Only a few people had the superior grade that enhanced an element by 4 stages. Master grade has been considered the highest level of expertise for mortals since ancient times. Even great geniuses that have mastered 4 elements may never acquire it in a lifetime. Master grades are extremely rare and priceless. Even in the imperial treasury of Saturn (1), there are hardly any master grades of at least three elements.
Lovr had taken the superior (3) grades of all the elements from the Grands but had mastered (acquired) only the earth and the heat. He couldn’t even imagine where to get master grades! That’s why the question he asked Gimli was more important for Kyon than it might seem at first glance. Nobody sold master grades. They couldn’t be found anywhere.
Gimli and his brothers exchanged meaningful looks, nodding solemnly to each other: «Dwarfs are born with an earth element. Our heritage goes back to Thor himself! We’d be damned if we didn’t have a master grade of earth! But this information is top secret. If the human race finds it out, they will inevitably try to steal it. Zosimos, you are the only human in the world who knows because you are worthy of the master grade of earth! Even I feel unworthy after you have demonstrated your skill. I will send you a copy.»
«Thank you.» – Kyon shook his hand firmly.
Lovr left the factory completely satisfied with today’s results: he had filled the core with 10% light, which was 95% in total. It took him a lot of effort to leave the light side: he had organized the world dwarf center in Dantes, got a pulse rifle, aka powerful pocket artillery, made arrangements to receive a master grade of earth, and changed the girls’ attitude towards himself for the better!
Eve and Leila made a conclusion that Zosimos was wicked smart and conversant with any issue. Arguing with him was tantamount to ignorance. He was so good that even clever dwarfs were willing to kneel in front of him to get his instructions!
{Now I know what mom saw in him.} – Leila thought. It always seemed strange to her that some flickering pictures could win the goddess’s heart. Now it all started to make sense. Only an extraordinary and brilliant personality could conquer even the goddess’s heart! She was very lucky if he really was her dad! It would be nice to tease this smartass. Moreover, she seemed to be very strong! Even stronger than Zosimos.
Eve frowned thoughtfully: {If he has been working with the dwarfs for more than eight years, then it is evident that he has the money for the expensive hotel. But why did he say that they were too young for such important information? He could just say, “I work as an engineer for the dwarfs.” It wasn’t too difficult to explain!} – Eve thought about it for a long time. The only thing that came to her mind was that her dad was sincere and honest with them. He didn’t want to lie to them even occasionally! Did it mean that she could trust him? So it seemed…
«My sweet ones! Daddy is going to work tomorrow, and you will be watching cartoons.»
«CARTOONS!» – Leila cried out excitedly, raising her hands jubilantly.
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