Chapter 113: The Repeating Crossbow

For his first visit, Kevin chose the 213th Regiment. This unit primarily operated catapults. During the military exercises, Kevin had been ordered to merge with the 213th and follow its commander’s lead, but unfortunately, the regiment was frozen solid by a forbidden spell at the very start, leaving Kevin to operate on his own for the remainder of the event.

There were few regiments in the country that focused on catapults or heavy machinery, and Kevin had long wanted to pay them a visit. After all, as a catapult commander himself, he was eager to see how others trained. In the past, his rank had been too low to even get through the gate. Now, with the son of the Thunder Knights’ commander in tow, he couldn’t let this rare opportunity slip by.

Taking a carriage, then a teleportation portal, and finally another carriage, the journey was swift and convenient. When they reached the military camp gate, Kevin checked his watch—it was around 9:00 AM. Since the original plan had called for training in the afternoon, Kevin felt the visit might be too short, so he immediately waved his hand to change the schedule.

"We'll see about afternoon training later; I don't know what kind of insights we'll gain from today's visit," Kevin said casually. He was in charge now, and Saien certainly wasn't going to object.

As the two approached the gate, the sentry blocked their path: "State your business, officers."

"I am a department head from the Thunder Knights," Kevin said, handing over his credentials. He then pointedly introduced his companion: "This is the son of the Thunder Knights’ commander. We are here for a special visit today."

The sentry looked surprised but couldn't just let anyone in. Not recognizing the name of the commander’s son, he replied, "I need to report this. Please wait a moment."

Kevin nodded and took out his pocket watch to check the time. Once the watch was displayed, anyone with a discerning eye would recognize it as a symbol of status. The sentry, realizing these men might be influential, dared not be negligent.

After five minutes, a captain approached them: "A sudden visit? Why wasn't there an appointment?"

Kevin smiled, "We are just low-ranking officers; what need is there for an appointment? Just let us walk around and take a look; we can ask our own questions if anything comes up."

"Then... please register yourselves." The captain produced a logbook. It was standard procedure for outsiders to sign in. Kevin and Saien complied without hesitation, wrote their names, and followed the captain into the camp.

Kevin asked, "Captain, do you intend to accompany us the whole way?"

"Naturally. Since you are visiting, there must be a reception," the captain laughed. "Where would you like to go? We have a decent canteen here, and the army serves roasted meat."

"We came today to see the standard catapult training procedures so we might learn from them," Kevin replied honestly.

The captain looked slightly taken aback: "As far as I know, the Thunder Knights only have one catapult?"

"Correct. I am the only catapult commander there," Kevin answered. "Is there a problem?"

The captain cast a suspicious glance at Saien. He had expected to be hosting the commander’s son, yet the young man remained silent, leaving everything to this mysterious catapult commander. Who was really in charge here? Moreover, any talk of "observing training" immediately raised suspicions of a secret investigation or a surprise inspection ordered by superiors.

"If it’s inconvenient for you, we can just walk around by ourselves," Kevin said, remaining indifferent.

"No, it's not inconvenient," the captain replied with a dry laugh, leading them toward the catapult training grounds.

At the field, the catapults were parked in the open. Having just gone through the military exercises—though they had been wiped out early on—they had still traveled a long distance and were currently in the maintenance phase.

However, these standard catapults were far less complex than Kevin’s. They hadn't fired stones at high frequency, so maintenance was limited to wiping them down and perhaps touching up the paint. Two or three people were enough for the job, yet there were over a dozen men assigned to each machine. Consequently, the scene was one of veteran soldiers sitting around chatting while a few new recruits did the actual work.

Kevin didn’t offer any critique; such situations were common. Even within the Thunder Knights, similar phenomena existed. Once veterans met the standards, they only needed to maintain their edge. But it wouldn't look good for an entire training ground to be just chatting, so the lowest-ranking recruits were always the ones training or working.

"I'll go take a look myself," Kevin said. Being an expert, he didn't need much explanation. He walked forward, only to notice Saien standing still. Kevin frowned, "Come on, let's learn something!"

Saien’s face darkened, and he moved over with visible reluctance. The captain watched in astonishment; why was the commander’s son being ordered around like a subordinate? Who exactly was this catapult commander?

Ignoring the thoughts of others, Kevin approached a catapult. It was roughly the same style as his old one—a four-wheeled, counterweight-based model. However, it featured an additional dual-row crossbow-like attachment with a very complex structure.

"What is this?" Kevin asked a recruit performing maintenance.

The recruit jumped, quickly dropping his rag to salute: "I don't know, sir."

