Chapter 451: Then Let the Walls Collapse!

“My lord, the city gate is sealed shut—what should we do?”

Hearing the ogres’ boastful shouts from the city wall, Migen and the others were both furious and alarmed.

Previously, capturing that fortress had been so easy and swift precisely because the cannons had breached their gate.

But now, that scenario could no longer be replicated.

Must we really resort to scaling the walls like ants?

“Don’t panic! Do these ogres truly believe blocking the gate makes them completely safe? They’re gravely mistaken!”

“Migen, would you like to witness an unprecedented, breathtaking spectacle?”

Facing this seemingly hopeless situation, Gervas’s lips curled upward.

Because long before setting out, he had already contemplated: if he ever encountered a walled city, how could he breach it at the lowest cost?

And such methods had abundant precedents in his previous life.

After factoring in his mother’s condition, the options were drastically reduced.

Yet Gervas devised two methods best suited to him—methods that could seize a city at minimal cost.

The first, naturally, was the one used to storm the fortress.

Now that the first method was unworkable, it was time for the second.

“My lord, what do you mean by ‘unprecedented, breathtaking spectacle’? Will it be impressive?”

“Let me put it this way: do you believe I can make the walls of Snowfield City collapse in the blink of an eye?”

“This… this can’t possibly be true?” Migen and the others hesitated.

If anyone else had spoken these words, they would have immediately scowled and dismissed it as a lie.

But this was their own lord—they could only half-believe, half-doubt.

“I see you don’t believe me. Then follow my orders and prepare everything—I’ll show you today what true awe truly is!”

Then Gervas began issuing orders.

First, he ordered the construction of a wooden frame topped with planks and damp oxhide to form a roof.

Next, he dispatched thirty laborers to dig a tunnel beneath the Snowfield City wall, shielded by the roof.

For safety, fifty archers, twenty ballistae, and three cannons were assigned to provide cover.

Their sole purpose: prevent the ogres from harming the laborers under the wooden shelter.

After arranging the laborers’ tunneling, Gervas personally sought out Isabella.

In the entire force, besides the cannon squad’s supply of blue-scaled sea beast scale powder, only Isabella had any.

In fact, due to cannon usage during the journey, Isabella’s stock of blue-scaled sea beast scale powder now exceeded that of the cannon squad.

“My lord!”

“Isabella! You brought five barrels of blue-scaled sea beast scale powder when we set out—is it still here?”

“All of it remains, my lord—I haven’t used any these past days!”

“Good. I need all of it now.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Gervas then took all five barrels of blue-scaled sea beast scale powder, stored in wine casks.

When he returned to the front lines, Migen and the others hurried back.

“My lord, is this log acceptable? This is the largest trunk we could find nearby!”

Behind Migen and the knights stood a cart pulled by three draft horses.

On the cart lay a tree trunk three meters long and at least one and a half meters in diameter.

This trunk—requiring three men to encircle—was the key to taking Snowfield City.

If another modern-day transmigrator were present, they would instantly understand what Gervas intended.

But Migen and the natives remained utterly baffled.

Gervas offered no further explanation—he simply ordered them to carefully hollow out the trunk, creating a cavity about eighty centimeters wide.

For Migen and the others, who possessed martial qi, this was simple: before qi-enhanced blades, even this hard wood was no tougher than flesh.

With Migen and Lei Meng working together, the trunk was hollowed out in less than half an hour.

“Bring those wine barrels and pour everything inside.”

Gervas continued giving orders.

Migen and the others wasted no time—they opened the wooden casks and began pouring.

“This… this is blue-scaled sea beast scale powder?”

As the contents spilled out, Migen and the others immediately recognized the blue-scaled sea beast scale powder.

After all, its effect on cannons was astonishing—every knight in the Storm Legion knew it well.

“Correct. It is blue-scaled sea beast scale powder.”

“My lord, isn’t this powder only effective when used in cannons? Placing it inside this trunk—will it work?”

“Of course it will. Enough talk—pour the remaining four barrels in. You’ll understand soon enough.”

Gervas didn’t want to explain further—he’d let the outcome speak for itself.

“Yes, my lord!” Migen and the others dared not delay—they quickly emptied the remaining four barrels into the hollow trunk.

Soon, the eighty-centimeter cavity inside the massive trunk was completely filled.

Migen and the others swallowed hard, their eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement.

A cannon’s charge was roughly one-twentieth of a wine barrel.

The powder inside this trunk was a hundred times that amount.

What kind of power could such a quantity unleash?

“Seal it!”

Gervas himself was also eager.

After confirming all the powder was inside, he ordered the original trunk core to be reinserted as a plug.

To ensure perfect sealing, he even had iron nails driven into the core, leaving only a tiny hole in the center—just wide enough for a fuse.

With the core sealed, the first super-sized “firecracker” in this alien world was complete.

“My lord, the laborers have dug a tunnel over four meters deep and more than two meters wide—should we continue digging deeper?!”

Coincidentally, at that moment, Laurence hurried back.

The tunnel’s excavation had reached the scale Gervas had originally required.

“Enough! No need to dig further!”

This size was sufficient to fit his super-sized firecracker.

Without delay, Gervas ordered Migen, Lei Meng, and the others to personally carry the firecracker to the base of the wall.

Then, they lowered it directly into the tunnel.

For maximum sealing, the gaps around the firecracker inside the tunnel had to be backfilled.

Fortunately, the excavated soil was already available—backfilling was effortless.

Another half-hour passed, and all gaps in the tunnel and entrance were filled and compacted with earth.

Only a hollow bamboo tube extended upward from underground—this ensured the fuse wouldn’t be crushed by the soil.

“Everyone, withdraw!”

With all preparations complete, Gervas gave the order to retreat, leaving only Migen behind to light the fuse.

Migen eagerly accepted this thrilling task—he was desperate to know what would happen next.