Translator: CinderTL
Despite the myriad challenges, change was quietly taking hold.
With the government's explicit decree mandating the universal acceptance of paper currency for taxes, military salaries, and public works payments—and imposing severe penalties on merchants who refused it—people had no choice but to begin using paper money.
Currency exchange offices further bolstered public confidence by offering daily gold exchanges, albeit with limits, and they never failed to honor their commitments.
When someone actually exchanged a stack of paper bills for gleaming gold coins, the news spread like wildfire.
"That paper... it really can be exchanged for gold!"
"My cousin exchanged five coins at Port Frand, not a penny short!"
Trust began to accumulate. Merchants found carrying paper money far safer and more convenient than lugging around silver coins. Soldiers' families could now purchase grain directly in town after receiving their pay, eliminating the need for cumbersome exchanges. Even remote villages saw peddlers accepting paper money for salt.
Meanwhile, the issuance of Gold Mine Revenue Bonds attracted the wealthy elite. When the first shipment of gold ingots from the new continent was paraded through the streets in a public display, public confidence soared. Some began calling the paper currency "Gold Bonds," declaring that "though light as a feather, they weigh more than mountains."
Though some older generations stubbornly clung to gold and silver currency, the younger generation had begun to embrace paper money. The circulation of banknotes in the market increased daily, and people could now skillfully pull out paper notes bearing the Northwest emblem from their coin purses when making change.
A silent monetary revolution was quietly taking root amidst skepticism and observation.
With the successful issuance of Gold Mine Revenue Bonds and the gradual establishment of trust in paper currency, Alden Town's financial pressures eased dramatically.
The State Council swiftly injected funds into the military supply system, initiating a comprehensive military buildup.
The standing army's size expanded by thirty percent, with new recruits drilling day and night at training camps outside the city. Cannon factories operated around the clock, churning out new artillery pieces. Military food and clothing reserves doubled, and Port Frand's docks bustled with round-the-clock loading and unloading of supplies, creating a palpable sense of impending war.
Meanwhile, in a secluded area within the forests near Alden Town, the Area 51 weapons research base was quietly brewing a technological revolution.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Intelligence, the chemistry department at Weis Academy had experimented with the highly unstable mercury fulminate route while developing new explosives. These gray crystals were extremely sensitive to friction and impact, with even the slightest disturbance capable of triggering a violent explosion.
After a series of experiments, it was deemed too dangerous and impractical for widespread use.
However, upon learning of this, Paul immediately ordered all samples and research data to be transferred to Area 51.
"This isn't scrap," he declared at a technical meeting. "This is the future of ignition."
He proposed encapsulating a tiny amount of mercury fulminate in a small metal cap, to be placed at the base of the bullet. When fired, the firing pin would strike the primer, causing the mercury fulminate to detonate instantly, generating a high-temperature flame that would ignite the main propellant charge, thus replacing traditional matchlocks and flintlocks.
Compared to previous paper cartridges, this technology would give rise to true self-priming cartridges, completely revolutionizing firearm ignition.
The technical team at Area 51 initially harbored deep reservations. Mercury fulminate was notoriously unstable and difficult to control; even slight mishandling during production or transport could trigger a catastrophic explosion. But Paul personally oversaw the design of safety protocols: vacuum-sealed primers, inert material isolation, and integral die-cast cartridge cases to ensure maximum safety.
After months of experimentation, the first batch of experimental primer cartridges was finally produced. In range tests, the new rifles fired nearly three times faster than flintlock muskets, ignited reliably even in harsh weather, and demonstrated significantly improved accuracy.
News of the successful trials reached Alden Town, electrifying the military high command. This meant the Northwest Army would soon possess a 24/7, high-rate-of-fire, highly reliable light arms advantage.
Paul's original plan had been to follow historical precedent and develop minié rifle-level weapons for the Alden Army—a type of muzzle-loading rifled musket using conical bullets. These rifles, with their rifled barrels, offered significantly greater range and accuracy compared to smoothbore muskets, making them the standard choice for European powers in the mid-19th century.
However, the premature introduction of the primer completely altered the technological trajectory.
"Now that we've solved the problem of reliable ignition, there's no reason to stick with smoothbore barrels," he emphasized at a technical meeting in Area 51.
He sketched a diagram of the new rifle concept on the blackboard: "Using smoothbore barrels with primers is like putting steam locomotive wheels on an oxcart—the power has advanced, but the structure is holding us back."
"The next generation of standard-issue firearms must meet three criteria simultaneously. First, they must employ rifled barrels with spiral grooves to impart high-speed rotation to the bullets, dramatically improving range and accuracy. The effective range should be at least 400 yards, far exceeding the current flintlock musket's 100-yard effective kill range."
"The second priority is to adopt breech-loading designs, abandoning muzzle-loading systems. We must explore breech-loading mechanisms to shorten reloading times and increase battlefield firing rates. If breech-loading sealing technology remains immature for now, we can transition using rifled muzzle-loaders, but our ultimate goal must be breech-loading rifles."
"Rifling must be manufactured by machines. We must cease relying on artisans' hand-carved rifling—it's inefficient, costly, and lacks consistency."
Currently, the Alden Army possesses a small number of rifled muskets, all hand-rifled.
"Area 51 must immediately develop rifling machines powered by water or steam. These machines will use rotating cutters to precisely carve uniform rifling inside gun barrels, enabling standardized, mass production."
As Alden Town prepared for war, representatives from the Ironhammer Clan arrived, seeking news of Dain's prolonged absence.
Paul frankly informed them of the dire situation: Dain and Helsen had been detained by the Stonemason Clan and might even have been killed.
"You claim Dain is being held in Stonemason territory? Did you witness this yourself, or are you repeating the panicked ramblings of some terrified attendant?" The old dwarf, clad in a crimson cloak and sporting a thick, braided beard, slammed his fist on the table, his voice ringing like a hammer striking an anvil.
"We've received no response. Helsen was the Northwest's officially dispatched envoy, and Dain is an elder of the nobility. They entered the Stonemason Clan's territory and vanished without a trace, yet the Stonemasons refuse to offer any explanation. This isn't hospitality; it's imprisonment."
However, when Paul further explained that Alden Town was preparing to take forceful action against the Stonemason Clan, the Ironhammer Clan's envoy vehemently opposed the idea.
They naturally sided with their kin, the Stonemason Clan. While Dain and Helsen's fate was regrettable, it shouldn't serve as justification for Alden Town's aggression.
But Paul remained resolute in his decision.
The Ironhammer Clan's envoy openly mocked the notion that human armies could succeed even if they entered dwarven territory.
He warned Paul, "Your firearms might frighten beasts in open fields, but in our mountain valleys, a single rolling boulder could crush your entire army into pulp. In our tunnels, your bullets can't even pierce the rock walls. By then, you won't even find a way to escape."
(End of the Chapter)
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