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Wilson and others looked at the drawings in front of them, thinking about the function of each component and the meaning of this automation.

Lin En had no intention of keeping everyone in suspense and immediately explained to everyone the operating principle of the machine gun.

To put it simply, it is an automatic device with a barrel that floats in the machine gun. After the bullet is fired, the machine gun and the barrel are buckled together, using the energy of gunpowder gas as power to open the chamber through corresponding components. The bolt continues to recoil to eject the empty cartridge case and throw it out of the gun, and then drives the feeding mechanism to compress the return spring.

Under the action of spring force, the bolt pushes the bullet into place and fires again, thus saving the time of loading ammunition and making automatic firing of bullets possible.

Alchemists such as Lydia and Wilson who had participated in the development and manufacturing of percussion rifles quickly understood the entire operation process and could not help but marvel at the ingenious design of this new type of musket.

They had previously discussed how to further increase the firing rate of the percussion rifle, but they had basically focused on simplifying the process of loading and firing. However, Lin En's method was to let the power generated by the first shot of the musket drive the second shot, thus forming a cycle that did not require any human control at all...

"What is its firing rate?" Wilson asked anxiously.

"Probably about a thousand rounds per minute." Lin En thought for a moment and spoke.

What he came up with was an improved version of the famous Gatling rapid-fire machine gun, combined with the automation concept of the subsequent Maxim machine gun.

However, considering the Alchemy Research Institute's weak industrial foundation, the firing rate is not that fast, only one thousand rounds per minute.

In fact, there is no difference whether it is faster or slower, because fixed-load bullets are not like lead bullets. They need to be made manually and the process is more complicated. Their ammunition supply is definitely insufficient, and they can only finish shooting within a few seconds or tens of seconds.

"One thousand rounds per minute?!" Wilson almost thought he had heard it wrong. Could it be one thousand rounds per hour?

You have to know that the firing rate of a percussion rifle is already very fast in their eyes. A skilled gunman can complete loading and firing every five to six seconds, which is more than ten times the firing rate of a flintlock rifle!

This machine gun can only be described as outrageous, with a rate of fire of one thousand rounds per minute, which means it can fire fifteen bullets per second, which is one hundred and fifty times the firing rate of a flintlock rifle!

What kind of monster is this?

Wilson thought about the scene where fifty machine guns appeared on the battlefield, and in just a dozen seconds, thousands of enemies fell down in rows after a burst of fire... He couldn't help but shudder.

"Dean, which master created this weapon called... machine gun?" A wizard couldn't help but ask. They really wanted to know who created such a cruel battlefield killing weapon?

"The person who invented this thing is called Gatling!" Lin En said. "Before joining the [Secret Law Society], he was a doctor who saved lives on the battlefield. He witnessed the cruelty of war and the endless sorrow and death after the war. His original intention of inventing this thing was to reduce casualties, quickly end a war, and achieve true peace!"

Hearing this, the faces of all the alchemists turned extremely strange. They wanted to say something, but finally held it back.

Well... this makes sense. As long as all the enemies are dead, there will naturally be peace!

Directly and fundamentally solve the problem of war!

Chapter 349: Our troops did not sacrifice themselves, they just returned to the Lord's arms ahead of time!

"I have a good relationship with Master Gatling and we have had several conversations, so I have some understanding of the structure of the machine gun and its operating principles." Lin En continued to explain.

"It's a pity that this weapon is too dangerous. If it spreads, it may make the war even more brutal. Therefore, it was sealed by the [Society of Mysticism] after it was developed. The old wizard died of depression because of this. It was not until recently that it was reactivated to deal with the war against the Holy See!"

Hearing this, Wilson felt somewhat regretful that such a genius who developed a weapon of war had died just like that.

He suddenly felt that this must be the most correct decision the [Society of Secret Arts] had ever made. He simply could not imagine what the war would become after this thing spread.

Even these official wizards would be shot to pieces if pointed at by a machine gun on the battlefield.

Wilson even suspected that the dean had also participated in the research and development of this weapon of war. Otherwise, how could he know it in such detail and even draw the blueprint directly...

"If you can build five qualified machine guns within a week, after this war, I will commend your achievements to the congressmen, and all those who participate in the research and development of the new musket will receive a Morning Star Medal!" Lynn said encouragingly.

Most of the alchemists present participated in the production and improvement of flintlock rifles, percussion rifles and electromagnetic cannons, so it would be unreasonable not to give them some rewards.

