Almost a hundred dwarves clumsily held weapons and shot at targets with broad smiles on their faces. Some halflings put the gun directly to the eye as if they wanted to get a nice bruise with recoil. The others had already gained invaluable experience. They stood nearby waiting for replenishment, giggling and pus.h.i.+ng each other with their elbows. One dwarf held a pistol at his chest with an impromptu soft pad underneath. He seemed to have a huge bruise if not a crack in the rib. Some weirdos kept experimenting. They put weapons on their heads. The rest worked out the gangster style, holding the gun aslant. Kyon looked closely and noticed that everyone had cotton wads in their ears. Almost everyone.
Kyon couldn"t hold back a quiet laugh. He went up to Gennady and patted him on the shoulder. Almost immediately, it was dead quiet there. Only one dwarf tried to hit the bottle like a madman.
The old dwarf"s eyes became moist. - «G.o.ds, Kyon! Your guns are priceless! You are incredible!»
~bang~ ~bang~ ~bang~
«You have invented a wonder that can change the order of forces in the world! If the principle of firearms can be replicated on large scale, we would gain unprecedented power!»
~bang~ ~bang~ ~bang~
«I am sorry… He went deaf recently… I have warned everyone to put cotton wads into ears, but he wouldn"t hear! What did he say? It"s more natural this way! He wanted to honor the engineering marvel! Now he"ll pay for his stupidity.» - The head of the factory said in an apologetic voice.
The fellow dwarves stopped the stubborn halfling and carried him to the first-aid post. As soon as they took his gun away, he lost consciousness as if he had lost the most precious thing in his life. He pa.s.sed out at once. He"d been shooting three days in a row.
Hundreds of eyes turned to Kyon. There was awe, respect, admiration in all of them... Juno could not believe her eyes. The arrogant, proud race who despised people for their stupidity looked at her a.s.sistant as if he were a hero who had brought them an unattainable star from heaven. She wanted to go home and bury herself in the pillow. d.a.m.n it, how did he do it?!
Two dwarves carefully carried in their hands a long dark silver sniper.
«Here you are! We"ve finished it today! The whole factory has been involved in its manufacture. After creating the gun, we got the knack for following your instructions. By the way, you"ve done them very competently! You deserve to be the first to try it. We"ve been waiting for your arrival.»
Kyon took the sniper and aimed. Everyone held their breath
~bang~
A hole gaped in the metal plate. It was at least five times more distinct than that from a pistol. The speed of the bullet was three times faster, it was ten times more powerful. It could easily bust through light tanks! Kyon was pleased. However, it all came down to speed and the effect of surprise. This weapon wouldn"t even get through the bone of the opponent in the fourth phase. Too bad.«Nice.» - Gennady made a tsking sound, impressed by the result.
«Yeah!» … «It"s powerful!» … «Kyon-Кyon-Кyon! You"re our hero! A born dwarf! Kyon-Кyon-Кyon!»
Jubilant screams were heard throughout the plant. Dwarves looked at Kyon as if he was a priceless treasure. He was a unique flower grown through human dirt! His layouts, engineering skills, knowing how to create gunpowder, his understanding of the laws of some chemistry! All of his inventions were amazing!
Kyon decided to give the dwarves a master cla.s.s in shooting: how to hold a weapon, aim, use a rebound and reload the gun quickly. He had opened a new world of the art of shooting for them. One halfling dropped to his knees and burst into tears like a bearded girl.
Juno grabbed the gun violently from the dwarf"s hands and started firing at the targets. – {How is it even possible?! Why?! I would get a serious wound from a single shot! And if I were not ready... These little arrows are completely invisible! Where did the a.s.sistant gain knowledge to create them?!} – She meant to find out the answers, no matter the cost.
Byron came inside and stared at what was happening in shock.
Kyon brought the big fellow up to speed, and he was stupid enough to take reality for granted. He"d been used to doing it. It was just a new type of crossbows! He didn"t need to know anything more.
«Do you want me to come to this shooting gallery every day and learn how to shoot with a sniper and a pistol?»
«Exactly.»
«Can I really… Well… Kill my brother with them?»
