"Everyone says I look like a black marketeer, so I'll give it a try." Sitting in Night Fall Town is no different from waiting for death.

Whether the kingdom goes to war or not, it's not up to us. I bet they're not ready yet, but Simmon bets they're ready to strike. Wolfrang smokes his cigarette and watches Simmon and me argue endlessly.

My proposal is to form an alliance with monsters to resist the kingdom. The problem now is that the monsters in Mountain Dotch have established diplomatic relations with us, but we haven't been to Greely Mountain. If news of the kingdom's intention to eradicate monsters gets out, will they believe it? If they do, will they join us in unity against the kingdom?

Simmon advocates for migration. With over a thousand people in Night Fall Town, we would mobilize all our horses to transport supplies and head south, looking for the next place to settle and start anew. But the feasibility is too low. First, we would lose the kingdom's supply of goods, and we would be forced to abandon a large amount of property.

I really don't want to argue anymore. It's making my collarbone ache, and my wife bit me pretty deep earlier.

"What are the chances of all the people in Night Fall Town, plus all the werewolves, succubi, and Medusa, winning a direct confrontation against the kingdom?"

"No chance."

Wolfrang immediately rejects my idea.

"They won't notify us; they will directly sweep each territory of every type of monster. If they really attack, it would be the succubi's forest territory. At least there, we can ensure that we don't lose."

But even in the forest, it would be difficult to ensure victory. If the kingdom sets the forest on fire...

What we need is more possibilities.

"Simmon, can you organize the black market now?"

"What are you planning?"

"I want to take a walk in Greely Mountain."

"What's the point of going to Greely Mountain? Those monsters won't listen to you."

"The news that needs to be delivered still needs to be delivered."

It's difficult to unite monsters to resist the kingdom, but as Wolfrang said, the kingdom will systematically clear monster territories. This creates an information imbalance, with the kingdom acting as the "attacker." Even if we fight separately, we need to fight a prepared battle and gain as much time as possible.

Finally, under Wolfrang's persuasion with a remark of "Do as he says," Uncle Simmon agreed to lead the black caravan through Greely Mountain. Actually, I still want to gather monsters to fight against the kingdom. The news delivery is just an excuse, and Wolfrang can do that task.

There are many different types of monsters in Greely Mountain. I remember in the monster compendium that Granny Bonare gave me, there were two types that stood out. One is a large bird that can fly. (Well, that's obvious.) The other is a "multi-headed dragon," a monster with many snake heads. Its other attributes are unclear, but it is quite large.

These two types of monsters are the ones I most want to ally with. What was emphasized in my era of warfare? "Air superiority." This large bird, if it joins the war and throws rocks at the kingdom's troops, it would probably be quite formidable. The multi-headed dragon is large in size, and both humans and animals instinctively fear giant objects. If this monster is big enough, it would have a psychological impact on the soldiers. But the problem is, will the large bird and dragon even buy things from the black market...

"Simmon, what do you think of us visiting every type of monster in Greely Mountain?"

"Every type of monster? Heh, kid, as long as you don't wet your pants, it'll be fine."

"You have more experience, so I'll rely on you."

"Oh? Raul, you're getting better at talking. Just follow me and get ready to broaden your horizons~"

This time, the merchant trip is clearly different from before and requires three days of preparation. There are many things to arrange, including what to do if we go out and happen to encounter the kingdom's troops. Grei found some people who disguised themselves as workers at the general store and became spies in the kingdom. Calculating the marching speed of the kingdom's infantry, it takes about two days to reach Night Fall Town, but our people can deliver the message in just eight hours with horses at full speed. For now, let's see the size of the kingdom's forces before deciding our next move.

My wife has made some progress in archery these past few days. Although she still has some ways to go compared to before, she has reached the level of an archer. I look at her practicing with determination, and it breaks my heart to see her fingertips getting worn out. At night, when we lie down to sleep, I really want to tell her that she doesn't have to work so hard, but I must be tough and let her regain her former self.During the day, I would spend time with her whenever I had the chance. She would practice archery while I practiced shooting.

In the late spring afternoons, the sunlight was always warm. It was the first spring I experienced in this otherworldly realm.

There were no strong winds, no sandstorms, and no extreme temperature differences between day and night that went against humanity.

There were only the fresh green leaves on the tree branches and hopeful people.

Dear ministers and high-ranking officials of the kingdom, you surely do not wish for this season to be tainted by bloodshed and ashes...

With my feet touching the ground, I sat down at a workbench and gazed at my wife as she practiced archery, the fine friction between her eyebrows and bangs catching my attention.

After spending so much time with you,

I am still confident in my understanding of you.

The image of you risking your life to save mine amidst a hail of bullets suddenly appears in my mind.

Perhaps because I have become accustomed to bloodshed,

But you have forgotten that you were once a delicate and beautiful maiden...

I sneakily embraced my beloved from behind.

"By being with me, we may never return to the days before."

"The days before?"

"The days before you met me."

"That's fine. I am willing to do that."

Perhaps I truly have illuminated the life of this Medusa, no matter what has transpired between us. The gratitude she has shown me and the perseverance I have displayed towards her make it difficult, even in Chinese, to accurately describe our relationship.

I have no idea what kind of cruel war the kingdom will initiate. Love that arises amidst the chaos of war may be considered a tragic and tear-jerking tale by others, but we are the ones directly involved and we do not wish to choose war.