The captain stepped in to explain: "This is a test weapon provided by the Royal Academy’s Mechanical Research Division. We call it a repeating crossbow."

"The bolts have immense power, but reloading is laborious and time-consuming," the captain continued. "The main issue is the draw process; the tension is so high that manual loading is exhausting. So, the Academy designed this mechanism to use one's feet to draw the string."

"The entire crossbow is fixed to a wooden frame. The operator sits on it, placing their feet on the pedals. There are two bows: one fires while the other draws. The draw force is transferred through steel cables and pulleys to the foot pedals. The right hand controls the aim and the firing trigger, while the left hand feeds the chain of bolts. It utilizes all four limbs; it’s quite an innovation."

Kevin poked and prodded the machine: "The mechanism seems... a bit too complex. Won't it jam during combat?"

"It’s still in the trial phase," the captain sighed. "When it doesn't jam, it truly rains arrows—it's terrifying. But because the operator is constantly bouncing on it, aiming during rapid fire is nearly impossible. It’s bulky, too, so we can only fit one on a catapult, mostly for defensive purposes if the enemy gets too close."

Kevin nodded: "But one could stop to aim a shot slowly. This crossbow looks promising. May I try it?"

"Certainly," the captain replied readily.

Kevin jumped onto the frame and stepped onto the pedals. The recruit handed him a chain of bolts. Kevin felt the tension: "I suspect it will jam halfway through."

The captain sighed: "The technology isn't mature yet. We've tried various materials for the bolt belt, but the results aren't ideal."

"If one had a spatial ring, the belt wouldn't be needed; you could just load it by hand," Kevin suggested. As he spoke, he aimed at the empty field and stomped on the pedals. The bolts flew out with a rapid *whoosh-whoosh*. However, the right hand holding the crossbow shook violently from the recoil, making precise aiming impossible.

*Click!* Just as expected, it jammed halfway through as the belt caught on the bowstring. But with a quick adjustment, Kevin was able to continue firing.

"It feels good," Kevin affirmed. "The pedals are heavy and require some effort, but it’s acceptable. Saien, you try it too."

Faced with the novel equipment, Saien finally showed some interest and stepped up to fiddle with it. The surrounding soldiers frowned, wondering who these two were, turning the training ground into a mess.

"My apologies," Kevin laughed, "we’ve scattered arrows everywhere. That won't be easy to re-bundle, will it?"

"It’s fine," the captain waved it off. "Is there anything else you wish to see?" It was a clear hint for them to leave.

"Let me take a look at your stone ammunition, or any other types you might have," Kevin persisted, thick-skinned.

The captain reluctantly ordered a crate of ammunition to be brought out. Aside from common stone and fire-oil projectiles, there were rare magic-infused types: stones engraved with fire-burst arrays, hardened stones with fortification spells, long-range projectiles with wind-levitation arrays, and even multi-element composite arrays.

These catapults were a tier below Kevin’s, but the variety of ammunition far exceeded his own. All of this cost money, and Kevin felt a pang of nostalgia remembering how he had to fund his own equipment.

By 11:00 AM, Kevin had finished his rough inspection and prepared to leave. Before departing, he asked, "Why haven't I heard any news about these new weapons from the Royal Academy?"

The captain opened his mouth but said nothing.

Kevin didn't press the matter and left with Saien. Back at the barracks at noon, they had lunch. Kevin ordered Saien to train on his own, with the condition that he stay within sight. Kevin himself sat by the catapult park, sketching on paper.

Saien couldn't be bothered with him and started playing around—doing flips, throwing and catching his sword, and leaping about. He loved acrobatics and showing off. After being forced to read books for days, he was finally letting off steam.

They trained until dusk. Kevin finally finished his drawing and stood up. Saien, exhausted, was resting. Kevin beckoned him over: "Come look, did I get this right?"

Saien walked over with an impatient scowl, but as he glanced at the blueprint, his eyes became glued to it.

The drawing was the repeating crossbow they had seen in the morning. Kevin had perfectly captured the dimensions and the internal configuration of every part. He had even added notes; if taken to a blacksmith, one could likely build a replica from the drawings alone.

"Well? You saw it too. Did I miss anything or get anything wrong?" Kevin asked. "If not, we’ll have a craftsman build one tomorrow to test."

Saien stood frozen. In that moment, he finally felt the crushing gap in their intellect. While he had only been thinking about how "fun" it was to fire the weapon, Kevin had memorized the entire principle and internal structure after just a brief look. It wasn't just a difference in intelligence; it was a difference in attitude.

For the first time, Saien was forced to re-evaluate Kevin. This man who had single-handedly wiped out two regiments during the exercises was, after all, a man of true substance.