When Thunder raised the question in his mind, Roland could not help but smile.
Roland had to admit that the explorer was really good at seeing the essence of the problem. According to the standards of the manual era, any industrial product could be regarded as sky-high, but he certainly would not charge the blacksmith according to the forging cost, otherwise it would be too hurtful.
In fact, if Neverwinter had not built a large number of steelmaking facilities after the success of the converter experiment, it would have been impossible to carry out the two major projects of steel ships and rail trains in a short period of time. Without the witches, the steel mill had now entered a stage of positive development. The whole process, from extracting iron from the High Furnace Area to extracting charcoal from the coking tower, to refining the molten steel into ingots, had been simplified.
In such a large plant, apart from all kinds of workers, the rest were auxiliary machinery driven by steam engines. The rolling water vapor often mixed with the floating dust, forming the unique environment of the North Slope Mountain — Gray Fog. If one stood at a high place in the city and looked toward the Impassable Mountain Range, they would see a "gray cloud" that covered the mountainside.
When the steel mill was operating at full capacity, the daily output of steel was more than the annual output of a city in the past. This was also the foundation of all industrial projects in Neverwinter. Based on this foundation, everything would undergo a qualitative change, but few people could truly understand the meaning behind it.
"We can talk about the price later, but I guarantee that it will be much lower than the lowest price you can imagine." Roland smiled slightly. "Because that's not the point. As I said, the development of new waters is of great significance to all human beings. As the King of Graycastle, I'm naturally willing to contribute to this. "
Thunder was moved. "I admire your foresight... Few people are willing to spend money on things they can't see. Even in the Fjords, the Chamber of Commerce prefers new routes that can bring profits. Although you can't take the risk yourself, this idea has already surpassed many explorers. "
"Do you think that what I said in the old king's city was just for show?" Roland thought indifferently. In terms of the desire to understand this world, I'm afraid no one can compare to me. After all, it may be related to the origin of the Battle of Divine Will and the secrets hidden behind the curtain.
"Compared to that, let's take a look on the ship first." He smiled and changed the topic. "Since you're here, I'll show you around from start to finish."
"That couldn't be better, Your Majesty!" Thunder replied with a grin.
...
Since there was no ready-made information available for reference, the steel ship could be said to be a collection of classic ship types, but it could also be said to be neither fish nor fowl. The front half of the ship was similar to an ironclad. The bow was slanted outwards, and there was a ram below the waterline. The middle section was rapidly widened to achieve as much stability as possible in high sea conditions. The stern was flat, similar to a modern ship, with a total tonnage of about 2,500 tons.
Roland had tried to add some advanced technologies to improve the ship's performance, such as a bulbous bow and fin stabilizers. However, the former needed to be designed according to the ship's shape and speed, while the latter required a complex mechanical linkage structure to adjust the angle. Considering factors such as the time limit and reliability, he finally gave up on these options that were far ahead of the times.
However, this did not mean that it was an enlarged version of the shallow water gunboat "Roland". Its power core, a steam turbine personally assembled by Anna, was already something that Thunder and the others could not understand. Apart from this, handheld telephones were used for the first time in cabin communication. Several lines connected the command post, the engine room, and the watchtower together. Compared to the sound transmission tube, which was sometimes good and sometimes bad, no matter how noisy the sea was, the captain could still clearly hear the reports of the various units.
It was also worth mentioning that these hand-operated telephones were equipped with the enchanted Mini Dawn power supply, which was enough to support a long exploration.
"This is... incredible." After touring the entire ship, Thunder stood in the bright and clean tower bridge and exclaimed, "I even feel that she's not a ship, but a mobile sea fortress."
Roland chuckled to himself. "How is it? I didn't let you down, did I?"
"No, Your Majesty, you think too highly of me." The explorer did not hide his satisfaction. "She's the most beautiful ship I've ever seen in my life. She's exceeded my expectations in every aspect. Now I feel that as long as I have her, it won't be a problem to cross the entire Swirling Sea. "
"Don't jump to conclusions yet," he waved his hand. "To be honest, I don't know anything about shipbuilding, so it can only be regarded as a complicated machine, not a real ship. As for how good it can be, we'll have to wait for the next sea trials. You'll need to provide data such as speed, stability, number of sailors, food storage, and so on. If all goes well, you'll be able to set off for the Shadow Waters after this year's Months of Demons. "
"Nothing... at all?" Thunder clicked his tongue. "If those old craftsmen in the Fjords know what you said, they'll definitely jump into the sea with hatred. By the way, if you can build such an amazing steel ship even though you know nothing about shipbuilding, then what will the things you know be like? "
"You'll find out tomorrow." Roland kept Roland guessing. "But before that, you'd better enjoy tonight's welcome banquet."
*****
After nightfall, the castle hall was brightly lit.
The candles were replaced by glowing stones that emitted a soft and stable light. The old wooden tables were replaced by round tables covered with white cloths. Champagne towers were formed by wine glasses, and the musicians were playing violins. Since the City hall's treasury was filled up, not only had the castle been renovated, but even the banquet was becoming more and more like the style of King's City. Most of the people invited were the higher-ups of Neverwinter and the Witch Union. Of course, the Witch Union was no exception.
"The man standing beside His Majesty is the explorer from your hometown?" Lorgar looked at him with interest and turned to Lightning. "Don't you want to talk to him?"
"His name is Sande Asuka, right?" The little girl shrugged and put a piece of roasted mushroom into the mouth of the pigeon on her head. "I've never heard of him. He must be a nobody. There's nothing to talk about. You don't know that there are countless explorers in the Fjords, but most of them are captains who have only traveled on remote routes once or twice. They haven't even seen hurricanes and big waves. " She paused. "By the way, why hasn't Mystery Moon come yet? Didn't he say he was going to challenge our Exploration Group?"
"But someone who can be received by the great chief shouldn't be an ordinary person." For example, me... Lorgar wagged her tail. "Maybe he's heard about your father?"
After joining the Neverwinter Exploration Group for a while, she had learned more about the past of her two companions.
"I agree, coo!" Maggie echoed. "It's never wrong to ask, coo!"
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