Chapter 0005: A Grand Gesture

The disparity in intelligence resources between the two parties has transformed what was originally a highly sophisticated venture capital endeavor into an exceedingly naive speculation

He waited for a moment, took a deep breath, and then resolutely pressed the torch against the fuse

This... this is magic! By the gods... this is magic!" Desail, disregarding his disheveled appearance, looked fearfully at the distant mound that had not yet completely fallen silent, shouting loudly.

Investment? This is indeed somewhat interesting. Chris has been waiting for this opportunity; what he currently lacks is the initial capital, which is why he can only choose this small-scale expansion model: "How much do you plan to invest?"

However, even though this thing is still very primitive, it is already quite remarkable that Chris was able to manufacture it: he had to find various types of steel for smelting experiments, and he also had to organize personnel to gather the raw materials for black powder. Just a few days ago, he finally completed the production of this cannon

Chris then began to recount his story: Once, a merchant discussed the profits of trade with his father. He asked his father, "What is the profit margin for farming?" The father replied, "Approximately ten times." The merchant then inquired, "What about trading in jewels and precious stones, what profit can be expected?" The father said, "It could yield a hundred times the profit." Finally, the merchant asked, "What about investing in a country's monarch, what profit can be expected?" The father replied, "So much that it cannot be calculated."

His family is not averse to selling weapons; in fact, several of the oldest commercial families have their own arms businesses—they understand war and even trade in it, thereby reaping substantial profits

Two days ago, when experimenting with this new type of weapon, he had also mentioned this to his lord, Chris. However, once this weapon truly let out its roar, he completely became Chris's loyal follower.

What is this? Under the leadership of Wageron, Chris brought Desai to see a peculiar object that Desai had never encountered before, prompting him to ask curiously.

With this, the thick city walls will turn into fragile quicksand, and there will no longer be any fortress that cannot be breached in the world. Chris smiled as he explained to Desail his most powerful weapon of war—the cannon

Chris burst into laughter after hearing Desai's words. His laughter was unrestrained, as if he had just heard something incredibly amusing

He ran his hand over the dark "iron pipe" lying between the two wheels, the coldness that transmitted to his fingertips instilled an inexplicable fear in Deser

No, Lord Chris, although these devices are quite exquisite, they are still not worth 1.5 million gold coins

"I need to see the things before I can make a decision." After a long wait, Desai finally broke the silence between the two: "Lead the way."

As long as there is support in terms of funding and logistics, Chris can rapidly develop and grow in the city of Selis. He will then launch his expansion plan to strengthen his power as much as possible

However, from Chris's perspective, the crystallization of those scientific civilizations in his mind is far from something that can be monopolized by 1.5 million gold coins

Chris nodded, then suddenly realized something and looked at Desai: "How much did you say?"

From the perspective of Desail, this investor is evidently bold and audacious. He is willing to invest 1.5 million gold coins to monopolize the equipment that Chris is still designing, which can certainly be described as a great spirit of adventure

After speaking, he turned to Chris again and continued to ask: "But the question is, what exactly can you offer to establish an empire? And after you establish the empire, what benefits do you intend to provide me?"

"Please forgive his rudeness," Chris said to the somewhat awkward Desail, "We will soon be practicing with this new type of weapon, and you can offer your opinions after you have seen it."

This is also an unavoidable situation: if there are ways to make money but no corresponding strength, one can only live under the oppression of Arant.

Hiss... Taking a deep breath, Desai Er squinted his eyes. Although some matters are the lifelong dreams of many members of the Longtait family, stating them so straightforwardly changes the atmosphere significantly

Moreover, this type of artillery and the shells it uses are essentially handcrafted, resulting in very low manufacturing efficiency. Chris exerted all his efforts to produce just a few of them.

Three individuals arrived at the edge of the forest, where they encountered a makeshift military camp. Although it was quite rudimentary, it was heavily fortified.

However, the opportunity before him would not come again. He wanted to seize Desai, this capital tycoon, to accelerate his own process of primitive accumulation.

"In a moment, I will take you to see something... I assure you that after you see it, you will believe everything I have said." Chris confidently stated, tapping on the woodworking machine beside him, "As for the benefits I can offer you..."

