"Ah. You've returned?" Elder Thompson looked surprised to find Nathan visiting him.
"Yes. I've returned." Nathan nodded politely.
"Since you have returned, I guess I can show you those." Elder Thompson smiled.
"The weapons you asked me. I have finished most of them. They're still prototypes, and there are a lot of things that need to be improved, but they're already usable. Would you like to take a look?"
"This way." Elder Thompson moved to the warehouse and showed a variety of guns on the shelves.
"Oh. To think you have made all of this…" Nathan's expression brightened. He could see a shotgun, a rifle, and a sniper rifle.
"Yes. Actually, when I visited your place to show you these guns, you were away, and I ended up meeting that little girl. She told me you had given her the chance to wield the magic pistol, so she wanted to see these products. Apparently, she was interested in this shotgun."
"Oh? You're talking about Iris?" Nathan nodded in understanding.
"What's wrong? Is your relationship not good with her? Should I—!"
Nathan hurriedly waved his hand. "That's fine. In the end, she is just anxious because she wants to grow stronger, but her ena has yet to fully mature, meaning she can't officially become a summoner yet."
"That's indeed true. If you don't mind, then I'm not going to tell her to leave. She has helped me test these weapons as well."
Nathan nodded. "If she doesn't bother you, please treat her well."
"Sure thing." Elder Thompson extended his hand. "The girl aside, why don't we go to the field to test these weapons?"
Both of them headed to the field behind the warehouse. Nathan could see a lot of training dummies for target practice.
"Which one do you want to test first?" Nathan grabbed the shotgun. "How about this? All these guns are based on my Gun Control System. This shotgun has a powerful attack power, and the shot is spread, which is lethal for close range."
"These are the bullets you've asked me to create." Elder Thompson took out a small box containing ten shotgun shells.
Nathan examined the shotgun first and noticed the slot to the chamber, so he grabbed a cartridge and carefully inserted it. "…"
"Yes." Elder Thompson nodded. With a wave of his hand, a scarecrow flew and planted itself not far from them.
Nathan aimed it carefully and pressed the trigger.
There was a small burst of energy that launched the shell forward. Then, another burst occurred, which split apart the shell, releasing smaller bullets from within.
The bullets hit and obliterated a part of the dummy. The power was as good as he expected, but the shot spread so wide that it felt like a waste.
"As you can see, I'm still doing my best adjusting the design for the bullet in order for it to be more concentrated and stable.
"The principle for the bullet is quite unique. After hearing it from you, I took the liberty to change it accordingly. My apologies."
"It's fine. You're the expert. So, what did you adjust?" Nathan asked.
"First of all, this bullet is split into three sections. Inside the first compartment, there's a small bullet, which is in an unstable state. The trigger will cause this bullet to burst and launch the shell.
"In the second compartment is a similar bullet, but less unstable. This way, it will explode at a slower timing unless there's another bump, which will trigger its explosion.
"Last but not least, the third compartment contains all the real bullets that will scatter upon bursting, which pack a lot of power."
"It's quite amazing that you're able to make an unstable bullet." Nathan looked astonished. The magazine didn't have such technology, so it was surprising that Elder Thompson was able to do it.
"I'm actually inspired by your way of using 'Concentration.' I'm applying a similar principle. Of course, these bullets are still too unstable. If you carry it around carelessly, it can actually cause an explosion inside your bag or something, so I have to perfect it first before this shotgun is safe to use."
"Fair enough." Nathan nodded in understanding. "Still, the fact that you're able to create a bullet is actually good enough. In fact, you make me think of something else."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Nathan raised one finger. "I'm thinking about creating something ."
Nathan activated his Gun Control System, specifically his Machine Gun Version. He then released the bullets in rapid succession.
"Isn't this about the rifle?" Elder Thompson asked.
"No, not really. I'm talking about the bullet. If you are able to make a bullet sharp and powerful enough from metal, don't you think you can lower the cost of ena for each bullet?"
"Now that I think about it… Common metal itself is less precious than ena, especially if we buy in bulk. With further optimization of the ena storage and ena transfer technology, using metal as a replacement can actually make these guns much more cost-effective."
"That's right. For example, why not make a machine gun? It's a high-caliber gun that can shoot in rapid succession like what I showed you earlier. Then we will have hundreds, if not thousands, of bullets attached to each other.
"Whenever we press the trigger, the bullets will be sucked in and fired in rapid succession. With a high caliber, the force contained inside each bullet will be bigger. For a suppression weapon, don't you think this is a good idea? Just imagine how devastating it is for the aliens if we put this weapon on top of a wall."
"That's certainly amusing." Elder Thompson looked shocked before taking out his note. He wrote everything down. "I will definitely make it."
"Hahahaha. I can leave it to Elder Thompson."
"Yes, please leave it to me." The reason Elder Thompson looked so excited was because his name would be etched in history. If Nathan was considered the creator of the magic guns or magic weapons, he would be known as the father, since it was he who made them.
There was no greater honor for a blacksmith like him than the title of Legendary Blacksmith, whose name would forever be remembered.