«If he is in the middle of the superior phase as you say, you need to learn how to hit him in the eye with a pistol. And then you can take the law into your own hands and get your revenge.»
«Get my revenge…» - Byron repeated, bewildered.
He was given the sharpest sword that would help him make his dreams come true. Justice would be served. The ideal revenge would heal his tormented soul. The big fellow had embraced the idea. He had his heart set on attending all the cla.s.ses.
«Your task is to get back to your family and get closer to your brother. Get into Hansa"s inner circle. He will underestimate you, beat you up... You have to endure everything. Imagine that you"re a patient hunter, lying in wait for a prey to come close.»
Byron listened, spellbound. Kyon was sent to him by heaven to help him take revenge on the hated brother, no less.
Kyon gave the dwarves some written instructions on how to shoot. Then he did some hocus-pocus over Byron"s forehead and said goodbye. The big fellow hugged him gratefully, picked up the gun, put some cotton in his ears and went on to practice shooting.
Gennady invited Kyon to his office, throwing a warning glance at Juno.
She couldn"t understand why the idiot dared to look at her n.o.ble person at all. - {Аh?!}
In the office, Kyon found Mila, the cute girl in a short skirt. She gave him a shy glance.
Juno rubbed the bridge of her nose when she realized everything. It was ridiculously funny. For G.o.d"s sake, she could serve this devil on the plate! She didn"t want to see him again. He could get married, as well.
«Mila! What a nice surprise!» - The old dwarf exclaimed a bit too dramatically. – «Since you are here, be so kind, give our guest a foot ma.s.sage! Kyon, take off your shoes!»
«Thank you, Gennady. But my wife-to-be will do it herself. She"s got the hang of it and just loves my feet! Hehe, she"s such a pervert! Right, Juno?» - Kyon asked with hidden contempt in his eyes.
Juno grimaced and blushed. An emerald flame was burning in her eyes. It was the first time the jerk had dared to humiliate her in public! However, there was nothing she could do. She humbly closed her eyes, squatted down, took off his smelly (in her opinion) shoes and socks... And then she started doing the dirty job, to h.e.l.l with her dignity, to h.e.l.l with her pride.
Mila sobbed and ran away in tears. When she saw the tall beautiful girl giving foot ma.s.sage to their benefactor, Mila realized that she was failing on every front compared to his future wife. She was inferior in everything in her skills, appearance and even status. She felt nothing but envy and resentment. Grandpa shouldn"t have persuaded her to come here at all... Her heart was broken forever.
«I swear by the dwarf"s beard! d.a.m.n her! How dared she to hurt my granddaughter?» - Gennady swore, looking at Juno sweating over Kyon"s feet with contempt. What a dirty pervert, indeed!
Juno was dizzy. Tears welled up in her eyes. She could feel with her soul the a.s.sistant enjoying every moment of her ma.s.sage and it made the situation only worse.
Kyon was sipping the best dwarf ale. He felt on top of the world. The little minx had learned to give pleasure to her master. Maybe next time he should ask her to do it with her tongue? Maybe not. Her fingers were too much, let alone the tongue…
«Our first dwarf reached enlightenment yesterday. He keeps producing metal bars day and night! Unbelievable! Your heritage really makes it possible to create iron! From now on, we don"t have to pay anyone to buy it. It has left us with a decent budget to buy more ingredients for gunpowder…»
«By the way, I"ve received the detailed drawings. The huge cannon will be ready before the tournament starts. We"ve created the impenetrable mask according to your design. They will bring it in soon.»
Kyon nodded, satisfied. He couldn"t get a word in. Gennady was a real chatter-box.
«Tell me, do you have any more engineering ideas? My people and I will start implementing them as a matter of priority! All the other good-for-nothing orders can wait.»
Kyon put the mug on the table, moved his toes and said:
«When the guard calls to tell you that five people have arrived, let them all in here.»
«Huh? People?» - Gennady didn"t have a chance to get surprised when the guard called him.
«Some tall b.a.s.t.a.r.ds say they have come at the invitation of Kyon... Shall I let them in, Sir?»
«Bring them to my office.» - The old dwarf said and looked at Kyon with interest.