Upon hearing this, Wilson and others were extremely excited. The Morning Star Medal was undoubtedly what most official wizards dreamed of throughout their lives and it was a great honor!

As for the more advanced Silver Moon and Corona medals, they are usually reserved for great wizards and legendary wizards. The only exception in the past few hundred years is Lin En. They dare not hope to be compared with this magic star...

Lydia was so excited that she could hardly contain herself. This meant that she would soon become the first halfling witch in history to receive the Order of the Morning Star!

With the upcoming glory as motivation, the fatigue caused by staying up late was instantly swept away. After drinking a bottle of energy potion, the alchemists began to think about how to make this thing.

Even though we have complete blueprints, the degree of automation of a machine gun is not comparable to that of a flintlock or a percussion rifle. There are many technical hurdles that need to be overcome, and the one-week time limit is very tight.

Seeing Wilson and the others' overflowing enthusiasm, Lynn nodded with satisfaction. Once they had anti-aircraft laser weapons and several machine guns as their trump cards, they would not have to hold on and could turn defense into offense!

Lin En was very interested in the oil that the Griffin Knights used for arson. In any case, he was determined to take this oil-producing area!

……

At night, outside the capital of the Kingdom of Hadratha.

Amidst prayers and hymns, the ground shook violently, and earth walls more than two meters high rose from the ground, forming a temporary camp.

Afterwards, several cardinals worked together to cast a divine magic barrier, creating a divine magic barrier that stretched for several kilometers.

Since the range of the magic is very large, the defensive power is very dispersed, and even a first-ring magic can easily break it. However, this thing is not used to resist damage. The magic [Detect Evil] and [Life Perception] are applied to it...

The former can detect fluctuations in magical power, and the latter can make some living creatures invisible. The purpose is to prevent those cunning wizards from sneaking in through transformation, invisibility and other means.

Once the divine barrier is attacked, the bishops and priests guarding nearby will arrive immediately.

The divine light cast by the barrier brought some comfort to the coalition soldiers who had just experienced a brutal war. However, as soon as they closed their eyes, they would recall the roar of muskets and artillery. The city wall soaked in blood had become an indelible nightmare in their hearts.

"People of God, the devil is walking the earth. Their evil minions have occupied the kingdom and are trying to turn the world into purgatory... Do not be afraid, and do not panic. All of this is God's test. Those who sacrificed themselves in the battle for God have simply returned to the Lord's embrace in advance and will enjoy endless peace and joy in the Kingdom of God..."

A pastor with a compassionate look on his face loudly proclaimed the faith of the Lord under the gaze of a group of anxious soldiers, while a dozen pastors around him chanted prayers loudly to comfort the stimulated coalition soldiers.

Compared to these cannon fodders, the precious griffins enjoyed better treatment. The bishops personally took action and used divine arts to eliminate their fear of thunder magic.

The only ones who were not affected were the God's Punishment Army wearing silver armor.

Every member of the God's Punishment Army is an elite who has fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They have witnessed their companions die tragically at the fangs of alien demons and behemoths. It is common for them to conquer and capture dangerous wizards. So even though the siege at noon was extremely brutal, it was not enough to shake their minds and faith.

At this moment, in the center of the camp, under the protection of a group of silver-armored guards, there was a temporary pure white tent.

Edwill was listening to the casualty reports of the war, which were much higher than the worst-case scenario previously expected.

The total death toll reached more than 23,500, and 117 Griffin Knights and 200 God's Punishment Army soldiers died under the Thunder Net and the extremely fast alchemical equipment that could emit lightning.

Hearing the bad news, the faces of the cardinals became gloomy.

The result of the first battle can only be described as humiliating. Even in the wars against evil gods, they had never experienced such a tragic defeat!

Purson couldn't imagine what kind of uproar would be caused if such news were to spread back to the Holy City. This would truly be an insult to the majesty of God!

In his opinion, the reason why there were such heavy casualties but no results was entirely due to Edwill's poor command!

"We shouldn't have retreated in such a hurry. Although the weapons of those wizards are powerful, they can never last forever. The casualties of 20,000 people may have pushed these evil god believers to their limit! It's like a dam being gnawed by insects and ants. It will collapse with just the slightest push!" Pulson said in a decisive tone.

He did not know how muskets and cannons worked, but no power was infinite and eternal except that of the Great Lord!

Powerful force often means terrible consumption!

If at the most intense moment of the war, Edelweir had forced the Griffin Knights to cooperate with them in the assault at all costs, perhaps they would have been celebrating their victory in the Royal City right now!

