Chapter 496: The Iron Revolution(2)
Chapter 496: The Iron Revolution(2)
As mentioned before, the technological development of this world is incredibly unbalanced.
Thanks to the existence of magic, items like refrigerators and air conditioners exist, but moving massive machinery with 'magic' is nearly impossible. No matter how much magic exists, one cannot move a machine requiring 100 units of energy with only 1 unit of energy.
If Albert Einstein had come to this world, there would be many things that would make him clutch his neck and collapse, but conversely, many things are no different from Earth's formulas.
'Magic' and 'mana' have merely increased the diversity of physics to an overflowing degree; the parts that are akin to 'truth' remain unchanged. Therefore, to move a massive object, one needs a corresponding amount of 'power.'
"Ugh... Cough! Cough!"
The Dwarf Commander spat out a cough and tried to steady his dizzy mind. Though he had turned his spear and sword against his own people, he was still a soldier trained to protect a nation. Even if he collapsed from the shock of a shell, he could hold onto his consciousness until the end. He shook his head violently and slowly looked up.
"Ugh..."
"My, my arm... where did my arm go..."
He was lucky not to have been hit directly by the shell, but the other soldiers were in a wretched state. Those already lying as cold corpses were the lucky ones. There were Dwarves whose eyes were ruined by shrapnel, and wounded men whose limbs had been blown off by the shell's unique explosive power.
There is a common misconception that cannons are weaker than magic, but that is a mistake. In terms of pure firepower and penetration, only a handful of spells can compare to a cannon. Magic is used in the military for its versatility, but when it comes to pure 'destructive power,' it is difficult to keep up with a cannon.
Even in the Race War, there are records of humans, who lacked firepower, using cannons quite effectively. Of course, the source of those cannons was Machina.
'But this...'
It was more powerful. Much more so than the cannon he had just fired.
Originally, cannonballs were large iron spheres. There were high-explosive shells that utilized the explosive power of gunpowder, but those required precise timing. And the situation unfolding now looked as if they had been hit by such high-explosive shells. It was only a single shot, but the damage was far too severe.
Sssss!
The Dwarf Commander looked at his unit, which had been devastated by a single shell, and hurriedly turned his head. He heard the sound of a monster snorting loudly in his ear.
But there was no monster where he turned his head. Instead, a steel monster, as imposing as an Ogre, stood its ground.
'What on earth is that...'
In this world, the steam locomotive—no, even the magical locomotive—had not yet made its appearance. A test run for the world's dignitaries was scheduled for a few months later, but in other words, it hadn't even been properly revealed yet. People only thought, 'Oh, so such a thing exists,' while looking at the descriptions of steam locomotives in the Xenon Biography.
He had never heard of or seen a monster covered in steel from head to toe. Even as a commander who had spent decades dealing with various enemies, especially monsters, this was a form he had never seen in his life.
'That thing moves?'
Honestly, he couldn't believe it even as he saw it with his own eyes. It felt as if all the common sense he had known until now was being shattered to pieces.
It would have been better if it were a monster. He had encountered countless monsters in his life and had even taken down entities much larger than himself. The same went for Ogres, which were known as objects of terror to ordinary people. His legs had trembled when he first met one, but he had grown accustomed to them over time.
But now, facing this steel fortress, that feeling seemed to be vividly recreated. A fear as if facing an insurmountable monster. Could that thing even be destroyed? A monster covered in steel? Would swords and spears even work?
Rumble, rumble—
The steel monster, which had dismantled the unit with a single shell, began to move forward on its wheels. The ground shook as if an earthquake were occurring.
The Dwarf Commander was able to snap back to his senses quickly due to that vibration. Though he was corrupt to the core, his loyalty to the King had not vanished. The moment that monster stepped outside, Machina would be plunged into uncontrollable chaos.
"Ev-everyone, wake up! Are there any able-bodied men left!"
"I-I'm here!"
"Me too!"
Fortunately, because only one shell had been fired, there were surviving members of the unit, though they were far from being in good shape.
But it didn't matter. The commander hurriedly ordered them to prepare another cannon. The cannon fired just moments ago had been destroyed by the steel monster's attack.
Grind, grind—
Whether the near-dead unit moved frantically or not, the steel monster advanced heavily. It was as if it didn't care about the soldiers in front of it.
As a result of the time bought, the loading of the spare cannon was completed. Other cannons also managed to finish loading somehow. Muzzle-loading cannons were inherently slow to load, but in the face of a death threat, every action became faster.
Once the loading was complete, the commander shouted toward the steel monster approaching them.
"Fire!!!"
KABOOM!!
Not one, but three shells were fired at the same time. The commander felt a bitter smile spread across his face as the scent of gunpowder filled his nostrils. No matter how much of a steel monster it was, an Ogre-like creature couldn't withstand a cannon—
Clang!
