Chapter 722, Hundred-Arms Mantle
The carriage door opened.
Wu Heng stepped down from the train with two skeleton attendants.
They had arrived at Cocktail Island, surrounded by scattered trees.
When Wu Heng first came, the main purpose of Cocktail Island was as a resting point for pirate crews awaiting prey.
Being close to the sea route, it was easy to spot merchant ships from the island.
Now the pirates of Emerald Sea had nearly vanished—those remaining only roamed the outskirts.
It wasn't a bad site for testing.
He released three wraiths that floated above his head.
"Cocktail Island, are we here to test-fire the cannon?" Xiaoxiao glanced around and asked casually.
"Electromagnetic cannon—when you abbreviate it like that, it loses all its tech vibe," Wu Heng said to her.
"Hehe!" Xiaoxiao giggled mischievously, then floated over and hung on his shoulder without another word.
Glenda came up and asked, "Have you decided how to test it? Maybe prepare a scrapped ship—it could serve as a target."
Wu Heng shook his head. "No need for all that. We can just fire at Cocktail Island from the sea. It's a deserted island anyway. Shooting a ship won't show the full power."
Ships in this world weren't that durable.
A few shots from a machine gun would break apart a wooden vessel—making the electromagnetic cannon test meaningless.
Also, the cannon had a recorded range of 150 kilometers. If they really used a ship as a target at sea, it would be invisible to the naked eye, and without satellites or radar, hitting the target would be difficult.
Might as well just shoot the island directly.
Glenda thought about it and agreed with a nod.
Wu Heng took out some pirate flags and two barrels of lime powder from his spatial ring. "Go up the hill ahead and make a big, clear target. Mark it well and plant these flags too."
The skeletons carried the lime powder up the hill and drew a large circle on the ground with a big X in the center.
Several pirate flags were also randomly planted in the middle of the circle.
Once everything was ready, Wu Heng brought out the flying carpet, boarded with the skeletons, and flew out toward the deep sea.
...…
On the other side of Cocktail Island.
Aboard the dragon-trafficking fleet.
A man behind the leader hesitated, then quietly reminded, "Chief, Gold-Silver Island belongs to the Guild, and we've also been trading with them."
The leader said nothing, still staring forward.
The man continued, "Chief, I also heard Gold-Silver Island is equipped with Guild-provided weapons—powerful enough to shatter ships from a distance. That's how all the pirates in Emerald Sea were wiped out. We should check things carefully before making them angry."
"Hmph! Bullshit weapons. If the Guild really had that kind of gear, would they have let pirates run rampant for so long? Just fear-mongering to scare people nearby," the chief scoffed.
He was about to reach Level 18 and was becoming more familiar with this world.
The disappearance of the pirates was most likely due to them provoking high-level Professionals from the Guild, who then wiped them out.
In the end, they left a human kid to guard Gold-Silver Island.
Then they fabricated stories about powerful weapons to scare off others.
As they spoke—
A voice called from the mast lookout. "We're approaching Cocktail Island!"
Looking ahead, an island appeared in view.
"Approach it."
The chief ordered, and the crew began working.
The fleet slowly approached Cocktail Island.
...…
Out at sea.
Riding the flying carpet, Wu Heng looked into the distance. Cocktail Island now appeared like a candle flame.
But his body had been enhanced, and his vision greatly improved.
Even from such a distance, he could faintly make out the lime-marked area—but it was hard to distinguish the flags from the surrounding trees.
Confirming the situation, Wu Heng waved his hand to activate [Mansion Spell].
Behind the huge stone door stood the assembled electromagnetic cannon.
And the skeleton sitting beside it.
"Target the island ahead. Load the shell," Wu Heng commanded.
[Mansion Spell] hovered mid-air. Inside, the skeleton pulled out the prepared ammunition and loaded the cannon.
Wu Heng had personally selected the skeleton.
Its class was Level 12 Sentinel, with traits like [Long-Range Firing], [Precision Targeting], and [Fixed Target Elimination].
It had been assigned as the gunner.
The cannon was adjusted and aimed at the island.
Wu Heng glanced at the cannon and the island, then ordered, "Fire at will."
