The Moving Home on the Water

"I really am a genius—"

Ian looked with satisfaction at the trumpet-mouthed Alchemy Flintlock in his hand.

Yesterday, Ian had organized his materials and first studied the relevant knowledge about the Alchemy Flintlock to lay a foundation for later cannon refinement. After all, cannons were essentially just magnified versions of firearms.

Ian's first attempt today was successful. Of course, calling himself a genius was just bluster. In Ian's opinion, the structure of a muzzle-loading firearm was inherently simple.

Currently, the main firearms of the major kingdoms were muzzle-loading flintlock muskets, with calibers ranging from about 13 to 20 millimeters.

The bullets were generally lead, partly due to cost and partly because soft lead was suitable for sealing the muzzle. The gunpowder was black powder, pre-packaged in paper cartridges to prevent moisture and speed up firing.

Compared to ordinary firearms, the most powerful aspect of the Alchemy Flintlock lay in its materials; the barrel could withstand higher temperatures and pressures. This generally allowed for larger powder charges and calibers, resulting in greater power and range, though accuracy was typically average.

Naval warfare in the Sea of Miracles was frequent, and firearms were mostly used in close combat. Therefore, they were commonly designed with a trumpet-shaped muzzle to fire shot. The caliber was usually over 25 millimeters, earning them the nickname "deck sweepers."

The one in Ian's hand belonged to this type.

In his previous life, Ian wasn't a military enthusiast. He vaguely knew that firearms would develop towards rifling and breech-loading, with metal cartridges composed of primer, propellant, projectile, and casing. Any more than that would be beyond his knowledge.

However, possessing the alchemy ability of an Alchemist, he felt that if he could study it properly, upgrading existing firearms and cannons wouldn't be an issue.

The immediate priority was to refine the Alchemy Cannon and Alchemy Gunpowder. There was no rush for technological advancement.

Ian then immediately threw himself into the refinement of the Alchemy Cannon.

On the other side, by the sea at the bottom of the cliff, the roar of cannons could occasionally be heard amidst the sea breeze.

Wawa's size had visibly increased again, now exceeding 24 meters in length, with corresponding increases in draft and width.

Compared to the growth rate of its body, the expansion of Wawa's internal space was even faster, now exceeding 1500 cubic meters.

Of course, its "appetite" was also considerable. The various expensive Spirituality materials Ian purchased were diminishing at a visible rate every day.

Wawa didn't burn oil; it burned Gold Coins! Ian simply placed all the Spirituality materials into Wawa's space to avoid the sight of them diminishing.

On the centerline of the forward deck of the warship, a 24-pound Alchemy Cannon was mounted on a peculiar base. Beneath the cannon was a sliding gun carriage, which was embedded in a circular base.

This design was generated by Wawa, based on an idea provided by Ian.

The sliding gun carriage replaced the wheeled carriage, buffering the recoil along the slide after firing. The base allowed for 360-degree rotation, enabling attacks in all directions.

At this moment, a chain, resembling a living creature yet slightly clumsy, was nimbly "gripping" tools to clean the cannon barrel, then loading gunpowder, projectile, and tamping it down. Following this, the cannon was ignited, and under Wawa's control, its direction and angle were adjusted.

With a "boom," the cannonball shot out, traveling a full three thousand meters and splashing a huge plume of water on the distant sea surface.

The cannon slid violently backward along the slide due to recoil, but the warship only vibrated slightly before quickly stabilizing.

Firing one round within a minute was considered acceptable. With well-coordinated and skilled gunners, a round could be fired in 30 to 40 seconds.

The entire process just now took less than 20 seconds!

Undoubtedly, Ian's attempt was successful, but it differed significantly from his initial vision.

During the initial attempts, Wawa could indeed withstand the recoil of the 24-pound Alchemy Cannon, but the resulting vibration to the hull was too violent, severely affecting the second shot.

Fortunately, the braking base proposed by Ian perfectly solved this problem.

However, a new issue arose: Activated Rope couldn't learn to fire the cannon!

Activated Rope's ability to manipulate sails leaned more towards Spiritual instinct. Teaching it to operate a cannon was like a mentally challenged child learning addition and subtraction; its hands and brain were insufficient.

Finally, an impatient Wawa simply discarded Activated Rope and took over itself.

The "hands" that had just operated the cannon were Wawa's anchor chains.

After several more days of growth, Wawa's tentacles had completely disappeared, replaced by two anchors with long chains and a sturdier hull.

The anchor chains were much longer than the hull. The anchors served as both hands and feet, as well as weapons. Although not fast due to their weight, when swung, they possessed a fearsome momentum. Ordinary wooden sailing ships likely couldn't withstand more than a few blows.

In Ian's view, having Wawa operate the cannons was a bit of overkill, merely a temporary measure.

Moreover, as Wawa grew, the anchor chains would become thicker, and it was uncertain whether it would retain its current flexibility then.

Therefore, the problem of gunners remained unresolved.

Compared to the issue of gunners, Ian's research on the Alchemy Cannon and Alchemy Gunpowder had progressed rapidly.

Ian estimated that within three days, after exhausting his current materials, he would have a good grasp of the refinement methods for cannons under 24 pounds and Alchemy Gunpowder.

During dinner, Ian and Milta ate in the warship's lower-deck restaurant.

Since moving all their supplies onto the warship yesterday, Ian and Milta had moved aboard.

As his warship required no sail operation, Ian envisioned it being crewed almost entirely by gunners and combat personnel. Therefore, compared to the harsh living conditions on other sailing warships, his ship's rooms were designed to be relatively spacious and comfortable.

There was a captain's cabin, officers' quarters, regular dormitories, a kitchen, a staff mess hall, cargo holds, a medical bay, and so on.

Ian taught Wawa some modern room designs, such as bathrooms, flush toilets, and freshwater plumbing systems.

Hygiene was the biggest challenge in the Age of Exploration. Many people died not from combat or shipwrecks, but from disease.

Wawa easily created a freshwater piping system within the hull, connecting the freshwater tanks to all the bathrooms and the kitchen.

For this, Wawa separated out a 100 cubic meter "space" for storing fresh water, a quantity that would leave all sailboats in the dust. Even at 20 liters per person per day, this would be enough for Ian and the other person for 2500 days.

Wawa would also draw in seawater, storing it temporarily for flushing toilets or garbage, and discharging it directly into the sea through a sewage pipe that could be closed at any time.

There were also permanently generated beds, wardrobes, tables, and chairs. Furthermore, although Wawa was still small, its stability was excellent, and its special body also provided good sound insulation.

These living conditions were simply better than the hotels on Paradise Port's Central Avenue. As soon as Ian and the other person moved in, they didn't want to return to the tower anymore.

During dinner, Milta seemed to have something to say but hesitated.

"If you have something to say, just say it. No need to hide it."

"Captain, um... what's our ship called? And don't we need a flag?"

Ian was taken aback. The warship was Wawa's main body, and he had always called it Wawa, but he couldn't do that to outsiders.

Firstly, it was easy to make others suspicious of the warship, and secondly, it certainly wasn't imposing enough!