Chapter 71: The Challenges of Mass-Producing Magical Energy Cannons
“Even though Airael has plenty of money to equip their navy with enough Magical Energy Cannons, why not make the Elven Lords chip in for a feast?”
After all these years, I’m sure they’ve stacked up quite a fortune in their treasury.
The Elven Lords hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond.
Airael was right; the navy indeed needed more powerful weapons to defend Avalon.
But times have changed!
Back then, the navy was established before the Elven Queen even existed.
Now, with Airael as the Elven Queen, the navy—though funded by everyone—is effectively her private army!
Even though everything in Avalon is nominally Airael’s, isn’t everyone a bit selfish?
“What are you all thinking? Do you believe the Elven Race won’t face attacks from enemies like they did hundreds of years ago? Only a strong navy can ensure Avalon’s safety! Without sufficient strength to protect ourselves, the enemy will inevitably come knocking!”
“Your Majesty, it’s not that we don’t want to support the navy; it’s just that the gold coins in our possession are limited. As we mentioned earlier in the meeting, we’ve already spent a considerable amount of coins, and we truly can’t spare too much for the navy.”
Tugur chimed in again.
“Uh-huh!”
“Right!”
“…”
The other Elven Lords nodded in agreement.
They seemed to have a talent for spinning tales.
“Really? But I just saw how interested you all were in the Magical Energy Cannons!”
“Such powerful yet easy-to-use weapons? Of course, we’re interested! But their cost must be sky-high! If it’s just three or five, sure, we could manage, but equipping the navy isn’t going to be that simple!”
Airael turned to Domiya and asked, “Teacher Domiya, how many gold coins does it take to make one of those old-style Magical Energy Cannons you mentioned?”
“Esteemed Lords, actually, manufacturing a Magical Energy Cannon doesn’t cost that much. The initial R&D investments are high, but if we’re just making the old style, excluding defects, we can produce one for about 20,000 gold coins. However, maintaining and operating these cannons will incur additional costs down the line.”
Twenty thousand gold coins isn’t too much for the Elven Lords, whose incomes reach hundreds of thousands, but it’s still a fair sum.
“I actually think it wouldn’t take even 20,000 coins!”
At this moment, Airael piped up.
All the elves turned to her in surprise.
“When producing Magical Energy Cannons, we’ll need to purchase various raw materials from all over, which means taxes will inevitably apply during procurement. Some materials are even sourced from our own domains! Excluding these costs, I believe we could reduce the expense to at least 10,000 gold coins. Plus, this expenditure will stimulate your territories’ economies, bringing in more profits for you!”
Is this for real?
The Elven Lords were left dumbfounded.
They’d never considered that before.
But upon reflection, they found her reasoning quite valid.
Ignoring their stunned expressions, Airael continued, “Based on what you said earlier, how about each of you supplies three Magical Energy Cannons to the navy, while the royal city contributes six? What do you think?”
“This way, the navy would be equipped with thirty-three Magical Energy Cannons. While it’s not a lot, it should still provide some combat strength! Oh, and we also need to handle maintenance and operation. Therefore, let’s have the royal city’s allocation for the navy increase by 10,000 gold coins per year, and each of your territories an extra 5,000 coins per year. This shouldn’t be too much, considering it’s for the safety of Avalon!”
Having said all that, Airael felt a bit parched but also quite exhilarated.
This was a way to make the Elven Lords contribute!
The Elven Lords were left utterly speechless, exchanging looks with one another.
Airael was completely commanding them from a moral standpoint.
Watching the scene unfold, Linis remained silent.
While Airael’s approach was certainly assertive, the Elven Lords hadn’t suffered too much.
Besides, strengthening the navy indeed benefits Avalon’s security.
Domiya looked like she wanted to say something but ultimately decided against it.
After finalizing the deal, the Elven Lords quickly exited.
If they stayed any longer, who knows what other costs might pop up!
Airael and Linis, however, did not leave with them, opting to head to Domiya’s office at the Magic Research Institute.
“Teacher Domiya, how long will it take to produce those thirty-three Magical Energy Cannons?”
Airael looked at Domiya eagerly.
She was in high spirits.
“Your Majesty, it will take some time.”
“About how long?”
Airael asked casually.
“About ten years, I’m afraid.”
“Ten years? Teacher Domiya, you can’t be joking! Three Magical Energy Cannons a year? That’s way too slow!”
“While it’s not exactly that slow, it’s close enough. The production cost of the Magical Energy Cannons is indeed low, but we need at least one Master Alchemist involved in the process. Even with a person, collecting and supplying materials is a whole other challenge! So, I’m honestly not confident we can produce thirty-three Magical Energy Cannons in a short time.”
Domiya explained with a shake of her head.
She didn’t want things to be like this, but reality couldn’t be ignored.
Airael hadn’t expected to hit a snag here, and she suddenly felt a wave of disappointment wash over her.
It seemed her dream of assembling a fleet of giant cannon ships was now shattered.
This only reinforced the saying: fantasies are beautiful, but reality is cruel.
Seeing Airael’s gloom, Domiya and Linis exchanged glances, then both shook their heads helplessly.
This truly was a harsh reality, but they had to accept it.
After a moment, seeing Airael still wasn’t recovering, Linis offered some comfort, “Your Majesty, while it may take ten years, I believe ten years isn’t too long for us. We elves can wait a century if needed.”
Airael shook her head, looking up at the two and said, “I can’t wait that long. Teacher Domiya, if we lessen the caliber of the Magical Energy Cannons to under 200 millimeters, how many do you think we could produce in a year?”
“I can’t calculate the exact output just yet, but a Magical Energy Cannon with a barrel under 200 millimeters will have significantly less power and lower material requirements, so the annual production should see a considerable boost.”
