Super Magician: The Magic Network Collapsed Again at the Start

Chapter 72 Flame Cannon, or simply Cannon

"Is there anything different about the [Quiser]?" Anser asked, puzzled.

He didn't know much about sailboats, but he knew that most sailboats weren't fast, often traveling at speeds below 5 knots.

"Knot" is a common unit of speed, which originated from "towboard odometer": the crew would throw a rope towards the stern of the ship, with a knot tied at regular intervals on the rope, and a fan-shaped odometer attached to the end.

The crew would use an hourglass to keep track of time, and at the moment the hourglass ran out, they would retrieve the rope and count how many "knots" had slipped through their hands.

1节就是每小时1海里，1海里大概相当于6080尺（约1853米）。

"The Quese is the culmination of my life's work. Over the past thirty years, I have completed three major modifications for her: a strong hull, fire-breathing cannons, and sails that can be blown down..." Salian said with pride, as if he were showing off his most prized child to others.

'Her?' Anser found it amusing, but he could also understand.

Salian's explanation was too general for him to understand, so he tried to focus on the hull, sails, and cannons covered by the sterncastle.

A moment later, the dice trembled slightly, revealing the attributes of the [Quiser], just like those of magical equipment.

'It's really good.' He was delighted and quickly flipped through the introduction.

A "strong and resilient hull" makes the ship more robust and flexible, so it won't suffer losses in a collision.

「火焰大炮」是弱化版的奥术大炮，可以对1200尺（360米）内的一个可见位置射出一颗火焰弹，火焰弹在抵达目标点后爆炸，对周围15尺（4.5米）球状区域内的生物造成5d10（5-50）的火焰伤害。

Avoiding the center of the explosion will reduce damage by half.

Although the Quesser only has one flame cannon with 10 charges, it is one of Salian's key assets that allows him to cause trouble everywhere.

"Smooth Sailing" is made from cloud-woven fabric collected from the wind element plane. It is also called cloud sail. The wind howls around the sail, allowing the ship to sail at a minimum speed of 5 knots regardless of the wind direction. No sail handling is required, and the stronger the wind, the faster the speed.

Anser clicked his tongue in amazement: 'No wonder it takes thirty years; these things sound really expensive.'

"Amazing," he exclaimed.

"Right, Paros has six ships of the same size, but only the [Quiser] is undefeated. She has defeated and sunk at least dozens of pirate ships and slave ships. There's an exhibition room on board displaying the flags or symbols of all the defeated ships..."

"That's quite impressive," Anser said, playing the straight man and praising her repeatedly.

He didn't care whether Salian had a fetish or not; if the other person was willing to fight Nashvale with him, then that made him a lovable person.

Salian found Anser more and more pleasing to the eye, and his smile never faded: "Don't worry, I'm here to investigate. We won't go to Baldur's Gate, but we'll keep an eye on this [Sea Shark]. I've found out that there are at least a hundred civilians on board."

Don't think they left because they were afraid of the Waterdeep City warships; they were afraid of me. They always ran away before I arrived, but they're quite well-informed..."

“Perhaps they were delayed by something.” Anser’s eyes flickered thoughtfully. “Are the supplies on board sufficient?”

“We have a sailboat, and there are only about thirty crew members on board. We have plenty of supplies.”

"May I ask, have you... been doing this all along? Hasn't Am retaliated against you?" Anser asked in surprise. The slave trade was the mainstay of the Nashwar family's business.

“Well, for occasional sorties, you need accurate intelligence, right? The main problem is... we don’t have enough funding. After all, the main mission of the [Quise] is to make money…” Salian stopped smiling and looked regretful.

"Oh." Anser understood.

Paros doesn't actively pursue slave traders, but he'll take the opportunity to scout around Waterdeep and get into a fight with them.

Salian's actions were not approved by his superiors, but he was senior and powerful, so as long as he didn't go too far, no one cared about him.

Retaliation is certainly on the horizon, but the [Quiser] operates stealthily like a hunter, making it difficult to intercept. Unless they bombard Paros, but that would be a blatant disregard for the Lords' Alliance.

'So he raised the money himself. He's probably emptied Gwyneth's savings.' He muttered to himself.

