Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
*****
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of deafening explosions suddenly erupted, shaking even the floor beneath their feet from the sheer force of the blasts.
"It should be just about done now. Master Lou Gao, please come in!" With that, Dai Weisi opened the heavy iron doors of the forging chamber and stepped inside alongside Lou Gao.
But upon seeing the scene before him, even the well-traveled Lou Gao couldn't help but jump in shock.
The once-solid iron barrel had been completely blown apart—shattered into countless fragments scattered across the floor. The iron lid had been flung off by the force of the explosion, and it was now covered in dense, spiderweb-like cracks, clearly on the verge of crumbling.
It wasn't just Lou Gao who was stunned—Si Long, Si Yu, and Li Hu were all left wide-eyed and speechless at the sight.
"T-This is…"
Li Hu bent down to pick up a fragment of the shattered barrel. Feeling the residual heat still clinging to the piece, his expression changed dramatically as he muttered:
"What terrifying power! Just a bit of powder, and yet it was able to blow apart a solid iron barrel! If someone were standing too close, even a defense-type Battle Soul Emperor would be seriously injured!"
As he spoke, Li Hu turned his gaze to Dai Weisi's back. He was realizing more and more just how unfathomable this Crown Prince truly was.
Over the past few days, Dai Weisi had shocked him repeatedly. First was his fight against the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear, where sheer luck landed him an external soul bone.
Then came the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. Everyone had assumed Dai Weisi was just another spoiled noble, yet after consuming the glue, he actually broke through to the Soul Sect level within a single week.
After that, he went on to absorb a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring. And now, he had developed a powder with such devastating power.
Staring at Dai Weisi's back, Li Hu couldn't help but wonder—if he were to one day become the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, what path would the empire take under his rule?
Lou Gao, still in shock, exclaimed, "Your Highness, what in the world is this stuff? To think it possesses such overwhelming power!"
Seeing Lou Gao's intrigued expression, Dai Weisi knew he had taken the bait. No matter who it is—once curiosity is piqued, it's only a matter of time before they're hooked.
Smiling, Dai Weisi explained, "Master Lou Gao, this substance is something I'm sure you've heard of—gunpowder."
"What? Gunpowder?" Lou Gao was stunned. Of course he knew what gunpowder was—but wasn't it used for fireworks? How could it possibly be this powerful?
"Your Highness, is this really gunpowder? In my experience, gunpowder has never had such power."
"Haha, you're absolutely right—ordinary gunpowder doesn't. But after my modifications, this black powder now has the capability to threaten even high-level soul masters."
After a brief pause, seeing that Lou Gao was still reeling from shock, Dai Weisi continued, tempting him further:
"You saw it for yourself, Master—a mere trace of this black powder was enough to injure a Soul Emperor.
If we increase the quantity, it could kill Soul Saints and Soul Douluos outright. Even a Titled Douluo might not escape unscathed!
And that brings me to why I've come today. I'd like to ask Master Lou Gao for your help—in forging a weapon using this black powder, one powerful enough to shift the balance of power across the Douluo Continent. Would you be willing to lend me your strength?"
"A weapon that can injure Soul Saints and Soul Douluos… one that could reshape the fate of the entire continent…"
Lou Gao was fully captivated by the grand vision Dai Weisi had painted. But to be fair, after witnessing the sheer power of the black powder, he had indeed developed a strong interest in it.
As a divine craftsman, Lou Gao naturally held a certain pride. Yet in this era, blacksmiths held a lowly status, barely on par with commoners, and they couldn't even compete with the arrogance of wealthy merchants. How could the president of the Blacksmith Association endure such humiliation?
For many years, Lou Gao had dreamed of creating a weapon powerful enough to threaten soul masters. Only then could the status of blacksmiths be elevated, and the Blacksmith Association would no longer have to live in such an awkward position within society.
Now, after seeing Dai Weisi's modified black powder, Lou Gao finally saw a glimmer of hope.
The explosive power of this substance was immense. If it could be crafted into a weapon, it could very well pose a lethal threat to soul masters.
And if such a powerful weapon were successfully created, the status of blacksmiths would naturally rise as well. The Blacksmith Association could even transform into a powerful faction, rivaling the Seven Great Sects.
With that thought in mind, how could Lou Gao possibly refuse? He gave a small smile and said, "Hehe, how could I dare refuse His Highness's request? I would be honored to assist you. However…"
His tone shifted as he furrowed his brow, glancing at the wreckage strewn across the forging room. He sighed and continued, "The power of this black powder is so immense that, to be honest, I have no idea what kind of weapon it could be turned into.
Swords, spears, sabers, halberds, axes, maces, hooks, tridents, shields, and armor are clearly out of the question. Perhaps bows and arrows could be an option—but even then, creating such a weapon will likely take a great deal of time, and there's a real chance it could all end in failure."
He couldn't help but think this way. After all, the technology on the Douluo Continent was still stuck in the cold weapons era. The only real long-range weapon in existence was likely the bow or crossbow.
Dai Weisi chuckled. "Master, there's no need to worry. I came here today because I already have some ideas I wanted to discuss with you. Who knows—we just might be able to create a truly powerful weapon together."
As he spoke, Dai Weisi pulled out a pre-drawn blueprint from his soul guide ring. The drawing clearly depicted a weapon from his previous life—a hand grenade.
At first, he had considered drawing up designs for cannons and firearms. But after some thought, he decided against it. While the concepts behind guns and cannons were relatively simple, crafting them required incredibly high-level forging skills.
Not to mention the bullets—just a small, conical projectile. Dai Weisi seriously doubted that this world's forging technology could produce something so small with precision.
Even if Lou Gao could somehow manage to create a bullet, one would be useless on its own.
Dai Weisi needed them in massive quantities—tens or even hundreds of thousands. Only then could they be used to lay down suppressive fire in wartime.
But Lou Gao was already old. He couldn't exactly be expected to sit at the forge every day crafting bullets by hand. Weighing the pros and cons, Dai Weisi ultimately chose to start with hand grenades.
Grenades were larger and much simpler in design. With the Blacksmith Association's current forging capabilities, reproducing them should be feasible.
Lou Gao took the blueprint in his hands, and a flash of astonishment passed through his eyes. As a divine craftsman who had forged countless weapons, Lou Gao immediately grasped the essence of the grenade.
"So that's how it works… Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I never imagined something like this could be done. Just pack a large amount of black powder into the core, and surround it with sharp iron fragments.
Then, at the bottom of the grenade, place two flint stones, and wrap a fuse around one of them…
That way, all you'd have to do is pull the fuse quickly, causing the two flints to spark and ignite the powder—then just toss it!"
"The explosion would send the surrounding iron shards flying, instantly killing enemies nearby. Wonderful! I never imagined such a weapon could exist. Your Highness, you truly are a genius!"
(End of Chapter)