Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 757 - 651 Advancement and Sighs

"Prepare... Fire!"

Boom!... Boom!...

First came the dazzling orange-red flash, followed by the thunderous roar, and finally the billowing greenish-white smoke that blotted out the sky. The fifty-pound giant iron cannonball was powerful enough to shatter the brittle hulls of small warships from before the cannon era.

Although the ship’s prow only had one massive "Basilisk" cannon, and its firing rate was somewhat low, under the personal guidance of Olivia, who had a talent for shooting, it had turned into a genuine weapon of mass destruction.

Back in the final glorious days of paddle sailing ships a few centuries ago, countries called this monster-like contraption a "Basilisk" cannon, because while it possessed terrible power, its appearance was too ugly—short and stout with a cannon muzzle shaped like a lizard’s large mouth.

Simply put, this was a now very popular [mortar], usually mounted on mortar boats to attack tightly defended docks and port cities that large ships could not approach.

Moreover, modern specialized mortar boats, equipped with 330 mm caliber mortars, could fire 200-pound (90 kg) shells up to 2,700 meters, a power beyond comparison with the "Basilisk" cannon.

However, this 50-pound "Basilisk" cannon was about the limit for this 600-ton displacement heavy galley, as the structural characteristics of the paddle sailing ship inherently made it not a good type for a gunship.

On its way advancing to the center of the "Eye of the Giant," the heavy galley didn’t need to search for targets to hunt down. The heroic spirit battleships that seemed to have locked onto them in "hate" mode attacked one after another.

However.

As long as it wasn’t surrounded by several warships, except for a few that managed to escape again, most became the prey of the "Basilisk" cannon, and hence became the spoils of Aiven and his crew.

Fortunately, during this time they only saw from afar a quasi-legendary warship belonging to a "Secret Magic Knight," and since their routes didn’t intersect, it didn’t specifically come over to hunt them.

And after capturing a Clark sailboat with a towering shiphouse, they finally gathered enough materials for another upgrade.

By the afternoon of the first day of the battle, the heavy galley had honorably completed its mission and underwent a second upgrade by the two Great Wizards.

However.

Due to the design concepts and combat methods of these ancient warships, the materials weren’t very refined, almost not reaching the standard of large battleships of the present. As a standard model of the "Invincible Fleet," the possibly more superior-crafted Great Galleon didn’t cross paths with them either.

Thus, the first phase target, a 2,200-ton displacement heavy cruiser equipped with heavy cannons over 24 pounds, couldn’t be achieved for the time being.

Aiven had to settle for a compromise, splicing keels, thickening planks, and adding wood fiber reinforcement ribs to transform the original heavy galley into an enhanced high-speed cruiser with a displacement of 1,100 tons.

Even though these warships did not have a large number of cannons, and their calibers were small, they had one advantage.

Because of technological limitations and steel production constraints, most warships before the modern era used cannons made of easier-to-cast copper, and their reactivation and refining efficiency far surpassed that of iron cannons.

Finally.

The new warship completely eliminated the fore and aft decks, stretched the length-to-breadth ratio, and increased the sail area, equipping two decks with a total of eighteen 24-pound cannons and twenty 18-pound cannons, surpassing the single-shot weight of a normal Level 4 battleship by 30 pounds. Its agility remarkably exceeded that, and its speed barely reached 13 knots.

Taking inspiration from the design concept of the Georgia-type rifle, they recast the prow’s "Basilisk" cannon, using a hexagonal rifled design to fire 32-pound hexagonal shells.

Under the precondition of reduced recoil, it increased the cannon’s effective range to 2,000 meters, with a firing rate of one round per minute, becoming Olivia’s exclusive position.

In naval duels, it became a highly accurate, long-range sniper cannon, some quasi-legendary warships not skilled in attack might not even possess this level of firepower range.

If the heavy cruiser "Venus" was modeled after the Level 3 battleship design, then this warship was akin to a Level 4 battleship.

Though it certainly couldn’t have a normal battleship’s 50-year service life, as long as they were careful, it should safely lead them through the "Eye of the Giant" without a problem.

"After undergoing two extensive upgrades and rising anew from the ashes, no conventional warship is its match anymore!"

Aiven, Anita, Jelos, Olivia, Angie, Milan, Stephanie, and Parrot Ram stood at the prow with arms akimbo, ready to bounce back after a brief period of humility.

