Chapter 955: An Unexpected Reunion

Roland caught the look on Thunder’s face and let himself smile.

The explorer had a gift for identifying the essential nature of a problem. By the craft standards of this era — everything made by hand, one piece at a time — any large industrial product would carry an astronomical price, and Thunder had just recalculated what he was actually looking at. But Roland had no intention of billing him by the true cost of materials. That would be businesslike in the wrong way: it would close a relationship that needed to stay open.

The steel production that had made the ship possible was a different story entirely. The converter experiment had worked; the steelmaking facility at North Slope Mountain now ran on its own logic, independent of witch labor. Ironmaking in the Blast Furnace Zone, charcoal from the coker unit, liquid steel, ingot forming — the entire chain had been mechanized. A few workers, auxiliary steam-powered machinery, and grey-white vapor rising from the mountainside in a permanent low haze that people in the city had started calling the grey fog of North Slope. The average daily output these days exceeded what an entire city had once produced in a year.

Most people who observed this did not understand what it represented. That was acceptable. It represented everything.

“We can discuss money later,” Roland said, “and I promise it will be considerably less than you’re calculating. Money isn’t the point. What matters is that unknown seas are worth exploring for reasons that outlast any single treasury — and as King of Graycastle, I want to be part of that.” He kept his tone easy. “Even if I can’t sail the ship myself.”

Thunder’s expression shifted — something past mere courtesy. “I am genuinely impressed by your foresight, Your Majesty. Most men who hold power are drawn toward benefits they can see and count. Spending resources on the intangible is rare even among explorers, and most of them aren’t running a kingdom.” A pause. “The Fjords’ Chamber of Commerce would never authorize this without a projected return.”

You were performing social courtesy when we corresponded earlier, then. Roland noted it without resentment. He had been doing the same thing. “Let’s board the ship. I’ll show you around.”

Thunder’s face answered before he did.

The ship was, to be honest, a composite — Roland had used elements from several historical models because he had no single tradition to draw on. The bow followed an ironclad profile, angled slightly outward, with an embolon below the waterline. The midsection was broadened for stability in heavy seas. The stern was flat like a modern cargo vessel. Total displacement: approximately twenty-five hundred tonnes.

He had considered a bulbous bow and fin stabilizers during the design phase, then discarded both. A bulbous bow required precise calculation against the ship’s speed and hull form; a fin stabilizer required complex mechanical linkage to adjust its angle dynamically. Neither was achievable within the current time constraints and material tolerances. He had let them go cleanly, without regret.

What the ship did have was better than most of what it lacked. The steam turbine Anna had assembled alone was beyond anything Thunder’s people could have built — the sailor-engineers were already circling it with a mixture of reverence and bafflement. The command structure relied on wind-up telephones: separate lines connected the bridge, the engine room, and the watchtower, each unit fitted with a bewitched Mini Dawn battery capable of lasting a full extended voyage. An acoustic tube cut in and out; the telephone cut through the noise of a heavy sea and delivered a clear voice.

“This doesn’t look like a ship.” Thunder stood in the bright, wide tower bridge, turning slowly, taking in the scale. “It looks like a castle that has learned to float.”

“A promising start.” Roland clasped his hands behind his back. “Satisfied with the tour?”

“‘Satisfied.’” Thunder repeated the word as if testing whether it was adequate. “Your Majesty, she exceeds my expectations on every measure. I feel I could hold the Swirling Sea with her.”

“Don’t be too confident yet.” Roland held up a hand. “I’ll be the first to admit I know nothing about shipbuilding. At the moment she’s a very complicated machine, not a proven ship. What I need from you is what she actually does under real conditions — speed, stability, required crew size, food quantities, every variable your sailors can measure. If the trials go well, you’ll be ready to depart for Shadow Sea after the Months of Demons.”

Thunder made a sound that fell somewhere between a laugh and disbelief. “Know nothing about shipbuilding. If the old craftsmen at the Fjords heard you say that, I believe several of them would drown themselves out of shame.” He shook his head, still looking around the bridge. “And what would you build if you actually knew something?”

Roland held the suspense a moment. “Come to the feast tonight. You’ll have your answer tomorrow.”

