Shen Qin didn't participate in their discussion. The moment he developed the bolter rifle, it was clear where he stood. The choice now rested in the hands of those who held real power.
About half an hour later, they finally reached a decision.
"We've decided to immediately deploy the bolter rifles to the battlefield. But there's one more thing we need your approval on. We'd like to authorize the Millelith in Liyue to equip them as well." Jean and Keqing approached Shen Qin together.
Shen Qin smiled. "Of course. No problem at all."
It was a smart move. If Mondstadt were the only one to possess these weapons, the pressure from other powers would fall squarely on them. But bringing Liyue in as an ally would not only share that burden, it would also deter others from acting rashly.
They'd have to seriously consider whether they were ready to challenge the might of Liyue.
"Additionally, we'd like you to implement a binding function for each rifle, only the person it's bound to should be able to use it."
Shen Qin replied, "I've already thought about that. These bolt rifles come with built-in binding functionality. Each weapon has a unique serial number tied to the identity of its owner, which is registered in the Sentinel System."
Jean nodded in realization. Every time a new alchemical creation emerged, it seemed he had already accounted for every detail. In that sense, he was less like a pure alchemist and more like… a policymaker.
But that was simply the result of Shen Qin being shaped by the forward-thinking mindset of an advanced society and the internet.
She continued, "For now, we plan to temporarily slow down our offensive. Half the Knights will return to the city for firearms training while Diluc works on setting up the production line for more rifles. Once the trained Knights return to the front, we'll rotate the other half back for training. After the war ends, we'll establish strict firearm regulations, and grant purchase access to a select few trustworthy adventurers."
Keqing added, "Liyue won't need rifles immediately. We'll make arrangements after Mondstadt's operations are done, and we'll pass similar laws to manage them."
"Oh, and there's one thing I can promise you," Jean said earnestly. "Even after we equip these rifles, Mondstadt will never initiate war against any legitimate nation or power. These weapons are solely for protecting our people and homeland."
Keqing nodded. "The same goes for Liyue."
With everyone's agreement, it was time to get moving. However, until the bomb-blaster units were officially deployed in the field, all personnel were under strict orders to maintain secrecy.
Shen Qin assisted Diluc in setting up the production line. To ensure precision in parts manufacturing, he even designed a mini-terminal at each workstation that would scan the alchemist's components in real time and display virtual guidance on where and how to adjust them until they were up to standard.
The factory worked overtime to produce the first batch of bolter rifles and explosive cartridges, which were sent straight to the Knights for training. Unfortunately, Shen Qin was no expert in firearms or combat. All he could do was let Haro analyze shooting techniques and then gradually refine the training protocols through trial and error.
Five days later, the Knights who had completed basic firearm training were deployed to the battlefield. After all, nothing honed marksmanship like real combat.
"Hey man, what's all this gear you've got? You went back to the city and now you're not even carrying a sword?" An adventurer called out to a Knight he knew.
The Knight's armor had clearly been slimmed down, allowing for more agile movement than the old designs. Pouches were strapped across his chest, waist, and thighs. With each one packed with magazines of explosive rounds.
He gripped his Reaper tightly across his chest, while keeping a protective hand on his Hellhound sidearm at his waist, just in case someone tried to take it.
Rule number one of firearm protocol: Never let anyone else touch your weapon.
Even if someone did, it wouldn't function without being bound to them, but if something urgent happened and you couldn't draw it in time… things could get dangerous.
The adventurer didn't think much of it. "Captain Kaeya's orders are weird today. We adventurers aren't allowed to join the battle? You're saying the Knights are handling it solo? That's crazy! Today's target is the largest mob of monsters we've seen so far!"
"All Knights, gather on me!" Kaeya flew overhead on his hoverboard. Like the others, he wore a vest and belt stocked with magazines. Although he also carried a one-handed sword on his back. Elemental powers were still situationally useful, after all.
"Brother," the Knight said to the adventurer, stepping onto his own hoverboard, "times have changed." Then he soared into the air to join his squad.
Kaeya did a quick headcount, then projected his voice across the field. "Today marks the debut of the bolter rifles. You've all seen what they can do. I have just two orders─ don't let a single monster escape, and don't hit any allies. Now it's time to see the results of our training— move out!"
The Knights flew straight toward the monster camp, making no attempt to hide.
"They're nuts!" an adventurer cried out. "Are they seriously going head-on against all those monsters?"
An older adventurer narrowed his eyes, recalling the weapons slung across the Knights. He muttered, half in disbelief, "Could those be… no way…"
The adventurers quickly mounted their boards and chased after the Knights, desperate to see what exactly the Knights were relying on.
The monster encampment soon came into view— an enormous Hilichurl settlement spanning over 500 acres, housing nearly a thousand Hilichurls, dozens of Berserkers, and most importantly, a king among Hilichurls — the Thunderhelm Lawachurl.
It ranked among the elite-tier monsters, its strength bordering on that of a boss-class creature. Normally, it would take at least three Vision-wielders to handle it, and that didn't even include the other monsters in the camp. The risk had always been too high — which was why no one had dared attack it before.
"Yika! Plata! (Enemy! attack!)" shouted a Hilichurl scout from the watchtower, loosing a bolt into the sky. It barely made it 20 meters before gravity dragged it back down.
"Yika! Yika! Yika! Yika!"
Alarm calls echoed through the encampment as Hilichurls rallied toward the approaching humans.
"Stick to the plan! Drive them toward the 'Kettle Mouth!'" Kaeya ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The Knights spread out, forming a semicircle in the air with 10-meter gaps between them, surrounding the monster camp from above.
Kaeya flipped off the safety, chambered a round, and aimed his rifle at the Hilichurls at the edge of the camp.
"This thing's way better than a one-handed sword."