......

There are too many ships for this one. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Steele leaned against the porthole of the stern, surveying the fleet of ships coming and going in the Chishui River.

Since entering the western realm, the river has suddenly become busy, and most of the sails are strange stone boats without sails, according to the captain, they call them paddle steamers, which move forward on steam power, their speed is not affected by the direction of the wind, and when sailing against the current, they are much faster than sailboats, and often drag a cloud of black smoke to the front-as to how the steam pushes the large wooden wheels on either side of the hull, no one can say clearly.

But one thing is for sure, it's all something Neverwinter made.

Steele mentally estimated that a paddle steamer would be seen almost every half an hour, and if they were full of cargo, the amount of supplies that Neverwinter would absorb would undoubtedly be a staggering number. She had learned this from the merchants—the larger the city, the better its ability to absorb supplies, and a two-day stay on its official roads would give a rough indication of how prosperous the city was and how many business opportunities there were. If you are good at communication, you can analyze even the most in-demand products in the city.

Obviously, this Chishui River is the most important transportation artery in the west.

And the busyness of the river also means that the propaganda she saw in the royal capital may not be the boast of His Majesty Roland.

In a short period of time, the western frontier was integrated into a new city, and the population and commercial trade had surpassed the original royal capital, but such an extraordinary heir to the throne had a reputation for ignorance and paranoia...... Thinking of these rumors, Steele became more and more curious about Roland Wimbledon himself.

"Miss Conrad, are you watching the ship again?" The door of the room was pushed open, and a richly dressed and handsome brown-haired man walked in, "Do you want to go out and take a breath, it's boring to stay here all the time?"

"No, it's good here," Steele straightened up and nodded at him, "Thank you for your hospitality." ”

"Where," he laughed, "I am lucky to be with such a beautiful lady as you." ”

Steele had heard too much of this flattery, but she replied with a cheerful expression, "If it weren't for your help, I'm afraid I'd have had to huddle with the goods and the outcasts." ”

"Of course I can't sit idly by," the man sat down across from her, "and no gem merchant would want to dust a jewel." ”

He is the owner of the Eternal Spring, Victor, a gem merchant from the royal capital. After the original ship was burned, Steele quickly picked the brig from a group of ships heading to the West. It is not a passenger ship, nor does it accept employment, but rather a private car belonging to Victor, but for Northland Pearl, as long as the owner is male, none of this is a problem.

She portrays herself as a noble lady from the Northlands who travels to the West to find her lost relatives, and in a few words, she makes Victor feel pity and invites her to board the Eternal Spring. Compared with ordinary small sailing ships and cargo ships, the Yongchun has a comfortable stern cabin, spacious and bright, and there is no smell of rotting wood left over from the years of running on the waterway. Even the master prepared two servants for her, and she didn't even receive a golden dragon.

Of course, the only price is that Victor will come to his door from time to time to show his generosity and care, but this is something that Steele, who is very comfortable with the nobility. If the other person is good enough, she will also enjoy the feeling of being driven to control the other person.

"These boats are a little too rudimentary, though they are windless," Victor poured himself a cup of tea, "I have boarded a paddle steamer and observed it not only noisy, but also very shaky...... It's good for hauling goods, but it's not a good choice for long trips. ”

"Of course it won't be as comfortable as the Eternal Spring," Steele chuckled, "but how do I feel like they came out of nowhere?

"You're right, they just came out of nowhere," Victor pouted, "I used to run around the fortress of Changge, and where there are such weird things, it's only been a winter, and they're all over the place." ”

Twenty or thirty paddle steamers were built in one winter? Steele couldn't help but be amazed, as the heir to the Kant family, she knew what this meant. Because large cities need to absorb large quantities of supplies, their expansion is limited to their ability to transport supplies, and such sailless ships that can produce quickly are obviously an excellent tool for expanding their capacity - if the energy continues to bring food and goods from all over the kingdom to the west, Neverwinter could expand much faster than people think!

As for the noise and tremors?

"By the way, Miss Conrad, don't worry about the unsightly stone ships, I have something more interesting here that may help you pass the time of boredom. Victor summoned the maid and whispered a few words in her ear, who nodded and turned to leave the room.

"What is it?"

"Something worthy of your beauty," he said triumphantly, "is my old job." ”

The maid quickly returned to the stern and brought a rather beautiful notebook, which Victor spread out in front of Steele, "I wonder which one you like?"

The parchment is delicately drawn with many brilliant spar patterns, the brushwork is delicate, the color is vivid, and even the transparent luster jumps on the paper, and it is obvious that the painter who drew the album is very good at this.

"It's ...... Gems?"

"Rough gemstones, to be exact. "When I buy them, I set the price according to the criteria in the catalogue. Compared with carved and polished jewelry, rough stones also have a different flavor...... Please let me know if you are interested in any type of rough stone. Of course, if you prefer the finished product, I can also ask a jeweler to make it for you when I return to the royal capital. ”

There was no new trick, Steele flipped through the album casually, and handed it back to him, "Thanks, no." ”

Victor took the book with some surprise, "You're not interested in any of this?"

"I don't know the whereabouts of my relatives yet, so I really don't want to choose these luxurious gifts, please forgive me. Steele whispered. If you should get down here, you will be entangled by him when you arrive in Neverwinter, which will not be conducive to your next actions. Although most women would be impressed by these glittering objects, she preferred to admire the steam engine that propelled the paddle steamer, which was truly valuable to the jewels that were only circulated among the aristocracy.

......

Shortly after Victor left, a series of long beeps came from the direction of the bow, one after another, deep and low...... It was as if a huge fleet was leaving the port and setting sail.

Steele looked sideways, and saw the light brown dock line slowly unfolding in front of her.