Dominic nodded as the Prince finished that part of his speech, but the Prince was not planning to go into any more detail than that, and instead pivoted to the militia recruitment that would be expected in the first round of recruitment.
"You don’t look concerned." The man on Dominic’s left noted as the Prince finished his speech.
"Who do you think will be making those magical rifles for the new Regiment? That’s my new assignment, and I will be starting on them tomorrow, right through the end of the war, most likely." Dominic replied with a shrug.
The young Noble nodded in understanding. "I get it. Normally, a Sorcerer led unit is shock troops, first in, never out. But as a Weaponsmith, your magic is so much more valuable here that they can’t afford to send you anywhere else."
Dominic chuckled. "I know we’re not really popular in the Noble district, but damn."
The young man belatedly realized what he had said, and a man behind Dominic began to laugh.
The man on the other side of Dominic snorted in amusement. "You’ll learn to develop a thick skin for these functions. I think it’s better that you flaunt your horns. Half the families present have a sorcerer on staff, and the other half wish they could afford one.
A Sorcerer is just one generation too old to be called a wizard." He joked.
An older man thumped his hand on the table. "Enough of that talk. Officially, we’re all humans here, and all of Noble blood."
Then he smiled at Dominic. "Besides, I heard you say that you’re on rifle duty. I don’t suppose that you have a test piece that you might be willing to trade in advance?"
Dominic smiled. "How deep are your pockets. Because I might have a demonstration model designed for the Royal Guards that I would part with for the right price. As you said, a test unit that wasn’t quite suited for the purchaser, but still serviceable."
"Let’s talk in a sitting room." The older man insisted.
They left the table together, and Dominic followed the man into a sitting room, where maids brought in their meal.
"Crap, we were supposed to be at a function." Dominic realized, while the man laughed.
"Don’t worry about it. We’re still at the function, just not in the main room. Now, you said that you had an item available?"
"I have one rifle ready now, made at Level 19 enhancement. A rare quality Ogre Slaying Rifle. If you prefer revolvers, I am working on a pair of Mana Revolvers now, but they won’t be ready until tomorrow at the earliest. Quality is yet to be determined."
The noble nodded. "And what do you want for the test unit of the Ogre Slaying Rifle?"
"I need a collection of spell gems, preferably combat based. But I will take utility spells as well."
"What ones do you need? The best stuff gets sent to the mage academy right away, but if you are short on the common spell gems, I can trade military merits to get them from the warehouse for you." The soldier suggested.
"My only spell gems are minor illusion, mage armour, alarm and purify food and drink. That’s why I need combat gems. So that I’m not completely reliant on my innate magic. But other utility magic would be great.
I might be working as the smith, but the next time that they send me out on the field, it would be great to be able to refill damaged steam vessels and canteens, or cast an attack or barrier spell to assist the guards." Dominic explained.
The soldier nodded in understanding.
"That shouldn’t be a problem. You see, there is a standard package for the military mages. The ones who can’t afford tuition at the Mage Academy, but have the talent. They get recruited to serve with the regiments, and they’re all assigned the most common spell gems.
Those ones are cheap and plentiful in storage, and I will add a few more valuable sorts to make it worth your rifle. Assuming it is all that you say it is." He offered.
Dominic took the rifle from his storage cube and placed it on the low table between them.
"Oh, well now that is a beauty. Now I understand why you would ask for multiple spell gems in exchange. It is certainly worth it."
He rang a bell, and a maid came in to see what they needed. The soldier quickly wrote up a list and handed it to her after stamping it with wax and his sigil.
"Be a dear and go grab that for me so we can complete this transaction before the luncheon ends."
"Yes, General Merlot."
The maid ran off while the General examined the rifle.
"What was this chambered for?" He asked curiously.
"The standard .30 calibre lead balls. It stamps them to precise shape when they’re chambered, and the enchantment adds projectile speed and impact force. The side lever charges the compressed air, good for ten shots, the same as the ammunition capacity. The trigger guard lever loads the next round.
The recharge time is a bit long, as it takes some work to pressurize the chamber. But when it’s freshly loaded, two shots a second on target was no problem for the Princess’ Royal Guards." Dominic informed him with a smile.
"So, they did get to use them, then?" General Merlot asked.
"To great effect. I don’t know if you heard how Princess Alexis’ trip went, but things got intense." Dominic sighed.
"You were with them? And you’re still thinking of going into combat again? I must say that I admire your guts. After their first defeat, most of the survivors need months of rehabilitation before they’re mentally ready to go to war again."
Dominic shrugged. "I am something of a realist. If they call, I won’t be able to say no either way, so it’s better if I am ready to go."
General Merlot smiled. "That’s the spirit. The maid should be back in just a minute with your goods. The store room is only a minute’s walk from here."