Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 407 Isn't this just exploiting a bug?
Now the church really stands up, doesn't it?
No, why be so fixated on the church?

Richard's design is fundamentally about a huge and stable base. Since it's difficult to miniaturize, why not make it large?

Making fortresses mobile, creating giant mobile fortresses, was originally one of the war strategies.

If things can't move forward, then he can turn back the clock of history!
For example, railway guns?
The armored vehicles built earlier were very successful, but their application scenarios were somewhat limited, so they remained idle.

Could we now try mounting the Dragon's Breath Cannon on an armored train?
If the train itself has enough mass, it can counteract the recoil from the shot.

It seems like it might be feasible?
It can be installed on ships, on trains, and even on large battle fortresses in the future. Overall, it is quite practical, but it cannot be miniaturized for the time being.

Hughes's first thought was to add a Laval nozzle and convert it into a recoilless gun.

A recoilless gun is one in which the bottom of the sealed barrel is removed.

Without a seal, there is naturally no recoil. But the shells can hardly be fired either.

Therefore, a Laval nozzle was added at the rear, utilizing some simple fluid dynamics to compress the gas.
But thinking about it carefully, this design is a bit awkward. Richard said that you have to hold the bottom to soothe the soul of the machine, and touching the side is not devout enough.
Reaching your hand in to fire does not affect the recoil-free capability, but it is quite tiring for your hand.

Moreover, the projectiles fired from this hand cannon look rather troublesome; they can't just be scattered behind you at will. You have to know that when firing a recoilless cannon, you have to clear the space behind you.

On the bright side, at least the banshees have new weapons and no longer have to carry Gatling guns around all the time.

"Let's mass-produce a batch of these hand cannons and equip them on the banshees first. We should try to miniaturize them later. Or maybe you can create an exoskeleton, like a mechanically powered armor."

Hughes glanced at the blueprint in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "It's okay. We can build a few more. If there are any losses, we can quickly replenish them. Who knows, they might come in handy in the future."

Mounting it on a steam locomotive would be an excellent choice, but how do you get the locomotive to the North?
Should we build a railway from Blood Harbor to that location?
Castel Cathedral.

In the church's atrium, on the uppermost platform, a stone monument stands tall.

Hughes gave it the official name "Monument to the Victims," ​​but the islanders preferred to call it "Stone of the Dead."

At this moment, Monica is suspended by a rope, diligently carving on it.

"Monica, do you think Nora is also considered a Castel?" Nini asked lazily from below.

“Of course it counts.” Monica didn’t hesitate at all. “The lord promised to provide shelter for her and the refugees he brought. She’s already a Castel, and she even saved me.”

Nora, who was hanging to one side, showed a hint of embarrassment.

"I did save you, but... if I hadn't broken through the cognitive barrier, you wouldn't have been corrupted and turned into a monster, would you?"

Monica shook her head: "If you don't break through the cognitive barrier, someone else will. The truth can never be hidden, and besides, aren't you already stuck here?"

Nora: "."

"To be honest, I'm a little curious. Are you completely immortal? Then what can you do with just this head left?"

“There’s nothing I can do.” Nora shook her head instinctively, but realized she was powerless to do anything, so she closed her eyes.

"Many heads hang in the choir of the Silent Church; they are the ones who are buried. Our supernatural power comes at the greatest cost—I cannot die."

"Then you can't recover either? As for things like flesh and blood regeneration, we can regrow severed limbs through the transfer of life force. Nini was blown in two during the last experiment, but she was still saved."

"Hey, let's not talk about those things!"

“This is very important. We spent a long time discussing which half to save. What if you started to grow back from the half that was thrown away? Wouldn’t you have to crawl out of the trash can?” Nora sighed. “My only ability is immortality and some self-healing ability, but I can’t grow limbs out of thin air, let alone be decapitated. I’m no different from being dead now.”

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Chloe beside her.

Chloe: "Why are you looking at me?"

"fine."

Monica hesitated for a moment, then sighed: "So I can't supply you with my life force, right?"

“No one can supply our life force.” Nini’s voice came from below. “The reason we can share life force now is because the lord is the intermediary of the symbiotic contract. We are both banshees and cannot pass on our life force, so how can you and her do it?”

Monica's expression dimmed slightly. Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly licked her lips: "I think I've come up with an idea."

Nini below gasped, took a few steps back, looked around, hid behind a pillar, and then said, "Go ahead and say it!"

"What are you afraid of? It's not like it's going to drain your life force!" Monica glared at her fiercely before turning to look at Nora.

"Why not just find a banshee and sign a symbiotic contract with her?"

"what?"

“The banshee provides her with life force, and she can recover. When the lord almost died before, as soon as the life force caught up, he was immediately lively again. The amputation below the neck was just a minor injury.”

"Huh!?" Nini exclaimed in surprise. "That...makes sense, doesn't it?"

"That's not all. The symbiotic contract will endlessly drain the life force of one party when it is severely injured, until it dies, right?"

"Yes."

“She won’t kill you.” Monica pointed three fingers at Nora.

Nini was truly stunned. She stood there blankly, her brain racing, as if this was the first time she had ever fully utilized her mental capacity.

"Nora, you're immortal, right? You can't be killed even if you drain your life force?"

"Yes."

"Alright, this is what the lord meant by 'exploiting a bug'! Nora can drain life force indefinitely!"

Nini was completely stunned; she grabbed her hair with all six hands.

"No, no, no, yes, yes, no, no. No, if we sign a symbiotic contract with Nora, wouldn't the banshee be immortal and Nora be able to regenerate indefinitely?"

"Hmm." Monica crossed her arms, looking like she wanted to hear praise.

"Now there's only one problem: where to find a new banshee to sign a contract with Nora."

Nini suddenly stopped what she was doing, her eyes flashing with a sharp look: "I'm going to post this question in the banshee group. I can't be the only one struggling with this."

Then, as if she had just remembered something, she shouted and rushed towards Hughes's office:
"Hughes, Hughes, I want to break off our contract!!!"

(End of this chapter)