Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

TL: Etudecontemporary romance

The Southern slowly docked at the pier. Despite the bustling activity in the harbor area, it still attracted the curious gazes of many, including merchants, porters, and tourists, who paused to observe this peculiar vessel.

“Alright, gentlemen who have come from afar.”

The Astan official began speaking, but this time in the language of Ordo.

Horn Bay, as a current hub for “international trade,” is a place where most upper-echelon individuals are proficient in several foreign languages. Linguistic researchers have found that the languages used by countries in the western part of the continent, such as Ordo, Horn Bay, and the Gabella Empire, belong to the same human language family and share many similarities in grammar. Therefore, for a Horn Bay native, learning the Ordonese language isn’t much of a challenge.

“According to the rules, we need to inspect your cargo and tax it based on the type and quantity.”

Quik was delighted, “So you can speak our language too, that’s great!”

“Uh… Mr. Officer, we’ve come this time just to explore future trade opportunities, so we haven’t brought any real merchandise for sale. So, about this tax…”

However, the officer insisted, “Even so, we still need to perform an inspection.”

His gaze first fell on the cannons mounted on both sides of the deck.

“What are these?”

The officer leaned closer to the cannons, reaching out to touch the gun metal. He could tell that they were cast in metal, possibly bronze?

Grayman’s military was equipped with a powerful flame-throwing weapon, but this news had only circulated in a few territories near Alda and was unknown in Horn Bay, thousands of miles to the south.

Quik bluffed, “These are weapons we use against pirates. When pirates try to climb aboard, we fill these with flammable materials and ignite them through that small hole. It’s like the legendary dragons, spewing flames to attack the enemy!”

The officer was skeptical, “Does this thing really work?” It sounded like a wildly imaginative invention.

Quik pretended to be bashful, “Heh, we’ve been lucky not to encounter any pirates on our way, so they haven’t been tested in actual combat.”

“As for naval warfare, crossbow cannons are the way to go. They are a powerful weapon, continually improved and tested over centuries.”

The officer beamed with pride, “We have weapon merchants here selling various types of crossbows. If you’re interested, you can take a look. Of course, the best ones are undoubtedly those produced in Asta…”

He went on and on about the superior qualities of the weapons produced by his city-state, leaving everyone sweating. Was it in the nature of Horn Bay people to do business? Even an administrative official was pitching sales.

Since it was their first visit, the guests listened patiently without interrupting him.

“Alright, take me to your ship’s hold to have a look.”

Finally, the officer finished his lengthy discourse and requested to see inside the ship’s hold.

Quik hurriedly led him into the hold.

The officer looked around and found that, aside from personal belongings and stored food, there weren’t any large bulk goods for sale.

At last, he found what could be considered merchandise or suspected goods – barrels of gunpowder and boxes of cannonballs.

“What’s this powder?”

Quik explained, “It’s a medicinal substance used for treating sores, killing insects, and as a damp-proofing agent. You know, the environment in the ship’s hold can get very damp during sea voyages, so we bring our own.”

This wasn’t entirely made up by Quik; gunpowder indeed had these functions.

The officer stroked his chin, “With such a large quantity, can you use it all yourselves? It’s definitely a saleable good, so it’s subject to tax as a medicine.”

“Uh… alright.”

The officer then pointed at the cannonballs, “And these metal balls?”

Quik explained, “These iron balls are just used for ballasting.”

The officer shook his head, “But you can still sell them! Metal is always in demand.”

He couldn’t understand why they would cast them into spherical shapes. Wouldn’t it be better and more convenient for storage and transport if they were square?

“Ah, speaking of which, those bronze tubes up there can also be sold. Bronze isn’t cheap, you know.”

The officer slapped his palm as if he had narrowly avoided being tricked.

Did they think they could fool him by casting bronze into strange shapes and concocting a story about fending off pirates?

Seeing Quik about to argue, Ladi quickly tugged at his sleeve and shook her head, signaling not to conflict with the port officer.

“Alright! Sir, we will pay the taxes. Please tell us how much we owe.”

Quik compromised, realizing that being in unfamiliar territory, it was better to endure for the moment. He was no longer the unrestrained pirate chief of the past.

After paying a sum in customs duties and a port management fee, the crew of the Southern was finally allowed to disembark.

Leaving the first mate to guard the Southern with 20 men, Quik led another 20 ashore at the Astan port.

Bustling! Utterly bustling!

That was the first impression this Horn Bay city gave.

The newcomers from Northwest Bay were utterly overwhelmed.

Firstly, the architecture. The buildings here were like artworks in their eyes, adorned with exquisite reliefs, tall and beautiful, made of what seemed like expensive stone or burnt red bricks.

Moreover, the entire dock area was paved with stone bricks, which meant there was no worry of muddy roads even in the rain.

In contrast, the houses in Northwest Bay were low and squat, lacking aesthetic appeal. While the towns were a bit better, the villages didn’t care much for aesthetics due to financial constraints, with many houses made of thatch, mud, and random stones.

Then, there were the people. They had never seen so many people gathered in one place, with different skin colors, clothing, adornments, and speaking distinctly different languages. The crew of the Southern had never imagined a world with so many different kinds of humans.

Several apprentice sailors hopped and scampered about, prompting Quik to assign someone to each of them to prevent them from getting lost.

Even the adult sailors were agape, and the so-called worldly merchant representatives weren’t much better.

“Hey, look at that! Those people’s outfits are so strange.”

“Don’t act like you’ve never seen the world. It’s embarrassing to walk with you.”

“And you’re one to talk. Who was it that had their eyes bulging out just now?”

Sounds of amazement continued among the group.

The only one who remained unfazed in this crowd was “Mr. Derrick.”

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