Chapter 393: New Boats Entering the Water
A crowd had gathered at the temporary shipyard beside the Redwater River.
Word had spread for weeks: somewhere inside that wooden shed, craftsmen were building boats from gray cement—a material that turned to stone when it set. Anyone who had seen the docks at Longsong knew what stone did in water. The craftsmen themselves had settled on a name for the things: Bathtub Ships.
Today the first two boats would enter the river.
The crowd divided naturally into two kinds of people. One kind was newcomers—civilians recently arrived from the Eastern and Southern Territories, fishermen and inland sailors among them, come to witness the event with open skepticism. The other kind was Border Town locals, accustomed by now to the prince’s miracles, who had walked out through the drifting snow simply to see His Highness.
Cacusim belonged firmly to the first kind.
When he had spotted the notice at the square—test launch of new boats, open to the public—he had announced he was going regardless. Vader had no choice but to request leave from Carter and accompany him. The old man wasn’t familiar with the town, and with the ground buried under thick snow and crowds expected to press and shove, a fall could mean an injury that didn’t heal.
“You underestimate me, child.” Cacusim waved a dismissive hand. “I’ve sailed through weather that would terrify your nightmares. My body may be aging but it still works.”
“Of course, of course,” Vader said, not particularly meaning it. “I’ve already cleared the leave, so it’s done. I just don’t understand why you had to come yourself. It’s only a boat.”
“But you said it was made from gray stone.” The old man shook his head. “Has the world reached a point where stone floats?”
That’s my fault, Vader thought. I should never have mentioned the notice.
“Maybe His Highness was exaggerating. Probably it’s mostly wood, with a few cement parts mixed in.”
“That’s even stranger.” Cacusim was not deterred. “When was that shed built?”
“About a month ago. Maybe a little more.”
“Right.” His beard trembled with certainty. “Before you were recruited into the police. When we first arrived at the Inner City, that plot was empty ground.” He paused for effect. “A month to build the shed. That leaves perhaps two weeks to build the first boat.”
“Is that unusual?” Vader asked.
“Of course it’s unusual!” Cacusim’s voice rose. “In the name of the Sea God—I have never seen a boat built in two weeks. Not by any yard, anywhere. Forget about size—for a sailing vessel, just cutting and curing the keel takes longer than that. You steam the wood, you bend it, you wait for it to season. There is no shortcut. The entire process is irreducible.”
Vader stared at him. “How do you know all this?”
“I was a captain, child.” Cacusim sighed. “When I was young, I ran cargo from Seawindshire to the Port of Clearwater. Made it as far as the Kingdom of Dawn and the Fjord Islands. Then something happened.” A pause. “And now I’m here.”
“You’ve never told me any of that.”
“You never asked.”
“Alright.” Vader turned his attention back to the shipyard. “So what you really want to see is whether His Highness actually built a functional ship in two weeks.”
“Any captain worth his salt would want to see it.” Cacusim stroked his beard. “And if he didn’t exaggerate—do you understand what this means? One or two years from now, his fleet will be moving goods along every river in Graycastle.”
Vader felt something shift uneasily in his chest. “You don’t intend to—”
Cacusim’s smile was serene. “I can’t eat your oatmeal forever.”
“His Highness doesn’t exaggerate.” Someone nearby spoke up. Vader turned to find a young man, clearly a local from his accent. “And those aren’t sailing boats.”
“Not sailing boats?” Vader said.
“No sails at all. They travel without wind—faster than any sailing vessel.” The young man’s pride was unconcealed. “You’ve seen the steam engines in the mines? Those engines drag full ore baskets up from underground without a single person pulling. These cement boats run on the same principle. Steam-powered boats—that’s what His Highness calls them.”
Cacusim looked skeptical. “Travel without sails means travel by oar. And no oar-driven vessel can outpace a ship with a good wind behind it. Besides, the thing isn’t even in the water yet. How can you claim to know how it moves?”
“Because I’ve already worked on one.” The young man didn’t back down. “Last summer I helped modify a steam-powered wooden boat for a merchant caravan crossing the strait. The cement ones are newer—stronger hull—but the propulsion is the same.”
Vader was preparing another question when the young man’s eyes suddenly went wide and bright. He pointed. “There—His Highness has arrived!”
The crowd erupted. Hands raised, voices overlapping, and a wave of movement passed through the gathered people as Roland climbed the temporary wooden platform beside the shipyard. He said a few words—Vader couldn’t make out exactly what—and then gave the signal.
With chanted rhythms, the workers unsealed the wooden shed’s river-facing wall. A boat emerged: forty meters of gray hull sliding down the levee, collecting snow as it went, and plunging into the icy Redwater.
Vader felt his heart seize. It’s going to sink.
The rear half submerged. The bow tilted—then lifted. Foam erupted. The hull steadied, rocking in the current, enormous and impossible and entirely afloat.
The crowd roared.
“It really floats.” Cacusim stood motionless, his mouth slightly open. “God of the Sea. Is that actually stone?”
Vader looked at the boat in the water. The hull surface was smooth—seamless, like polished granite fitted edge to edge without mortar. The cabin was shallow, no deck, no berths for crew, no place to step a mast. Flat-bottomed. Bathtub-shaped—the craftsmen had named it honestly.
Everything His Highness had described was true, produced in exactly the time frame he had claimed.
Vader looked at Cacusim.
The old man’s eyes had gone bright in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.
“I want to apply to be captain,” he said.
Chapter 393: New Boats Entering the Water
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
A crowd of people surrounded the temporary shipyard by the Redwater River.
Everyone knew that in the wooden shed some strange boats were being built with shells resembling a huge bathtub. The boats were made of gray cement —a material which was no different from rock after it set. If they were put into water, there would be no trace of it except a splash.
