Chapter 375: If It Doesn’t Exist Yet, Make It (2)
The production facilities in Fenris were already largely complete before Ghislain had gone to fight Delmud.
Particularly, the potion-making facilities and the magical research laboratory had been well-established for a long time, leaving no need for new designs.
From that point onward, all that was required was to increase the number of existing production facilities. Consequently, the workload of the dwarves had significantly decreased compared to before.
Returning to oversee and direct the construction work, Galbarik wore a satisfied smile.
“Ah, seeing it like this really fills me with pride.”
The Fenris territory had developed to an unparalleled degree compared to the past. Every city was filled with meticulously planned buildings, creating an impressive landscape.
The contributions of the dwarves were undoubtedly the cornerstone of this magnificent transformation.
Galbarik gazed at the territory with a wistful look in his eyes.
“Now, I can finally get some rest.”
The other dwarves also had tears brimming in their eyes.
“It’s been tough work, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, let’s take it a bit slower from now on.”
“Looks like the lord doesn’t need us to build anything new anymore, either.”
The number of blacksmiths had significantly increased, not to mention the laborers.
With the massive production capacity, there was no longer any worry about supplying the soldiers with equipment. The same went for various tools and daily necessities.
Potion production, for its part, was left to the mages to handle, which wasn’t a concern for the dwarves.
Now, their task was simply to lead others and maintain the current level of production.
Gathered in their workshop as they used to, Galbarik and the dwarves whispered among themselves.
“We just need to maintain this level of work now. Honestly, there’s nothing left to make.”
“That’s right. Over time, the workload here will decrease even further. But we still need to keep up appearances.”
“Let’s act like we’re as busy as ever.”
The dwarves carried on their meeting with such practical dreams, discussing how to pace their work while always exaggerating their struggles a little.
However, their worries were no longer as significant as before. Everything needed for the territory—food, equipment, tools—was already accounted for.
Though their operations remained busy, it wasn’t for creating something new but simply maintaining steady production.
Clenching his fist, Galbarik spoke resolutely.
“If we keep this up, we’ll have a lot of free time in a few months! Let’s make sure the lord takes as long as possible to notice!”
“That’s the spirit! He works us way too hard anyway, doesn’t he? In the end, it’s us on the ground managing all this! Hahaha!”
“The lord only ever looks at the production reports, right? As long as those are on track, we’re golden!”
There was a faint feeling of déjà vu, as if they had had a similar conversation before. Nonetheless, Galbarik and the dwarves laughed heartily.
But suddenly, the laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Seeing their somber expressions, Galbarik frowned and asked, “What? Why do you all look like that? Like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Even when he repeated his question, the dwarves said nothing.
Humans are creatures that learn from experience. Taking a deep breath, Galbarik steeled himself as someone suddenly leaned in and whispered beside him.
“It’s time to start a new project, my friend.”
“…Just kill me now.”
“Piote will spare your life.”
Galbarik and the dwarves slumped their shoulders, their faces clouded with despair.
“Alright then, what is it this time?”
“Siege weapons.”
“What?”
Tilting his head in confusion, Galbarik asked again, “Don’t we have enough siege weapons? We’ve looted them from several territories, haven’t we?”
The siege weapons from Count Cabaldi’s domain and Count Desmond’s lands were all now under Ghislain’s control.
Even with just these, Fenris had amassed the largest stockpile of siege weapons in the North. Few major lords could even dream of maintaining such numbers.
Currently, the fortresses and castles in the territory had more than enough siege equipment. While having more wouldn’t hurt, the practicality of it seemed questionable.
Yet Ghislain shook his head.
“Those are heavy, difficult to move, and a pain to assemble. They’ll remain strictly defensive.”
“But… siege weapons are fundamentally offensive tools. Disassembling, moving, and reassembling them is part of the deal.”
“That’s why we need to rethink the concept entirely.”
“You’re not planning to make something massive and overwhelmingly powerful, are you? That would only make them harder to move and assemble.”
“No, what I want is to eliminate the shortcomings of existing trebuchets. I want something as mobile as possible.”
Trebuchets were inherently heavy. If made lighter, they couldn’t achieve the necessary range and destructive power.
To support and hurl massive stones, trebuchets had to be large and robust, which made them hard to transport. They required repeated assembly and disassembly and often needed multiple wagons to carry.