At his command, the skeleton activated the electromagnetic cannon.
Wuuuung~!
A charging sound rang out, and the machinery behind the cannon roared into motion.
Whoooosh—BOOM!
A muffled explosion followed.
The shell streaked along its trajectory.
The air was torn apart, and the powerful shockwave rippled outward.
BOOOOM—!
A distant rumble echoed—so far away it wasn't as deafening as the launch.
The shell hit the island, a massive dust cloud soared, and the entire Cocktail Island seemed to tremble.
Huge waves surged around, spreading across the sea.
"That powerful?!" Glenda's eyes widened.
"Wow! A sandstorm!" Xiaoxiao exclaimed unexpectedly.
Even Beni looked surprised.
To produce such an effect from this distance...
This wasn't about sinking ships—it would vaporize them.
Seeing the successful hit, Wu Heng smiled.
All those months assembling it hadn't been wasted.
It had worked.
Hearing the three wraiths chatting, he laughed, "The test records say it can punch through 5 meters of concrete. Surprised it raised a little smoke?"
Xiaoxiao floated up and poked his face with a translucent finger. "You say that, but your face is glowing with joy."
"I'm happy, not surprised."
"If you already knew, why so happy? It's surprise that made you happy."
Wu Heng paused—she had a point.
He changed the subject. "Let's go check it out."
With that, he flew toward the island with skeletons and wraiths.
...…
"Adjust the ship, brace for the waves!"
Aboard the dragon-trafficking ship, the chief and captain yelled orders.
But a wave taller than the ship had already approached.
"Hold on!"
SPLASH—!
A huge wave smashed the deck, the ship rocked wildly, creaking.
Many sailors were swept into the sea.
Screams and chaos followed.
After the wave passed, the ship stabilized.
Looking up, they could still see thick smoke rising from Cocktail Island.
"Damn it, why did the island explode?"
"The rumors are true—Gold-Silver Island's weapons can attack from long range."
"Damn it, he was aiming for us and hit Cocktail Island by accident. They heard what we said!"
"Shut up—what kind of weapon has that kind of power?!" the chief cursed. "Everyone shut up! Get the overboard crew back on deck!"
...…
On Cocktail Island.
Wu Heng landed and located the shell impact site.
It was far from the lime circle, but flying debris had shredded the trees and flags nearby.
The impact had created a huge crater.
At its center was a deep hole.
It was pitch-black inside—no idea how deep it went.
He shined a flashlight inside and vaguely saw the deformed shell deep below.
"Nice burrowing power. I heard there are cave-dwellers—this would work well against them," Glenda said.
Beni added, "I heard in a tavern that some hidden armories are underground—this could be useful for those too."
Tch. What cave-dwellers? What hidden armories?
They haven't done anything to me.
"No explosive effect—it lost momentum after the initial impact and just tunneled down," Wu Heng explained.
Glenda frowned in thought. "You could consider etching magic into the shell—like enchanted arrows: fire effects, lightning, that sort of thing."
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow.
That's a good idea!
The test records did mention that electromagnetic launch is gentler than gunpowder—it doesn't rely on shock force.
It also mentioned adding precision components inside the shell.
So maybe magic etching would work too.
"Good thinking. I'll have someone try it when we're back," Wu Heng said.
Just then—
Xiaoxiao flew back from afar.
She pointed behind the hill. "Uncle, there's a fleet surfing over there!"
"A fleet? Whose ships?"
"Those who sell wyvern bones. Their flag is ugly and torn."
Dragon traffickers?
Did the second batch of wyvern corpses arrive?
"Forget this for now. Let's go see them."
With that, he headed over the hill with skeletons and wraiths.
...…
Aboard the ships.
The fallen crew were gradually rescued.
The sea calmed down—aside from the mess, there was little actual damage.
As everyone tidied up and tended the wounded—
Someone shouted, "A magic circle!"
Everyone panicked and looked—on the deck, a magic array was rapidly forming.
"Prepare for battle!" the chief yelled.
A glowing circle formed fully.
Three figures appeared.
Whoosh—!
An arrow flew—Kashu caught it and snapped the shaft.
