Chapter 248: Rune Magic Cannon
The cannon barrel and muzzle were primarily designed for pressure relief, resulting in significantly lower stress.
With a good start, the next step was just optimization.
"Boys, let's head back!"
Li Meng hoisted the magic cannon and started walking back the way they had come.
In the following days, Li Meng focused on one task: repeatedly optimizing various parameters of the magic cannon.
Five days later, the depths of the forest echoed once again with the thunderous roar of cannon fire.
The forest surrounding the testing site was already in ruins, with countless trees toppled and scattered.
This time, the cannon fire continued intermittently for more than half a month.
It was another new day, in the morning.
At the testing site, Li Meng stood beside a massive and heavy magic cannon.
The magic cannon had a caliber of 200 millimeters, and the thickness of the barrel and chamber reached 300 millimeters.
The combined diameter of the barrel and chamber was 800 millimeters.
The entire cannon was about five meters long, with the diameter of the breech reaching three meters.
"A piece this massive must demand high structural strength from the ship," Li Meng muttered, doubting whether a wooden ship could truly bear the weight of the magic cannon.
"It seems the structure of the floating battleship and its gun deck needs to be reinforced."
However, Li Meng had no intention of halting the construction of the first floating ship.
The first floating ship was an experimental prototype, with redesigns planned based on future needs.
Li Meng crouched down and picked up a shell from the ground.
The next task was to create shells capable of explosive effects.
Although it sounded simple, it was actually very challenging.
Magic in this world was versatile, but making multiple rune magic arrays work simultaneously was no small feat.
Li Meng and Xiao Bai had debated for days and nights on the engraving of rune magic arrays within the cannon chamber.
Finally, they decided on using seven combined rune magic arrays: Explosive Fireball Rune, Mana Transfer Rune, Mana Constrain Rune, Mana Barrier Rune, Mana Amplification Rune, Mana Enhancement Rune, and Magic Energy Focus Rune.
While Li Meng could make the magic cannon himself, as the goblins could handle the casting work, he only needed to carve the final rune magic arrays.
However, since shells were consumables, they needed to be mass-produced.
Li Meng had no intention of becoming a slave to war, spending his life laboring over shell production.
Thus, the manufacturing of shells had to be simplified, and using mithril to carve rune magic arrays was out of the question.
Mithril was too valuable to be wasted on shells.
"Let's go back!"
Li Meng hoisted the magic cannon and left the ruined testing site.
Over the next several months, the forest outside the Iron Cavern grew quiet.
Li Meng was focused solely on researching methods for crafting explosive shells within the Iron Cavern.
"Wangwang, go play somewhere else; your boss is busy!"
One afternoon, along the underground riverbank of the Iron Cavern, Li Meng sat by the shore, staring at the large iron ball in his hand in a daze.
Nearby, Wangwang rubbed against Li Meng's leg.
Wangwang had returned months ago, bringing a group of hopping Skurgs to the Iron Cavern.
The Skurgs were fond of the Iron Cavern, which was blazing hot.
The presence of fire crystal stones in the cavern suggested it was a site of fire element accumulation.
As fire-element magical beasts, the Skurgs naturally loved such an environment.
"Woof!"
Wangwang let out a low growl, hopping away.
Looking at the iron ball in his hand, Li Meng sighed.
The production of shells had hit a snag.
On Xiao Bai's suggestion, Li Meng combined fire crystal powder and water slime mucus to create an enchanted liquid.
Although its conductivity was inferior to mithril, it was still usable.
However, this enchanted liquid had a single drawback: instability.
"Roar!"
At that moment, a sudden growl came from behind him.
Li Meng turned to see Wangwang accidentally bumping into a rock, instinctively expanding its body.
Its form grew larger until it became a five-meter-wide behemoth.
This sight made Li Meng's eyes light up.
Turning back to the shell in his hand, inspiration struck.
"If a delayed fuse doesn't work, how about a contact fuse?"
Although contact fuses had a more complex structure, simplification was still possible.
The instability of the enchanted liquid made it perfect for creating contact fuses.
With an idea in mind, Li Meng stood up and hurried to his alchemy table.
Over the next few months, Li Meng focused solely on simplifying the shell production process.
Four months later, one afternoon.
The most crucial experiment was conducted at the testing site.
This time, the testing site featured an artillery platform with a thick layer of wooden planks laid on the ground.
The magic cannon had also been mounted on a steel carriage equipped with wheels.
Li Meng loaded a shell inscribed with fiery rune magic arrays into the cannon's barrel.
The shell was hollow, with a fire crystal inside, acting as an explosive substance.
The shell's outer rune magic arrays would be activated when subjected to pressure exceeding a certain limit.
This activation was achieved through the instability of the fire crystal.
Once the shell's casing exploded, it would ignite the fire crystal inside.
The explosion's intensity depended on the size and magic value of the fire crystal.
"Everyone, back off! This is deadly!"
Li Meng waved his hand, shooing the goblin subordinates away.
Hearing this, the goblins quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Once they were at a secure distance, Li Meng inserted a fire crystal into the rune magic array slot.
He adjusted the angle, aiming the magic cannon at a mountain several kilometers to the north.
The magic cannon's elevation angle could reach up to 40 degrees.
When deployed on the floating ship, it would feature a specially designed mount for even higher angles.
The issue of shells falling out of the chamber at a downward angle was also resolved.
The chamber bottom was designed slightly narrower than the barrel, ensuring the shell would stay lodged inside due to its weight.
Finally, Li Meng picked up a small hammer and struck the fire crystal.
With a "bang," the fire crystal sparkled briefly, releasing magic energy that activated the mana absorption rune array.
"Boom!"
The next moment, the magic cannon roared thunderously, a deafening blast echoing through the surroundings.
A dazzling fireball shot out of the barrel, leaving a trail of white smoke across the forest sky.
Seconds later, a mountain five kilometers away erupted in flames, a massive mushroom cloud of fire rising from the mountainside.
The explosion ripped apart a large section of the mountain, sending rocks flying and debris tumbling down.
It was a while before the flames finally subsided.