Both sides of the Whitewater River were crowded with people.
Tens of thousands of people gathered on the highlands on both sides of the river, watching the river with curiosity, excitement, and a hint of nervousness. Whether it was the local residents, the new immigrants who had just settled down here, or the traveling merchants who happened to pass by, no one was not curious about the appearance of the magically engineered object that was going to be displayed today. It was said that it was a ship, a ship that was powered by magic. Some of the people who were more familiar with the battle at the Firmrock Fortress remembered that the Firmrock Fortress had been breached by two 'magically engineered warships', and those two warships were said to be only half-finished products …
There was no doubt that what was about to appear on the Whitewater River today was the largest creation Cecil had shown to the people since the start of the magical engineering industry.
Beside the river, a few merchants from the north were chatting in full swing. One of them spoke with unconcealable anticipation, "How much cargo do you think the new ship can carry?"
Someone immediately laughed, "Didn't you listen to the programme? That's a warship … "
"You have no taste!" The merchant who spoke first immediately retorted, "It's been so long, and you still don't understand the style of the lord? The technology of the warship must be used by the people, and Marquess Rebecca just said … "
"That's true. It's said that Kerd from Calore has already bought a magic truck …"
Behind the merchants, a hunchbacked old man could not help but shake his head, "I don't think there's anything special about that ship. Ships are nothing more than large wooden basins floating on the water …"
A young man at the side immediately mocked, "Old Man Cole, you said that a car was nothing more than a wooden plank supported by a few wheels!"
The old man who was mocked immediately blew his beard and glared, "What do you know, brat! This old man has never built a car, but I've built ships for half my life! What kind of ship haven't I seen? "
The young man looked at the old man who was blowing his beard and glaring at him. Just as he was about to say something, a sudden loud noise from the river interrupted everyone's conversation.
It was a loud, vigorous, and imposing whistle that made people's hearts clench.
Shrouded in mist, a hazy figure appeared on the eastern side of the river. A second whistle sounded from the depths of the thin mist.
After a brief silence, the people on both sides of the river let out deafening cheers and screams. Soon, the cheers and screams spread along the banks of the Whitewater River.
The people on the riverbank widened their eyes. They did not know what kind of creation it was that could cause such a big reaction, but they soon saw it clearly. It was a colossus made of steel.
It was bigger than any river wooden boat they had ever seen before, and more majestic than any warship. The steel behemoth had both a rigid texture and an elegant curve. It braved the wind and waves on the Whitewater River, but there were no sails or oars. The only thing on the ship that reminded people of sails was the "wings" on both sides of the hull. But the wings were made of neat metal blades lined with glimmering runes and magic patterns. Obviously, they were not the direct power source of the ship. The ship without sails and oars was moving forward under the power of some kind of arcanotech device. The bright sun shone on its metal hull and deck, and it was amazing and full of courage.
The sharp-eyed people saw the strange two-story deck of the ship. The middle of the ship was higher than the surroundings, and at the top of this bulging structure was an upper deck with many strange devices. Between the upper and lower decks, the bulging structure was covered by a layer of shimmering energy shield. Soldiers in light armor stood neatly by the side of the ship, and behind the soldiers were daunting turrets and shield generating towers.
It wasn't a ship at all. It was a fully-armed steel fortress that sailed on the water.
By the riverbank, the merchants who were discussing fervently were stunned. The young people who were laughing and joking were also speechless. An old man who had been building ships for half his life and had seen all kinds of ships muttered to himself in shock, "This kind of ship … I have never seen it before … Is this thing really a ship?!"
In the bridge of the new arcanotech warship Pathfinder, all the technicians and government officials who had participated in the project stood behind the wide observation window. They were excited to see the rolling waves of the Whitewater River receding on both sides of the ship. The surging magic transmitted from the power spine was injected into the lower deck of the ship, driving the three engine units in the mechanical cabin. The low and powerful roar was like the heartbeat of the behemoth. Everyone could not help but marvel at the miracle of arcanotech engineering.
At the front of the bridge, Gwen held the railing behind the window with both hands and looked at the river in the distance. After a long time, he looked back and nodded to the siren beside him. "Your contribution is the greatest. This ship is even beyond my imagination."
"I just provided some technical guidance. To be honest, the efforts of the engineers and arcanotech technicians are the key to the birth of this ship," Tyre said modestly. The tip of her tail swayed in the air. Apparently, the siren was in a good mood. "Your arcanotech technology is not mature, and many of the foundations are very weak. But fortunately … the difficulties have been overcome."
"We've installed two large magic crystal railguns at the bow and stern of the ship. They can be used to hit targets within twenty-two kilometers. Two rainbow light generators are installed in the middle and both sides of the ship. They have an effective range of fifteen kilometers. After optimizing the power ridge structure, all the cannons can fire at the same time without affecting the engine …" A high-ranked magician reported from the side, "The cannon can fire at the same time without affecting the engine …"
"In addition, as per your order, we have installed an additional magic obelisk at the back of the bridge. It can provide magic network coverage around the ship to ensure that the fleet members can communicate with each other in the future. At the same time, small ships with damaged energy systems can also recharge around the ship …
"Miss Tyre has helped us solve the navigation stability and the center of gravity problem …"
Gwen listened carefully to the report of the technician. He was relieved. He also sighed that it was the right decision to use the rainbow light technology to persuade Tyre to join the technical team.
