"Uh, that range… a bit embarrassing…"
Nie Yun had clearly overestimated the range of ancient cannons. Unlike modern artillery, which could fire over kilometers, ancient cannons were more suited for mid-range combat.
After firing a few more shots, and even lighting a fuse himself out of curiosity, the initial excitement began to fade. Nie Yun started thinking about what to do with these cannonballs.
He never intended to dominate the seas with the firepower of an ancient warship, but having some defensive capability was still necessary. What if he encountered pirates? Okay, maybe pirates were mostly a thing of the past, but it would be pretty cool to have a well-armed fishing boat to scare people off!
The idea of an armed fishing boat stuck in Nie Yun's head, and he couldn't let it go.
However, lugging these cannonballs around would be impossible to explain if discovered. Firearm regulations were strict in Rabbit Country, and even using explosives for fishing required a mountain of permits.
Mechanical bugs weren't all-powerful; they couldn't create consumable items like gunpowder. Even Nie Yun's handgun bullets had to be carried with him.
Would he have to settle for using solid shot? While those had some power, they lacked the explosive flair that made cannon fire truly exciting. The thrill would be halved!
"Wait a minute, what if they eat the cannonballs without immediately reassembling them?" Nie Yun suddenly had an idea.
"Whatever, let's give it a try. Alright, little guys, eat this cannonball!" he ordered, before quickly scurrying away to a safe distance.
The mechanical bugs dutifully followed Nie Yun's command. The iron shell of the cannonball quickly disappeared under the "crunching" sound of their tiny mandibles, revealing the black powder inside. The bugs kept eating until the cannonball was completely gone.
From a distance, Nie Yun saw that nothing had happened. He hurried back to check and burst out laughing. The bugs that had eaten the gunpowder were now black and muddy-looking, like lumps of sludge. Ugly, yes, but they hadn't exploded.
Nie Yun tried setting a small cluster of the bugs on fire—no explosion!
The flame simply burned on the surface of the bugs, barely enough to power them up, let alone harm them.
Once the fire burned out, the bugs reverted to their shiny silver forms.
"Reassemble!" Nie Yun commanded next.
The bugs quickly reassembled into a shiny silver cannonball, looking almost identical to the original except for the color.
Nie Yun tested it out, and it still worked perfectly.
But then a new problem arose: after the mechanical bug cannonball exploded, the bugs making up the shell were unscathed and would roll back as tiny silver balls to rejoin the swarm. This might be fine here, but if it happened in a real battle, it would be like announcing to the world that there was a T-1000 around!
After some thought, Nie Yun tried another approach. He found another explosive shell and had the bugs break down the iron shell into iron filings instead of digesting it. The black mud bugs then rolled in the iron filings before quickly reforming into a blackened explosive shell. The original black mud bugs, having completed their task, reverted to their natural state.
After another successful test, Nie Yun realized he had just revolutionized cannon-making!
"Haha! You guys are amazing! Now I don't have to worry about carrying ammo. As long as I have enough raw materials, I can turn into an arms depot anytime, anywhere! Haha!"
Nie Yun immediately converted all the cannonballs into iron filings and black mud bugs, storing them in the Sea Wolf's lower deck.
With this major hazard out of the way and the potential to upgrade the Sea Wolf into an armed fishing boat, the rest of Nie Yun's exploration yielded no major surprises or scares. The only challenge was cleaning up the large number of skeletons in the ship's cabins.
Nie Yun cremated the remains and scattered the ashes into the sea.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. May your souls find peace. Whether you were good or evil in life, may you find your way to the afterlife," Nie Yun said solemnly, bowing deeply to the ocean.
"The important thing is, don't stick around. Go back to where you belong, and let's hope we never meet again!"
Truthfully, Nie Yun was just spooked by all the bones and wanted the spirits to head to the afterlife as quickly as possible.
"Good thing I have so many buddies, or I'd be scared to death sleeping here at night!" Nie Yun patted his chest.
Aside from the mechanical bugs, there was only Nie Yun on the ship. The emptiness made the Sea Wolf feel like a ghost ship. While Nie Yun wasn't exactly a coward, the eerie atmosphere was unsettling.
"I need to figure out how to make this ship feel more alive!" Nie Yun pondered how to enhance his authority as the sole captain.
***
Two days passed, and during that time, Nie Yun immersed himself in his base-building plans. Apart from sneaking out to the South Australian waters at night to gather raw materials, he spent all his time constructing the base.
The mechanical bugs had cleared a safe route, so the Sea Wolf could now enter and exit without any issues.
The number of mechanical bugs had doubled again, but energy was becoming a serious problem. Burning wood provided barely enough energy for the growing swarm.
As Nie Yun was racking his brain over the energy issue, Chu Xiaoxiao called.
"Hey, Nie Yun, your silver coin sold at the auction for 13.5 million. After deducting transaction fees and taxes, you'll be getting 11.53 million!"
Chu Xiaoxiao's first words made Nie Yun want to hug her and kiss her. Had he really just become a millionaire? The joy was so sudden and overwhelming that he didn't even have time to savor the moment.
But the money had come so easily that it felt a bit unreal to Nie Yun.
"And I found the ship you wanted. Our group is planning to expand into the ocean trade business, so we acquired several companies and need to offload some vessels. One of them meets your requirements. I had the accountants price it at 9.85 million for you!"
Nie Yun was stunned, and then his face fell. Based on Chu Xiaoxiao's pace, he had been a millionaire for a grand total of five seconds…
"So, that leaves 1.68 million. Give me a bank account, and I'll transfer the remaining money to you," Chu Xiaoxiao continued, oblivious to Nie Yun's emotional rollercoaster.
"Oh…" Nie Yun replied weakly, but then something clicked in his mind.
"Xiaoxiao, no need to send me the money. I actually need some equipment. Could you buy it and install it on the ship? I'll come over to pick everything up."
"Oh, sure. What do you need?" Chu Xiaoxiao agreed readily.
"Well, I'm looking for some energy supply equipment, preferably clean and pollution-free. You know, I'm an environmentalist!"
"Uh-huh, what kind of energy are you looking for?" Chu Xiaoxiao completely ignored the "environmentalist" comment.
"Nuclear power, maybe?" Nie Yun asked tentatively.
The greatest fisherman needs a nuclear-powered fishing boat!
Chu Xiaoxiao: "..."