Shien's Artillery System

The deafening roar of the cannon had just faded, and the test range was still heavy with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

The crowd had only just recovered from that roar when Shien already stepped past them, walking straight toward the prototype cannon that was still venting white steam.

He no longer looked at the collapsed wall a hundred paces away. With a black-gloved hand pressing directly onto the gun carriage, he traced the load-bearing iron hoops all the way to the breech and the Isolated Breech Chamber.

The leather met the high-temperature iron, emitting a faint sizzling sound.

Shien turned his head and asked directly, "When firing, which section of the cannon body is the hottest?

"To which segment does the micro-glow of the pressure-guiding groove brighten before it begins to flicker wildly? How long does it take to load a single round? If firing two consecutive rounds, which part will give out first?"

A barrage of questions fell, and the alchemists and craftsmen at the scene were stunned, obviously none of them having specially kept track of those details.

Only Victor, relying on the details he had locked his eyes on during the firing moments ago, spoke up rapidly, "The hottest part is the rear half of the tail section, and the guiding groove starts to drift when it brightens to the fourth segment.

"Right now, loading a single round takes over half a quarter of an hour. If we really fire a second round back-to-back, the ones that fail to hold up first will most likely still be the breech and the left iron hoop."

Victor's single eye shone frighteningly bright as he continued, "Lord Baron, since the frame withstood the chamber pressure, the caliber of the next prototype can be expanded by another circle!"

"Stop." Shien