Chapter 51: FORGE Says I Can Build a Gun in This World

Raven looked at the paper.

"Then we’d better not show this to too many people."

"For once, we completely agree."

"That’s starting to worry me too."

Valeria ignored the comment.

"What are you trying to build?"

Raven looked at the diagram.

He could say firearm.

It wouldn’t mean anything to her.

"A weapon that accelerates a small projectile fast enough to penetrate a target before it can react."

Valeria pointed at herself.

"I do that."

"Your projectiles contain mana, require your concentration, and use blood."

"And they work."

"Very well."

"Then?"

Raven pointed at the drawing.

"This could be used by anyone capable of activating the mechanism."

Valeria stopped talking.

There it was.

The difference.

A powerful Blood Mage needed decades of training, talent, and a Bloodline to do what she did.

A weapon converted complex knowledge into a simple action.

Aim.

Activate.

The user didn’t need to understand everything happening inside.

Valeria looked at the paper again.

"That could be dangerous."

Raven thought about humanity.

"Yes."

"You don’t seem worried."

"I’m not."

"That doesn’t reassure me either."

Raven continued drawing.

---

His first attempt was too ambitious.

He imagined a complete modern rifle.

The system responded with enough errors that even Raven felt personally insulted.

«"Design analysis failed."

User understanding insufficient for complete replication.

Material science requirements unsupported.

Manufacturing tolerance unsupported.

Energy source unavailable.

Repetition mechanism incomplete.

Multiple precision components undefined.

Construction probability: 0.3%

Recommendation: Simplify design.»

Raven stared at the last line.

"Go fuck yourself."

Valeria looked up from the book of Cassian’s records she’d been reading.

"Is your own ability winning an argument against you?"

"Temporarily."

Raven wasn’t a gunsmith.

He could disassemble, maintain, and repair weapons.

He understood their principles.

He had made field modifications.

He had worked with systems from multiple countries.

That didn’t mean he could draw every component from memory to industrial tolerances.

FORGE wasn’t pretending otherwise.

Good.

He simplified.

Forgot automatic feeding for now.

Forgot magazines.

Forgot complex mechanisms.

One chamber.

One projectile.

One simple activation system.

Something conceptually closer to the earliest projectile weapons than a modern rifle.

FORGE responded better.

«Mechanical complexity reduced.

User understanding: Sufficient for conceptual development.

Missing: Structural material.

Missing: Acceleration source.

Missing: Activation source.

Missing: Pressure/energy containment solution.»

Raven looked at the Blackmaw plate.

Placed it on the paper.

«"Obsidian Carapace detected."

Potential use: External reinforcement.

Pressure resistance: High.

Mana conductivity: Low.

Machining difficulty: Extreme.

Compatibility: Partial.»

It wouldn’t work as the entire chamber.

Maybe reinforcement.

He needed another material.

Magical metal.

Black Mithril.

Adamantine.

Some alloy native to Veyr.

Valeria had mentioned craftsmen capable of working materials that would’ve been impossible on Earth.

That meant travel.

Searching.

Buying.

Hunting.

Raven opened the map.

Valeria noticed.

"You’re already planning."

"Yes."

"What do you need?"

Raven began writing.

"A material capable of surviving pressure or sudden mana release without deforming. Another capable of directing energy without losing too much. A Trait that produces acceleration. A controlled activation source. Maybe something capable of storing mana."

Valeria gave a low whistle.

"You aren’t going to find all of that in Greyhaven."

"I assumed as much."

"Some of those things might not even exist in the form you’re imagining."

"Then I’ll find equivalents."

"How long?"

Raven looked at the list.

"I don’t know."

Weeks.

Probably.

Maybe longer.

That was fine.

A weapon this world had never seen shouldn’t appear after collecting three fangs and a glowing rock.

He would have to earn it.

Raven looked back at the design.

One question remained.

Was it possible at all?

Not can FORGE make something?

That had already been established.

Could he take an Earth principle—a small projectile violently accelerated through a closed structure—and replace processes Veyr couldn’t reproduce with magical materials and Skills?

Raven selected the simplified diagram.

Added every function.

No specific materials.

Only requirements.

The Authority worked.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Valeria continued reading.

Roland was outside organizing the horses.

Wind shifted the canvas above the camp.

Then a line appeared.

«"Conceptual design analysis complete."»

Raven set down the quill.

«Known terrestrial mechanical principles detected.

Native-world material substitutions required.

Multiple compatible Trait integrations required.

Energy conversion mechanism unresolved.

Design refinement required.

Construction currently impossible.»

Raven kept reading.

One final line appeared.

«"Theoretical construction possible."»

Raven smiled.

Valeria looked up.

"That expression again."

He studied the drawing.

It wasn’t a weapon.

Not yet.

It was an incomplete idea on paper.

A list of problems.

Materials he didn’t possess.

Skills that were still living inside creatures he hadn’t even discovered yet.

Knowledge he would need to complete.

And probably several failed attempts before he produced anything functional.

Perfect.

Raven put the sheet away.

"We need to travel."

Valeria slowly closed the book.

"’We’?"

Raven went still.

She smiled.

"Second time."

"I need information on materials."

"That’s not what you said."

"I need access to alchemists, blacksmiths, and creature records."

"Still not what you said."

Raven stared at her for several seconds.

Valeria looked far too pleased.

"You’re never going to let this go."

"Never."

Raven picked up the Blackmaw plate.

"Fine. You can come."

Valeria blinked.

She hadn’t expected him to give in that quickly.

"Was that an invitation?"

"No."

"Raven."

"It’s a logistical assessment. You know Asteria, you have contacts, you understand magic, and you’re useful for killing things."

The satisfaction returned immediately.

"Ah. Useful."

Raven regretted choosing that word two days ago.

"Don’t start."

Valeria stood.

"Then I suppose we’ll be working together."

"Overlapping interests."

"For several weeks."

"Complicated geography."

"Sharing objectives."

"Temporarily."

Valeria walked past him.

"You can call it whatever you want."

Raven watched her leave.

Then looked at the stored design.

FORGE had placed a barrier in front of him.

Design.

Materials.

Skills.

Compatibility.

Knowledge.

Raven couldn’t imagine a weapon and make it appear.

He had to build every function from something real.

That made everything harder.

It also meant every component would have a story.

A creature.

A material.

A place.

Something he would have to find, buy, or kill.

Raven spread the map of Asteria across the table.

Greyhaven occupied only a small section.

Beyond it were cities.

Mountains.

Swamps.

Noble territories.

Ruins.

Forests.

And probably hundreds of creatures he still knew nothing about.

Somewhere in that kingdom were the pieces he needed.

He only had to discover which ones.

The final notification still floated discreetly beside the design.

«"Theoretical construction possible."»

Raven looked at it one last time.

On Earth, he’d spent years using weapons built by other people.

In Veyr, if he wanted one...

He would have to teach the world how to make it possible.