Greycastle, Neverwinter.

Since siege cannons were difficult to transport, while the musketeer battalion was dispatched in shifts to Wolfheart and Everwinter to carry out His Majesty's population migration plan, the artillery battalion was rarely idle. In addition to daily training and helping with the autumn harvest, non-duty teams could return home and spend this precious leisure time with their families.

Vanna was no exception. Now that he was a battalion commander, it was difficult for him to apply for leave, so he cherished such an opportunity. In addition to spending time with his family and visiting neighbors, gathering with old friends was also an essential activity. After all, drinking was forbidden in the army, and only during vacations could one enjoy a good drink.

After years of development, the commercial prosperity of Neverwinter had long surpassed that of the old capital. His Majesty's initial plan for a commercial street, that is, any street-facing building should be built into a two-story shop for rent, had gone from being unpopular to being highly sought after. Merchants from other places flocked to settle in, either selling specialty goods transported from various places, or converting them into hotels, restaurants, and taverns. If the convenience market provided daily necessities, then these shops were a supplement to enrich life.

Walking on the bustling streets, Vanna couldn't help but sigh at His Majesty's foresight. Even with the hawking sounds rising and falling around him, the city's roads were not congested at all—vendors would not pile up their shops all over the street, everyone shuttled on dedicated stone-paved walkways, and carriages galloped on the black pavement, everything seemed well-organized.

He remembered that when the construction team first laid the lines and built the roads, many people did not understand why the streets should be built so wide, especially the separation of people and carriages seemed redundant and unnecessary. Now it seemed that this plan was just right, as if His Majesty had foreseen this scene in advance.

After crossing two main roads, the "Lucky Bullet" tavern appeared in front of Vanna, which was also his destination for this trip.

Walking into the store, someone behind the bar immediately hobbled out to greet him, "Sir, you've arrived!"

"What sir, that's what they call me in the army. You're not in the First Army anymore, just call me Vanna." He smiled and hugged the person, patting the other's back hard. "How's business lately, should be pretty good?"

Instead of his name, the nickname Iron Crutch was more memorable to Vanna—during the fierce battle at Tower One at night half a year ago, in order to recapture the artillery position occupied by the devils, Iron Crutch, who was still serving in the artillery battalion, led the team to charge at the enemy, and was pierced from the abdomen to the leg by a throwing spear, losing consciousness on the spot. Although he was rescued by Angel xiaojie afterward, due to the lack of too many parts, he was not able to fully recover in the end, and the entire right leg had to be temporarily replaced with a section of iron bar, and the nickname Iron Crutch spread.

After retiring, Iron Crutch received a subsidy, plus the accumulated salary, and opened this "Lucky Bullet" tavern in the East District, which can be regarded as a regular gathering place for the First Army during holidays.

"The rent is reduced during the injury period, enough to support the family." Iron Crutch rubbed his hands and said, "Of course, it would be better if you could come and patronize a few more times."

Vanna felt a surge of relief in his heart, "That will have to wait until I quit, or become like you. By the way, have the Rona brothers arrived yet?"

"They're all upstairs, let me take you there."

"No, no, you go ahead and busy yourself, and come and have a few drinks with everyone when there are fewer guests."

"Okay, that's settled," Iron Crutch readily agreed.

Vanna walked upstairs and saw his old buddies sitting around a round table at a glance. Yupi, Maozhua, Rodney, Nelson... When the artillery battalion was first established, they were just a group of young men in the same artillery group, the kind who would be frightened when they saw knights charging. Now, they have basically become the core backbone of the artillery battalion, each with his own subordinates. If it weren't for such a special holiday, it would be difficult to gather together like before.

After that, it was a happy time of clinking glasses and drinking. A group of people raised their glasses and drank freely, talking about everything, but the most talked about topics were still the army itself and the War of Divine Will to be faced in the future.

After all, according to His Majesty, the scale of this war was unprecedented, and the entire continent would be involved. It was unknown how many people would be able to sit together and drink after the war.

"Actually, we are considered lucky, at least we don't have to deal with those monsters head-on," Rodney took a long breath after drinking a glass of ale. "If the artillery positions are lost, it's basically equivalent to a complete defeat."

"The problem is, who knows what new tricks the devils have... Tower One station wasn't caught off guard?" Maozhua shrugged, "I only hope that when that time really comes, the soldiers under my command will at least have the ability to fight back, instead of just waiting for the musketeer battalion and the special tactics squad guys to save them."

These words resonated with everyone, "That's right, if we also had powerful rapid-fire weapons, the revolver buqiang is okay for dealing with knights, but it's not enough to suppress devils."

"Save it, I heard that the army plans to fully equip bolt-action buqiang, and soon you won't even see the revolver gun."

"No way... Battalion Commander, is this true?"

Seeing everyone looking at him, Vanna nodded and said, "In fact, the first and sixth platoons have already replaced their new weapons, but due to production problems, it will take some time to replenish the other platoons."

Yupi frowned, "I've also tried the new gun. The accuracy and power are good, but the speed of firing one shot and pulling one shot is really not suitable for use as a close-range weapon. Can't the artillery battalion continue to use the original weapons?"

"I'm afraid not, this is the decision from above." Vanna pointed to the top of his head, "The revolver gun uses old-fashioned black huoyao, and the bullets look almost the same. It is definitely more cost-effective to save this part of the workers to make new bullets."

"Then... let Iron Axe speak to His Majesty and design a new weapon for us?"

"Don't even think about it," Nelson scoffed, "If there really is such a good thing, wouldn't Brett and the others grab it?"

"That's right, the artillery battalion has enough cannons," Maozhua imitated Brett's tone, "Don't you often say that the thicker the tube, the better? Let our musketeer battalion keep this small water pipe—guys, keep drinking!"

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses, but found that Vanna did not respond, but stared at the glass of wine without moving, as if he was thinking about something.

"Battalion Commander?"

Vanna touched his chin and said slowly, "What if we make it ourselves?"

"Make what? New muskets?" Maozhua raised his eyebrows, "Battalion Commander, are you drunk?"

"Come on! I don't know if you've noticed, but whether it's the xiàndàn gun used by the special tactics squad or the Mark 1 heavy jiqiang of the musketeer battalion, they all achieve repeated firing through a gas导气管." Vanna recalled while saying, "I've seen a lot of weapons that have been scrapped and recycled. Although the structure is not quite the same, the principle is similar."

"Uh... really? How come I don't know?"

"So the Battalion Commander is him, not you." Rodney pouted, "But even so, it would require a lot of manpower and materials. The factory that produces weapons is not under the control of Iron Axe."

"No, what I'm talking about making refers to improving the existing qiangzhi," Vanna felt that his thinking became clearer as he spoke, "It doesn't need to bother the ordnance factory, nor will it increase the burden on the administrative hall. As long as there is the assistance of a skilled worker, it can be tried."

The other three all looked at Yupi at the same time.

The latter sighed and raised his hand helplessly, "My brother works in the industrial area, but he is responsible for the processing and assembly of steam engines. I'll take you there tomorrow."