CHAPTER 511: CHAPTER 464 EXTRAORDINARY ARMAMENT: ELECTROMAGNETIC CANNON 1.0

On the seemingly shimmering Treasure Sea, with a temper not much better than the Black Sea.

A fleet consisting of twenty-three ships, mainly battleships, took a double-column formation, riding the wind and waves, heading south along the predetermined route.

However, the flags fluttering atop the masts were clearly not from a single entity; the fleet was mainly composed of Phaletis and Tyrone, intermixed sparsely with flags from Paros, Thessaly, and the Tulip Duchy.

On the surface, they appeared majestic and mighty, yet inevitably carried an air of a motley crew.

Because this time the opponent was not pirates, but the world’s most powerful nation, Hilus.

The alliance leaders were well aware that sending low-level warships was just fodder for the enemy, and thus they mobilized all their war potential. However, almost all the battleships that could be deployed in a short time were already here.

The Tulip Alliance was made up of island nations formed by six islands, unlike those land-based countries with a vast continent as their depth. Everything for them came from the ocean, and they had to rely on the ocean.

So their will to develop the navy and maritime trade was the most resolute, especially Phaletis, whose national power was on the rise.

Yet, even though Phaletis, the number one in the alliance, had grand ambitions in mind, the gap between them and the foremost power was still evident.

There was a disparity not only in the number of ordinary battleships but also in the top-tier quasi-legendary warships.

Although Hilus’s colonies in the Southern Continent weren’t large, due to its rich minerals and vegetation resources, there were always two quasi-legendary stationed there. While the entire Tulip Alliance, among the six nations, had only the "Northern Cold Wind" and "Five-Mast Peak" in the Southern Continent.

Therefore, for them, this was a war they could only win, not lose. Hilus, with its vast resources, might be able to afford a loss, but they absolutely could not afford one.

If they failed, at least ten years of setbacks for their navy as a kingdom’s shield, or possibly no chance to shake Hilus’s seapower throne for decades to come after.

At this moment.

On the "Long-tailed Sparrow," a Level 3 ship serving as the flagship and lead ship.

The most experienced Chief Navigator, using tools like the sextant, marine chronometer, compass, and nautical chart, continually and precisely determined the course to ensure the fleet wouldn’t veer off.

Although the celestial phenomena over the Treasure Sea were equally perilous, due to generations of selfless navigators, two hundred years into the Great Navigation era, voyages between the two continents had become quite common.

The route from the Tulip Alliance to the Southern Continent inevitably passed through Ilya, and even more so, by the path opened by the... Galliot Clan.

Or it might be more apt to say the present-day Phaletis Galliot Clan.

As the fame of Brigadier General Galliot rose.

That name, seemingly buried in history, except for scholars in dusty archives and adventurers, and navigators fighting unknown territories, was now well-known in Phaletis Kingdom’s navy as well.

Especially for the Chief Navigator from "New Inn Port" affiliated with the kingdom’s First Fleet, it was an open secret. Plus, he knew those boarding the ship before the fleet set off had close ties to Galliot, but...

"Alas, it’s such a pity about Colonel Gel..."

Lowering the brass telescope, the seasoned old officer, despite years of warfare, couldn’t help but sigh.

At the center of the fleet, there was a large supply ship.

Above the supply ship, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, a giant albatross with a wingspan nearing ten meters circled the fleet like a small airplane.

Chatter... Chatter...

On the supply ship, six pure white seagulls significantly larger than ordinary seagulls lined up neatly on the sail boom of the main mast.

On the deck beneath them, a young girl in a white long dress, with a clean and ethereal temperament like a fresh spring water, slowly withdrew her slender right hand emitting white light.

"He’s alive, Babu’s alive!"

"Long live Miss Angie!"

"....."

