hotmtlnovel Chapter 61 The Ultimate Weapon
Chapter 61 The Ultimate Weapon
Shen Qiaoqiao's shout carried a hint of smugness.
Su Jin's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned around and walked towards her.
Li Yuanyuan and Shen Ruying followed curiously.
In the center of the open space, next to Shen Qiaoqiao, stood a weapon that had just been assembled.
It has a heavy wooden base, like a small cannon mount, firmly planted on the ground.
Above the base sits a metal crossbow body with a cold, hard, matte finish; this is the main body of the ballista.
Its crossbow body was clearly forged from newly acquired iron ingots, and the key bearings and trigger components were made of iron.
The most eye-catching thing was the pair of crossbow arms. Su Jin could tell from a distance that they were not made of wood, but rather of multiple layers of tough wood clamped together with iron plates and bound with flax rope.
This structure, with its high tensile strength, can significantly enhance the power and durability of ballistae.
The entire ballista has a simple structure without any fancy design, but it is indeed the ultimate embodiment of violent aesthetics.
Just standing in front of this ballista, he felt a chill and couldn't even imagine the terrifying power that his harpoon crossbow bolts could achieve.
If this ballista were to fire at him when he was completely unprepared, at close to medium range, he might not have the reaction time to dodge the attack.
Unless his mental attributes are higher, it's not very easy for him to avoid this thing.
Su Jin walked around it once, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.
This thing is even better than he imagined!
Shen Qiaoqiao not only solved the material problem, but also directly optimized the design by adding iron components and a more reasonable structure.
"Great! That's wonderful!"
He couldn't help but slap his thigh hard, his face filled with undisguised ecstasy.
With this, the next time he encounters that blond idiot from the archipelago, or any other Tom, Dick, or Harry who dares to provoke him, he won't have to run away in frustration.
Dare to mess with him?
Go tell his ballista!
He could even imagine that even ordinary sea beasts with weaker defenses, such as those coral crystal crabs that had chased him so relentlessly, would be able to defeat him.
If one is hit in a vital spot at close range by one of these thick, armor-piercing harpoon crossbow bolts, they will likely be killed instantly.
Therefore, this is definitely a powerful weapon that can be obtained at this stage!
"How far can it shoot? How long does it take to wind up?"
Su Jin couldn't wait to ask the question he most wanted to know.
Shen Qiaoqiao raised her chin and said smugly:
"An effective range of 70 to 80 meters is not a problem, but accuracy becomes difficult to guarantee beyond that."
"As for winding it up... with this winch, a strong person can pull it to full strength in half a minute to a minute."
"Oh, right, I also made a simple aiming bar, but I haven't tried it yet. You'll have to adjust it yourself, Uncle."
Su Jin nodded; this was more than enough.
He reached out and stroked the cold, hard crossbow, his mouth twisting to the corner of his eye, and the last bit of resentment he felt from the threat dissipated.
Strength is absolutely crucial!
He turned to look at Shen Qiaoqiao. This girl really managed to get it done despite the pressure; those two gray hairs were worth it.
"Qiaoqiao, well done!" he praised sincerely. "This product perfectly matches, and even exceeds, my expectations!"
Upon hearing the praise, Shen Qiaoqiao's earlier slight annoyance vanished, replaced by an undisguised happiness that she tried to maintain.
"Of course, it doesn't matter who made it. But uncle, this thing uses a lot of iron. You've already used up almost half of your iron ingots."
"Iron can be made again after it's been used up." Su Jin waved his hand, not caring at all.
With this crossbow, his ability to acquire resources and face danger has improved significantly, so why would he have to worry about not being able to get more iron?
He now felt more confident about his plan to trade in the archipelago.
He also had plans for the remaining iron.
First and foremost was the iron axe he had been longing for. He specifically requested that Shen Qiaoqiao use plenty of material and pursue sharpness, putting durability aside for the time being.
After all, Shen Qiaoqiao's talent allows her to exploit a bug: if the iron axe breaks or becomes worn out, it can be reforged as long as it returns to the little girl's hands.
Her ability is to turn materials into tools, and the tools themselves are also materials.
Making the iron axe used up a lot of iron, and Su Jin didn't intend to keep the remaining iron ingots; he planned to use them up on the spot.
He asked Shen Qiaoqiao to make several small knives, and then made an extra small axe for chopping wood.
Now, almost all the iron ingots were used up, and there wasn't a single one left.
If there is a need for iron in the future, these tools can be used as materials.
Moreover, Su Jin didn't believe that there was no iron in the archipelago; logically, the resources should be very abundant.
However, what he was most curious about was the piece of steel and wood that Li Yuanyuan had discovered today.
I don't know if this thing is made entirely of iron, or if it's made of steel all over, or if it just looks like steel.
It would be even better if it could be a substitute for iron, so he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of searching for iron anymore.
After having Shen Qiaoqiao make these tools, he thought about going to find Lao Zhang to make a deal the next day and also looking for new customers, so he wanted to ask the girl to make some more things.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qiaoqiao immediately shook her head and protested:
"Uncle, do you think I'm an ox? I'm exhausted! Just a little while ago, I grew another gray hair!"
She pointed to a half-gray hair on her head, her eyes filled with resentment.
Su Jin was stunned for a moment before realizing that the little girl had indeed been busy all day and hadn't eaten yet.
A hint of guilt flashed in his eyes, and with a slight movement of his fingers, he quickly performed a separation surgery.
"Alright, you're still a young girl in the dark, go and rest. I won't let you keep working today... Oh, right."
Su Jin glanced at Li Yuanyuan, who was still limping, and then at the three girls, who all looked disheveled, and said:
"Finally, you can build a big bathtub, and then I'll heat some water for you. You can wipe Yuanyuan's body, and then you can take a bath."
"I'll cook dinner tonight. I'll make you a simple steamed fish on a stone slab."
Upon hearing that she could take a bath, the little girl's grievances vanished instantly, and she happily ran to find Li Yuanyuan.
Su Jin kept his promise, boiled water properly, and then used the turtle shell to make steamed fish.
In practice, he found that grilling was a better way to cook this kind of stone-grilled fish than steaming.
It only looks like a grouper; it's more like an alternative type of oyster.
The outer stone slab is like an oyster shell; you can put it directly on the fire and it will be fine.
After grilling it, open the outer stone slab to reveal tender meat inside, just like that of a grouper.
Moreover, it shares the same advantage as oysters: it contains its own water, and if the heat is controlled well, the grilled meat will taste just as delicious.
Su Jin tried the first bite and found it to be quite delicious. In fact, because the fish was large and meaty, it was much more enjoyable to eat than grouper!
There's a type of crab that's delicious, but has little meat.
That's why king crabs, with their abundant meat, are favored by most people.
Su Jin would call this stone slab fish the king crab of the fish world; it's not only delicious but also incredibly satisfying to eat!
Just as he was about to try another bite, he heard footsteps behind him.
Judging from the depth of her voice and the rhythm of her steps—elegant and slightly mature—it was undoubtedly the young woman, Shen Ruying.
He subconsciously turned his head, wanting to invite the other person to try his profits, but when he turned around, what came into view was the young woman's revealing outfit.
It's even bikini style!