#128 - Artillery and Magic
Bang!
A deafening sound echoed from the pirate ship.
Munn saw a massive black cannonball land in front of the Seagull.
The splash of water, several meters high, soaked even those on the distant Thorns.
"Everyone, prepare to tack, increase speed!"
Gord's face turned grim as he watched the cannonball fall.
He frantically directed the signalman to relay orders to the other two ships, while drawing his cutlass to command the crew of the Thorns.
Bang!
Bang!
The pirate ship, spotting its prey attempting to escape, fired two more cannonballs in quick succession.
"Something's not right with that pirate ship!"
First Mate Karen stood beside Munn, tasked by Gord with protecting the mage.
"What's wrong?"
Munn knew little of pirates, but seeing the cannonballs landing so close to the Thorns, he grew increasingly anxious.
"At sea, ships are more valuable than anything, so pirates rarely use cannons for attacks."
As First Mate Karen explained, seven or eight more cannonballs came hurtling towards them.
Their aim wasn't precise, but the sheer number of projectiles resulted in the Goddess being hit in the mast.
"Damn it! Whose ship is this anyway?!"
With its mast broken, the Goddess gradually fell behind the other two ships.
However, the Thorns and the Seagull, laden with cargo and personnel, coupled with the headwind, couldn't match the pirate ship's speed.
As the pirate ship appeared, and Gord ordered full speed ahead.
The veterans from the lower deck came up on the deck.
Seeing Munn, they all gathered around him.
"Though there was some panic, everyone stayed below. I had Brad guard the cabin door to prevent any accidents."
Seeing all the crew in action, Hall and the other four veterans, fully armed, emerged.
Some crew members initially tried to stop them.
But seeing the intense killing intent radiating from these veterans, no one dared to speak.
Those who had been staying on the lower deck, upon learning of the pirates' arrival, instantly panicked.
Fortunately, Gord ordered the cabin doors locked, preventing them from causing trouble.
"We'll stay here for now and not interfere with the crew's duties."
Zalan issued the order after seeing everyone assembled.
Although those who came from Veteran's Alley all had skills in combat, they were clearly not as skilled as the sailors in handling a ship.
"Understood!"
Hall and the five didn't question Zalan's orders. After agreeing, they formed a circle around Munn.
Gord's three ships were merchant vessels, but they were equipped with firearms to handle unexpected situations at sea.
This included cannons and a batch of matchlock guns.
Realizing that the Thorns couldn't outrun the pirate ship, Gord immediately ordered them to return fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening cannon fire erupted from the deck, and Munn felt a ringing in his ears.
At a distance of ten nautical miles, coupled with the immense destructive power of the cannons.
The magic Munn currently possessed was almost useless.
Bang!
A cannonball landed nearby, and Zalan pushed Munn's head down, forcing him to the ground.
"We have to do something, or we'll definitely be caught."
After getting up from the deck, Munn looked at Zalan.
He didn't know what others were thinking, but Munn himself absolutely couldn't allow anyone to harm the people from Veteran's Alley.
Zalan, hearing Munn's shout, paused slightly, then nodded heavily in agreement.
"Alright! You say what to do, and I'll inform Gord!"
"We have to get close to them! Otherwise, it's too far, and my magic won't work."
Hearing Munn's crazy plan, Zalan didn't hesitate to inform Gord.
"No! We're merchant ships, and our cannons are weaker than theirs. If the pirates board us, we can only wait for death!"
Gord was actually hesitating. He knew his ship definitely couldn't outrun the other, so he wanted to use the cannons to hold them off.
But luck didn't seem to be on his side.
Before Gord could make a decision, a cannonball struck, directly hitting the bottom of the Thorns' hull.
Everyone on deck was shaken.
"Damn it!"
Gord steadied himself by grabbing the railing, cursed, then looked at Munn, who was staring intently at the pirate ship not far away.
"Alright, we'll do as Mr. Scarlett says!"
As Zalan returned, Gord re-announced the sailing orders.
"Change course! Full sails ahead!"
The crew hesitated at this sudden, suicidal order.
These people hadn't been trained in the military. Knowing the order was disadvantageous to them, they wouldn't execute it immediately.
"What are you all standing around for! We have a distinguished mage on board. Victory will surely be ours!"
After Gord shouted, the crew all looked at Munn in unison.
Although Gord had issued a confidentiality order regarding Munn's identity, after sailing for so many days, the crew had inevitably guessed something.
Munn knew he needed to rely on these crew members at this moment and had to give them confidence.
He stepped out of the circle formed by the veterans and raised his right hand high.
He didn't know what this gesture meant, he just copied Gord's hand gesture when issuing orders.
"Victory will be ours!"
Munn regretted not learning [Loud Voice]. His voice, still in the middle of puberty, made the statement sound much weaker.
However, the crew's reaction completely exceeded Munn's expectations.
Seeing Munn actually stepping forward, every crew member no longer hesitated and began to steer the Thorns to change course.
The wind instantly changed from a headwind to a tailwind, and the huge white sails were directly billowed out by the sea breeze.
Everyone on board was startled by this sudden change.
Those startled were not just the people on the Thorns. The pirates were equally taken aback by their prey's turn.
But seeing that the Thorns only changed course and didn't open fire, they all laughed.
"The fat fish is swimming into the net itself! Minions, prepare to enjoy a feast!"
"Oh!"
"Oh~~~"
VNI
After the Thorns changed course, its speed suddenly increased, and the pirate ship was also heading towards it.
The distance between the two ships was rapidly closing.
Munn could gradually hear the joyful shouts coming from the pirate ship.
"Help me find the location of their powder kegs, don't miss any!"
"Alright!"
Munn knew that Gord's three ships definitely couldn't outrun the pirates, and his method of solving the problem was actually the same as Gord's.
Except that Gord wanted to use the cannons on the Thorns to hold off the pirate ship.
While Munn wanted to use the pirate's own cannons to attack themselves.
"Found it, under the middle mast on the left, at the rear of the cannons."
As Gord saw the cannons through his telescope, Munn had already taken out his wand and aimed in that direction.
The distance was very far, and Munn wasn't sure if his spell could hit accurately.
However, Munn's research on the [Fire-Making Spell] was no longer at the beginner stage.
Munn had made over a hundred micro-adjustments to this spell, which resulted in the birth of the [Hand-Warming Spell], for which he had even written a two-inch thick record book.
All of this had turned Munn's small [Fire-Making Spell] into a bloodthirsty spell.
As Munn chanted the spell, a flame instantly appeared not far from the powder kegs on the pirate ship.
No explosion.
It doesn't matter, then let the flame get bigger!
