Chapter 361: Artillery Training Over the Misty Mountains
"Boss, I want to fire a few shots. It must be so much fun!"
"Me too! Me too!"
The Goblin Warrior let go of the ship's wheel and walked to the edge of the deck, looking down at the land below.
"Alright, boys, we need to find a target to blow up."
The goblin soldiers on the aft deck excitedly ran to the railing, gazing at the Goblin Forest below.
"Boss, let's head to the Ogre Mountains!"
"No way. The king said we can't go there. We must avoid being discovered by humans."
"I'm not afraid of humans."
"You idiot! Are you implying the king is afraid of humans?"
The Goblin Warrior glared angrily, making the goblin soldier shrink back nervously.
"No, Boss, that's not what I meant."
The Goblin Warrior smirked disdainfully.
"You fool. You'll never understand the wisdom of the king. Even if I explained it, you wouldn't get it!"
"Boss! It's the sea—we've reached the coastline!"
To the south, an endless stretch of coastline appeared, with the vast blue ocean coming into view.
"Boss, is that the Misty Mountains over there?"
To the west, a sprawling mountain range stretched into the horizon, shrouded in mist just a few kilometers in.
The Goblin Warrior looked toward the Misty Mountains, pulling out a parchment map from his belt.
"That should be the Misty Mountains. I didn't realize we'd come this far."
"Boss, let's head there to blow stuff up!"
The Goblin Warrior glanced at the sea, then at the Misty Mountains, scratching his head as he thought.
The king had said they could go anywhere as long as they avoided human territory.
This training mission had no time limit—they couldn't return until they'd used up all the food and ammunition.
If anywhere was fair game, then the Misty Mountains should be fine.
Even though it was an unexplored area, they were in the air. Nothing could go wrong.
"Alright, boys, let's head to the Misty Mountains!"
The Goblin Warrior turned back to the ship's wheel.
The airship adjusted its course and began heading toward the Misty Mountains.
---
Half an hour later
The airship flew over the Misty Mountains.
The rugged terrain below was a series of steep peaks and deep valleys, with thick mist blanketing the gaps between the mountains.
Only the mountain summits poked through the mist like islands in a sea of clouds.
"Boss, what do you think creates all that fog?"
"How should I know? Do I look like a scholar to you?"
"The king would know, wouldn't he?"
"How would I know what the king knows? Ask him yourself."
On the deck, many goblins leaned over the railings, curiously peering at the misty expanse below.
The thin oxygen and biting cold at this altitude kept the airship at a flight ceiling of no more than 2,000 meters, typically cruising around 1,500 meters.
"Boss, let's bomb that mountain peak!"
One of the goblin soldiers on the aft deck pointed to a distant summit.
The Goblin Warrior followed his gaze.
"Alright, let's do it!"
The airship gradually descended and adjusted its angle, stopping about three kilometers west of the targeted peak.
"Alright, boys, prepare the cannons! Each cannon fires one round—no volleys! Start with the upper deck cannons."
The Goblin Warrior's shout sent the goblins into a frenzy of excitement.
They scrambled to the magi-cannons, loading them and pushing their barrels out of the cannon ports.
The heavy magi-cannons, mounted on wheels and rails, were designed to absorb recoil.
When fired, the recoil would push the cannon back along the rails, where a braking system would bring it to a soft stop, minimizing structural damage to the ship.
"Boss, we're ready!"
The Goblin Warrior stepped away from the wheel, moved to the railing, and waved his hand.
"Fire!"
At the command, the goblins manning the first cannon on the port side sprang into action.
One goblin raised a large iron hammer and struck the firing mechanism at the cannon's breech.
Clang!
The firing mechanism engaged, and the cannon roared like thunder.
The black barrel belched a fireball as the cannon slid back along its rails.
The sky was filled with a piercing whistle as the shell streaked toward the target.
Ten seconds later, an explosion erupted on the distant peak.
A brilliant fireball rose into the air, followed by a mushroom cloud of flame and smoke.
A shockwave rippled outward, scattering debris into the air.
Moments later, the sound of the explosion reached the deck.
"Wow! Wow!"
The goblins on the deck erupted into cheers, thrilled by the display of power.
When the flames subsided and the dust settled, the peak bore a massive crater, tens of meters in diameter.
"Next cannon, fire!"
Boom!
Another roar echoed, but this time the shot went wide.
Twenty seconds passed with no visible explosion on the targeted peak.
"Who fired that? It missed!"
The Goblin Warrior glared furiously at the crew of the second cannon, making them shrink back in fear.
"Useless idiots! How could you miss such a big target? Are your eyes on sideways?"
"Try again! If you miss this time, I'll deal with you myself!"
Terrified, the goblins reloaded the cannon and adjusted its aim.
After some fumbling, they finally aligned the barrel with the distant peak.
"Boss, we're ready!"
"Fire!"
With another clang of metal, the cannon discharged, spitting fire from its barrel.
This time, a fireball erupted on the targeted peak, sending up another mushroom cloud.
"Wow! Wow!"
The goblins cheered again, thrilled by their success.
---
The airship continued its artillery training over the Misty Mountains.
Every few minutes, the roar of a cannon echoed through the sky, followed by the thunderous boom of an explosion.
Initially, the firing intervals were short, but as time passed, they grew longer, stretching to over ten minutes between shots.
Under the relentless barrage, the mountain peak below gradually eroded, crumbling into the misty depths.