Chapter: 99.9% of enemies don't understand alchemical poisons. The unknown indeed brings intense fear, but it also breeds wishful thinking, the belief that they can neutralize alchemical toxins through 'antidotes.'
If Apollo were modified, creating a version with reduced power, normally in liquid form, with compatibility and stability, and then injected into the bodies of enemies that need controlling, those enemies would never dare act rashly. Detoxify? What if it suddenly explodes on the spot? This is a stronger and more intuitive deterrent.
Moreover, liquid Apollo has greater plasticity. If [Blazing Sun's Wrath·Apollo] could be transformed into a liquid, upon activation, Su Xiao could shape it, forming something like 'Blazing Sun's Spear·Apollo.' Using the high temperature of activated Apollo, it could pierce through an enemy's physical defenses, then release the shaping, controlling the liquid Apollo to surge into the enemy's body for an internal explosion.
This inspiration came from the intracranial high temperature during the battle with the Moon God and the internal cavity detonation of the Blood God.
This way, Su Xiao could use [Blazing Sun's Wrath·Apollo] in combat. With the enemy's body acting as a buffer for the explosion, he could avoid being caught in the blast radius of [Blazing Sun's Wrath·Apollo] himself.
These are still concepts. Creating a liquid version of the reduced Apollo is no simple task. Liquefying ordinary Apollo is even harder, and [Blazing Sun's Wrath·Apollo] is the most difficult of all. Even for an alchemy master, this is a nightmare-level challenge.
The more Su Xiao looked at the liquid Apollo in his hand, the more satisfied he became. Yet, for some reason, a faint high temperature reached his fingertips, and flames appeared in the golden liquid inside the glass cylinder.
Seeing this, Su Xiao tossed the glass cylinder toward Baha and continued manufacturing Apollo. Baha calmly opened a spatial vortex, and after the glass cylinder flew into it, he skillfully closed it.
Time passed quickly during the voyage. With ample materials, Su Xiao, while manufacturing the reduced Apollo, continuously experimented. He was still somewhat unsatisfied when Major Gewei knocked on the door. After three days of sailing, the fleet was now less than 90 nautical miles from the Western Continent.
Upon hearing this news, Su Xiao stopped manufacturing the reduced Apollo. He had produced a total of 239 reduced Apollo bombs. Although their power couldn't compare to ordinary Apollo, with an explosion radius of only 1,200 meters in diameter, quantity made up for quality.
Su Xiao had Baha carry these Apollo bombs, then picked up a nearby map to examine. It was a crude map of the Western Continent, showing only its approximate shape, with the specific terrain being very general.
The entire Western Continent was an irregular oval, with a total area roughly 10 to 15 times the size of Gaman City. According to records, the Western Continent's original area was larger than this. For some unknown reason, the coastline of this continent gradually sank, slowly being devoured by the surrounding ocean, until today it had shrunk to this size.
Su Xiao suspected this was likely the consequence of Emperor Taiyatu's abuse of the Abyss Portal. Those who suffered alongside him were not only his subjects but also the continent he ruled, which was being gradually eroded by the sea.
Calculating based on the main gun range of the steel warships, if they bombarded in only one direction, the area-clearing effect on the Western Continent wouldn't be as good as imagined. However, if they circled the Western Continent and bombarded, the range of fire that could clear the area would be ideal.
Su Xiao made up his mind. First, he would bombard the Western Continent for five hours while circling it, sending Emperor Taiyatu a 'gift of greeting.'