The craftsmen who worked here gave it a proper name: Bathtub Ship.
Today would be when the first two boats went into the water.
The crowd was composed of two kinds of people. One kind was civilians who had just joined Border Town and were curious about the event or felt it unconceivable, so they came to check it out with great skepticism. A great number of them were fishermen and sailors from the Eastern and Southern Territory. The other kind was locals who were used to His Highness’ various “miracles”. They had heard of the previous Littletown and gathered here in the drifting snow to see His Highness.
Cacusim was among the first kind.
When Cacusim first saw the notice about the test of new boats and the new recruiting order of His Highness, he said he would come and watch the boats entering water no matter what. Vader had no choice but to ask His Excellency Carter for a leave and accompany Cacusim. Considering Cacusim wasn’t familiar with this area, and the ground was covered with thick snow, Vader was worried about his going to a crowded place all by himself. If he fell down in a push-squeeze situation, it could mean incurable injury.
“You’re underestimating me, child.” The old man waved his hand, suggesting Vader not to follow him. “I’ve been through winds and waves. Although I’m getting old, my physical condition isn’t much worse than yours.”
“Sure, sure,” Vader said carelessly. “I’ve already asked for leave, so any rejection is too late. I just don’t quite get it—why do you have to come and see this thing enter water? It’s only a boat.”
“But you said it was made out of gray stone.” Cacusim shook his head. “Have we entered a time when even a bathtub-sized stone could float on water?”
“It’s my own fault.” Vader thought. “I shouldn’t have mentioned the notice at the square.” “Maybe His Highness was only bragging. Probably it’s a wooden boat with a few parts made out of that… cement.”
“That’s even more unlikely.” The old man insisted. “Think about it—when was this wooden shed built?”
“About… over a month ago.”
“That’s right. It’s before when you were recruited as a policeman. When we first moved to the Inner City here, this place was still empty!” His beard shook. “It took a month to build the shed, so it means building the first boat only took half a month.”
“Uh, isn’t that normal?” Vader was bewildered.
“Of course not!” Cacusim exclaimed, “In the name of the Sea God! I’ve never seen a boat that could be built within half a month. It’s not a matter of size—for any type of sailing boat, processing keels alone would take more than a month, because you must wait until the wood is totally dried to then curve it with steam. This is a very complicated process that can’t be completed in a short time.”
Vader was very surprised. “Why are you so familiar with shipbuilding?”
“I was once a captain, child.” The old man sighed. “When I was young, I used to sail with lots of goods through Seawindshire and the Port of Clearwater, and I reached as far as the Kingdom of Dawn and Fjord Islands. Then something happened… and now I’m here. ”
“You’ve never told me any of that.” Vader said with his eyes wide open.
“You’ve never asked, child.” Cacusim shrugged.
“Alright.” Vader shifted his attention to the shipyard. “So what you’re really curious about is the technique His Highness used to build a sailing boat within half a month.”
“Any captain would be curious.” Cacusim touched his beard. “If His Highness isn’t lying, do you know what this means?” One or two years later, his fleet will be sailing through all the rivers in the Kingdom of Graycastle.”
Vader’ heart twitched. “You don’t intend to…”
Cacusim smiled, “I can’t always eat your oatmeal.”
“His Highness never lies.” Someone nearby suddenly said. “Besides, that’s not a sailing boat.”
Vader turned around to find that the speaker was a young man. Judging from his accent, he seemed to be a local Western Region resident. “Not a sailing boat?”
“No. It can travel without wind and at a speed faster than any sailing boat.” “The young man continued proudly, “Have you seen the steam engines in the mines? They can easily drag a basket of ore out of the mine hole. These cement boats are driven by those steam engines, and according to His Highness, they’re actually steam-powered boats!”
“Travelling without sails?” Cacusim said with disbelief, “Kid, that’s nonsense. If a boat has no sails, it can only rely on paddling. Such a boat can never travel faster than a sailing boat. Besides, they’re not in the water yet. If you haven’t seen it, how can you be sure that they can move in water at all?”
“Of course I’ve seen it,” said the young man. “You must be newcomers from other territories, so it’s normal if you don’t understand. In the summertime, I modified a steam-powered boat for a Caravan across the strait. But the boat was still wooden and not as durable as those cement ones.”
Vader intended to argue more, but that young man’s eyes suddenly brightened up. Pointing to the shipyard, that man said, “Look over there. His Highness is here!”
Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd as all the people raised their hands to greet the Lord.
Prince Roland went up to the temporary wooden platform next to the shipyard, conveyed a few congratulatory words, and then announced the entering water of the new boats.
With rhythmic chants, the workers opened the wooden shed towards the Redwater River. A boat with a 40-meter-long gray hull slid down the river levee, collecting snow, and plunged into the icy water.
Vader felt his heart jump into his throat. He thought this thing would sink directly to the river bottom, but to his surprise, after the rear half entered the water, the front lifted up and splashed with foam.
The crowd burst into applause again.
“Gee, it really floats up.” Cacusim froze in shock. “But is it really made of stone?”
Vader had the same question—the surface of the Bathtub Ship looked so smooth, as if it was made of finely polished granite slabs seamlessly connected together. The hull of the boat looked like one whole piece. The boat cabin was shallow and it had no decks, so there were no places for the crew to sleep. Furthermore, the boat bottom was too flat for masts to be fixed on. As its nickname indicated, this thing looked exactly like a bathtub.
Either way, His Highness had indeed managed to produce the boat within half a month.
Vader looked at Cacusim and found his eyes glinting with excitement.
“I want to apply to be captain,” said the old man.