Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 756 - 650 Handmade Aircraft Carrier

Amidst the roaring cannon fire.

A group of people looked around, and there were no drifting islands nearby that they could reach quickly, nor were there any cover.

At this point, the only thing they could rely on was the ancient galleon beneath their feet.

And although it was indeed an antique, based on observations from the past few days, within this space where the capabilities of battleships from various eras were modified, they weren’t completely without a chance.

"The current wind direction is northwest wind. I think we can leverage the galleon’s ability to not rely solely on wind power, break free from them while sailing against the wind, and after disengaging, think of other methods."

Outside of the Prophet, as a qualified Chief Navigator, Milan offered his most reasonable suggestion at a crucial moment.

Because when sailing against the wind, whether it’s a vertical sail or a horizontal sail, if the wind direction is within about four compass points on either side of the bow, this range is essentially a no-go zone. If it’s a horizontal sail, this angle should even extend to six compass points.

Though ships with vertical sails can sail against the wind, the sail boom of the ship cannot rotate to that large of an angle, in other words, it cannot complete a "wind cut" at a suitable angle.

And the pirate ship behind was a three-masted mixed-sail ship. If our galleon lowers the only triangular vertical sail and sails directly into the direction of the sea breeze, the opponent would almost have to zigzag to continue pursuit.

No matter which Chief Navigator was on this galleon, they couldn’t do more than Milan.

However.

The three experienced captains Aiven, Jelos, and Anita aboard simultaneously issued a completely opposite order: "No, dodging isn’t the solution, we’re going straight up and engaging directly in a boarding battle!"

Anita made her decision purely based on tactical considerations. This group could only join the combat after a boarding or island landing; as long as they could complete the boarding, everything afterward would be manageable.

Moreover, this ancient galleon didn’t have cannons equipped, lacked retaliatory ability. Charging head-on with the bow against the enemy reduced the front surface area facing cannon fire, making it possible to rush up to the opponent without a scratch.

She had the most authority regarding the damage potential of pirate ship cannon fire.

Additionally.

Jelos, who already owned a galleon, and Aiven, a goban expert, both knew that not every new technology could completely overwhelm old technology.

Take, for instance, conventional cargo ships fueled by heavy oil normally sailed at speeds between 15-20 knots, while during the height of the Age of Sails, the Flying Clipper’s speed could exceed 14 knots.

Overall, the gap in capabilities was significant, but in certain aspects, old techniques weren’t entirely useless.

The galleon was such; shallow draft, burst speed, agile maneuverability were its advantages. In the hands of a brilliant commander, overcoming stronger forces was hardly unattainable!

"Order...."

So when the pirate ship finished robbing the wind, ready to leverage its wind advantage to further exploit its range advantage.

They were dumbfounded to find that the galleon, which ought to be on the chopping board, had lowered its sails, and sixty long oars moved uniformly like they were of one mind, and the slender battleship dashed speedily against the wind like an arrow.

Swish——

Initially, the pirates weren’t worried, calmly issuing orders:

"Fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...

The crew resembling pirates on board, similar to pirate’s regular firing frequency of two rounds per minute, poured cannon fire onto the galleon. Yet, even with their straight approach without dodging, the single bow made such an extraordinarily striking target.

The heroic spirits weren’t any stronger than ordinary human pirates, but when operating cannons, they didn’t worry about mistakes, executing with clockwork precision.

"Switch to grape shot, sweep their deck from above!"

"Yes, sir!"

Pirate King Black Sam Bellamy, although his rank among pirate kings wasn’t high, second only to "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins, had never faced a battleship outdated by hundreds of years in his life.

Until he realized that even with close-range cannon fire.

It only broke the mast on the other ship without addressing the soldiers hiding in the cabin, nor did it harm the true power source under the low deck—the rowers, he started feeling nervous.

’Even ancient antiques aren’t so easy to deal with; if only it were a flagship equipped with heavy guns this time.’

After muttering, he issued an order:

"Turn, let’s keep our distance!"

However.

Despite the collaboration of several dozen heroic spirit sailors and Black Sam personally steering, after twice changing sails into the wind, not only did the distance fail to increase, it was instead leveraged by the opponent’s more flexible maneuverability, accelerating to charge, finally closing within twenty meters.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!...

The soldiers back on deck threw dozens of grappling hooks onto the significantly taller pirate ship, and both sides officially engaged, allowing those who were mere spectators on the ship finally to take real action.

"Kill!"

When the soldiers lowered the "Crow’s Nest" and charged the pirate ship, the squad members, who’ve been holding back, surged forward.

Standing on the stern deck of the pirate ship, Black Sam’s skin had sporadic black scales, evidently as a natural-born warlock with partial blood of a sea demon.

This is the origin of the "Black Sam" title.

Under his command, four to five elite pirate officers were the same, though to a lesser degree than the Treasure Sea Pirate King, clearly impacted by this pirate king’s bloodline.

As they augmented their strength, they also ensured the loyalty of their subordinates.

But as Black Sam squinted his yellow eyes and saw the figures just rushing out from the lower cabins of the galley, who were enveloped in a magnificent Extraordinary Spiritual Light (Life Energy Field and Equipment), especially that very familiar face of Anita, whom he had not seen before but was all too recognizable...