Night came down over Neverwinter, and the castle hall came alive.

Stones of Light had replaced candles entirely — their glow was steadier, softer, and required no tending. The long wooden table was gone; in its place stood a round one draped in white cloth. A champagne tower had replaced the old wine glasses. Violins threaded through the air from the corner where the band had set up. Since the treasury had filled, the city had shed the last of its frontier austerity: banquets now carried something of the old King’s City grandeur, attended by Neverwinter’s prominent figures and their counterparts from the alliance cities. The Witch Union occupied their customary places, invited as they always were.

“The man beside His Majesty is an explorer from your home?” Lorgar cut a glance at Thunder with open curiosity, tail moving idly, and turned to Lightning. “Aren’t you going to speak to him?”

“His name is Sander Flyingbird.” Lightning shrugged and held out a piece of grilled mushroom for the pigeon hovering at her shoulder; Maggie took it with a pleased sound. “I’ve never heard of him. That means he’s not significant. At the Fjords, anyone who’s done two long voyages without drowning starts calling himself an explorer.” She paused. “Where’s Mystery Moon? She said she wanted to have a contest with the Exploration Group.”

“A guest that the chief receives personally is rarely ordinary,” Lorgar said — with the private note of someone applying a lesson to herself as much as to Lightning. “He might have news about your father.”

“Coo!” Maggie chimed in. “Couldn’t hurt to ask, coo!”

Lightning twitched her lips. “Fine. Since you both insist, I’ll go say hello.”

Chapter 955: An Unexpected Reunion

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

When Thunder brought up his question, Roland could not help curling his lips into a smile.

He had to admit that the explorer was very good at grasping the nature of problems. By the standards of this era where everything was handcrafted, the price of any massive industrial product would be an astronomic number. However, Roland would definitely not charge Thunder based on the actual overhead cost of shipbuilding. It would just sound too businesslike and would definitely not help foster a healthy and sustainable relationship between them.

As a matter of fact, the immediate launch of the two concurrent projects, the steel ship and the railway train, was largely attributed to the newly built steelmaking facilities after the success of the converter experiment in Neverwinter. The steel mill, which had now become completely independent of the witches, had created a virtuous cycle for efficient production. The whole steelmaking process, which included ironmaking in the Blast Furnace Zone, charcoal production in the coker unit, obtaining liquid steel, and forming ingots had become mechanized.

Other than a few workers, there were only auxiliary machinery powered by steam engines in the entire plant. The steamy water vapor mingled with the ashes formed a unique phenomenon at North Slope Mountain known as grey fog. People would notice the mountainside was overcast by a layer of “smoky clouds” when they looked up at the Impassable Mountain Range from somewhere high in the city.

As the steel mill was currently in full swing, the average daily output these days exceeded the annual output of a city in the past. The astonishing production rate thus lay a solid foundation for all the industrial projects in Neverwinter. With the introduction of automatization, everything would experience a drastic change, although few people understood what it actually represented.

“We can talk about money later, but I assure you that it would be much cheaper than you think.” Roland smiled faintly. “Because money isn’t an issue, I’ve said that the exploitation of unknown seas means a great deal to the entire human race. As the King of Graycastle, I would love to be part of that project.”

Thunder’s expression changed. He said, “I’m very impressed with your foresight… Few people are willing to spend money on something intangible. Even the Chamber of Commerce at the Fjords is more inclined toward investigating new routes that would bring potential benefits. Although you can’t participate in the exploration yourself, you have a much larger ambition than many explorers.”

“So, you were just speaking civilities back in the old king’s city?” Roland thought indifferently. He believed nobody had a stronger desire than him to explore the world, for it concerned the origin of the Battle of Divine Will and the big secret behind it.

“Anyway, let’s board the ship first.” Roland smiled and changed the subject. “Since you’re here, I’ll show you around.”

“That would be great, Your Majesty!” Thunder grinned.

…

Since Roland had no reference or precedent, the steel ship was a “nondescript” as it adopted different features of various classic ship models. Its front end resembled an ironclad, the bow of which slightly leaned outward, with an embolon underneath the waterline. The middle part of the ship was broadened to help the vessel maintain stability in severe sea

conditions. The rear was flat like a modern ship. The total weight of the vessel was about 2,500 tons.

