Chapter 246: Magic Cannon
In the time that followed, Li Meng assigned tasks to the chiefs of each tribe.
The chiefs studied new knowledge based on their tasks.
Thus, the second phase of classes began.
Half a month later, in the Throne Hall:
"Next, what you need to do is slowly explore. Now, return to your tribes and gather your people immediately."
"Understood!"
The chiefs stood up and hurried out.
They felt a sense of relief in their hearts.
Having stayed in the Throne Tribe for nearly two months, their minds were filled with a massive amount of knowledge.
Before forgetting it, they needed to pass this knowledge on to their tribespeople.
Watching the backs of the departing chiefs, Li Meng showed a contemplative expression.
The next steps were much simpler.
He planned to set up shipyards to build floating ships in the Throne Tribe.
There was no need to allocate a separate area.
They only needed to build the shipyards outside the wooden walls.
But this was not the only task.
Building the first floating ship would take a considerable amount of time.
However, once the first floating ship took to the skies, the construction speed of subsequent ships would significantly increase.
Thus, Li Meng busied himself with the floating ship project.
The next day, construction began on the outskirts of the Throne Tribe.
A large number of trees were felled again.
Timber was continuously transported to the construction site.
Li Meng was not idle either; he went to the Iron Cavern.
"Xiao Bai, does this world have something like this?"
On the underground riverbank of the Iron Cavern, Li Meng used clay to create a cannon model.
"Master, what is this?"
Xiao Bai's response made Li Meng smile faintly.
It seemed this world did not have cannons.
Looking down at the model in his hand, Li Meng appeared thoughtful.
This world had magic, so gunpowder and explosives were unnecessary.
The cannon he envisioned was essentially a magical tool capable of releasing magic.
However, magical tools were not something ordinary people could use.
While ordinary people possessed magic power, they could not sense its presence.
Only those who could sense magic could use magical tools.
The principle of the cannon was simple, but its manufacturing process was complex.
This was because engraving numerous runes inside the sealed cannon barrel was necessary.
Additionally, deciding which type of rune could replace the role of gunpowder was a major challenge.
Whether to directly fire magic or to launch shells was also a dilemma.
For the next few days, Li Meng stayed in the Iron Cavern, contemplating methods to create the cannon.
On the seventh day, Li Meng began experimental work, crafting some special tools.
As Li Meng explored, time passed day by day.
Over a month later, the chiefs of the various tribes brought their people to the Throne Tribe.
Nearly three thousand individuals began working at the shipyard outside the Throne Tribe.
Ogres, goblins, pigmen, gnolls, and beastmen.
Figures of all shapes and sizes gathered, striving for a common goal.
Each tribe had its own assigned tasks.
Through clear division of labor and cooperation, the shipbuilding process progressed gradually.
Ogres and goblins scoured the forest for suitable trees to fell.
Every day, large ogres could be seen carrying massive logs back to the Throne Tribe.
The pigmen were responsible for processing the logs.
Hundred-meter-long keels could be found everywhere in the Goblin Forest.
The ogres selected a 120-meter-tall steelwood tree as the keel for the floating ship.
The steelwood tree possessed unparalleled toughness, making it the best choice for constructing keels.
After the pigmen processed the tree, it was placed on the shipyard.
"Will this work?"
Looking at the massive keel on the shipyard, Iron Hammer muttered to himself.
Beside him, Pig Dajin scratched his bald head.
"The king said we could take our time exploring with the first ship."
Iron Hammer looked down at the wooden board in his hand.
The board recorded the steps for building the floating ship.
"Where's the king?"
Without the king present, Iron Hammer felt uneasy.
If a mistake occurred in any step and he failed to notice, it could be disastrous.
With the king around, at least any errors would be pointed out.
"The king is at the Iron Cavern and has been there for a while!"
Margarita was also there, acting as the king's proxy.
"You've done well. If any step is wrong, I'll point it out."
Among all the savage tribes, centaurs had the highest intelligence.
Thus, Margarita had learned many things.
Hearing Margarita's words, Iron Hammer grinned.
With Margarita present, even if mistakes were made, they wouldn't be his fault.
"Boom!"
At that moment, a thunderous explosion suddenly came from the northern forest.
The ground trembled slightly.
The sudden explosion startled Iron Hammer.
The savages at work turned to look north.
"What happened over there?"
Looking at the northern forest, Iron Hammer's expression was uncertain.
The noise was enormous.
What kind of explosion could shake the ground?
"It's coming from the direction of the Iron Cavern. It must be the king," Margarita guessed thoughtfully.
As Margarita had surmised, the culprit was indeed Li Meng.
In the forest not far from the Iron Cavern:
A mushroom cloud of flames slowly rose.
Massive trees within a hundred-meter radius were flattened by the powerful shockwave.
When the rolling flames dissipated, Li Meng sat cross-legged on the ground, covered in soot.
"What went wrong?"
Looking at the crater before him, Li Meng muttered to himself.
After much effort, he had crafted a magical cannon.
Unexpectedly, it misfired on its first shot.
"Could it be that the barrel must be made of mithril?"
The thought arose but was immediately dismissed.
If the barrel could only be made of mithril, the magical cannon would lose its practicality.
"It seems the steel's strength isn't sufficient. I'll thicken it."
Li Meng grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.
Standing up, he took long strides back to the Iron Cavern.
Failure was not frightening; failure was the mother of success.
Five days later, activity emerged in the forest north of the crater.
The commotion grew louder, with snapping branches echoing clearly.
Moments later, the five-meter-tall Li Meng emerged from the forest, carrying a thick cannon.
Reaching the crater's edge, Li Meng placed the cannon down.
With a loud "thud," the cannon hit the ground.
The cannon had a caliber of 100 millimeters.
However, the barrel thickness reached an astounding 100 millimeters.
This was just the barrel's thickness. The body and breech were even thicker.
The entire cannon was approximately three meters long.
"Let's begin!"
With a hint of anticipation in his eyes, Li Meng crouched down to stabilize the cannon.
He then took a fire crystal from his waist.
A rune magic circle adorned the breech.
Li Meng struck the fire crystal against the rune magic circle.
The rune magic circle immediately glowed with fiery brilliance.
"Boom!"
The cannon trembled violently.
Flames burst from the barrel.
The immense recoil pushed the cannon several meters back.
Even Li Meng struggled to hold it steady.
Accompanying the explosion was a thunderous cannon blast.