Chapter 311 - Are You Still Alive?

Panda Novel

“Is this the legendary cannon?” Mobai stared at the diagram for a long time before looking up at Mag with a peculiar expression on his face. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t look very legitimate. He couldn’t imagine how that thing was supposed to be capable of launching a projectile.

Mag was also a little speechless as he looked down at his own diagrams. He hadn’t drawn anything in many years, and his skills had become very rusty. That cannon diagram really… wasn’t all that great.

“This is just a rough sketch. Let me give you some details on how it’s supposed to work.” Mag remained calm and collected as he turned the page. From there onward, he drew his diagrams with much more focus.

The diagrams that Mag was drawing were of the simplest cannon imaginable. There was no aiming mechanism or wheels, and it used the simplest front-loading method. It was basically just a cannon barrel supported by a frame. The concept was very simple to understand, and it would be relatively easier to create one as well.

Of course, the main limiting factor was that Mag didn’t know much about cannons himself, so he wouldn’t be able to draw any complex sketches.

However, he was familiar with the mechanisms of firearms.

The only problem was that firearms were a lot more difficult to create compared to cannons. There was an extremely high degree of precision required, and crafting a powerful gun or rifle was far more complex than creating a powerful cannon. It was best to learn to walk before trying to run.

Mag had once been able to draw internal combustion engines from scratch, so after getting serious, drawing a diagram of a crude cannon was a piece of cake for him.

“The concept behind a cannon is actually very simple, but it’s imperative that a sealed space is made for the explosives in order to create the most propulsion force. The instantaneous power unleashed by the explosion will determine whether it can kill a giant dragon. As for the specific details…” Mag elaborated on the mechanism of a cannon to complement his diagrammatic explanation.

Mobai was very skeptical at first, but his eyes gradually lit up. His expression became more and more reverent as he looked at Mag, and it was as if he had discovered a brand-new continent.

“So that’s about it. The key to the cannon is its structural integrity. That determines its range. You’re a blacksmith, so you should know more about that than I do.” Mag put down his pen. There were already three exemplary cannon diagrams on the sheet of paper laid out in front of him, complete with annotations.

“Mag, you must be a genius.” Mobai stared at the diagrams for a while before looking up at Mag with reverence in his eyes.

Mag’s cooking skills had already conquered his stomach, and now, he had been won over by Mag’s brilliant mind.

Inventing such powerful explosives had been a pleasant surprise, but he didn’t know how to use them. However, Mag pointed out a feasible direction for him.

Using the powerful propulsion force of exploding gunpowder to launch projectiles, a barrel to create a sealed space, and a guiding structure to give the projectiles proper direction. What kind of genius could think of those ideas?!

“I’m not a genius, I just have a bit more knowledge in these areas.” Mag shook his head with a smile. It appeared that Mobai had understood the ideas that he was trying to convey. As for what type of cannon he would be able to create, that was not something for Mag to worry about. The process was most likely going to be a long and arduous one, with many failed prototypes along the way.

Furthermore, none of this could go ahead before the issue of the instability of the explosives was rectified.

As a man who could create bullets on his own, Mag was actually quite interested in explosives. However, using powdered beast cores to enhance the power of explosives was completely outside his realm of expertise.

Thus, Mag refrained from making suggestions. If he were left to his own devices, perhaps he would be able to create some sort of super terrifying explosives.

They were living in an alternate world, after all, and bullets made using normal gunpowder probably couldn’t even hurt the ordinary monsters here. A powerful fire-type magic caster was more effective than a normal cannon, so cannons were almost redundant unless an extremely devastating one could be made.

The beast core bomb that Mobai had unintentionally invented opened Mag’s eyes to certain possibilities. Regardless of whether cannons or firearms were used, as long as the explosives were powerful enough, they could perhaps really pose a threat to giant dragons.

“Everything has to be crafted in one piece, and it must be able to withstand the force of the explosion from earlier. That won’t be easy to create, but I’ll be sure to look into it.” Mobai picked up the diagrams on the table, and extended a gesture of gratitude toward Mag.

Mag shook his head with a smile before issuing another reminder, “No need to thank me. Just remember not to conduct your experiments at home anymore. Otherwise, I won’t feel safe as your neighbor.”

As Mobai continued with his experiments, his bombs would only become more and more powerful. Mag didn’t want to die in one of those explosions in his sleep one day.

“I’ll make sure not to do it ever again.” Mobai hurriedly waved his hands.

Right at that moment, a loud voice erupted outside. “Mobai? Are you still alive?”

Mobai took a glance at the door, and an apologetic expression appeared on his face as he said, “Those must be the people who are here to fix the shops. I have to go now, Mag. I really do apologize for what happened today.”

“No problem.” Mag nodded. Mobai was his neighbor and the first customer at his restaurant, so Mag didn’t want to be overly critical toward him.

A magic cannon should be very interesting. A smile appeared on Mag’s face as he looked at Mobai’s departing figure. He was looking forward to seeing one of Mobai’s cannons blast a giant dragon out of the sky.

Mag picked up the notepad and glass on the table before making his way toward the kitchen. He put on his apron, and began to prepare the ingredients required for the breakfast service.

As soon as he gripped his knife, a numbing sensation shot up the fingers on his right hand, extending all the way to his right shoulder. The high-intensity training that he had put himself through the night prior was still bothering him a little. However, it had clearly been beneficial to him as his reflexes and reaction speed had both improved.

After chopping up some ingredients, Mag’s hands suddenly came to a still. He looked at the knife in his hand, then down at the chicken drumstick on the chopping board, and thought to himself, I spend the majority of my waking hours chopping ingredients and cooking dishes. Every single motion is repeated countless times, so if I can incorporate my sword practice into this, won’t I be killing two birds with one stone?

Mag took half a step back, and chanted in a light voice, “Slash.”

He swung his knife down, and the chicken drumstick was cut in half, with an extremely clean and even incision. However, a faint groove had also been sliced into the chopping board.

Not bad, but I need to learn to control my power output. Mag nodded to himself before repeating the same motion. He gradually began to speed up, and the drumstick was sliced into small cubes beneath the blade of his knife.

At the same time, he was constantly adjusting the angle and power of his strikes, slowly gaining greater proficiency over time. He also began to execute his movements more and more quickly, and before long, he had become so fast that one could only see a burst of golden light flash past before an entire drumstick was sliced into even cubes.