While it was possible to construct them on-site using locally sourced timber, such makeshift weapons were crude and lacked impact.
For small castles, they might suffice, but against fortified strongholds or major castles, they were practically useless.
The dwarves, well aware of these issues, tilted their heads.
“You’re asking for a medium-sized trebuchet mounted on a wagon for mobility?”
Mobile trebuchets did exist, but they lacked the destructive power needed for siege warfare.
Even for use in the field, they were far less effective than archers, leading to their abandonment long ago.
Ghislain shook his head.
“No. What I need is a trebuchet that maintains the power and range of existing ones, but at less than half the weight, with a simple assembly and disassembly process. That way, it can be moved quickly.”
“Hahaha! So that’s what you need—a ridiculous trebuchet that doesn’t exist!”
The dwarves clutched their sides, laughing. It had been a long time since they’d heard such a joke from their lord.
But Ghislain didn’t laugh. The dwarves glanced at him, noticing his serious expression. It didn’t seem like a joke.
“…Seriously? That kind of trebuchet?”
“Yes, that kind of trebuchet.”
“That’s impossible! There’s no such thing in existence. I’ve neither seen nor heard of such a thing.”
“Exactly. That’s why we’ll create it.”
When Galbarik looked ready to explode in frustration, another dwarf standing nearby interjected.
“We do have plenty of runestones in our territory, don’t we? Even if a permanent magic circle isn’t possible, we could use runestones to apply lightweight magic.”
Creating permanent magic circles required an Archmage of at least the 8th Circle. Even for semi-permanent effects, a minimum of 7th Circle mastery was necessary.
Thus, the only viable option in Fenris was to use runestones.
“Hmm, but that means embedding runestones into every frame… The cost would be astronomical.”
“Even so, it’s doable if we go that route.”
Though the dwarves proposed a potential solution, Ghislain shook his head.
“No. Would you spend enough to build an entire castle on just one trebuchet? That’s not engineering; that’s wasteful extravagance. It wouldn’t even allow for mass production.”
“Then there’s no way to do it. The lighter it is, the less the supports can handle the strain.”
Trebuchets relied heavily on wood as their primary material. Naturally, the weight of the wood itself couldn’t be ignored.
The issue was that the strength of wood was proportional to its weight.
“If we used ebony wood, it might be possible…”
Ebony wood, imbued with the essence of nature, was both much lighter and sturdier than other types of timber.
But using ebony wood was even more impractical. It would cost more than using runestones, and acquiring the required amount was nearly impossible.
Yet Ghislain clapped his hands together with a confident smile.
“We already have a similar material, don’t we?”
“Huh?”
“With galvaniium, what’s there to worry about?”
The dwarves stared blankly.
Galvaniium could indeed serve as a substitute for wood, but it was still heavier than ebony wood.
“Galvaniium may be strong and lightweight, but that’s only in comparison to steel. If we used it to build something of trebuchet proportions, it’d still be quite heavy. It wouldn’t differ much from wood, and we’d still need wagons to transport the parts, so there wouldn’t be much improvement.”
“That’s why we’re approaching this with a new concept. I’ll give you the foundation; you just need to reinforce it properly. Once you see it, you’ll realize how simple it is.”
Ghislain had extensive knowledge of trebuchets made from galvaniium. In his past life, he had assembled and disassembled them countless times.
Having lived and breathed war, he had used nearly every trebuchet that existed on the continent.
“I’ll sketch it out for you. It’s really straightforward.”
Ghislain began drafting a design for the dwarves. Moments later, he completed the drawing, and the trebuchet he had envisioned appeared bizarre.
In his previous life, people had jokingly referred to this trebuchet as the “Bone Trebuchet.”
It was constructed entirely from thin galvaniium frames instead of thick wooden beams.
Thanks to galvaniium’s steel-like strength, it was sturdier than wood despite its thinner structure.
And its greatest strength was its extraordinary mobility.
“Look here. Think of each frame as a long shaft. At the end of each shaft made of galvaniium, we can carve grooves and attach spearheads.”
Each shaft would have a coupling mechanism at the tip to attach the spearhead or connect it to other components.
This allowed multiple shafts to be linked together, forming a trebuchet structure composed solely of interconnected frames.
