My Abyss Survival Diary

Chapter 20 Horse Rifle

Klein piled the things he had bought in the corner and turned to look at Simon.

But those pale blue eyes were no longer empty; they were now burning with a fierce fire.

"You need a rifle," Klein reasoned. "A nail gun is too close, and a harpoon is too short. If you encounter an enemy at a distance, you can only stare helplessly."

"You're right." Simon nodded.

Nail guns are unreliable; these single-shot weapons with extremely poor accuracy are no longer suitable for use. Harpoons are even shorter, making them only suitable for close-quarters combat.

In the forest, most dangers come from afar: monsters in the treetops, predators in the thick fog, and enemies lurking behind bushes taking sniper shots. He needs a weapon that can solve problems from a distance.

"Could you recommend a rifle to me?" Simon looked at Father Andrei behind the counter.

Andrei leaned against the shelf, arms crossed, and after a moment of thought, turned and took a long gun from the wall.

"A high-quality product, the Pale Knight's mounted rifle."

The gun has a slender barrel and a dark walnut stock that is polished to a shine and has several anti-slip grooves carved on it.

The barrel is longer than that of a regular rifle. The caliber is not large, but the rifling is very deep, and you can see the spiral grooves inside from the muzzle.

The bolt is a rotating pull-back type, with the bolt handle curved downwards and close to the stock for easy operation while riding a horse.

A line of small characters is engraved on the side of the gun: Our iron cavalry will crush the enemy's skull.

"A cavalry lance from the Great Expedition." Andrei held the lance up with one hand, muzzle facing upwards, and pulled the bolt back. The click was crisp and clean, without any hesitation. "Long range, high accuracy, and a flat trajectory. It was a weapon used by knights on horseback, capable of hitting any target within two hundred meters."

He handed the gun to Simon.

Simon took the gun, weighed it in his hand; it was very light for him. He rested the butt on his shoulder, closed his left eye, and the crosshairs were steadily aimed at his target.

Very good, he was very satisfied.

"Where are the bullets?" Simon asked.

"Standard ammunition." Andrei took a box of bullets from the shelf, which was printed with the emblem of the Pale Knights Legion. He opened the lid and found neatly stacked copper-cased bullets with brass tips that gleamed under the light. "If you buy a gun, I can give you a box for free."

Simon put the gun back on the counter.

"How many indulgences are needed?"

"That gun cost five indulgences and came with a box of ammunition," Andrei said, then pointed to the harpoon at Simon's waist. "And the crossbow bolts? Want to see them?"

He pulled a wooden box from under the counter and pried open the lid. Inside was a bed of hay, on which lay two rows of crossbow bolts, secured with metal clips.

The five bolts on the left are the same as the explosive crossbow bolts Simon used. The shafts are wrapped with fuses, and there is a small copper cap at the end of the fuses. When they are fired, the gunpowder is ignited and they explode in about two seconds.

"Explosive arrows, you've used them before, haven't you? One for each indulgence."

It's expensive, but worth the price.

When facing a concentrated group of enemies, the explosive crossbow bolts will definitely be very effective, and they can also cause huge damage to monsters.

The five crossbow bolts on the right are different.

The arrow shaft was a solid iron rod, thicker than an explosive arrow, with a very smooth surface. It had no fuse, no gunpowder, only a sharp arrowhead.

The arrow is triangular with sharpened edges, like a miniature spearhead.

"The brother of the explosive crossbow bolt, the steel crossbow bolt." Andrei picked one up and touched the arrowhead with his fingertip. "Forged from pure iron, it has extremely strong penetrating power and can penetrate two layers of leather armor within twenty meters."

He handed the arrow to Simon, who took it. It was heavy, clearly twice the weight of the explosive arrow.

He tested the arrow with his thumb; it was very sharp, leaving a white mark on his skin with just a light touch.

"One indulgence ticket at a time. Once used up, they can be recycled and reused as long as they are not broken."

"Where's the sound?"

"It's very quiet," Andrei chuckled. "The only sounds are the triggers and crossbow bolts tearing through the air."

Simon was silent for a few seconds, doing the math in his head: the two pieces of flesh, evidence of guilt, had sold for fifteen indulgences.

Klein paid for the light armor and other war supplies. The horse-drawn rifle cost eight indulgences, leaving seven indulgences. How many of the two types of crossbow bolts should be purchased?

Simon ultimately chose four explosive arrows and three steel crossbow bolts.

Steel crossbow bolts can be recycled, so buying a few is fine. There are four explosive crossbow bolts, but you must use them sparingly.

"Pleasant transaction." Andrei collected the indulgences one by one into the counter, and then took out a leather quiver from under the counter as a bonus.

The quiver is brown with a polished finish. The shoulder strap is adjustable and the inside is divided into two compartments: one for explosive arrows and the other for crossbow bolts.

After slinging the quiver over his shoulder and adjusting the shoulder straps, he briefly tested the speed at which he could reload the harpoon. To his surprise, he no longer needed to open the bag after firing the bolt; he could simply pull the bolt from the quiver on his shoulder to reload, significantly increasing the reloading speed.

"Four explosive bolts and three steel bolts." He handed the quiver to Simon. "Use them sparingly; I don't have many explosive bolts in stock."

Simon took the quiver, slung it over his shoulder, and placed it close to his waist without getting in the way; he could easily reach the crossbow bolts.

Andrei then took out a tin box from under the counter and opened the lid.

Inside, six explosive arrows were neatly stacked, each wrapped in oil paper, with the fuses sealed with wax to prevent moisture.

"These are the last six." Andrei closed the box and pushed it to the corner of the counter. "I'll prepare more for you; bring your indulgences next time to collect them."

"Thanks."

Simon packed his things, stuffing the rifle ammunition box into his backpack.

When the zipper was halfway up, his fingers touched something cold.

That necklace.

He pulled the necklace out of the backpack compartment once again—a thin iron chain with a cheap pendant, polished to a shine.

The pendant's lid had been opened again at some point, revealing a faded, blurry photograph inside—a picture of a man in black robes and a boy.

He stroked the necklace, then put it back in his purse, but just then…

"What is that?"

Andrei's questioning came from the other side of the counter, but it wasn't the same carefree and easygoing tone as before; for some reason, it had become cold and fierce.

He stood behind the counter, leaning forward with his hands on the counter.

Those brown eyes stared at the necklace in Simon's hand, their pupils contracting.

For some reason, the warm smile disappeared from his face, replaced by astonishment, which then turned into a chilling rage. Sunlight streamed in through the small window on the side of the confessional, casting deep shadows on his face, making his cheekbones appear higher and his eye sockets deeper.

Because of that necklace, Andrei became angry and violent.

"Where did you get this necklace?"