Chapter 90: The Three-Masted Sailing Ship

After listening to Bruno's explanation of the term "bomb", everyone present felt an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Because... what Bruno described was a weapon that had never existed in this world before.

Unlike previously crafted or studied enchanted weapons, which were merely enhanced versions of existing arms, the bomb was something completely new there were no prior references, no predecessors to learn from.

Everything had to be explored and developed from scratch by these mage apprentices.

Was this the entry-level assessment that the Earl had set for them?

Upon hearing Bruno's request, Lett clenched his teeth...

This was indeed an extremely difficult task!

"At the same time, since bombs are one time use consumables, it is crucial to minimize production costs as much as possible!"

Bruno paused, glanced around, and then lowered his voice, speaking seriously, "Especially when it comes to using magic crystal stones we must be frugal! Throughout the entire Idar territory, I only have one magic crystal mine! If we use one today and another tomorrow, wouldn't it be depleted in just a few hundred years?"

Lett quickly nodded in agreement.

"There are two key aspects in making bomb," Bruno continued. "First, safety. You must implement proper safety measures to prevent explosions during development. Second, power control. You need a standardized way to measure and produce bombs of varying strengths."

"In some special cases, bigger isn't always better. A bomb with slightly less destructive force might actually achieve a better effect."

As Bruno spoke, Arnel, Lett, and the others took out their notebooks and jotted everything down.

Ever since arriving in Idar, these mage apprentices had been using paper as thin as cicada wings for note-taking.

The biggest advantage of this paper was its portability just a few sheets in their pockets, and they could jot down new ideas at any time.

Although they didn't know the exact cost, its lightweight and delicate texture suggested it wasn't cheap.

Rumor had it... that the Earl had practically sold everything he had to fund the production of this new style paper.

A large portion of the raw materials were imported from the Basel Kingdom, and a single sheet of this paper cost as much as half a month's wages for a commoner…

Yet, such precious paper was stacked in piles in the Armis Mountain laboratory, freely available for these mage apprentices to use.

Thinking about this, the apprentices felt a warm sense of gratitude in their hearts as they wrote on the paper.

Seeing how cautious the apprentices were while using the paper, Bruno knew that the rumor he had spread about its high cost was working as intended.

After all, in an era with such low literacy rates, writing was an activity reserved for nobles and mages.

Thus, at least for now, the main buyers of this paper were wealthy elites. To make them pay a high price, Bruno had to first create the illusion that paper was extremely valuable.

Only then could he extract more wealth from the stingy nobles.

It was the same strategy used for whiskey and vodka.

This marketing strategy maximized profits from Idar's liquor production.

Did the cost of whiskey and vodka really differ that much?

Of course not!

But if the nobles knew that the same liquor was being consumed by the lowest-class commoners, how could they maintain their sense of superiority?

For them, drinking whiskey wasn't just about alcohol it was about status.

Regarding the bomb, Bruno only provided the apprentices with the most critical guidance before letting them figure out the rest on their own.

While the concept of a bomb seemed simple, the real challenge was designing one that used magic formations and magical components to fit this world's unique magical system.

It was like how, in his previous life, many people knew the formula for black powder but if they were really transported back in time, could they actually make it?

Probably not.

Even if they knew the ingredients, they wouldn't recognize sulfur or saltpeter in their raw forms.

Bruno had initially planned to take a shortcut by purchasing an enhanced gunpowder formula from the system store.

However, at the bottom of the gunpowder section, a line of red text forced him to abandon that idea:

[Warning: This product is incompatible with the current world system.]

Only then did this magical world reveal its fundamental differences from Earth.

Since Earth's gunpowder wouldn't work here, Bruno had no choice but to rely on the mage apprentices to develop a new kind of magical bomb.

At the same time, Bruno decided to increase security at Armis Mountain, deploying more guards to protect the laboratory.

After sending off the mage apprentices, Bruno finally had some free time to activate the system again.

The completion of the Citadel of Namur had earned him 150 points of Glory Currency, a huge windfall.

With money in his pocket, he now had the confidence to browse the system shop.

For a long time, Bruno had coveted many of the items in the shop.

But with the threat from pirate leader Kelvin Plato, he urgently needed a reliable warship blueprint to defend against the Basel Kingdom's pirates.

The system store offered a wide variety of ship designs, ranging from simple wooden rafts to industrial era ironclad warships.

Naturally, Bruno's eyes landed on one of the most iconic ships of the Age of Sail.

The Three-Masted Sailing Ship.