The technology of the sirens was many years ahead of humans. Even if it had declined, even if some of its fields were incomplete, and even if the technical routes were not the same, it still had a huge role in promoting and improving Cecil's shipbuilding technology. Many technical difficulties that human technicians needed to study for a few months were often not a problem in the eyes of the sirens. Tyre had been busy in the shipyard from last year to this year. Most of the time, she was not actually solving the technical difficulties, but looking for a way to integrate the existing human technology with the knowledge of the sirens. As long as the integration was successful, the problem would be solved.
"At present, the live broadcast of the Trailblazer's launch has been broadcasted all over the territory. The synchronized newspaper will also be published tomorrow," Heti said. "According to your plan, the ship will continue to sail westward. First, it will stop at the port of Tanzam for half a day to perform mechanical inspection. Then, it will turn to the northwest and pass through the border of Hosman, the Louin area, and the Calor area. Finally, it will stop at the Rock Fortress for three days to conduct a thorough inspection and test before returning."
"Very good." Gwen nodded slightly and looked at the middle-aged Knight standing not far away. "Byron, thank you for your hard work these days."
Byron, who had become the temporary captain of the Trailblazer, smiled brightly and responded loudly, "Don't worry, I will not let you down!"
Philip, who was standing not far away and looked terrible, could not help but shake his head. "You are so ungentlemanly when you are excited."
Byron heard his old partner's muttering and glanced at Philip. "You are just jealous. Who asked you to not have the talent to be a captain?"
Philip straightened his body and said seriously, "As a knight, I am more interested in charging and breaking through enemy lines on solid ground."
Byron shook his head and whispered, "You just threw up as soon as you boarded the ship. What's wrong with admitting it? Now your face is as white as a sheet."
Gwen noticed the conversation between the two, but he just smiled and shook his head without saying much.
Philip, who had always been young and steady, was a little seasick. He did not expect this before, but on the other hand, Byron was very adapted to his new role, which was a good sign.
People could not be trapped on land forever, and this was even more so for Cecil's army. With the continuous development of new shipbuilding technology, Gwen was bound to make up for the shortcoming of "water power", which was common to all human countries. Long before the Trailblazer was built, he had made plans to build a navy. Of course, for the Principality of Cecil at this stage, the so-called navy was more appropriate to describe it as an inland river navy, but it was at least a foundation. He could only build the first marines from scratch.
He still remembered the so-called "fleet" formed by the noble alliance last year. He remembered the motley crew who wore armor, could not swim, and did not know how to fight in the water. Most of them were annihilated by cannon fire on the ship. In this era where cavalry was king, the sea was blocked by natural disasters, and water battles were not valued. Even if he took over the inheritance of the nobles in the south, he could not find anyone with a foundation to train as marines. Therefore, he could only recruit a group of "talents" from the fishermen and sailors of cargo ships in the west. After half a year of training on sampans, fishing boats, and cargo ships, he finally had a group of soldiers who could barely serve on the ship. Most of these soldiers were now standing on this new magic warship.
Byron was the captain of this warship, and also the commander of the marines. For the past half a year, apart from continuing to be in charge of a part of the army, he was also in charge of the training of the new marines.
This middle-aged Knight was not an expert in naval warfare, but there were no naval warfare experts in the south at this time. At the very least, Byron had commanded a semi-finished magic warship and used it to attack Firmrock Fortress. Moreover, he had rich experience in all kinds of combat environments when he was a mercenary. He was the only candidate Gwen could find.
After all, it could not be done in one go. That was the case for most fields that were built from scratch.
Under the command of Byron Knight, the new Cecil 'Marines' would complete their final training on this ship. These marines who were trained using sampans and fishing boats would encounter a real magic warship for the first time. Before them were no longer models and theoretical data, but actual steel machinery and control mechanisms. They would learn how to control a ship powered by magic machines, and how to deal with various problems on the water. And this ship would sail along the White Water River in this half a month of training. Its voyage would be watched by countless people on the riverbank, published in newspapers, and broadcasted live on the Mana Net. It was not just a training, but also a display and a deterrent.
Although the order in the south had been stabilized, it was not completely peaceful. The remnants of the old nobles and the Church's army were still entrenched in the mountains and forests of the west and north. These people who had become bandits were now engaged in the business of banditry. Knight Philip had been organizing a purge of these bandits, but it had not been done yet.
Gwen knew that the most stubborn and naive of the remnants were still fantasizing about the sudden collapse of Cecil's rule and the restoration of the old system. There were also some who had adapted to the life of bandits and enjoyed lawless days. The new magic warship was for them to see.
There was no doubt that the cannons of the new magic warship shone with the brilliance of art. And art had always been used to influence people's hearts.
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