Chapter 388: Locomotives and Weapons (2/2)

Ludwig smiled as he heard the King compliment his work. Truth be told, he had some difficulty working with the designs Berengar had presented, but in the end, he was able to create the weapon that Berengar had desired. As such, he shook his head before humbling himself in front of the King.

”It was nothing, your majesty; I merely used the blueprints you designed and made adjustments where necessary. Truly, you are the one who deserves the credit for coming up with the design of such a beautiful weapon.”

Berengar chuckled in response to this before placing his hand on the older man's shoulder; as he did so, he gazed over at another exciting piece presented within the case. After noticing the sword lying next to the revolver, Berengar was astonished. As such, he quickly grabbed ahold of the handle and swung the sword in a safe direction.

After a few twirls, he gazed upon the Damascus steel blade with a wide grin on his face. The blade was in a shape reminiscent of the 1889 Prussian Infantry Officer's sword. As for the hilt, its design was based upon the 1869 Austrian Cavalry Officer's Sword but with what he presumed to be a white gold plating over the steel material; there were also some minor adjustments to display the Crest of Austria from this world. It had a white gold silk sword knot attached to the bottom, representing his status as an Officer in the Austrian Royal Army.

Overall the sword was a functional piece of art, and Berengar greatly admired Ludwig's talent in creating weapons of all kinds. After playing around with it for a bit, Berengar sheathed the sword in a black leather sheath with white gold fittings attached to a Sam Browne pattern belt. This greatly pleased Berengar, and as such, he complicated the craftsman once more.

”Ludwig, my friend, you have truly mastered your art!”

The older man smiled in response to this while bowing his head in humility. As he had stated earlier, if not for Berengar providing the designs, it would have taken him a long time to develop such weapons. He would likely die before his work could be completed. However, he was glad that the King thought so highly of him. As such, he decided to take the opportunity to ask for Berengar's aid on a particular project of his son's.

”Your majesty, if you don't mind me asking, my son has been busy with a certain project, and I think he could use your help when you get the opportunity to do so. I a much too busy overseeing the arms factory here in Kufstein, so I have delegated Research and Development to my son and a team of talented engineers, mostly comprised of those from the younger generation. If you can find the time, they would appreciate your input on this new weapon.”

Berengar thought about it for a moment before sighing heavily as he responded to the request.

”If I can find the time, I will certainly aid in whatever way I can. After all, I look forward to working with your son for many years. However, I am dreadfully busy, and my schedule is full for some time. If I can manage to escape the mountains of paperwork you see before you, I'll swing by and see if I can assist.”

Ludwig smiled and bowed with respect before thanking the King for his benevolence.

”Thank you, your majesty! That is the most I can ask for. If there is nothing else I can help you with, then I will be on my way.”

After saying this, Berengar nodded his head, dismissing his Chief Engineer; after doing so, he sat back down at his desk and gazed at his newest weapons. He looked forward to testing out their effectiveness personally whenever he got the chance.

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