Chapter 1087

Boom!!!

In an instant, the shell exploded violently, hurling soil and stones everywhere, creating a blast radius spanning five meters—the grass was obliterated, and the ground at the center was torn open into a pit half a meter deep; the power was astonishing!

Lin Cheng stood beside Lord Xuan Wuji; this restrained, breathless remark made Lin Cheng almost think Lord Xuan Wuji was dissatisfied with the power.

Yet Lord Xuan Wuji had already witnessed Lin Cheng's talent through the new catapult, so he was not overly surprised by the enhanced power of the modified cannonball mortar.

Nodding as if confirming, he noted that compared to traditional cannon artillery, the current cannonball mortar was not only easier to operate but also had greater range and broader targeting capability.

"My lord, are you satisfied with the power of the cannonball mortar?"

"Extremely satisfied!"

Lord Xuan Wuji was indeed very satisfied with the power of the newly improved cannonball mortar.

"Forgive me for speaking plainly, but the cannonball mortar's power can only affect fixed targets—it would have little effect against any seventh-rank expert."

"That's enough, Lin Cheng."

Lin Cheng's concerns were no mystery to Lord Xuan Wuji.

Take himself as an example—he was a seventh-rank expert; the cannonball mortar's power could inflict some damage on any warrior below seventh rank, but to him, the shells flew too slowly and lacked sufficient force to injure him.

On the battlefield, the cannonball mortar's power was highly effective against ordinary soldiers, but even against the Empire's heavy armored troops, its effectiveness would likely be inadequate.

This was the gap in perspective between Lord Xuan Wuji and Lin Cheng.

Lin Cheng had previously worried that modifying the cannonball mortar might lead to excessive slaughter, unaware that this was an otherworld continent, not his previous life with its weak physical baseline—here, warriors possessed spiritual energy shielding, mages could cast magical barriers, and the rarest could even use secret arts to nullify attacks entirely.

This was simply due to Lin Cheng's limited experience—he still thought in terms of his previous life, which was somewhat advanced for this otherworld continent, yet also largely useless. Here, strength ruled supreme; taking Xuan Wuji as an example, the simplest standard was raw power—different levels of power corresponded to different combat standards.

The cannonball mortar's power might be effective against warriors below fifth rank, but against fifth-rank warriors, it could only wound them, not severely. Against sixth-rank warriors, even if they endured the blast with their strength, they would still be injured—but they could easily evade the blast radius entirely through their superior speed.

To change this mindset, Lin Cheng had much more to see and do.

The fifth day, morning.

Having completed the handover, Lin Cheng was already eager to depart with Miss Qianhui—no one could stop them, he said so!

Upon hearing this, Lord Xuan Wuji came to see them off.

"Leaving so soon? Won't you stay a couple more days?" Lord Xuan Wuji offered a half-joking, token plea, knowing full well Lin Cheng had made up his mind.

"No, my lord—there will be plenty of time in the future. We'll meet again." Lin Cheng bowed respectfully in farewell.

"Hmm, of course. Just don't find me annoying when that time comes." Lord Xuan Wuji kept smiling.

With this large batch of newly improved military equipment left in his care, if the returning master craftsmen didn't know how to repair or maintain them, he'd still have to rely on Lin Cheng to fix these new catapults and cannonball mortars.

· ·······Requesting flowers····· ·····

"No, no—if anything goes wrong, I'll return at once." Lin Cheng thought and thought, concluding that if Lord Xuan Wuji needed him, and nothing else was the matter, it must be because the catapults or cannonball mortars had broken down and needed repair.

"Then let General Ji Xia accompany you on your journey—she can serve as your bodyguard. And if anything goes wrong here, I'll notify Ji Xia to relay the message to you." Lord Xuan Wuji, seizing the opening Lin Cheng provided, revealed his true intent.

....... 0.......

"Uh… this…" Lin Cheng was speechless.

"That doesn't seem right—General Ji Xia is your subordinate; if she follows me, I can't pay her salary."

Mostly because he and Miss Qianhui were traveling for leisure, and their ultimate destination was the Empire's gateway, Stone Fortress—having a third wheel along would be terribly awkward.

What if he ever wanted to do something intimate with Miss Qianhui? He couldn't very well invite a third person to join them.

"As for salary, Ji Xia remains Deputy Commander of the Eternal Night Legion—I'll pay her. Don't overthink it—she's only your bodyguard, not your servant. If one day I need to contact you but can't find you, I can still reach you through Ji Xia."

"Alright."

With words spoken this far, refusing would make Lin Cheng seem heartless.

He didn't suspect Ji Xia was here to spy on him; according to their earlier words, they were traveling through the Empire, so if the new weapons malfunctioned, Lord Xuan Wuji would have no easy way to reach them.