Chapter 523: Military Magic Maneuvers... Why Is It Always My Fault?
In the VIP lounge, everyone remained motionless. Even as he watched one of his own people jump into the sea, Marquis Tergu rely laughed a few tis and then turned his attention to the sea chart in front of him:
"You an to say that the Council’s fleet has now been able to sail continuously for over 90 days at sea without being troubled by the ’marine plague’?"
"That’s right. The Council has developed a secret dicine that allows sailors to maintain their stamina during long voyages without being affected by the ’marine plague,’" Grand Mage LeBron handed over a stack of booklets:
"Here is the sea log of the Third Fleet for this voyage, you can have a look."
Several heads leaned in together. The vampires in the middle, the barbarian elder on the left, the orc elder on the right. As for the dwarves...
Dwarves are not good at, and even dislike, sea travel. Even though they agreed to join forces this ti, they would definitely stay ashore, responsible for building weapons and other logistical work, and would not go to sea.
Grand Mage LeBron leaned back, smiled, and crossed his arms, letting the guests flip through the sea log, comparing it with the sea chart page by page, estimating. It was important to dispel the allies’ concerns, or the deal would never happen.
As for himself...
The Arcane Eye shifted direction, floating toward the stern of the ship. Indeed, the young vampire plunged into the sea and then transford into a bat to fly back onto the ship. He was furiously flapping his wings, splashing water droplets along the way, thankfully unhard.
As for the girl who chased him into the sea, she leaned on the ship’s rail, waving her fists and shouted a few words—Grand Mage LeBron guessed it was sothing like "next ti you’ll see what happens," before a young mage smilingly pulled her back.
Well, as long as you’re happy.
He turned his attention back to the VIP lounge. The orc prince raised another question:
"Can this secret dicine be provided to us?"
"Of course. The necessary supplies for the combat fleet can be provided free of charge for three months; regular purchases get a 20% discount."
"Only a 20% discount?" the orc prince imdiately cried out. The barbarian high priest also protested:
"Who knows how you usually price it! You say it’s a 20% discount, but you could just increase the price—"
Marquis Tergu of the vampires, and the dwarven elder opposite him did not speak. Dwarves do not go to sea, and as for vampires—they sleep in coffins and feed on human blood. They have no need for any ’marine plague’ dicine.
Rather, anticoagulant blood storage vials could be negotiated for a cheap purchase with the Council.
Four parties protesting together wouldn’t even make Grand Mage LeBron blink, let alone just two. He confidently replied:
"The trading zone in the White Tower has daily real-ti prices, as well as transaction records from the past three months. If you are worried about us raising prices suddenly, we can gift you corresponding access tokens, allowing your people to buy at the trading area with the token."
"Alright, tomorrow at noon, let’s take a look at the combat strength of the ’Humpback Whale’ and continue discussing our plans! Now, cheers!"
The ship continued to sail through the night. Early the next morning, the passengers were surprised to find that they had already left the long fjord outside Nevis City and entered the real, deep blue waters of the ocean. Elder Brock touched the ship’s rail and exclaid:
"That’s fast!"
"As you see, the speed of the ’Humpback Whale,’ even without the use of magic enhancent, reaches up to 9 knots," Commander Delock replied with a smile behind him:
"With such high speed, she can easily keep up with an enemy in a chase, preventing them from escaping. As for her combat power, please look—"
Following the direction he pointed, amid the sea breeze and the sound of waves, a majestic and symphonic sonata began to play. Elder Brock gripped the rail of the ship:
"Sirens?"
"No, not sirens. This area is ho to a poison dragon, which patrols and hunts in the surrounding seas twice a month, affecting the local fishern and rchant ships," Commander Delock explained with a smile:
"Today we have co here to challenge this poison dragon with the cannons of the ’Humpback Whale,’ to restore tranquility to the surrounding seas."
They chatted while looking far into the distance. The guests also walked up on deck, looking towards the imposing island that continued to emit the sonata:
At the edge of the island, countless densely packed hexagonal black stone pillars rose from the ground, standing straight up, making the entire island devoid
of any gentle slopes. Around the edge of the island, at approximately 13 points along its length, one could see a deep cave.
The neatly shaped, tightly packed hexagonal stone pillars, high and low, stretched into the depths of the cave, like the keys on a piano. The sea continuously struck these keys, playing heart-stirring music.
The seawater flowed in and out, while the briny sea breeze constantly howled through the cave, never stopping. The waves, the sea breeze, and the cave’s harmonics added a chorus to this piano piece. Lonely, vast, desolate, and majestic.
"Is this the cave?" Elder Brock pointed distantly at the cave:
"In ancient legends, it was ntioned that on the other side of the sea, on a solitary island, there was a cave that sang songs, where the hero Levo once slew a poison dragon. So, this is the place? The burial site of Levo, is it here?"