"...Huh?"
"Ah?"
What did I just see? The commander and the soldiers couldn't help but be dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before them.
The steel monster was approaching leisurely, as if mocking them and asking what had just happened. The firepower of a cannon could cause great damage even to a thick-skinned Ogre. However, cannons were rarely used in monster hunting. Due to their specific loading speed, accuracy, and cost, it was better for people to hunt directly.
At any rate, the cannonballs that were useful even against Ogres didn't stand a chance against the steel monster in front of them. It had deflected them all. Not a single shot had managed to inflict a meaningful wound.
"What... is that..."
"How can a cannon..."
"Aaaaah!!"
When even the cannons they trusted proved useless, the Dwarf soldiers were instantly seized by terror. Some even turned their backs and began to flee. Regardless, the steel monster turned its wheels and advanced forward with ease.
The commander watched the approaching steel monster and stumbled backward. If it had been a monster, he would have charged with his axe. But this thing wasn't even affected by the destructive power of a cannon. In other words, his attacks would be nothing more than an ant's bite—no, even less than that.
"Re-retreat...!"
Thwack!
The moment the commander tried to order a retreat, his words could not be finished. An arrow had pierced through his neck.
It was unknown where it had flown from, but with a single arrow, the commander collapsed straight to the ground.
"Gurgle... Gasp..."
The Dwarf Commander couldn't even speak properly due to the arrow through his throat. Soon, a massive shadow loomed over his face, which was filled with the fear of death. The commander desperately rolled his eyes at the shadow.
The steel monster was just about to crush him with its heavy wheels.
"Ah..."
Crunch! Snap!
The monster rolled right over the Dwarf Commander, crushing him completely. It was truly a sight like an Ogre lightly trampling a person.
Vroom, vroom—
The monster advanced forward without any obstacles.
*
"Hey! What if the wheels break! It's filthy, seriously."
"Ehey. We're only using it for the revolution today anyway, so just use it coolly. And don't forget that I'm the driver."
"Sigh."
Meanwhile, the three Dwarves operating the steel monster—that is, the tank—were busy chatting, enjoying their first battle with great satisfaction. Honestly, they had wondered if it would hold up when the cannons were fired, but they were able to gain confidence from the battle just now.
This was unstoppable. Who could pierce a defense capable of cleanly deflecting even cannonballs?
Above all, the most satisfying part was the main gun—the attack. A turret equipped with a breech-loading cannon instead of a muzzle-loading one. Eins had put in effort after effort to create something similar to a breech-loading cannon, but the rotating turret was Isaac's idea.
A quick note: Isaac was a humanities student, not a science student; he only knew history and hardly knew the principles. Therefore, he only told them how a tank should be utilized, and the rest was entirely the work of Eins and his colleagues. If Isaac had seen it, the question "How did you do this?" would have come out naturally.
"With this, we'll never lose! It's a gift Xenon gave us, after all!"
"Of course, of course. Our revolution is bound to succeed. We even have the power of a prophet."
No. Isaac only gave the ideas; they did all the creation. This was a point that had to be made clear.
"Hahaha! Let's go quickly! Our comrades are waiting!"
"Is this the first time Geas has been that excited? Hey. Are you filling the coal well?"
"Yes!"
One more thing. Originally, tank crews consisted of 3 to 4 people. Essential personnel included the tank commander, driver, and gunner, and the loader could be substituted by the gunner.
However, the Ogre No. 1 Tank invented by Eins was slightly different. Since it was a mana engine fueled by 'coal,' coal had to be added from time to time. In other words, there was one Dwarf in the back diligently shoveling coal. And that Dwarf was the loader. It had the defect of having a longer rear than a typical tank, but all roads lead to Rome.
-Wh-what is that?!
-Is-is that all steel?
-How is it moving? This is impossible!
As soon as they came out of the district where the blacksmith shops were clustered, they heard the astonishment of the soldiers. Upon hearing that shock, Handai opened the top hatch and looked outside. He could have used the periscope inside, but the field of vision was very narrow. Therefore, it was much more comfortable to command with the hatch open like this.
Eins took on the role of the driver since he had to drive, and Geas took on the role of the gunner, utilizing his experience in firing cannons. Handai looked at the soldiers in front of them, who were debating whether or not to fire their cannons, and shouted into the communication hose.
[I see vermin at 12 o'clock! Load high-explosive shells!]
Radios were difficult to invent due to technical issues. Instead, since they only needed to communicate inside the tank, they made a hose as a temporary measure. Of course, this was enough. Geas rotated the turret and followed Eins's command. It had to be rotated manually rather than automatically, but that wasn't a problem.
-F-fire!
KABOOM!
The soldiers, who had finally grasped the situation, fired their cannons repeatedly.
Clang!