Chapter 350 Edwill: In fact, our strategic goal has been achieved!

"I think that powerful thunder weapon should be their last trump card!" Purson said with certainty.

The many bishops present also nodded in unison, believing without a doubt the speculation that the evil god's followers were already too weak...

After all, it didn't make sense that they had suffered such heavy casualties while the other side was still in full swing. It was very likely that they were just a little bit short of retreating before those wizards could hold on.

"But how much will such a violent attack cost?" A cardinal frowned in dissatisfaction and retorted.

If they forcefully attacked the city regardless of casualties, even if they were able to successfully capture the capital, the losses would be unacceptable to them.

It doesn't matter if the coalition forces of the kingdom's nobles die, but if the God's Punishment Army and the Griffin Knights suffer too many casualties, every one of them will be brought to justice!

For a moment, dozens of bishops in the pure white tent expressed their opinions and argued fiercely.

The quarrel among the crowd made Edelweir, who was sitting in the main seat, look more and more unhappy. An indescribable feeling of oppression began to emerge in the entire tent.

The bishops present seemed to be strangled by some force, and the quarrel in the tent died down almost instantly.

Even Cardinal Pulson felt extremely uncomfortable, as if something was suppressing his body, and speaking seemed to be an extremely luxurious thing.

With difficulty, Pulson turned his head and looked at Edelweir who was sitting in the upper seat, his face showing horror. He immediately recalled the rumors he had heard in the Vatican before.

There are rumors that Edwell has received the Lord's blessing and has already taken that step, and is the designated next Supreme Judge!

This action of conquering the kingdom was to build momentum for Edelweir and allow him to gain merits that would convince the public.

Previously, Purson had scoffed at this rumor. After all, whether in terms of qualifications or devotion to the Lord, Edelweir was not ranked among the top cardinals, so how could he be worthy of the Lord's favor?

But now it seems that this statement is not groundless...

After the camp was completely calm, Edelweir spoke. "Everyone, the enemy we are facing this time is not the loose and insignificant evil god believers in the past, but the wizard council from the devil's land, hiding behind the scenes to control everything, accumulating power for hundreds of years, and even trying to fight against the church and the empire."

"Of course, that is nothing but the wishful thinking of the ignorant. But no one knows how many strange and powerful witchcrafts they have developed over the years, and how many innocent souls they have devoured..."

"You should have seen the new weapons developed by those wizards." Edelweir looked around at everyone present and continued to ask. "Just talking about weapons that can emit lightning, how many of you can resist it?"

The bishops were immediately stumped by the question, as they all had a deep memory of the terrifying speed of the electromagnetic railgun.

Purson was somewhat unconvinced. If he had been pointed at before, he could have easily avoided the attack before it arrived.

But after thinking it over carefully, Purson did not dare to open his mouth to argue. He was sure he could dodge it because the distance was far enough. If he was closer, within 500 meters, he would probably be in great danger after several rounds of attacks.

"So this attempt was not without results. At least we have some understanding of the new weapons mastered by those evil god believers." Edwill said in a deep voice.

In a sense, they have achieved the strategic goal of the first battle and verified all the new weapons of the wizards mentioned in the kingdom's secret reports.

As for those huge alchemical creatures that could fly high into the sky, they were already under pressure from the Griffin Knights and did not dare to take off.

The only thing that was beyond his expectations was the unknown lightning net that could cover a large area of ​​airspace, which directly dealt a heavy blow to the Griffin Knights and made them lose the possibility of quickly capturing the royal capital.

After thinking for a moment, Edelweir suddenly looked to the side, "Weider! How much of the task I gave you have you completed?"

Wade immediately knelt on one knee, took out a blueprint, and said respectfully, "Reporting to Lord Edelweir, we have already found out the defense situation in the capital!"

As soon as Edwell thought about it, the drawing in Wade's hand automatically floated and unfolded, appearing in front of everyone.

Drawn on it is a map of the entire royal capital.

They had seen this map several times when they came here, but the wizards had occupied this place for more than two months, so they were not aware of the changes inside.

And Wade undoubtedly recorded all these changes. For example, when the attack occurred, there were a total of thirty-seven places in the royal capital that were protected by magic barriers.

Places that may be granaries or arsenals are circled with red lines.

In one of the places, the security was even stricter than that of the royal palace, guarded by thousands of musketeers and more than a dozen wizards, so that the team of griffin knights who were conducting a test were almost defeated.

"Perhaps this is the gathering place of wizards!" a bishop speculated.