CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 337 DEVELOPMENT OF THE AERIAL FORTRESS_1

The Goblin Gaga led all the goblins and alchemical equipment from the Nuta City Goblin Alchemy Factory into the Eternal Domain, signaling a definitive break with Cloud Tower.

As a result, Gaga gained Yan Xing’s trust, who opened up more high-tech information and equipment to this group of Goblin Engineers and Alchemists.

Even aircraft technology.

In fact, making an aircraft fly is simpler than getting a vehicle to run; as long as one has a good aerodynamic layout and an engine, even a wooden aircraft can fly.

The Beak Eagle was a product of necessity, using the mature aerodynamic layout of the B-17 and equipped with an implosive steam engine indigenously developed by the Eternal Domain.

It had no problem flying and carrying people and cargo.

It could even easily drop bombs when they had complete air supremacy.

But for high-intensity aerial combat, the Beak Eagle had far too many flaws.

Chui Chui had yet to produce a viable design for the flying fortress Yan Xing envisioned to counter Cloud Tower.

Defense, firepower, ammunition capacity, operability, stability...

The performance requirements for a combat-worthy military aircraft are much higher than for civilian aviation.

Especially when designing military aircraft for magical warfare.

Moreover, in addition to developing subsequent models of the large Beak Eagle aircraft, Yan Xing also wanted to design and produce fighter jets to address the Eternal Domain’s aerial shortcomings.

Air supremacy was the initiative in warfare.

Chui Chui was adept at integrating and optimizing existing technology, but innovation and creative ideas required genuinely experienced engineers.

A large hangar was constructed within the Eternal Domain’s industrial district.

When Yan Xing arrived at the hangar, one group of Goblin Engineers was disassembling a Beak Eagle alongside alchemical robots.

Another group of Goblin Engineers sat gathered on small stools, tablets in hand, learning the principles of flight from an alchemical robot Chui Chui had taken control of.

Gaga, who had been standing beneath the Beak Eagle observing its disassembly, immediately came forward to greet Yan Xing upon his arrival.

His alchemical chair moved with considerable agility; a tablet was mounted on its armrest, its screen displaying schematics filled with lines.

"Master..." Goblin Gaga rose from his chair to salute Yan Xing, then sat down again. "You’ve given me a tough problem. That Alchemical Weapon, the cannon, produces immense recoil when fired. Given the Beak Eagle’s airframe strength, it would simply be shaken apart by such a weapon.

Then there’s flight stability, the cannon’s traverse and firing arc, the aircraft’s center-of-gravity balance... So many issues to resolve.

And we’ve only just begun to understand how this thing flies.

It’s truly a miraculous alchemical creation. I have a premonition that one day, it will sweep Cloud Tower’s airships into the dustbin of history. This is the kind of aircraft destined to rule the skies!"

Yan Xing was accustomed to Goblin Gaga complaining every time they met.

Besides, he was mostly just voicing his concerns.

In fact, the more challenging the mechanical problem, the more it fueled his desire to work.

Yan Xing smiled, took two bottles of Coke from a beverage box on the ground nearby, opened one, and handed it to Gaga. "If we want to sweep Cloud Tower’s airships into the dustbin of history, we must first prove our planes are superior to their airships.

Airships may be slow and bulky, but their defensive capabilities are strong. They’re like turtles.

That cannon was specifically designed to pierce turtle shells. Such significant recoil signifies great power. I believe only you, Master Gaga, could find a way to mount it on the Beak Eagle."

Goblin Gaga accepted the drink, took a straw from a compartment in the armrest, and began to sip.

Goblins all enjoyed this sweet, bubbly beverage.

"Exactly! The airships’ air barriers are too tough!" Gaga glanced at the tank cannon hanging from a hoist in the corner of the hangar, then turned back to Yan Xing. "The Beak Eagle’s airframe structure is too fragile. To install the cannon, we’ll need to rebuild the airframe using magic-infused composite materials.

We’ll install a longitudinal slide rail inside the fuselage, and the side bay doors will need to be enlarged.

The cannon can move back and forth along this rail, allowing its long barrel to be aimed and fired out of either side.

The recoil will also be dispersed by the slide rail to other parts of the airframe.

Flight attitude during firing will need to be stabilized using Air-element Magic, and the wing structure will require treatment with magical-integration Alchemy Technology.

Then there are the defensive systems and the Self-defense Firepower System..."

Goblin Gaga muttered to himself as he spoke, fingers rapidly tapping the tablet on his armrest, recording the ideas materializing in his mind.

Then, as if he had forgotten Yan Xing’s presence, he shouted the names of several Goblin Engineers and Alchemists and led them toward a design studio.

Chui Chui said to Yan Xing in his mind, "Master, that’s just how Master Gaga is. Whenever a new idea strikes him, he forgets everything else. Many difficult problems are easily resolved by him."

Yan Xing wasn’t bothered by Gaga’s apparent rudeness; people in technical fields ought to have that kind of drive.

Sipping his drink, he walked around the haphazardly dismantled aircraft frame. "Goblins are a race with tremendous potential," he said to Chui Chui. "One day, with their intellect and the Eternal Domain’s technology, they will achieve a pivotal position in this world.

Propeller planes don’t pose significant technical challenges for you and the Goblins. I believe the current difficulties can be overcome.

However, jet-powered supersonic aircraft are the future.

Does the Eternal Domain currently have the capability to design and produce supersonic aircraft?"

"Not currently," Chui Chui replied truthfully. "Jet aircraft and propeller aircraft have vastly different airframe structures. Propeller planes are more fault-tolerant. Jet planes, without a corresponding electronic flight control system for assistance, carry a very high risk factor.

Developing a practical electronic flight control system isn’t something that can be completed quickly.

I suggest we first accumulate more experience with propeller aircraft before considering the development of jet aircraft.

Future high-speed combat missions can be handled by the Gryphon Mecha. Gryphons are more efficient in aerial combat than any conventionally trained pilot."

With Chui Chui having poured cold water on his ambitions, Yan Xing dismissed the fantasy of taking too large a step forward.

Propeller planes it is then, Yan Xing mused. They can form a high-low mix with the Gryphon Armor.

We’ll consider jet planes once we have more funds and the necessary technology.

After making a few rounds in the hangar to check on the progress of various projects, Yan Xing departed for the Eternal Domain Alchemy Laboratory.

Although the Eternal Domain Alchemy Laboratory was also located in the industrial zone, its access restrictions and security measures were the tightest in the Eternal Domain.

Apart from the alchemical robots working there, Yan Xing was the only one in the entire Eternal Domain authorized to enter.

Inside, beyond the research and development area, were alchemical robot assembly workshops, drone assembly workshops, a drone hangar, a drone airstrip, and a Beak Eagle assembly workshop...

Guns, cannons, ammunition, turbocharged jet engines, implosive steam engines... all were produced here.