When Thunder raised the question in his heart, Roland couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

It has to be said that this explorer can indeed see the essence of the problem - according to the standards of the manual era, the price of any large pile of industrial goods can be regarded as sky-high, but he will certainly not charge according to the blacksmith's forging cost, otherwise it will be too emotional.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Neverwinter built a large number of new steelmaking equipment after the successful converter experiment, it would not have been possible to advance the two major projects of steel sea ships and rail trains at the same time in a short period of time. The steelworks, which have escaped from witches, have now entered a stage of virtuous development, from the blast furnace area to the iron extraction, the coke tower to the charcoal, to the molten steel furnace, and the simple ingot, the whole process has been eliminated.

In addition to all kinds of workers, the rest of the huge factory is all auxiliary machinery driven by steam engines, and the churning water vapor is often mixed with floating dust, forming a unique environment on the northern slope of the mountain - gray fog. If you stand high in the city and look up in the direction of the desperate mountains, you can see a "gray cloud" that obscures the mountainside.

At full capacity, the mill produces more steel in a day than a city in the past, which is the basis for all of Neverwinter's industrial projects. On this basis, everything will change qualitatively, but few people can truly grasp the meaning behind it.

"The price can be discussed later, but I promise it's much less than you might think," Roland smiled slightly, "because that's not the point." As I said, the development of new seas is of great significance to all mankind, and as the king of the Grey Keep, I am naturally willing to contribute to this. ”

Thunder said movingly, "I admire your foresight...... Few people are willing to spend their money in places they can't see, and even in the fjords, the Chamber of Commerce favors new routes that bring profit. While you can't do it yourself, this idea has surpassed many explorers. ”

Do you think what I said in the old king's capital before was just a scene? Roland thought disappetically, in terms of the desire to understand this world, I am afraid that no one can compare with himself. After all, it may be related to the source of the battle of divine will, and the secrets hidden behind the big curtain.

"Let's go on the boat and have a look. He smiled and changed the subject, "Since you're here, I'll show you around from beginning to end." ”

"That couldn't be better, Your Majesty!" replied Thunder grinning.

......

With no readily available information to refer to, this steel-sea-going ship can be said to be a collection of classic ship types, or it can be said to be four different - its front half resembles an ironclad ship, with an outward slope in the bow and a ramming angle below the waterline, a rapidly widened middle section to obtain as much stability as possible in high sea conditions, and a flat-tailed stern, similar to a modern ship, with a gross tonnage of about 2,500 tons.

Roland also tried to add some black technology to improve its performance, such as bulbous bow and stabilizer fins, but the former needed to be designed separately according to the type and speed of the ship, and the latter needed a complex mechanical linkage structure to adjust the angle.

However, this does not mean that it is an enlarged version of the shallow-water heavy gunboat Roland, just its power core, a steam turbine assembled by Anna's own hands, is something that Thunder and others cannot understand. In addition, hand-cranked telephones were used for the first time in cabin communications, and several lines connected the command post, engine room, and watchtower, so that the captain could clearly hear the reports of the units even if the sea was noisy compared to the sound tubes, which were sometimes more effective.

And it's worth mentioning that these hand-cranked phones are equipped with a demonized Dawning Mini power supply, which is enough to support a very long expedition.

"It's just ...... Incredible," Thunder exclaimed as he stood on the bridge of the tower with clear windows after visiting the ship, "I don't even think she's a sea ship, but a sea fortress that can be moved." ”

This changed the title, Roland laughed a few times, "How is it, I didn't disappoint you, did I?"

"No, Your Majesty, you think too highly of me," the explorer made no secret of his satisfaction, "she is the most wonderful ship I have ever seen in my life, and has exceeded my expectations in every way. I now feel like as long as I have her, it will not be a problem to cross the entire vortex sea. ”

"Don't jump to conclusions," he waved his hand, "to be honest, I don't know anything about shipbuilding, so it's only a complex machine now, not a real sea vessel, and it depends on the next sea trials." Data such as speed, stability, number of seafarers, food storage, etc., all need to be provided by you. If all goes well, you'll be able to set off for the Shadows after this year's Evil Moon is over. ”

"A trick...... "If you let the old craftsmen in the fjord know, they will definitely jump into the sea with hatred." Then again, if you didn't know anything about shipbuilding and could build such an amazing steel ship, what would it look like for you?"

"You'll know that to-morrow," Roland said, "but until then, enjoy the welcome banquet tonight." ”

At night, the halls of the castle are lit up.

Candles have been replaced by glowing stones with a steady and soft glow, long wooden tables covered with white cloth have been replaced, champagne towers with glasses filled with drinks, and violins have been played by musicians – not only has the castle been decorated with a new look, but even the banquet forms have become more and more in the style of the royal capital since the vaults of the town hall have been filled. Most of the people who were invited were Wudong and the top leaders of the Alliance, and the Witches Alliance, which must be entered every meeting, was naturally no exception.

"The person standing next to Your Majesty is an explorer from your hometown?" Luo Jia looked at the other party with interest and turned his head to look at Lightning, "Why don't you go and talk to him?"

"His name is Sander Asuka, isn't he?" said the little girl, shrugging her shoulders as she poured a slice of roasted mushroom into the mouth of the pigeon overhead, "a name that I have never heard of must be unknown, and there is nothing to talk about." You don't know, there are so many explorers in the fjords, but most of them have only been captains of one or two outlying routes, and have never even seen hurricanes and big waves. She paused, "Anyway, why hasn't Mi Yue come here yet, didn't she say that she was going to challenge our expedition group?"

"But the people who can be met by the Great Chief should not be general," I said...... Luo Jia wagged her tail, "Maybe he's heard about your father?"

After joining the Neverwinter Expedition for a while, she also learned more about the past of her two companions.

"Agreed!" Maisie chimed in, "It's always right to ask!"

Lightning pouted indifferently, "Since you all say so, then I'll go say hello." ”