Gunpowder Testing and Obstacles

Chapter 110 Gunpowder Testing and Obstacles

Ron and Erwin continued toward the inner fortress.

The blacksmith's workshop in Crow's Nest had expanded considerably, and the room was filled with all kinds of lamellar armor and breastplates, each one polished to a gleaming shine. A new sign hung on the wall, engraved with hammer and flame patterns, and below it was a line of common language.

"Yuna & Fergus, the Precision Forging and Armor Customization Workshop"

When Ron stepped into the workshop, Yuna was sitting at the table drawing up designs for a new type of armor.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up and smiled happily. "My lord, you've arrived!"

"Yuna, your workshop looks very different now." Ron looked around. The once messy workshop was now spacious and tidy, and several apprentices were polishing crossbow parts in the corner.

"Yes, sir," Yuna said, her eyes gleaming with pride.

"The workshop no longer forges ordinary weapons. After all, no matter how skilled you are, you can't beat a water-powered forging hammer. The workshop now focuses on precision manufacturing, such as assembling military crossbows, weaving and polishing lamellar armor, and custom-made full plate armor. Many of your officers are my clients. Recently, the reputation of our Raven's Nest workshop has spread, and occasionally customers from Novigrad come to place orders with me."

"Hmm, very good." Ron nodded, walked to the workbench, picked up a polished armor plate and looked at it. "Your craftsmanship is not meant for mass production. Just continue operating as you are now. You can get ordinary weapons from the waterworks. Recently, there have been a lot more merchants and guards in Raven's Nest. These people have a great demand for standard weapons, so it's a good source of income."

At that moment, Fergus came out carrying a box of iron materials. When he saw Ron, he quickly put the box down and put on a smile.

"My lord, leave these matters to me! Yuna now specializes in serving high-end custom clients. I'll handle everything else. My craftsmanship isn't as refined as hers, but I'm absolutely no problem running the workshop."

Yuna glanced gratefully at the dwarf, a smile playing on her lips.

"My lord, thanks to Fergus, I have been able to focus on honing my skills in many ways at the workshop. In a while, I plan to go to the blacksmiths' guild in Novigrad to complete my master-level assessment."

Ron put down the breastplate and looked at Yuna. "Hmm, it seems you two are working well together. I'll go to Skellige in a few days to see if I can bring back the forging tools from Udvik Island for you. That should give you a better chance of passing your master assessment."

"My lady, please be careful!" Yuna's expression turned serious, and she stepped forward.

"The giant incident on Udvik Island has been going on for so long without being resolved, it must be very dangerous. Even without Todaloqu's forging tools, I am confident that I can pass the master-level assessment. You don't need to take this risk for me."

"Well, it's not just that," Ron waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to worry too much.

"You're in charge of the armor for the Royal Guard. I'd like you to design custom armor for my Fiona champions. They've always felt that full plate armor is too cumbersome, hindering their archery and movement. With better tools available, can you make armor suitable for them?"

"No problem, sir!" Yuna's eyes lit up; this was her favorite challenge.

"I will design armor for the Fionas that suits their fighting style, ensuring it is lightweight and sturdy without affecting their shooting movements. With the right tools, this is achievable. I will use lighter materials for the armor components and replace the protective areas with a combination of layered leather and chainmail. I will make a sample for the Fionas to try on first, and then adjust it based on their feedback."

Crow's Nest Fortress.

The courtyard floor has been replaced with neat stone slabs, and the stables, granaries, armory, and main building have all been renovated.

The original mottled red bricks were painted grayish-white, giving them a solemn and dignified appearance. The wooden spikes on the back were removed and replaced with a high stone wall, with a wooden passageway connecting the inside to facilitate soldiers' defense and firing.

The vertical shaft in the garden has been transformed into the entrance to an underground warehouse. The vast space beneath has been utilized as military equipment and granaries, sufficient to sustain a long siege.

Inside the main building lobby, however, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

Ron sat at the head of the long table, Erwin next to him, Henry stood by the window, Bashir sat on a low stool in the corner, and Berthhor was at the other end of the long table with a report of experimental records spread out in front of him.

"Sir, the gunpowder test is complete," Bashi said first, picking up a pinch of black powder.

"I adjusted the gunpowder ratio according to Henry's formula, changing it to three different proportions, but the actual effect did not change much. The best set was not much better than the original formula."

Henry took half a step forward, his voice full of confusion.

"My lord, I'm sure I'm not mistaken. This gunpowder formula was completed by me and the miller Krezer. We tried it many times before we finalized it."

I used this formula when I used my hand cannon, and there were no problems. But for some reason, its power is so much weaker now; it's almost like it's gotten damp.

"We subsequently adjusted the formula," Berthold added, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"With the addition of pterosaur oil and other alchemical products, its power reached the standard described by Henry, or even exceeded it. However, the cost was too high. Pterosaur oil was dozens of times more expensive than ordinary gunpowder, and its source was unstable, requiring procurement from specific channels."

Ron leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. It seemed that Geralt was right; the magic from the celestial conjunction had affected the chemical properties of gunpowder, causing its power to be greatly reduced.

"Henry," Ron asked calmly, "can black powder without added alchemical materials be used in your kind of hand cannon?"

"Sir, the hand cannon can be fired, but its power is very weak," Henry replied with a bitter face, taking out a deformed lead bullet and placing it on the table.

"The lead bullets that used to easily penetrate plate armor can now not even penetrate ordinary leather armor. If used on the battlefield, they can probably only be used to scare warhorses."

"Under these circumstances, muskets simply cannot be used on a large scale." Ron stood up. "Henry, next, we will cooperate with Berthhorn and Master Bashi to conduct cannon tests. As for the cannon barrels, I will give the relevant blueprints to Master Brom, and they will be cast through the hydraulic workshop."

After completion, Berthold and Henry were responsible for recording the data, mainly the range and power, to determine whether the usage requirements could be met by increasing the amount of gunpowder.

This could pose a risk of barrel explosion. During testing, maintain a safe distance, preferably behind cover, and ignite with a fuse.

If that doesn't work, have the warlocks reinforce the cannon barrels with enchantments. It's cheaper than using alchemical gunpowder. What we need are siege weapons that can blast through city gates, not expensive toys.

"Enchantment?" Berthold looked up, his eyes lighting up.

"I hadn't thought of that direction. Ms. Margarita should have a sorcerer who can enchant."

"After you've compiled the experimental data, hand it over to Erwin for archiving. Master Bashi, thank you for your hard work. The data from this test is very valuable, and we'll need your assistance for the subsequent artillery tests."

"No problem, this job is more interesting than mining. I'm also very interested in the cannon you mentioned. Once it's cast, I'll be the first to light it."

Bashi grinned and turned to walk towards the door.

Ron watched his departing figure, knowing that the development of firearms had only just begun. In this world full of magic and monsters, countless obstacles still needed to be overcome to usher in a new order with steel and gunpowder.