“Oh…”
The dwarves examined the design Ghislain had sketched with keen interest.
At first, it seemed nonsensical, but his explanation made it plausible.
Though it wasn’t perfect yet, the rough framework was clear. With some adjustments, it could certainly be realized.
By connecting several shafts in a rectangular formation, there was enough space to hold the stones.
With a confident expression, Ghislain explained further.
“What do you think? Soldiers can gather to assemble small trebuchets, and the more people involved, the bigger it can become. It’s just a matter of adding more connections. Stones and counterweights can be sourced locally.”
The dwarves shivered as they fully grasped the explanation.
With this design, there would no longer be a need to transport separate parts. Soldiers could fight with spears in battle, then gather to assemble the trebuchet on the spot.
Each soldier could carry the connecting components, and the ropes required could double as belts until needed.
This truly was a revolutionary weapon capable of completely changing the dynamics of warfare.
“H-How did you even come up with such an idea…?”
Everyone knew that mobility was critical in warfare. However, it was widely accepted that siege engines and mobility were incompatible.
As a result, armies had to operate multiple specialized units, each fulfilling distinct roles.
But if this were to be made…
Fenris had already developed portable combat rations, drastically increasing the operational range of their forces.
If this modular trebuchet were completed, they could move faster than anyone else and even conduct sieges. No one would be able to anticipate such speed.
This would break free from all existing limitations!
Galbarik’s hands trembled as he held the blueprint. With the necessary materials already in place, there was nothing stopping them from building it.
It was a groundbreaking concept. If this weapon were completed, it would revolutionize strategies and tactics.
“Did you come up with this too, my lord?”
Ghislain tilted his head slightly, muttering under his breath.
“A legendary blacksmith…”
“Aah! Why, oh heavens, did you create me, Galbarik, and then create him too?!”
Galbarik cried out in anguish, caught in an intense struggle with his own feelings of inadequacy.
Ignoring Galbarik’s lamentations, Ghislain spoke.
“Anyway, I’m not the best artist, but you get the idea, right?”
“Of course. With galvaniium, this is more than feasible. I’ll work on reinforcing the structure to ensure it can bear the load and is easy to assemble.”
New knowledge and techniques always thrilled the dwarves, especially when the task was something only they could execute effectively. Though they hated working hard, they couldn’t resist their natural inclinations.
However, there was a minor problem.
“To speed up production, we’ll need all the blacksmiths in the territory and the existing stock of galvaniium redirected to this project. We’ll also need to produce entirely new spear shafts for the soldiers. Isn’t it a shame to discard what we’ve made so far?”
“It’s fine. Regular spears are still needed in large quantities for spares, and the surplus can be distributed to the common folk and the Royal Faction as support.”
“Hmm, understood. We’ll make this the primary production focus of the territory for now.”
“Good. As always—fast and precise. You know the drill.”
“Got it…”
With that, the dwarves and the blacksmiths of the territory began working on the new trebuchet design.
It wasn’t until after Ghislain returned from his conflict with the Marquisate of Roderick that news arrived—the prototypes were complete.
Examining the prototypes prepared by the dwarves, Ghislain nodded in approval.
“They look good. Now, let’s select soldiers for assembly training.”
A thousand soldiers were selected and equipped with the new spear shafts and connecting components. Over several days, they practiced assembling the galvaniium trebuchet.
Then came the day of the demonstration.
Among the territories Fenris had seized, there was an abandoned small fortress nearby. Ghislain and his close aides gathered near the site to witness the power of the new weapon.
Dudududu!
At the appointed time, a thousand soldiers appeared on horseback.
In Fenris, soldiers were trained to adapt to any type of unit. Riding horseback was now considered basic training.
Claude waved his hand, giving the order.
“Begin!”
The soldiers grouped into teams of 200 and started connecting the spear shafts.
In mere moments, five medium-sized trebuchets were completed. The speed was astonishing, leaving onlookers amazed.
“Ooooh! Incredible!”
“Such speed!”
“This weapon will bring a revolution to the history of warfare!”
As the crowd marveled, Galbarik wore a smug expression, once again convinced he was the greatest blacksmith in the world.
Now, only the weapon’s power needed to be tested. As the soldiers loaded the stones and prepared to fire, Ghislain’s brow furrowed.
One of the trebuchets was… creaking ominously.