His face flushed, fingers trembling, he almost wished to bow in worship. According to legend, hero Levo once led his n into the dragon’s cave, striking the dragon thrice with his divine sword, beheading it.
However, he was also bitten by the dragon during the fight, and the deadly venom flowed into his body, leading to his death. Levo’s story has been passed down among the barbarians from generation to generation, admired by every warrior, and today, he could actually see the place where the hero fought?
"It should be, right?" Knight Delock shrugged indifferently:
"We also hope that the hero’s battle would put an end to it once and for all, but unfortunately, this desolate island is uninhabitable, and its water flow and surrounding environnt are just too suitable for a poison dragon to live. Here we go again."
After finishing this speech, he turned to a sailor and quickly issued several orders. Soon, on the bridge, the urgent sound of tapping a triangle rang out:
"Reef sails! Reef sails! Hey, that boy, don’t daydream, pull hard!"
"Open the gunports! Open the gunports!"
"Turn the wheel! Turn the wheel! Don’t stand behind his backside! Little guy, do you want this cannon to kiss your nuts?"
Commands, shouts, and the sound of running echoed across the deck. Soon, the ship shuddered, and the giant cannon on the second deck roared majestically, the cannonball tracing a long parabola, accurately landing inside the cave.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The cannonballs stirred up huge splashes on the sea surface. The second one hit the water, the third demolished a section of stone pillars, the fourth again accurately landed in the cave. Then, across several miles, everyone heard a furious roar from deep within the cave.
"He’s coming out," Knight Delock explained relaxedly. Then, he imdiately raised his voice:
"Gun captain! Ready!"
"Yes!" ca a loud response from below. Then, the audience on deck, including Garrett, heard soone shout from the second deck below:
"Load the 18-pounders on the starboard side! 24-pounders ready! Boys, run, run! Damn it, if you don’t want the poison dragon’s saliva to spray your face, then kiss it good with a cannonball!"
The poison dragon charged at full speed. The ’Humpback Whale’ maneuvered effortlessly on the sea, with 18-pound, 24-pound, and 32-pound cannons firing in succession, playing a fierce and grand symphony, far surpassing the sonata played inside the cave.
Garrett clenched the test tube in his hand, his heart pounding:
The most powerful spell he currently mastered, Fireball, had a range of only 200 ters. But these cannonballs, although their accuracy might be questionable, had a maximum range that was eight tis greater!
To advance beyond the range and reach a position to attack the battleship, he probably would be annihilated by the barrage, right?
Unless he used a flying spell...
"Your battleship’s range is that far?" While idly pondering, Garrett heard nearby, Marquis Tergu questioning the Grand Mage. Garrett perked up:
That far?
How much should the range of a battleship be, I’m not quite sure...
The marquis was enveloped in a thin mist, making his entire presence sowhat hazy, also allowing him to stand safely in the sunlight. Grand Mage LeBron smiled:
"Yes, in recent years, we’ve improved our steel casting technology and also improved the formula for gunpowder. The range of these new cannons has increased by more than 50% compared to the original."
Garrett winced. The improvent in steel casting technology, if it included oxygen blowing and steam hamr forging, seed to be his fault. The gunpowder formula was also related to him, who had developed glycerol nitrate and nitrocellulose
...
Speaking of which, if the gunpowder on the battleship was all from the nitrocellulose series, was it reliable? I don’t want to be blown up by an explosion!
Garrett quietly cast another Mage Armor on himself. He whispered to Seraina:
"Shouldn’t you go back to the cabin?"
"I don’t want to! That thing isn’t even of our kind!" Miss Silver Dragon stiffened her face:
"I’ll stay here, if sothing really happens, I can still carry you away!"
Before her words finished, the waves surged dramatically, and the poison dragon, covered in scaly wounds, roared towards them. From several decks up, soone loudly shouted:
"Fire in unison!"
"Boom!!!"
In the midst of an unusually huge roar, the ship listed, and the passengers collectively tilted towards the direction from which the poison dragon was spraying. Blood splattered, several large holes blasted open in the dragon’s chest, and with a pitiful wail, it plunged into the sea.
Grand Mage LeBron pointed at the blood spreading across the sea surface, leisurely explaining:
"This is the newly developed 68-pound cannon. Its destructive power can compare to a light magical cannon, yet it costs only one-tenth as much."
Gasps followed. Equivalent destructive power, one-tenth the cost, everyone understood what that ant. In other words, if the Council had no sha and massively sold these cannons, creating a bunch of powerful, light, and fast pirate ships...
The thin-shelled and aty Carolingian kingdom fleet, especially the transport ships, might not really stand a chance.
—Of course, the premise was to first wipe out their main fleet.
"Hmm..." The orc prince rubbed the golden ring on his braid, staring fixedly at the sea, unwilling to overlook any detail:
"Let’s watch so more... let’s look more closely..."
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