Five middle-aged people in white coats befitting scientists entered the main office. All of them were well-groomed and in perfect shape. There was only that weird vacant look in their eyes.
All five of them were residents of Boston, representatives of the poor cla.s.s. They were enslaved yesterday, totally unaware of it. Today they got used to the voice in their heads. It promised to change their lives for the better and give them a well-paid job at the factory. All of them knew how to write. They only needed to memorize some mathematical and chemical symbols. The mysterious voice would tell them the rest. They had arrived here in spite of their inner self that was against this nonsense. The last straw was a parcel with clothes that had literally fallen on their heads. Did they go nuts? Did the world go crazy? By all means!
«Meet my people, Gennady. They have great knowledge of chemistry, engineering and other technical sciences. They will teach the dwarves science. So, you will eventually learn all the charms of electricity and, sooner or later, you"ll create a decent weapon. Its combat parameters will be hundreds of times superior to the sniper. However, it will take you a year to master the new technologies even under the instructions of my people. As a result, you"ll be more influential than any family. Except the imperial, of course...»
The five people started smiling foolishly. They did not understand what was going on. Who was this guy? Did they know each other? Unfortunately, the voice in their head had forbidden them to say too much and limited their freedom of action.
«Are you serious?! People?! Training the great dwarves?! What a nerve! What madness! Do you think there are plenty of geniuses like you?! Are you insane!» - The old dwarf was outraged. He could believe Kyon really meant it.
«Talk to them. Or give them three days of probation and several dwarves as students. If they impress you with their knowledge, then you can hire them. I trust all of them completely. They will never tell anyone too much. Deal? You don"t lose anything but get a priceless chance to increase your impact.» - Kyon finished his tirade, confident in himself, and flicked Juno on the nose with his toe. – «Use your hands, little pervert. And keep your mouth shut!»
Juno was thunderstruck. She looked at the five people who were standing peacefully nearby and couldn"t understand anything. Was the monster violating common sense again? When did he manage to find five followers?! Where did he get the knowledge to impress the inimitable dwarves? Science? Chemistry? What was going on?!
The painful flick on the nose brought Juno to her senses, and she continued with her job. Hundreds of curious questions buzzed in her poor little head. It was real torture! She would give anything to find out the truth. But the jerk kept silent again. The vile monster enjoyed her suffering. Juno"s eyes were moist with grief. Her lips moved slightly...
«You are a fool, Kyon. I"m sixty years old, but I"ve never met a really smart engineer. Beside you that is... Alright, I agree but only out of respect for your skills. Bear in mind, I will drive them out of here in three days. n.o.body but bearded G.o.ds should work here!»
«I know. Thank you, Gennady.» - Kyon answered, waving him off. He would have achieved what he wanted anyway. He might have offered some other metal from the heritage or ordered someone to talk to the chief dwarf on science repeating after the voice in their head. From now on, the five people would teach the proud race of dwarves the secrets that they needed to develop new high technologies.
In the end, the dwarves gave Kyon a beautiful, elegant black mask that hid the entire face except for the eyes and blocked scanning. Also, he requested several dozens of pistols, snipers, and cartridges. Some of them had a needle on the tip and a drop of tranquilizer inside. He agreed on this supply with Gennady via sound transmitter a long time ago. The dwarf couldn"t say no.
When Kyon was leaving the factory, he received a bird with a spatial ring. He found the necessary papers inside and a note from Stephany: "Kyon, I did everything as you asked! You owe me the third training. I want to have it somewhere else... I am sure you will enjoy it! Call me! I don"t have the frequency of your sound transmitter. Missing you and longing to see you. ♥ "
Kyon crumpled the note, burnt it and scattered it in the wind. He put a nephrite with the promised movement technique into the ring and sent the post back to the addressee. Stephany was, by all means, beautiful and influential. She might as well have a rich inner world. However, she fell short of Kyon"s expectations. He didn"t need her anymore. His plan had worked. He had the papers. His little birds would bring him the necessary information to contribute to his main goal of becoming a high-ranking investigator.
When Kyon reached the rank high enough in the department, he would find a way to implement the information that Kara is a demon. While he was at it, he would make some high-ranking families empty their wallets as well.