CHAPTER 438: CHAPTER 407: THE FLAMES OF VENGEANCE

Pavlov Town.

Here lies the westernmost frontier of the Royal Colony of Kajinia. Further west, one would truly venture into the inland of the New Continent, a wilderness rarely traversed by pioneers.

The steep Abayachi Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains cradle the fertile Klan Valley, which serves as a hunting ground exclusively for the Atrean people.

Close by stands the Brown Mountain, rising nearly two thousand meters above sea level, the undisputed highest peak in this Royal Colony.

"Hey! How was the harvest today, Sarah?"

"Hahaha, a bountiful harvest; I bagged a fine leopard hide today. Come, drinks are on me at the tavern."

"Alright..."

It was evening. Hunters clad in deerskin and wielding firearms gradually returned to this settlement nestled in the forest, as tendrils of smoke began to rise throughout the town.

Living in this region between "civilization" and "wilderness" typically required some skill and grit.

Women and children certainly wouldn’t linger in such undeveloped and perilous areas.

Kajinia’s main industry was large plantations, primarily cultivating food crops such as rice and economic crops including tobacco and indigo.

As the first colony where Thoms Town was established, Kajinia had the largest population, most plantations, and the most... Aboriginal slaves!

The purpose of the frontier town was not merely for the so-called opening up of the wilderness.

By establishing the Nimansite People’s settlements, they continued to encroach on more of the fertile lands of the indigenous Atrean people.

An additional vital role was capturing more Atrean slaves for the colony, primarily from enemy small tribes.

From the establishment of the first colony on the New Continent.

Following an all-citizens-as-soldiers strategic plan, governors issued gun laws to settlers to combat the continuous threat posed by the indigenous people and other dangers from the New Continent.

The "gun law" required each household to own firearms, which could include flintlock guns, lances, and large-caliber shotguns not exceeding 1.37 meters in length.

The Militia Act, established concurrently, mandated that each militia member possess a firearm, generally a flintlock gun and a set of ammunition belts or packs.

Currently, various colonies lacked the capability to manufacture firearms and could not standardize armaments for all militia members. However, some colonies had begun to see the emergence of gunsmiths and part-time gunsmith blacksmiths due to the need for firearm repairs.

Pavel Town was such a fully armed settlement, despite its small size!

Apart from approximately two hundred young "hunters" equipped with various weapons, a thirty-man elite guard team was stationed, commanded by Major Greg, an Official Knight Level leader.

Coupled with a mysterious professional transcendent known as the "Gunman" among the hunters, and an impoverished low-level knight named "Old Baron" seeking opportunities in the New Continent, the frontier town, with a population of fewer than three hundred, boasted three Tier 2 extraordinaries.

Relying on their superior equipment, this contingent dared to confront and triumph over indigenous warriors numbering more than three times their own force.

However, their prowess also highlighted the harsh external living conditions of the New Continent.

Each evening, the rare cup of fine wine was a welcomed solace for their day’s labor as they returned to the settlement.

In the town’s only small tavern, the well-armed hunters gathered, cups in hand.

"Cheers! To the perfect leopard hide!"

"Cheers! To a brighter tomorrow!"

"Cheers! To the Klan Valley soon to belong to us!"

"Hahaha..."

There were countless reasons to drink, even considering the Klan Valley still firmly under the control of Atrean Aboriginals, it was clearly seen as a prize already within their grasp.

But as they drank heartily and dreamt of the future.

Rumble... Rumble... Rumble...

A thunderous sound of hooves stormed from the distance.

The vigilant guards on the lookout tower at the town’s perimeter, upon noticing a mass of cavalry emerging from the distant woods, quickly rang the bell.

Clang! Clang! Clang!...

"Enemy attack!"

As the alarm sounded, even the most inebriated hunters in the tavern reacted instantly, grabbing their firearms and charging out.

For hunters living in dangerous territories, sleeping with a rifle by their side was no exaggeration, as firearms had become an inseparable extension of their bodies.

Despite clearing all trees within two hundred meters of their camp to prevent ambush from the indigenous people.

But as they rushed out at the alarm.

Leading the pack, an indigenous cavalryman, adorned with feathers on his head and a shark-like gaping mouth painted in oil on his face, was less than fifty meters from the town’s outer barricades!

As they rushed out, the indigenous cavalryman initiated the attack first, no longer employing primitive bows but using the "trade rifles" of civilized people.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...

Smoke filled the air.

After several decades of development, trade rifles regardless of origin had adopted fairly uniform characteristics.

Standard smoothbore flintlock guns, equipped with short, lightweight barrels while the bullets were lighter, and slightly less powerful powder.

The trigger guard was large enough to allow operation with gloves in cold areas. The components and manufacturing techniques were simplified, making them extremely cheap to produce.