Salian looked at Anser with a smile: "Anser, what do you think of the slave trade? Paros and Waterdeep have been trying for so many years, but it seems like nothing has changed."

Anser smiled, his gaze sweeping over the bustling Silverscale Bay: "I've heard a story. On a beach, as the tide receded, countless small fish were stranded. A boy tirelessly picked them up and released them back into the sea."

A passerby, unable to bear seeing him waste his energy, advised, "Child, there are thousands upon thousands of small fish on this beach; you can't save them all."

The little boy said, "I know."

A passerby said, "Then why are you still throwing them? Who cares?" "This little fish cares!" the boy replied, picking up a fish and throwing it back into the sea. "This one cares, this one cares too! And this one, and this one…"

Many things may not have a result, but just doing them is the right thing to do.

Salian's eyes lit up, and he pounded on the railing repeatedly: "Yes, yes, you've got me all figured out. I'm short a first mate on my ship, would you like to give it a try?"

With a clatter, not far behind the two, a gray-haired halfling stared blankly at Salian, a wooden box lying at his feet.

"Captain, aren't I the first mate?" The halfling pointed to his face, his expression one of astonishment.

“You can be a second mate too.” Salian waved his hand dismissively and continued looking at Anser.

“I don’t have that idea for now,” Anser quickly replied. He knew nothing about shipping, and it would be too much to take the first mate’s job right away. Besides, he had no interest in rescuing slaves; he was just trying to please Salian.

“Alright, you’re always welcome here,” Salian said with a hint of regret.

Life on a ship is very tough, and there are many unknown dangers at sea. Skilled professionals are unwilling to come, because after all, who wouldn't want to enjoy life once they have a certain status?

Seeing this, the halfling next to him seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, shook his head helplessly, and carried the box away.

"I can't wait to make our move." Anser quickly steered the conversation back to the main point.

“Don’t rush, patience is the most important thing for a hunter,” Salian laughed. “Prey also have intelligence, don’t underestimate them.”

"I know."

It turned out that Salian did indeed know a great deal about these slave ships.

Perhaps anticipating the danger, the Sea Shark did not leave port after purchasing supplies, but instead chose an anchorage far from the Quesser, where it quietly anchored without making any noise.

Anser wasn't in a hurry. He wandered around the ship, learning about the structure and characteristics of the sailboat.

However, little Clara couldn't stay still. Seeing that the halfling first mate Colin was going to buy supplies, she wanted to go with him. Anser and Kaleno had no choice but to accompany her, acting as bodyguards, and also bought a few bottles of healing potions.

Shortly after dinner, the sea breeze suddenly changed direction, with each gust becoming stronger than the last, and white waves surged in the bay.

Then dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a light drizzle began to fall, mingling with the sea breeze and stinging people's faces.

Anser stood quietly atop the stern tower, wearing a cloak over his cloak. It was a bit odd, but it provided some protection from the wind and rain. Although the cloak's immunity properties were ineffective, wearing it still offered some protection.

In the game, you can't wear multiple pieces of armor, but in reality, you can. Wear as many pieces as you like, as long as you can fit into them.

But almost no one does that; mobility and flexibility are crucial in combat.

The sky grew increasingly dark, and the sea surface a hundred meters away was indistinct; not a single light could be seen in the distant anchorage.

The first floor of the sterncastle is a restaurant that also serves as a crew activity room. At this moment, it is brightly lit, and more than thirty crew members of varying heights and builds are chatting and laughing, seemingly not nervous at all.

Finn, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly stood up, opened the door, and shouted upwards, "The Sea Shark has weighed anchor!"

"Okay," Anser responded and continued to wait.

In the restaurant, Salian sat drinking with First Mate Colin. A dozing owl perched on Colin's shoulder, swaying back and forth, giving off a cute and silly vibe.

Upon hearing Finn's shout, Salian's eyes flickered, and he scrutinized him closely.

Colin was terrified; he was all too familiar with that look. He quickly emphasized:

"Guli can do that too, but today... it's a bit windy."

“Oh,” Salian said noncommittally.

Colin is a level 4 druid from the Ocean Society. He has an owl pet named Goose, which can usually gather intelligence, but it is sleepy during the day, dozes off at night, can't fly in strong winds, and rests when it rains.

It's just like its owner.

(End of this chapter)