As the carriage came to a stop outside a massive gate. Stepping out of it and looking up in wonder, the gate had to be at least fifteen floors tall. It was made of wood, with gold tree branches and leaves carved into it. As I marveled at the craftsmanship of it, Arwen walked over as she spoke.
"These gates have stood for over 10,000 years." She said with pride, making me nod as I spoke to her
"The ones who built it put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into it, that's for sure. As someone who has spent thousands of hours in my craft, it's plain to see." I said, as a heart laughter came out, followed by a voice speaking.
"Looks like humans can have a sense of art. Arwen, my daughter. It's wonderful that you have returned safely to me." A short-haired redhead said with a smile as she walked over and hugged Arwen.
"Mother, it wasn't that big of a mission. Stop treating me like a child. I am an adult." Arwen said while struggling in the elf's hug. As she was finally freed from her mother, the elf turned to me, looked at my pistols first, then at the back of my hand, and smiled.
"The Princess was telling the truth, a human getting the blessing of our goddess. This has never happened before. My name is Trinity. You must be, Sir John Colt. Thank you for everything you have done for my people." She said, bowing slightly as I spoke.
" You don't need to address me like that, just call me Colt. I did what I thought worked out for both of us; you don't need to thank me." I said. This made Trinity look up from her bow and smile as she stood back up.
"If all humans had your sense in doing things, we elves wouldn't have a hard time being allies with them. The Empress has set up a meeting this afternoon. For now, we will guide you humans to your lodging for the next few days. Until we have finished up the house issue." Trinity finished explaining as we remounted the carriage and entered the Capitol.
We pulled up to a large tree that had been turned into a mansion. We dismounted the carriage as two rows of elves in maid outfits lined the walkway to the mansion. "These maids will look after your needs if there is anything you need, bring it up with them," Trinity said from behind.
"Can you get some of those rings so the women can talk to them?" I said, making her nod.
"The Empress has already planned for that, Colt." As she said that, a maid walked over with a plate that had a few dozen rings on it. Liliana and her friends already knew what those were, so they walked over and grabbed one. This made the others walk over and do the same.
"You said that the meeting was this afternoon. I was wondering if there was a place that had an open area for me to test some of my weapons," I said. This made Trinity raise an eyebrow; her daughter told her about the wonders of this man's weapons. She didn't believe it, but if she could see it firsthand. Then her understanding of this man chosen by her goddess would increase.
"You have an open field behind this mansion, so it should be fine, as there aren't any homes built behind it." She explained, and I nodded as I started walking there. Liliana and her friends led the other human girls and the cat women who joined us into the mansion.
I had already explained my plans to Liliana and her friends, as they all have business knowledge. They would keep everyone away and help them settle into the lodging while I 'test' out some of the firearms. But really, it's to make the royal family see the possibilities of what I have to offer them if they become a trade partner.
As we got to the back of the mansion. I looked around and smiled. There was about 500 meters of open space, with a thick stone wall behind it. This was more than what I needed for now, as I walked about two hundred meters and pulled out a table and a ballistic test dummy.
"What's that?" Arwen asked, looking at me as I smiled.
"In my world, these things are made to represent the human body. So if we want to test something and see how it affects the human body, we can without hurting anyone." I said, making Trinity and Arwen nod.
As I walked back a hundred and fifty meters, I pulled another table out. Placing a rifle on the table along with the rounds made Arwen speak. "I haven't seen this one before, Colt." She said.
"This is a Martini-Henry," I said while opening the breach and loading a round. "Please stay behind me." They nodded and stepped behind me as I took aim at the ballistic dummy and pulled the trigger. The rifle fired, and a loud bang rang out, making the two women jump a little.
The head of the dummy exploded as I emptied the chamber. This rifle is a single-shot, so it was the perfect firearm to trade with them. It had stopping power but wasn't as accurate as my other rifles, and on top of that, the firing rate wasn't that good.
Trinity looked at the weapon in my hands, shocked as I placed it on the table and smiled. "Shall we go check it?" I said, smiling.
We walked down to the dummy, which was lying on the ground. As I picked it back up and put it on the table, the top of its head was missing. Trinity had never seen damage from a ranged weapon like this before. As she looked at it, I spoke to her.
"I am willing to sell this to your Empire along with the blueprints for the weapon and ammo. But I want to discuss this with your Empress." I said Bring Trinity out of her thoughts as she looked at me and nodded.
"Would you be able to show this to the Empress and the high-ranking?" She said, and I nodded to her as she bowed, then looked at her daughter.
"Please make sure Colt has no problems. The Princess should also be returning this afternoon, as the war has ended. Goddess Alune has made them unable to attack us for a thousand years or face plague, death of crops, and death of livestock for ten thousand years. The three human empires sued for peace." She said before living.
I was happy to hear everything worked out for the elves. As I had already gotten the ball rolling, all that was left was to make the most of what I have to offer, which is plenty—not just firearms, as I have witnessed the Empire's technology and can make money from five or six things.
But I plan to leave those to Liliana and her friends, as they all have run businesses before becoming mothers. So why wouldn't I use that to my advantage? As I stored the table and dummy before walking back and storing the rest. Arwen guided me back to the mansion, where lunch had been prepared.
As I entered the mansion, the maids bowed; it seemed they held me in higher regard than the other humans here. We made it to the dining room as I entered, and another table was set for Liliana and the others. I made my way to it and sat down.
"How did it go?" Liliana asked, making me smile as she nodded. I didn't need to say anything, for these women understood that the elves would want something, giving them an edge over the other Empires, and I had that.
"The meeting is this afternoon, so I will have everything hashed out for the time being. Letting me focus on what I need to do tomorrow, so after tonight, it may be hard for me to spend time with you ladies." I said, making them nod as it was Daiane's time with me. So they wouldn't be able to spend anymore, but they had gotten their fill for now.
As I finished up my meal, Trinity and some others walked into the mansion. One, who had a somewhat snobish look, stopped before me and looked me up and down. She was pretty good-looking, but I could tell she was going to be a handful as she spoke.
"So you are the Human blessed by our goddess. You don't look like much, but at the end of the day. Who am I to second-guess the divine one? Come, the Empress has given you the chance to meet her." She said before turning around.
I looked at the girls as they gave me a smile and thumbs up before I left with the group of elves. This meeting will decide not only my fate but also the girls'. I need a strong ally in this world. And the Empress of this Empire is the perfect one for me.
We mounted a carriage, and I breathed slowly before entering my flow.