The temporary shipyard next to the Redwater River was crowded with people.
Everyone knew that a strange ship was being built in the wooden shed. Its shell was like a huge bathtub and was made of gray cement. Once the cement solidified, it was no different from a stone. When it was thrown into the water, apart from a splash, not even a shadow could be seen.
The craftsmen who came to work here gave it an appropriate name: Bathtub Ship.
Today was the day when the first two prototypes were launched.
The crowd of onlookers was roughly divided into two groups. One group was the new residents of Border Town. They were quite curious about the news, or they couldn't believe it. With a skeptical attitude, they came to see something new. Among them, there were many fishermen and sailors from the Eastern and Southern Territories. The other group were the local residents. They had long been accustomed to the various miracles that His Highness had created, and they had also heard of the "Little Town" from before. They had braved the snow to gather here, just to see the prince that they worshipped.
Cacusim was the former.
When His Highness posted the news and the new recruitment order on the bulletin board in the square, he said that he had to come here no matter what. Vader had no choice but to ask for a leave from Sir Carter and accompany him. He was unfamiliar with the place and the snow was heavy. He was really worried about letting Cacusim go alone to a place where people gathered. If he was pushed and fell, it would be an incurable injury for the old man.
"You underestimate me, child." The old man waved his hand, indicating that Vader did not need to follow him. "I've also been through a lot. Although I'm old, I'm not much weaker than you."
"Yes, yes," Vader said disapprovingly. "Anyway, I've already asked for leave. It's too late to say anything. I just don't understand. Why do you have to see this thing go into the water? Isn't it just a ship? "
"But you said it was made of gray stone." Cacusim shook his head. "How can a bathtub-sized stone float on the water these days?"
It's all my fault for being too talkative, Vader thought to himself. I didn't know how we ended up talking about the announcement in the square when we were chatting. "Perhaps His Highness was just exaggerating. A wooden ship is probably partly made of cement, right?"
"That's even more impossible," the old man insisted. "Think about it, when was this wooden shed built?"
"It seems like … more than a month ago."
"That's right. It was even earlier than when you were recruited as a police officer. When we moved into the inner city of the town, this place was still empty!" His beard trembled. "It took a month to build the shed. Doesn't that mean that His Highness only used half a month to build his first ship?"
"Uh, is there something wrong?" Vader was puzzled.
"Of course not!" cried Cacusim. "In the name of Poseidon! I have never seen a ship that can be built in half a month. This has nothing to do with size. As long as it is a sailboat, just processing the ribs will take more than a month. It needs to wait for the wood to be completely air-dried before bending it with steam. This process is extremely troublesome and cannot be completed in a short time. "
Vader was astonished. "Why are you … so familiar with shipbuilding?"
"I used to be a captain, child," the old man exhaled, "When I was young, I often carried a large amount of cargo through the Seawindshire and the Port of Clearwater, and also to the Kingdom of Dawn and the Fjord Islands. Later, because of some things … I ended up in this state. "
"You've never told me this before." Vader widened his eyes.
"You've never asked, child." Cacusim shrugged.
"All right." Vader shifted his gaze to the shipyard. "So what you're really curious about is the technology that His Highness can build a sailboat in half a month."
"No captain wouldn't be curious," he said, stroking his beard. "If His Highness isn't lying, do you know what this means? In a year or two, he'll be able to run his fleet on all the rivers in Graycastle. "
Vader's heart skipped a beat. "Are you planning to …"
The old man smiled. "I can't just eat your oatmeal for free all the time."
"Of course His Highness wouldn't lie," someone suddenly said. "And it's not a sailboat."
Vader turned around. The speaker was a young man who sounded like a local resident of the Western Region. "Not a sailboat?"
"That's right. It can sail without sails, and it's faster than any sailboat," the young man said proudly. "Have you seen the steam engine that emits white fog in the mine? The kind that can easily drag a basket of ore out of the mine. These cement boats are powered by it. According to His Highness, they're all steam boats! "
"They can sail without sails?" Cacusim questioned. "Boy, what nonsense are you talking about? If a boat doesn't have sails, it can only be moved by oarsmen. It can't be faster than other sailboats. Besides, they haven't even entered the water. You haven't even seen them. How do you know they can move? "
"Of course I've seen them," the young man said with a grin. "You're new here, so it's normal that you don't know. In the summer, I modified a steam boat for the caravan across the channel. But that boat was still made of wood, so it's not as durable as these stone boats. "
Vader wanted to say something, but Cacusim's eyes suddenly lit up. He pointed in the direction of the shipyard. "Look, His Highness is coming out!"
There was a burst of cheers from the crowd. Everyone raised their hands to greet their lord.
Prince Roland stepped onto the temporary wooden platform beside the shipyard. After saying a few congratulatory words, he announced the launch of the new boat.
Amid the rhythmic cheers, the workers took apart the side of the wooden shed facing the Redwater River. A forty-meter-long gray boat slid down the embankment along the snow and plunged into the cold water.
Vader's heart skipped a beat. He almost thought that the boat would sink to the bottom of the river, but to his surprise, after the rest of the boat entered the water, the bow of the boat rose up again, creating a big splash.
Once again, the crowd burst into enthusiastic applause.
"My God, it really floated up." Cacusim was stunned for a moment. "But is it really made of stone?"
Vader had the same question. The surface of the bathtub boat looked too smooth, like a finely polished granite slab. But there was no trace of it being pieced together. The whole boat was a seamless whole. The cabin without a deck was very shallow, so it was impossible to sleep in. The bottom was very flat, so there was no way to fix the mast. Just like everyone said, it was completely a bathtub.
But no matter what, His Highness had indeed built the boat in half a month.
He looked at Cacusim and found that his eyes were shining with excitement.
"I want to apply for the position of captain," the old man said.
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