Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

TL: Etude

Night had already fallen. At the warehouse district of the Port West, Viscount Dillon was still leading a group of officials, overseeing the transportation of supplies.

Two days ago, he had just entertained another fleet from the Northwest Bay – Quik’s fleet had arrived last month, and the fleet that arrived yesterday was led by a captain named Tilbits.

The Northwest Bay fleet had once again delivered a large supply of goods. Since the second half of 1991, they had been delivering goods to Port West almost monthly.

It was now December, and the city had just experienced a light snowfall. In a small house, Viscount Dillon and several officials warmed themselves by the fire, watching through the window as laborers loaded the goods from the warehouse onto wagons.

With the onset of winter, the stalemate between the kingdom’s army and the rebels continued. The demand for supplies from the front lines was becoming increasingly urgent. Both sides were stubbornly holding on, seeing who would falter first.

Viscount Dillon had been busy these past two days. Finally gathering a convoy, they moved to the port area to load supplies overnight, planning to depart for the front lines early the next morning.

The fireplace burned brightly, warming the small room. A pot hung over the fire, cooking meat cans from the Northwest Bay. The viscount and his officials ate their supper, drank wine, and discussed various recent events in the city. Gradually, the conversation turned to a terrifying incident that had occurred at the port two days earlier – the assassination of Navy General Pike. It was called a terrifying incident because its process was beyond imagination.

The annual Day of Descent was approaching. General Pike had held a banquet at his home, inviting many friends from the military, planning to drink to their heart’s content. However, an unexpected incident occurred during the party.

The specifics of the incident were officially sealed, but due to the presence of many witnesses, numerous details leaked out, leading to wild and bizarre rumors throughout Port West. There were even claims of witchcraft being involved.

An official sitting next to Dillon, with a mysterious air, said, “My brother-in-law serves as a guard in General Pike’s residence and witnessed the entire incident. Do you want to know what happened?”

“Stop beating around the bush and just tell us,” someone urged.

Curiosity clearly overrode the order to keep the incident under wraps, even Viscount Dillon tacitly allowed the official to continue.

Savoring the eager anticipation in his colleagues’ eyes, the official took a deep breath and began to whisper about that night, though it was uncertain if the story had been embellished.

That evening, at the peak of the banquet, when the wine was flowing freely, two servants carried in a roasted whole ox, the main dish of the feast. The general and his guests, holding their plates, gathered around to cut meat for themselves.

Just as everyone crowded around, one of the servants carrying the ox suddenly revealed a sinister smile and loudly said to General Pike, “General, Captain Edward sends his regards.”

Before anyone could understand what was happening, the servant suddenly grabbed a carving knife and stabbed it into General Pike’s chest with lightning speed.

The guests were shocked by this sudden assassination and were momentarily stunned. The guards at the edge of the hall, however, reacted quickly, drawing their weapons and charging forward.

But before the guards could reach him, the servant raised his hands and shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen, Captain Edward also sends his regards to you.”

Then, something even more bizarre happened. The servant’s body suddenly began to swell, inflating rapidly until it resembled a giant meatball.

Sensing something terrible was about to happen, the guests tried to distance themselves in horror.

With a loud bang, the inflated “meatball” suddenly exploded.

At this point, the official narrating the story showed a horrified expression, as if he had witnessed the event himself.

He described in a chilling tone, “The explosion was so intense that even my brother-in-law, who was some distance away, felt a massive shockwave. It was as if an invisible hand had pushed him fiercely, sending him flying through the air.”

“Ooh…” As the official narrated, those of faint heart shuddered, drinking their wine in large gulps to calm their nerves.

“At first, he was disoriented from the blast, seeing stars, and his ears were filled with a ringing noise. He didn’t know how long it took for him to regain his senses. When he got up, he saw the surroundings in complete disarray.”

“In the hall, only the guards who hadn’t yet rushed over and guests who were further away were still standing. My brother-in-law was relatively fortunate, suffering only a dislocated arm. Those closer to the strange servant fared much worse. But the most horrifying thing was—”

“The entire hall was strewn with human limbs and disgusting flesh and blood, resembling a scene straight out of hell. Many of the surviving women were so terrified that they went mad, screaming in panic.”

“After the cleanup and investigation, they couldn’t piece together the body of that servant. It was presumed that he had been turned into a pulp due to the explosion.”

As the official finished his story, everyone swallowed their saliva in fear. Even Dillon nearly vomited the canned meat he had just eaten. The scene described by his subordinate was too shocking.

“So, are the rumors about witchcraft in the city true?”

“It seems so. How else could such a thing be accomplished by normal means?”

“A friend in the navy told me that their ranks are in chaos. Due to this assassination, almost the entire naval high command stationed at Port West was wiped out. Those who survived can only lie in bed now.”

As everyone was discussing, someone suddenly pointed out the window and said, “Eh? Is that a fire?”

Others also looked outside, seeing flames soaring into the sky in the distance.

“That’s… in the direction of the port!”

Dillon was speechless. It seemed like one disaster after another in Port West these days.

“My lord, should we go help put out the fire?” an official asked Dillon. It was already night, and they had the manpower.

Dillon shook his head, “No, the port has its own fire prevention team. We shouldn’t add to the chaos. Let’s go out and see how much has already been loaded and ensure the laborers don’t scatter.”

As they stepped out of the house, they heard a commotion coming from the direction of the fire.

At first, they thought it was the cries of those fighting the fire, but soon they discerned the sound more clearly—it was unmistakably the sound of battle.

Everyone started to panic.

“Everyone, stay calm! Officials, organize the laborers, no running, no shouting.”

Dillon loudly ordered the captain of the city guards guarding the warehouse, “Captain Mark, have your soldiers enforce martial law. Execute anyone who causes trouble on the spot.”

Despite not knowing exactly what was happening, it was definitely bad news. As the highest-ranking official in the warehouse district, he had to take responsibility.

Under the strict control of the guards, the laborers finally calmed down. Dillon immediately sent people to find out what was happening at the port.

Half an hour later, after an anxious wait, the scout returned, covered in blood and panting heavily.

“Lord Dillon! Captain Mark! It’s bad news.”

“What happened?” Captain Mark grabbed him and poured some wine into his mouth.

“Pirates! The pirates have attacked!”

Everyone was shocked.

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