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Chapter 64: Complicated Craftsmanship

  "What kind of gun does the young hero want to buy? Whats the price range?"

  "Is there a treasure here?" Lin Ming asked aloud.

  "Treasured gun?" The fellow didnt expect the young man to be so astonishing, a treasured guns price, at least one hundred thousand two gold, good ones even two or three hundred thousand two, does this young man have that much money?

  Lin Ming didnt actually have that much money, but he could make a reservation and then come up with the cash.

  "Little hero, our store doesnt have any top-grade guns, but if youre looking for top-grade swords, we have plenty."

  "Is that so......" Lin Ming felt a slight disappointment. He hadnt expected that Shen Bing Tang didnt have the treasured gun either, and this treasured gun was really too rare.

  The shop assistant said: "This treasure-level gun, the quantity is too small, but the demand is not small. Two months ago, there was one in the store, but it was already booked and sold out."

  "Huh? As far as I know, warriors from Tianyun Country rarely use guns. Is this treasure gun in high demand?"

  "Uh, very sought after, martial artists rarely use them, however... the military will use them, some generals will buy treasured guns, but because there are so few treasured-level guns, even some renowned generals dont have a treasured gun. Its hard for Young Master to find a treasured gun in Tianyun Country."

  So it was, Lin Ming immediately understood in his heart that guns were the best weapons used by the military since ancient times. Among all the famous generals, 80% of them used guns, and the remaining 20% also used long-range weapons similar to guns, such as the guandao and the fantian jie. As for those who became famous with swords, there really werent many.

  Marching and fighting, often require horse battles, at this time the knife and sword are too short, so we need to use spears, halberds, guns and lances. Guns and lances are used most frequently. With a gun in hand, even if youre surrounded by the enemy, you can still kill your way out. A 3-meter-long spear can take down over a dozen people at once, which is something that swords, knives and axes cant compare to.

  So "Horizontal Sweep of a Thousand Armies" is a unique skill of guns!

  Therefore, the generals of Tianyun Country, even if they used swords when practicing martial arts, had to learn spears after joining the army.

  "It doesnt matter, this treasure-grade gun can be discussed later. If I want to buy one, its better to get a good one. The price of a good gun might be tens of thousands of gold coins, which I dont have right now. The money I spent before was all taken from Mr. Mu Yi. Although the value of the talismans I made is not low, its unclear if Mr. Mu Yi really used that much. Ive already bothered him a lot these days. Tens of thousands of gold coins are not a small amount and cant be asked for again. Moreover, some well-made guns wont be too different from each other, especially since my current martial arts skills are not high, even if I had a treasure-grade gun, it would be hard to bring out its power."

  "Never mind, let me see other guns, I want good ones."

  "Alright, young master, please wait a moment." The shopkeeper said as he turned around and took out a gun barrel from the camphor wood box. The barrel was pitch black and six cun in diameter, seven chi in length.

  When guns are sold in the store, they are often sold separately with the gun stock and gun head. The gun stock is stored in a camphor wood box to prevent insects and corrosion, while the gun head is soaked in tung oil for preservation, ensuring it remains shiny at all times. When customers arrive, they select a suitable gun stock and gun head according to their preferences and assemble them into a complete gun.

  "Please take a look, young master." The shop assistant handed over the rifle.

  Lin Ming grasped the gun stock, which weighed about thirty catties, and it was clear that it was not made of metal. With a casual exertion of force, the gun stock sprang back with great elasticity. Lin Ming had no doubt that if he were to swing this gun stock into a full moon shape and then release it, he could directly shatter the skull of a wild beast.

  This rod, although not metal, causes more harm when drawn on a person than a metal rod.

  "How much is this rifle?" Lin Ming asked.

  "Twelve hundred taels of gold."

  Although Lin Ming had been prepared, he couldnt help but feel a little shocked when he heard the price. A single gun barrel was so expensive, to think that an ordinary sword or treasure would only cost a few thousand taels of gold. And this gun wasnt even a treasure.

  "This is made of Wusumu wood, selected from the best Wusumu trees that have grown for hundreds of years. It was soaked in mountain spring water for 49 days to make it swell, then fried in oil for three days to remove the wood shavings and short fibers, leaving only the toughest wooden skeleton. Mixed with the silk of golden silkworms, it was twisted into shape, and finally wrapped with a cloth strip woven from the same silkworms silk, after being soaked in tung oil for three years."

  "Whether its Wusilu wood or Jingu worm silk, they are all precious materials that are hard to cut with a knife, and with various special craftsmanship, this gun handle will not be cut off during the battle, and can even cut off the enemys treasured sword. Young Master can rest assured."

  This fellows enthusiastic introduction made Lin Mings heart skip a beat. This unassuming gun stock had such a complex production process, and although the golden wood silkworm silk was not as precious as the heavenly silkworm silk, using so much of it would still be extremely valuable. The black wood was also very expensive, especially since it came from trees that were hundreds of years old.

  Moreover, in the production process, there are also defective products, such as those with uncontrolled frying time, or those with joints on the wusu wood, which are all unacceptable. The gun rod must be straight and even, and any that are not straight or uneven are considered defective and must be eliminated, which has greatly increased the value of the gun rod.

  No wonder its so expensive, such a gun, ordinary people cant afford to buy it even if they work hard for their whole lives without eating or drinking. If this kind of gun falls into the hands of civilians, it can be passed down as a family heirloom from generation to generation.

  "Brother said: The most expensive part of a gun is the stock. A good gun or not, depends on the stock for 80%, and the gun head for 20%. The craftsmanship of this gun head is relatively simple, even a good one would only cost a few hundred taels of gold. Even if you choose to make it with cloud-patterned steel, it wouldnt exceed 800 taels. The total price wont be more than 2000 taels. What do you think, young master?"

  Lin Ming fondled the gun stock, feeling quite reluctant to part with it. The elasticity and toughness of the gun stock were not bad, but the feel was absolutely top-notch.

  What a pity! Its too light!

  "Is there anything else important? For example, a gun weighing several hundred kilograms."

  "Huh?" The fellow was slightly surprised, a gun weighing several hundred kilograms would require at least several thousand kilograms of force to wield with such vigor. Did this young man have that kind of strength?

  But doubts aside, the fellow brought out a gun barrel made of pure xuan iron, which was also six cun in diameter and seven chi in length, weighing over 400 jin. This fellow had obviously practiced before, although he struggled to hold it up, but managed to bring it out nonetheless.

  "This rifle is worth 800 taels of gold."

  Although Xuan Tie is expensive, the craftsmanship of making a pure Xuan Tie gun rod is simple, so metal rods are actually cheaper.

  "Easy does it, its heavy." The shop assistant handed the Xuan Tie gun pole to Lin Ming with some unease, but unexpectedly, Lin Ming took it as if he were picking up a wooden stick, with great ease.

  That made the shop assistants eyelids twitch slightly. This young man has a lot of strength! He is simply a human-shaped beast.

  Lin Ming held the gun in his hand and weighed it for a moment before asking, "Is there an even heavier one?"

  Heavier? Even heavier?

  The fellow hesitated for a moment and said: "There are even heavier ones, but theyre very expensive."

  "Its okay." Lin Ming, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, slightly flashed the golden ticket in his chest. He still had 8,000 taels of gold on him, and as long as it wasnt a treasure-grade gun, no matter how expensive, he could afford it.

  That fellow saw the thick stack of gold notes and was slightly taken aback. Such a thick stack of gold notes, indeed a wealthy master! He said respectfully: "Young master, please follow me."

  Having said that, the fellow went straight up to the second floor.

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