Milan held out his Crystal Ball and suggested to the others:

"The imagery from the Divination Art shows our lucky point is to the northeast; heading in that direction should yield the best results."

Aiven waved his hand:

"Full sail, set off!"

Swoosh—

At this moment, this "machete" was finally sharpened bright and shining, cutting across the sea like a crossbow bolt, charging toward the densest inner circle of drifting islands.

Even though some of the outsider teams had an initial advantage, they wasted an entire day. Still, before tomorrow morning, they would have caught up and be back on the same starting line.

Generally speaking, if an ordinary sailboat can reach a speed of 6 knots on the sea, it is already considered an ideal state. Even in this ideal state, it would take at least 6 days to cross this 1600-kilometer-wide ocean non-stop, not to mention the time wasted in searching, fighting, and maneuvering.

Therefore, what happens on the sixth layer of the [Clock Tower] is destined to be a prolonged struggle.

However.

As they sailed away in their newly birthed high-speed cruiser.

A sigh, as if across a multitude of worlds, sounded distant and ethereal, carried away and shattered by the sobbing sea wind.

"Space-time... the traits that allow entry to the seventh layer... this is going to be troublesome..."

...

At this time.

The strategy progress of the vanguard was slightly faster than Aiven and the others had imagined.

"You are the eagle soaring in the sky! You are the tree hidden in the forest! You are the sword in the warrior’s hand! You are the shield protecting us in battle!..."

Macaulay Aston, the Iron Wall Knight wielding the [Holy Sword: Adraste] granted by the Victory Angel, recited holy words praising the angel, swiftly decapitating a giant fish monster.

Crack——

The first line of defense guarding a small drifting island crumbled suddenly, the dense fog that originally shrouded the island also dissipating instantly.

"Praise the Goddess!"

"Speed up the advance!"

A group of Iron Wall Knights, chanting the holy name of the Goddess, charged onto the island at the first opportunity, like heavily armored tanks flattening everything in their path.

The various forces led by the Seven Gods Church desired the [Ocean Treasure: Ancient Scroll] to gain a foothold in the Great Navigation, something that would be an icing on the cake.

If one’s own strength is lacking, a hundred [Ancient Scrolls] wouldn’t do any good.

But the Iron Wall Knights and Oathbreakers, bearing important missions, fought over the [Libra Balance Holy Sword], a matter tied to the future path of their Main God, making it naturally more desperate.

It began like a life-and-death race, fighting furiously to advance.

However.

The Divine Artifact [Libra Balance Holy Sword] once owned by Demeter, Goddess of Commerce, Law, and Bounty, was the closest deity to the concept of "capital" in ancient continental history.

The main divine positions of Hekater, the Queen and Goddess of Navigation, are: [Royal Authority] and [Navigation]. If talking about related powers, it would only be that navigation promotes commercial prosperity, ruling the people through rule-making (law), and maintaining royal authority.

But the main divine positions of Sessi, the God of Black Wings, include: [War of Injustice], [Violence], [Plunder], [Theft], each of which is related to [Capital].

Although the God of Black Wings has started using new titles like "Master of Gold", "Ruler of Capital", and "God of Capital and Wealth", it is temporarily just preparing for a divine position transition through similar paths rather than already possessing the corresponding powers.

Therefore, the concentration effects of both on that Divine Artifact, the [Libra Balance Holy Sword], have little difference, and no one can determine who would emerge victorious.

In another direction of the "Eye of the Giant."

Peak Grand Knight Don Douglas raised the speared [Holy Spear: Ratatoskr], with a squirrel carved at the tip, high and praised the Inciting Angels under the God of Black Wings.

"You are a word in the letter! You are the only spokesperson of knowledge! You are the spear that sparks the great war! You are the wise man that ignites the flame of thought..."

Red dazzling divine light descended from the sky, shattering a large group of giant stone men covered completely with moss on an island.

"All treasures belong to my master!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Great Master of Gold, Supreme! Most Noble! Most Sacred! Most Holy!"

"..."

The Oathbreakers who followed him onto the island, however, appeared completely different from their usual selfish and self-serving image to outsiders. With eyes faintly glowing red, the flickering light held traces of... the same fanatic shadow seen earlier in the Silver Knights.