Two nearby men drew swords to strike, but froze mid-step, unable to move.
"Don't—don't attack! That's the Island Lord of Gold-Silver Island!"
The dragon trafficking captain quickly stood between both sides.
Wu Heng's appearance was unique—easily recognized.
Both sides stopped.
The captain said, "Lord Island Master, don't misunderstand. We were just startled."
Wu Heng nodded. The burly man at the front—likely their leader—was only Level 17.
Still, that's pretty high outside of here.
"Chief, this is Lord Wu Heng, master of Gold-Silver Island, and buyer of our wyvern corpses," the captain told him.
The chief clenched his jaw, veins bulging, clearly fighting Glenda's control.
"Let him go," Wu Heng said softly.
A moment later, the chief's body relaxed and he nearly fell over, frowning in fear.
"You passing by?" Wu Heng asked first.
"Yes. We brought wyvern corpses to Gold-Silver Island," the captain answered when the chief didn't, then asked, "What brings you here, Lord Island Master?"
"Testing a weapon. Saw your fleet and thought I'd say hi."
The whole ship fell silent.
Everyone looked horrified.
So it really was Gold-Silver Island's secret weapon.
Seeing no one speak, Wu Heng said, "Alright, go on. Just dock at Gold-Silver Island."
"Y-Yes, Lord Island Master," the captain nodded, wiping sweat.
A magic array lit beneath Wu Heng, and he vanished with the two skeleton attendants.
After a long pause—
The captain turned to the chief. "Chief, what... what should we do next?"
The chief's gaze was uncertain. A weapon that could blast islands and summon tsunamis, and a man he couldn't even resist...
Weapons aside, their strength didn't compare.
What explanation could they demand? Bringing it up would be suicide.
He coughed lightly. "We met the Island Lord. For the next deal, your ship will go to Gold-Silver Island. The others will return."
Everyone froze.
They were turning back?
But they quickly understood—this meant dropping the investigation over the missing fleet.
"Yes, Chief," the captain answered.
The chief nodded and added, "Don't bring up the missing fleet again. We can't say who did it, and probing further will only stir conflict."
"Understood!"
"Prepare to return. The rest, turn around."
...…
Cocktail Island.
Wu Heng teleported back.
Had the skeletons fill the crater.
The electromagnetic cannon test was a success.
Both range and power matched the test records.
Glenda's idea of magical etching might be viable.
He'd try it back home.
"Uncle, two of their ships fled—only one remains," Xiaoxiao floated down.
"Ignore them."
Judging from their attitudes—and what the wraiths overheard—
They must have found clues about the missing fleet and were planning to confront Gold-Silver Island.
But the cannon, and Glenda's possession,
Had clearly intimidated them into backing off.
With his current strength—
He didn't care about these people.
If they didn't cause trouble, he wouldn't bother with them.
"Let's go home."
He summoned the wraiths, donned the [Conductor's Hat], and boarded the train.
...…
Dusk.
Wu Heng appeared at the port with Andviel.
The dragon-trafficking ship also docked slowly.
Wu Heng boarded to count the wyvern corpses and paid the agreed sum.
After everything was done, he returned to the Island Lord's residence.
After dinner—
The maids gathered in the theater to watch a movie.
...…
The next day, at the Guild.
Wu Heng knocked on the door, got a response—
Then entered.
Inside, Sheila Grey and Shiyali each sat in their seats.
Seeing him enter, both smiled.
"Up so early today?" Sheila Grey asked with a smile.
"Heard you were looking for me, so I came early," Wu Heng said, taking a seat.
Shiyali brewed floral tea and brought him a cup, muttering, "I'm still here, you know."
Wu Heng took the tea, sipped it, then asked, "What's the matter?"
"You earned a First-Class Merit. The reward was sent to Gold-Silver Island—so we called you here," Sheila Grey said directly.
First-Class Merit?
The reward for solving the Netalei City case.
"What's the reward?" Wu Heng asked.
Sheila Grey took out a mantle and handed it over.
Wu Heng stood and received it, staring at the item.
[Hundred-Arms Mantle]
A Hundred-Arms component!
Finally his.