His pupils suddenly contracted, and without a word, he led the way, jumping off the deck into the sea. Those elite Tier 2 pirate officers followed without hesitation, doing the same.

Plop! Plop!...

This left Aiven and the others, who had endured a beating for more than half an hour and were ready to vent their pent-up frustration, punching nothing but air.

And just at the moment Aiven and his team bloodlessly took this pirate ship, the pirates who escaped into the water had completely vanished from that space.

The two hundred pirate heroic spirits originally aiming their firearms in preparation for battle also dispersed completely in the blink of an eye, leaving the pirate ship an empty shell once again.

"These guys sure know how to run fast!"

Anita cursed silently, reluctantly sheathing the Dragon-slaying Sword, turned to the two Great Wizards, and frowned:

"After the heroic spirits disappeared here, we can’t even swap ships now."

But Jelos and Aiven exchanged glances and spoke simultaneously:

"That might not necessarily be impossible."

Although their tactical arrangement was in line with Anita’s, the ultimate goal of the two Great Wizards, representing advanced productivity, was far from just eliminating Black Sam.

This galley with 60 long oars, along with its lower deck of 120 rowers and 80 soldiers, wasn’t a particularly prominent model among the galleys; its conventional competitiveness was too weak.

It might still have a chance against conventional warships equipped with ordinary cannons, but if confronted with the long-range attacks of a quasi-legendary battleship, it might not even be able to escape.

Furthermore.

The rules only stated that during this process, combat could only rely on the ship itself, not that the ship couldn’t be modified, right? Things from the Witchcraft Garden, without being assimilated by the rules, couldn’t give birth to heroic spirits, but we can use materials that have already been assimilated, can’t we?

Additionally, from observations a few days earlier, the heroic spirits regenerate in merely ten minutes; the crucial question is whether these heroic spirits can perform adaptive upgrades on the modified ship?

Hence, Aiven proposed:

"Mr. Jelos, why don’t we first remodel according to the Heavy Galleons already existing in this space?"

"Hmm, I was thinking the same; the rules in this space also have patterns to follow. At least my knowledge in mysticism tells me that this method should be completely feasible."

The group then returned to their galley.

As the other’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Clack... clack...

Aiven and Jelos’s Magic Spiritual Light flickered continuously. In the lineup of the two parallel warships, the enormous pirate ship was swiftly dismantled, with planks, tar, iron pieces, hemp ropes, sailcloth, cannons...

The wood fused into the galley like clay, extending and broadening, with oars reaching out from the lower deck...

The mast on the deck rapidly grew, with new mainmast and mizzen mast added...

Several finely cast bronze cannons sparkled with electric light, gradually merging into one...

This was Aiven’s Activated Spiritual Light and Jelos’s Heterogeneous Reorganization: capable of continuously upgrading the "Theseus’ Ship," humans themselves, and other things similarly, replacing where it broke, and making it stronger!

Aiven can easily mold ships, while Jelos can upgrade the ship continuously by weeding out the inferior, allowing their abilities to complement each other; a brand new warship quickly appeared beneath their feet.

The apex of the three thousand years of galley dominance over the sea - the Heavy Galleon.

Three masts, one hundred fifty oars, with a basilisk weighing 7000 pounds mounted on its ship’s figurehead. Although it only had one, it could fire a 50-pound cannonball, enough to snap the keel of a battleship with one shot.

To mount this "monster," Aiven placed it on a wooden gun-carriage on a rail aligned with the ship’s central line. When the cannon fired, it would slide backward on the rail to avoid damaging the newly molded hull.

And fifteen minutes later, as the two had anticipated, like how other warships recovered by themselves after taking damage, the rowers and soldiers were replenished to match the ship’s needs, reaching a total of 500 people.

Their equipment was renewed with matchlock guns from centuries ago.

"Set sail!"

Whoosh—

With personnel and equipment complete, Aiven conducted a simple test.

At full speed, the ship could achieve a frequency of 22 strokes per minute, with a short-term boost to 26 strokes per minute. This meant an average speed of about 4.5 knots during long voyages, with a short-term maximum speed about twice that, surpassing most sailing battleships that could reach 9 knots.

Standing at the prow and gazing at the vast ocean, he couldn’t help but smile again:

"Hahaha, are you dumbfounded? Your man is a handmade expert!

A craftsman can find a meal wherever he goes, even with nothing but his skills. Let those scoundrels see what it means to craft an aircraft carrier by hand!"

After swapping their muskets for cannons, they began traversing the circular current, continually advancing towards the "Eye of the Giant." Sharpening the axe won’t delay the work, and they planned to gather timber from other warships along the way to upgrade a few more times.

Although the existing warships were enhanced based on their characteristics, their tactics remained unchanged. Even the most advanced Great Galleon only developed boarding to the extreme and wouldn’t be a match for their team.

Even if there’s no time to craft an aircraft carrier by hand, if suitable extraordinary materials could be obtained.

With cooperation from Aiven and Olivia, crafting a ship’s figurehead stronger than "Storm Cape" and upgrading the warship to quasi-legendary would only be a matter of minutes!