"Wow, it worked!"
Seeing that the cannon didn't explode, Li Meng shouted with excitement.
But his laughter was abruptly cut short.
Although the cannon didn't explode, the barrel was covered in cracks.
"Does the barrel need to be thicker?"
Li Meng looked at the cracked cannon with a helpless expression.
If it's too heavy, the airship might not be able to handle the weight.
"Master, what's the point of this thing?"
To Xiao Bai, the master's hard work only resulted in a loud noise.
"It has great significance, Xiao Bai. You know the Goblins' combat power is trash among trash. To enhance their combat ability, we must rely on magical tools. This is the weapon I developed for the Goblins, the 'Magic Cannon.' It's not finished yet, but you'll see its power in the future."
Not exploding was already a good start.
The next step was to further strengthen the barrel.
The only downside was that it couldn't be mass-produced.
The rune magic array inside the barrel had to be engraved with a magical water knife.
This meant that only Li Meng could make the magic cannon.
Even if casting techniques improved greatly in the future, the precision needed for engraving the rune magic array inside the barrel couldn't be guaranteed.
Unless the barrel was made large enough to fit a person inside.
But such a large cannon couldn't be supported by a wooden ship structure.
"Let's try again!"
Li Meng stood up, hoisted the magic cannon, and walked back the way he came.
Soon, the commotion in the forest disappeared.
Back at the Iron Cave, Li Meng tirelessly continued to make new magic cannons.
Meanwhile, on the ship platform outside the Throne Tribe, the keel and main structure of a ship were taking shape.
As they explored bit by bit, the progress was gradually accelerating.
"Did you hear that?"
"I heard it."
"What is the Great King doing?"
"Who knows!"
The thunderous explosion from the north sounded again.
This caught the attention of Hammer and his group.
It was already the second time.
Hammer had a premonition there would be a third.
Time passed slowly, day by day.
Half a month later, one afternoon.
At the crater in the forest outside the Iron Cave.
The long-lost sound of "crack" from breaking branches echoed in the forest.
Moments later, Li Meng emerged from the forest carrying an even larger magic cannon.
This time, the magic cannon had a larger caliber and a thicker barrel.
"Boom!"
Li Meng heavily placed the magic cannon on the ground by the crater.
This time, the magic cannon had a caliber of 200 millimeters.
The barrel was 4 meters long, and the breech had a diameter of 1.2 meters.
The barrel diameter was 800 millimeters.
The muzzle diameter was 500 millimeters.
This time, a group of Big Goblins followed Li Meng.
Each of them held a heavy iron ball.
Li Meng crouched down and steadied the magic cannon.
Using a slope as a cannon mount.
"Bring the shells!"
The Great King's urging prompted a Big Goblin to step forward.
Li Meng took the shell from the Big Goblin.
The 200-millimeter shell looked like a large marble in Li Meng's hand.
Li Meng inserted the shell into the muzzle.
The sound of the shell rolling echoed inside the barrel.
The sound disappeared once it hit the bottom.
Li Meng took a Fire Crystal from his waist and grinned.
"Wow, fire!"
Li Meng laughed wildly and inserted the Fire Crystal into one of the three slots.
The magic cannon had three settings.
The power was controlled by the amount of magic input.
The first setting had the least power and the shortest range.
The third setting had the most power and the longest range.
"Bang!"
A deafening cannon shot rang out.
The bulky magic cannon shook violently.
A bright tongue of fire shot from the muzzle.
A trail of white smoke shot out, piercing into the forest in the blink of an eye.
"Shhh!"
The forest crackled, wood chips flying everywhere.
The outermost tree seemed to be hit by something.
The trunk was pierced through, breaking apart.
Trees in a line were struck almost simultaneously.
The "crack" sound rushed into the depths of the forest.
Finally, the shell crashed into a tree 700 meters away.
With a "boom," wood chips flew.
A large dent appeared where it hit.
The deformed shell was lodged in it.
"Not bad, not bad at all!"
Li Meng gazed into the depths of the forest, very satisfied with the magic cannon's power.
"Master, the power is indeed impressive, but compared to its difficulty of production, the destructive power isn't strong."
Li Meng understood what Xiao Bai meant.
No matter how powerful the shell was, it could only attack enemies in a straight line.
On the battlefield, a magic cannon needed to be numerous to unleash terrifying power.
"Xiao Bai, what if we inscribed explosive runes on the shells?"
As soon as the master said this, Xiao Bai understood his intention.
If a Fire Crystal was placed inside the shell and the explosive rune magic array was used to detonate it, the resulting power would be immense.
"Master, your idea is correct."
Li Meng grinned and waved to the Big Goblins behind him.
Xiao Bai's approval reassured Li Meng completely.
After all, the magic cannon was based on Xiao Bai's rune knowledge.
Li Meng inserted another shell into the barrel.
The magic cannon needed to be tested repeatedly to check if the barrel's strength was adequate.
The number of shots the barrel could withstand had to be tested.
If the number was too low, the barrel's strength had to be increased.
"Boom!"
Another thunderous cannon shot rang out in the forest.
This was not the end.
A few minutes later, the forest echoed with another booming explosion.
The repeated loud noises caught the attention of the Barbarians at the ship platform.
They all turned to look at the northern forest.
The sound was terrifying, making their scalps tingle.
What exactly was the Great King doing?
The cannon shots continued from afternoon into the night.
Until the full moon hung high in the sky, the cannon shots in the forest finally subsided.
The next morning, the forest echoed with the rumble of cannon shots once more.
Once, twice, three times, four times, five times...
The cannon shots continued into the afternoon.
"Is it at its limit?"
Li Meng touched the breech.
The once smooth breech now felt rough.
Upon closer inspection, cracks had appeared on the breech.
From yesterday afternoon until now, 175 shots had been fired.
To prevent the barrel from overheating, the firing intervals varied.
This was still at the lowest power setting.
If fired at medium or high power, it might only last a few dozen shots before being scrapped.
"It seems the breech's strength needs to be increased!"
The explosive force of the fireball was concentrated on the breech.
Thus, the breech required the highest strength.