Roland had once attempted to incorporate some new and unusual technologies, such as a bulbous bow and a fin stabilizer, into its design to optimize its performance. However, a bulbous bow should be crafted separately based on the design and the speed of the ship, whereas a fin stabilizer required complex mechanical linkage to adjust its angle. In consideration of the time limit and the practicality of the project, he had abandoned these pursuits that apparently exceeded the abilities of the current technologies.

Nevertheless, it did not mean that this was an enlarged version of “the Roland”, the shallow water gunboats. The steam turbine assembled by Anna alone was beyond the scope of Thunder and his party’s understanding. Apart from that, it was the first time that a wind-up telephone was used for communication. Several telephone lines connected the command room, the machinery room, and the watchtower together. Compared to an on-and-off acoustic tube, the telephone worked much better. The captain could hear reports from various parts of the ship clearly with the telephone despite the loud noises of the sea.

It was also worth mentioning that the wind-up telephone was equipped with a bewitched Mini Dawn battery that could last long enough to complete a prolonged trip.

“This is… incredible.” After the tour, Thunder exclaimed in the bright, spacious tower bridge. “It doesn’t look like a ship to me but a moving castle above water.”

Roland was amused at how fast Thunder had changed his thoughts of the ship. He said, “How about it? I didn’t let you down, did I?”

“No, Your Majesty. I’m flattered.” The explorer did not conceal his contentment at all. “She’s the most beautiful ship I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. It exceeds my expectation from every aspect. I feel I can rule the whole Swirling Sea with her.”

“Don’t rush to a conclusion yet.” Roland waved his hand. “To be completely honest, I know nothing about shipbuilding. Therefore, it’s just a very complicated machine at the moment and not a real ship yet. It all depends on how she performs in the upcoming test. You have to provide me with a series of statistics, including her speed, stability, your crew number, the quantity of your food, etc. If things go well, you’ll be able to set out for Shadow Sea after the Months of Demons this year.”

“Know… nothing?” Thunder clucked his tongue. “If the old craftsmen at Fjords hear you say this, they would plunge into the sea out of mortification. By the way, if you can build such an amazing steel ship while knowing nothing about shipbuilding, what would you build if you did know something?”

“You’ll get the answer to that question tomorrow.” Roland left Thunder in suspense. “Enjoy the feast tonight first.”

The castle hall was alive with flickering lights as night descended.

Stones of Light that emanated a soft and steady glow replaced candles. The old long wooden table was replaced with a round one covered with white cloth. Wine glasses were replaced with a champagne tower. The band started to play violins. Ever since the treasure of the city hall had been filled with golds, the whole city had been freshened up and taken on an entirely new look. Even banquets had started to adopt the extravagant style of those in the old king’s city. Most guests were prominent figures in Neverwinter and other cities of the alliance. The Witch Union was, of course, invited like they were every time.

“The man next to His Majesty is an explorer from your native town?” Lorgar cast a glance at the man with some interest and then turned to Lightning. “Aren’t you going to talk to him?”

“His name is Sander Flyingbird, right?” The little girl shrugged and fed the pigeon hovering above her a slice of grilled mushroom. “I’ve never heard of him, so he must be a nobody. I have nothing to say to him. You don’t know

that there are numberless explorers at Fjords, most of whom are captains who only had a couple of long voyages. They didn’t even experience hurricanes or huge waves.” Lightning paused for a second and then asked, “By the way, why do I not see Mystery Moon yet? Didn’t she say that she wanted to have a competition with us, the Exploration Group?”

“But a person that the chief receives shouldn’t be a man of normality,” “Like me…” Lorgar thought to herself while wagging her tail, “Perhaps he’s got some information about your father.”

After Lorgar joined the Neverwinter Exploration Group, she learned more about the other two members’ backgrounds.

“I agree, coo!” Maggie chimed in. “It doesn’t hurt to ask, coo!”

Lightning twitched her lips indifferently. “Since you insist, I’ll go and say hello to him.”