Watching their companion lying on the deck slowly open his eyes, the surrounding sailors couldn’t help but erupt in cheers. Just moments ago, he was suffering from severe pain across his body, vomiting, convulsing, palpitating, reddened skin, semi-consciousness, and yet now he had fully regained consciousness.

From their experience, being stung by a Bluebeard Jellyfish, one would suffer acute organ failure and die within less than three minutes — a duration too short to wait for the holy professional’s treatment on the Level 3 battleship nearby.

If it weren’t for the girl’s intervention, Babu would surely have been doomed.

"Let him drink more water for the next couple of days; there won’t be any sequelae."

The girl’s voice, like a mountain spring, was refreshing yet not cold at all.

"Okay, thank you, Miss Angie."

The crew thanked the girl profusely, even the captain and the First Mate on the supply ship, who thought they were about to face non-combatant attrition, weren’t exceptions.

"No need to be so polite; the journey ahead will rely on your care."

As a born White Witch, possessing the sacred, healing, and animal affinity talents, dealing with animal bites and stings was a mere trifle for Angie.

"Certainly, certainly, if you need anything on board, just let us know."

In the fleet, the battleships might join combat at any moment. Thus, Daphne, heading to the Southern Continent to see Gel for the last time, was arranged onto this supply ship positioned in the middle of the fleet.

Clatter... Clatter...

As the girl turned, her white skirt twirled like a graceful water lily.

The sailors watched her all the way as she walked into the stern cabin with the best living conditions, still marveling. If it weren’t for her lack of a cassock and holy emblem, they might have mistaken her for a saintess of the Church.

Walking into the stern cabin, Angie slightly lowered her eyelids and softened her steps.

Through the round window, she could see Elante in a crumpled shirt, unkempt, silently practicing swordplay in the narrow cabin.

Gritting his teeth, his face stern, as if facing an invisible enemy, putting all his strength into each swing.

No longer resembling the past adolescent boy.

In the adjacent cabin, Daphne, having put away all her bright clothes, sat quietly by the porthole, gazing at the sea.

These days she has become quite thin, with slender shoulders, and even her slightly fuller chin, due to a comfortable life, has become a bit pointed.

But ever since receiving news of Gel’s accident, Daphne has not cried from beginning to end, yet this situation, in Angie’s eyes, is more heartbreaking than a big cry.

Evidently, this sudden upheaval has changed this once warm home a lot.

"Aunt!"

Biting her cherry-colored lower lip, Angie, who was also feeling distressed, held a bundle of tulips she had grown using witchcraft, and pushed the door open, entering.

....

After killing the Steel Knight and returning to "Treasure Tree Bay," nearly a week had quietly passed by.

The "Storm Horn" still had not arrived. Milan sent a message through a Spirit Realm Messenger saying they had encountered a hurricane mid-journey, delaying their schedule, and might need another two days.

However, on Aiven’s side, the manufacturing of electromagnetic weapons had gradually taken shape.

The optimal choice of "magnetic ore," as a crystallization of civilization, is evidently not so easily unravelled.

Even with Olivia, a Gem School official wizard, joining the effort, and after acquiring some technical data from the city, replicating magnetic ore in the Material World is not a process that could be completed overnight.

Aiven, in the end, still thought it was somewhat simpler than it actually was.

However, it’s not like they had no gains at all; the two of them together created a transitional product.

Natural gemstones belonging to the hexagonal crystal system, like magnetic ore, include apatite, beryl, and lazulite.

Olivia, leveraging a School Wizard’s intuition, used the light blue "aquamarine" from beryl as a substitute, successfully replicating part of the functions of "magnetic ore."

This counts as having created an "Extraordinary Battery" with exceedingly high energy storage efficiency. While it doesn’t provide infinite energy, it’s adequate for the electromagnetic weapons Aiven is currently building, only requiring him to charge the "battery" in advance.

Using this "Extraordinary Battery" as the core, Aiven utilized this time to successfully create the first prototype electromagnetic cannon.