He paused for a moment, his gaze becoming sharp: "The Longtai family will become the richest family in the world, without exception; and within this family, there is only one voice, and that is your voice"

To his surprise, the other party was still unwilling to make a decision regarding the cooperation after hearing the amount of 1.5 million gold coins, and Desai Er slightly furrowed his brows

"Huh..." he exhaled, and Desail nodded in agreement with Chris's viewpoint: "If you could truly establish an empire, then my earlier offer was indeed too low"

"If I may speak frankly, even if you were to forge a crossbow cannon from metal, its power would not surpass that of a wooden crossbow cannon by much," said Desail, smirking as he speculated about the weapon's power based on his knowledge of weaponry.

Taxes will only continue to increase, and any dissatisfaction will be met with tenfold or even a hundredfold retaliation. Chris has crossed over and does not wish to keep his life in the hands of others. He intends to seize his own destiny and make his voice heard in this world

Although it is a pre-production version of the cannon, and its range is only about 6 kilometers, it remains the first artillery piece in the world, a new weapon capable of changing the mode of warfare

For the first time, technological civilization has made its voice heard in this world, and the sound it produces is deafening, powerful enough to change history

Hahaha. Upon hearing Desailly's comment, Chris had not yet spoken, but Wagner could not help but burst into laughter.

With a loud bang, the second shell flew into the distance, striking the designated mound by Desail and leveling it to the ground

The other party mentioned the number as casually as if bringing up a dinner, without even a hint of hesitation

Looking at the cannon that was firing, Desai Er found it hard to believe. Clinging to his last shred of hope, he pointed to the few remaining mounds in the distance and asked, "Can I designate a target?"

"Are you planning to buy these devices? With this money?" Chris suddenly became interested in the Desai in front of him and asked with a smile.

They have already undergone training, so they are very proficient in preparing according to the procedures written by Chris, and they quickly completed the preparations for the launch

Moreover, Vagrillon revised the oath of the cavalry unit, commanding each individual to pledge their loyalty to Lord Elanshir Chris with their lives

Of course! Chris took the torch from a soldier and handed it to Desail: "You can light it yourself!"

The thunderous roar caused Desai to fall to the ground in shock. He watched as the black iron pipe emitted a plume of white smoke, and in an instant, the earthen mound that had been used as a target was torn apart by immense force, with soil splattering everywhere.

"Mr. Desai, would you like to hear a story?" Chris asked Desai patiently.

This is a European field artillery piece from around 1880, with a carriage made of metal. The overall weight is 1.2 tons, and the caliber is also an unusual 90 millimeters.

If given a choice, Chris would not want to reveal his newly developed trump card to someone he is not very familiar with

It was a kind of detachment from the anxiety of losing control, yet curiosity kept him silent as he watched Chris wait for him to finish speaking

"The loom ... ... I didn't expect it could be applied in this area ... ..." Upon hearing Chris say this, De Sel nodded with a look of sudden realization.

At this point, Chris smiled and looked at Desail, asking: "You only plan to offer 1.5 million gold coins to buy a future empire... isn't that a bit too stingy?"

Leaving the workshop with Desail, Chris took him onto his own carriage. For the sake of confidentiality, Deans personally drove the carriage, and neither Desail nor Chris even brought their own guards.

Standing beside them, Deans and Stride were also startled by the numbers they heard. The total value of the projects managed in the city of Selis might not exceed 1.5 million gold coins

After a silence of about a few seconds, Desail suddenly raised his head and stared at Chris: "I have decided to invest in your machines."

Money paves the way, and the Longtai Te family is invincible, sweeping away all obstacles. However, this time the same tactics did not yield the expected results, which made Desai feel somewhat uncomfortable

Desail took the torch, selected a target, and instructed the soldiers to adjust the angle of the cannon before standing beside it

"It is not magic," Chris said with a smile as he extended his palm to Desail, who was sitting on the ground, pulling him up. "It is a weapon! Developed by the Elanshir family, a war machine!"

After waiting for De Sayer for not too long, a dozen soldiers stepped forward and began to load ammunition into the two cannons in front of De Sayer

1,500,000 gold coins

He looked at Chris and expressed his intentions: "I want to acquire all your subsequent achievements; the Longtait family aims to monopolize the sales rights of these machines"

Under the curious gaze of Desai'er, one of the cannons fired a shell towards a target 1,000 meters away