Suddenly, I imagine a scene where our small home is shattered by an army using heavy cannons, causing my hands to tremble around her waist.

"Husband, what's wrong...?"

"It's nothing. Just let me hold you for a bit."

"But I won't be able to shoot arrows like this..."

"Then take a break for a while."

Hmm, this feels nice. Such a sweet scene. It would be even better if Park doesn't come to disturb us...

"Raul, I wanted to tell you about something..."

"Uh..."

"Sorry for interrupting."

As I suspected, I knew Park wouldn't be a well-behaved person. Although, this might also have to do with our recent interactions over the past few days.

Seeing my wife feeling a bit embarrassed, I told her to take a rest and went to find Park. Since our conversation that day, I've been communicating with Park through drawings, conveying concepts of advanced weaponry. We may not be able to produce airplanes or tanks, but we should try to develop more advanced firearms, as Park had already manufactured a revolver.

"I still can't make this type of bullet."

"You mean the simplest kind?"

"Yes, because this part cannot be machined using any of our equipment."

He was referring to the metal casing. I remembered that casings were usually made by stamping copper plates, and it seemed that this era didn't have stamping machines. It seems that my imaginative thinking alone is insufficient. Without fixed ammunition with metal casings, it would be difficult for firearms to make a significant leap forward. I'll temporarily put aside improvements regarding bullets and focus on handling the rifling in the barrel.

"What about the machining for this part that I mentioned before?"

"Well, I did manage to make it, but I'm not sure if it's the same as what you mentioned."

"Let me see one."

Thanks to my father's influence, I have some understanding of rifling. After all, even my great-grandfather and three generations of my family have had a working-class background, and I heard they even produced guns for General Zhang. Rifling can be hand-cut using a hook knife, and Park made a few prototypes based on my rough ideas.

Speaking of which, let's talk about Simmon. Although his rifle doesn't have rifling, the inside of the barrel is hexagonal, and the bullets it fires are also hexagonal. This makes it much more accurate than ordinary smoothbore guns, but it also complicates the production of bullets.

Choosing one of the better-looking finished products, I fired a few shots and, based on my gut feeling, it was more accurate than the rifles in the kingdom. However, loading the ammunition was problematic. The lead bullets would get stuck at times. It seems that idealistic ideas turn into nightmares when put into practice.

It's still important to respect the era. It's unrealistic to try to initiate a technological revolution with my eccentric ideas alone.

"Park, if we modify this gun like this. I'm going to find Simmon."

I threw the gun to Night Fall Town, or rather, the world's greatest craftsman, and went to help Simmon prepare the goods needed by the black market. The first thing I saw was cart after cart of barrels, with each cart holding five barrels, securely tied with nets. There were a total of eight carts just for the barrels."Simmon, do the monsters in Greg Mountain like to drink alcohol..."

"Well... more or less, you'll find out when the time comes."

"And what about this beef..."

"That's a big deal, my friend."

"What kind of monsters live in Greg Mountain?"

"I already told you, don't be scared when you go this time. Hehe~"

Simmon wiped his neck with a towel, pinched his beard, and was quite proud.

"Being a black marketeer is not an easy job. Do you know how many years it took for us to establish friendly relationships with those frightening monsters? Go read a book and you'll see how many black marketeers died in Greg Mountain."

"Not every monster is as gentle as your wife, young man."

"What you see are only a part of the monsters, just a part. The real horror lies in that Greg Mountain."

The bartender's face was sweaty, and I followed his gaze to see Greg Mountain lying there quietly, like a piece of half-eaten stickcake, without any apparent reason to be afraid.

"If you have nothing to do, go help with the cooking~"

Everyone was busy loading and unloading the carts, so it wasn't a good time to chat with Simmon. I went to the back kitchen and see if I could lend a hand. I categorized a large amount of dried meat, dry roasted buns, pickled vegetables, and unsold bread, with even the old lady from the clothing store coming to help. Park was also going on this convoy mission; what awaited me was another overturning of my worldview, I had a feeling.

...

"Wife, am I looking fine in this attire?"

"Hmm, looks good."

My wife buttoned up my collar and smoothed out the creases on my shoulder, answering me with a smile.

"Come, let me see how beautiful my lovely wife looks~"

"Well, it's the same as before, isn't it..."

She was still wearing the original green three-piece gown, except this one was newly made by the clothing store, with two additional ornaments. Yesterday evening, when she swayed her hips in this outfit, the flowing green fabric made me feel like I was in a dream.

"Hmm, yes, this set still looks the best."

I kissed each of her small snakes one by one, then kissed her lips, and that marked the end of our morning kiss.

"Cough, cough, Mr. Raul, we were waiting for you."

Wolfrang stood at the door, dressed in a suit that was significantly more extravagant than usual. I heard that Leya personally made this outfit for him. There was a demon pattern in gold thread on the collar, giving off a charm.

Today, we formed what could possibly be the strongest black market lineup in history, with a werewolf in the jungle, a snake woman in mid lane, Morgana as support, and Gunner as the ADC...

No, no, it should be me and Medusa, werewolf Wolfrang with the succubus Leya, blacksmith Park with marksman Simmon. Plus, we had a total of fifty carts and eighty people. Gary stayed behind in Night Fall Town, managing all the affairs.

Alright, let me see just how terrifying you really are, Greg Mountain.