The principle had long been understood, and for a wizard with strong practical skill, turning theory into reality wasn’t difficult.

Aiven’s initial choices were two: the electromagnetic railgun and the coil cannon.

Their principles differ.

The railgun uses the interaction between the magnetic field and electric current to generate a powerful ampere force to propel the projectile to extremely high speed (theoretically reaching sub-light speed).

The coil cannon, on the other hand, uses multiple acceleration coils; the magnetic field induced by an electric current interacts with the magnetic field of the acceleration coils, producing Lorentz force, accelerating the projectile and launching it out.

Comparatively speaking,

The rails of a railgun suffer severe ablation and need to be replaced after a certain number of shots. Even ignoring friction, due to energy efficiency, the conversion of electricity to kinetic energy can only reach about 35%-50%.

In contrast, the coil cannon can use magnetic levitation technology to avoid mechanical contact between the projectile and the barrel, thus avoiding frictional resistance. Theoretically, the coil cannon can reach 100% potential, almost double the efficiency of the railgun.

Moreover, Aiven is already familiar with the technology used in the "Secret Technique: Coil Cannon," which employs this latter technology.

Although the construction is relatively more complex, he ultimately chose the "coil cannon" as his first electromagnetic cannon.

Which is the "Extraordinary Armament: Electromagnetic Cannon 1.0" that can be both ship-mounted and handheld (limited to Tier 3 Extraordinary and above).

Since he doesn’t need to consider portability, its shape resembles a giant rotary cannon, with a silver-white gun body inscribed with fine blue runes, a caliber of 23mm, and a barrel length of four meters with loops of golden external magnets.

Considering factors such as conductivity, ease of acquisition, and malleability, the materials used for this electromagnetic cannon are pure silver enchanted with alchemy.

During the plundering of the Golden Post Road, there were still many silver ingots left as ritual materials, making it more than enough to create a cannon.

A hexagonal prism "aquamarine" battery, obtained from Olivia, is embedded at the end.

Additionally, as an accessory, there are a pair of wristbands connected with countless wires, allowing manual operation at critical moments.

And, to enhance the initial velocity, he employed every conceivable method.

Introducing an external uniform magnetic field: adding a horseshoe magnet with an iron core on the outside of the barrel to give the projectile a greater acceleration magnetic field.

Extended magnetic rails: because the terminal kinetic energy is proportional to the square root of the magnetic rail length.

Using lightweight projectiles: given the same kinetic energy, the terminal speed is inversely proportional to the square root of the projectile mass.

For an electromagnetic cannon that requires electricity, there are primarily two types of ammunition: inert metal warhead and active warhead technology.

The inert metal warhead mainly includes aluminum, steel, tungsten, etc., and can only destroy targets using high-speed kinetic energy.

The active warhead technology not only has mechanical strength similar to that of metal but also contains chemical energy comparable to that of high explosives, with a safety level similar to inert materials; it only explodes upon high-speed impact with the target.

Theoretically, it’s the highest quality electromagnetic cannon shell.

"It’s a pity I can’t make active warheads!"

Considering various factors, Aiven ultimately chose enchanted lighter aluminum bullets as the main ammunition for the electromagnetic cannon, supplemented by tungsten steel.

Even with alchemy, aluminum, which needs to be extracted via electrolysis, is a precious metal in this era comparable to gold and silver, but in fact, it’s the most abundant metal element in the Earth’s crust.

In the future, others might think that firing an "electromagnetic cannon" is extremely costly, with significant limitations, but for Aiven, the actual cost is like that of cabbage.

Thus, after creating a major weapon, he discovered yet another path to fortune.

There are plenty of ways to make money, so for now, he won’t concern himself too much with it.

Being a gun lover as well, both Aiven and Olivia couldn’t help but fawn over this silver-white cannon, growing quite fond of it.

With everything ready, they were left with just one problem:

"Who should we give this freshly made, hot first shot to?"