"Anna, this thing is way stronger than Skyfire," Leo said excitedly.
Anna scratched her head and said, "But I still like Skyfire."
Leo thought for a moment and said, "Anna, I have a task for you. If you can figure out a way to make a bamboo tube bomb that can fly over a hundred meters, I'll make you something good."
After adding flamestone powder to the gunpowder, it became very stable. He felt safe letting Anna study it.
"What kind of thing?" Her eyes lit up. She asked.
"You'll find out when you finish. It'll be just as strong as Skyfire, and it can be fired from far away like a trebuchet," Leo said, thinking of the first cannons on the ship.
There were also guns. With this kind of propellant, guns could be made, but it would be too hard. He didn't know if the technology in this world could handle it.
"Really? You can't trick me," she said, getting interested and starting to study the gunpowder.
Leo didn't get involved.
Now Marina was awake and could move a little. She could leave anytime.
Before that, he wanted to make as much gunpowder as possible.
"Ava," he found Ava and asked, "do you know if there's any iron ore on this small island?"
He needed iron ore to make cannons and guns.
"Iron ore?" Ava looked confused. "Sir, what is iron ore?"
"Hmm..." Leo frowned. He didn't know how to explain it.
He had forgotten that Ava's tribe was still in a primitive society. They used simple farming, and hadn't even developed bronze, let alone iron.
"Leo, I actually know where there's iron ore," Biggy happened to pass by and overheard their conversation. He looked sad and said, "But it's already taken over by humans."
Leo looked at him and asked, "Where is it?"
"Giant Whale Island, my home. It's rich in iron ore. But it was taken over by human soldiers. My people became slaves. Me and Secondy barely escaped. Later, we were caught by human adventurers, and Big shot saved us..." He told the story briefly.
Leo asked, "How far is Giant Whale Island? How many soldiers are there? What's their strength?"
He needed a lot of iron ore. He decided to take over Giant Whale Island and deal with those minotaurs.
Biggy thought for a moment and said, "It's not too far. If the sea is calm, it can be reached in one and a half months. There are about three thousand soldiers on the island. They are the elite of the Black Dragon Kingdom. Their strength is great. There's even a mage among them. We minotaurs are good fighters, but we can't match these guys at all. Those who tried to resist were put into the arena to fight beasts for their entertainment."
Biggy looked angry. He wanted to rip those evil humans apart, but he was no match for them.
The Black Dragon Kingdom?
Leo had heard of that country. It was just a kingdom, but the people were tough and valued strength.
It was said that their capital was once destroyed by a powerful black dragon. Instead of hating it, they were obsessed with the dragon and built statues for it. They renamed their kingdom the Black Dragon Kingdom.
It was said that the dragon was still living in the capital of the kingdom.
Black Dragon Kingdom also received the protection of the black dragon.
Leo wanted to save the minotaurs and take over Giant Whale Island, but with just the two of them, it was completely unrealistic to fight against three thousand elite soldiers.
This plan had to be thought through carefully.
"Biggy, do you know how to forge?" He wanted to make cannons first.
Biggy nodded. "Not very skilled, but I can make simple weapons and armor."
"Good," Leo said. "I'll draw a blueprint soon. If you can forge what's on it, we'll be able to save your people." He decided to give it a try.
"Really?" Biggy's eyes lit up. He looked at Leo eagerly and said, "Mr. Leo, if you can save my people, I Biggy will swear to follow you for life."
Minotaurs were also part of the half-ogre race, but they were honest and reliable, even more so than barbarians.
If they could form an army of minotaurs, their fighting power would be far greater than humans.
Leo asked Ava to bring a piece of animal hide and a charcoal pencil, then started drawing a blueprint.
He vaguely remembered how the earliest muzzleloaders worked. Based on his own understanding, he made a rough sketch.
There was also a design for the cannonball.
Biggy and Secondy looked at the drawing in confusion.
"Sir, what is this?" Secondy scratched his head and asked.
It was a big, heavy iron cylinder, made by pouring molten metal into a mold.
Leo explained, "It's a powerful weapon. Can you forge it?"
They looked at the drawing, frowning and shaking their heads.
Biggy said, "Sir, you're overestimating us. The forging techniques you're asking for can only be done by dwarven craftsmen."
"Dwarves?" Leo frowned.
There were indeed dwarves in this world, and they were good at making things. But they were rare, and Leo had never met one or heard of any place where they lived.
Biggy continued, "Maybe we can find some dwarves. There was a group of adventurers on Sal Island who captured one before, but Big shot didn't like them and didn't rescue him."
"Really? Is the dwarf still on Sal Island?" He needed to make cannons, and later he also wanted to build guns and steam engines. Those things could only be made by dwarves.
He decided to rescue the dwarf.
"He's still there," Biggy nodded. "That group of adventurers has been looking for buyers. But the dwarf is ugly, and besides his forging skills, he has no other value. Very few nobles would buy him."
"It seems we'll have to go to Sal Island again," Leo said to himself.
The last time they were on Sal Island, they made a big mess, killing a nobleman, Baron Kael of the Glan Empire.
He probably was now a wanted man, and going back to Sal Island was risky.
But he needed that dwarf.
He looked at the sky. It was already dusk, and soon it would be dark. It would be hard to tell direction.
But now they had Marina in their group. Fishman were natural sailors and wouldn't get lost.
"Biggy, tell Anna and the others. We're going back to Sal Island again." He made the decision right away.
"Got it," Biggy and Secondy ran off to find Anna and Lilia.
With Marina's help, this journey went smoothly. It only took four days to reach Sal Island.
"Wow, so many big ships?" As Leo and the others sailed out of the fog, they were shocked by what they saw.
The sea was crowded with large ships, and most of them were warships.
Masts flew the flags of different countries.
"Sir Leo, are these guys here to catch us?" Ava looked worried.
"No," Leo shook his head. They had only killed a baron. The Glan Empire might issue a bounty, but they wouldn't waste so much effort on him.
Also, the warships here weren't just from the Glan Empire. He recognized at least three empires' flags.
There were at least twenty other countries represented by warships.
Something big had to have happened on Sal Island.
"Let's take a small boat and check it out," Leo said, curious. He told Biggy and Secondy to lower a small boat.
"Marina, stay on the ship. If something happens, just dive into the deep water," he said, looking at her.
Marina was a Fishman, and she couldn't move freely on land.
"Relax, Sir Leo. I'll be fine," Marina nodded. She wasn't worried about danger.
The last time she was almost captured by adventurers, it was because she had been cast out of her tribe and was too upset to be careful.
Otherwise, no human ship could have caught her.
"Bring plenty of explosives. Try not to be seen," Leo and the others put on long, loose robes to hide their faces before setting off in the small boat.
Pirates and outlawed adventurers dressed like this, so they wouldn't stand out.
The port of Sal Island was full of ships. Leo and his group had to travel far before they found a place to land.
"Those damn nobles are going too far. They want to divide the treasure here," a group of adventurers muttered on the shore.
"Stop talking nonsense. Be careful who hears you," one of them warned when he saw Leo and the others.
Their bodies were strong, and their arms were scarred from battles. They looked like a group of pirates.
Treasure?
Leo heard their conversation and became curious. He walked closer and asked, "Hey, big guy, what's going on with Sal Island? Why are there so many warships?"
The leader looked him over, suspicious and cautious. "Who are you?"
"Don't worry," Leo smiled. "I'm also a pirate."
The leader relaxed a little and said, "It's not a big deal. A secret cave was found on the northern cliff of Sal Island, where the sea has flooded. It's supposed to be the nest of the Evil Dragon Andre."