But they were all deflected. There were only a few scratches; it was absurd to think they could pierce the tank with this.
Handai grinned at the truly satisfying performance of the tank. His friend had 'created' a monster among monsters. All that remained now was the counterattack. He put his mouth to the communication hose and shouted loudly.
[Fire!]
Following that command, Geas pulled the cord hard to fire. Firing by pulling a cord was also due to technical limitations, but this alone was not a problem. As said before, all roads lead to Rome; since it was a breech-loading cannon to begin with, there was an overwhelming difference in performance.
Boom!
With a harsh explosion, the shell was fired like a flash of light.
Clink—
At the same time, a brass-colored shell casing was ejected outside. This was also an idea passed on by Isaac. Isaac had simply explained that it would be good if such a thing existed, and the Dwarves had whipped it up.
-Aaaaaah!
-It-it's a monster! Run!
-Report! We have to report this!
With just one shot, the unit blocking the path was completely dismantled. This was the power of a high-explosive shell that focused on explosion rather than penetration. For the record, high-explosive shells were also made like time bombs due to technical limitations... no. Let's move on now.
Whatever the case, the Dwarves had done it. Whether it was the tank, the rotating turret, the caterpillar tracks, or the shell casings. They had solved all the ideas Isaac gifted them with their current level of technology.
This was the true power of a 'Dwarf.' A monstrous talent that no one could follow when it came to 'creation.' If Machina had not been blinded by money and had only followed its instincts, the world might have changed in a different sense.
"Hey. Now's the time. Geas."
"Good. Where's the loudspeaker?"
"Right here."
Eins and his group, having won another battle, made way for Geas. Geas, who swapped places with Handai, checked the performance of the loudspeaker and then looked around. Just in time, people who had come out to see what was happening after hearing the commotion caught his eye.
Most of them were Dwarves and factory workers who were exhausted from Bourgeois V's harsh oppression. Now was the time to save them. Accordingly, Geas took a deep breath and shouted loudly into the loudspeaker.
[Citizens of Machina! The time has come! The day has arrived for our Factory Party to become your reliable spear and shield!]
"There it is!"
"Load the cannons!"
Coincidentally, as soon as Geas shouted, there were soldiers blocking the path. It seemed they had come after hearing the commotion. The Dwarves and factory workers who had come out to watch were startled by the appearance of the soldiers, but they couldn't help but be shocked by the scene that followed.
KABOOM! Clang!
The overwhelming protection of the tank deflected not only arrows but even cannonballs.
[Fire!]
Boom!
"Aaaaah!"
"Argh!"
The firepower wiped out the soldiers who had reigned as objects of terror. To the soldiers, it was a steel monster that seemed to have descended from hell, but to the Dwarves who had been suffering from exploitation and oppression, it was no different from a 'knight' sent by God.
Geas grinned as another battle ended cleanly and put his mouth to the loudspeaker. Before they knew it, Dwarves and factory workers were gradually coming out.
[Do not be afraid! We said we would gladly become your spear and shield! Now is the time to show it through actions, not words!]
Grind, grind—
The further they went down the street, the more the number of Dwarves gathering around the tank began to increase. The soldiers also seemed to have turned tail after hearing the rumors, or perhaps something had happened, as they hardly showed themselves.
"Lord Geas! We've driven all the soldiers off this street!"
"Us too!"
"Good work, everyone."
The reason was revealed before long. There were party members who had been trained in advance while founding the Factory Party. Their weapons appeared to be quite expensive; some were made by the Dwarves, but the Minerva Empire had supported them under the table. Since the Dwarves could make the items themselves, raw materials and funds were sufficient.
Bourgeois V thought that oppressing the factories would be the end of it, but that was all just pruning; he couldn't even touch the roots.
[We will become your reliable shield and protect you! We will become the spear that represents your anger and defeat greed! We will become your voice and make Bourgeois V deaf!]
Geas's brilliant eloquence and the tank that showed their power. The Factory Party members protecting the side of the tank and the Dwarf citizens who began to follow quietly behind them. From the perspective of the exhausted Machina, they had no choice but to follow. These were the true Dwarves and the saviors of Machina.
[Lend us your strength! Give your strength, your voice, and your power to the Geist! Then we will become your spear and shield!]
Vroom, vroom—
The tank advanced forward without a word. It was marching proudly at the very front to become a shield.
[There is no longer a need to hide! We will use our strength not for greedy masters, but for the unfair factories. We will gift you true creation!]
The tank advanced forward without a word. It was marching proudly at the very front to become a spear.
[Let the greedy ruling classes tremble before the revolution! The workers have nothing to lose in a revolution but their chains. They have a world to win!]
Now, only one thing remained.
[Workers of Machina!]
To drag down the king who was mad with greed.
[Unite!]
It was time to create a nation for everyone.