Chapter 224 74. Great Eastern
Dakoos felt a kind of vitality when he visited the shipyard. The last time he saw this kind of vitality was in the workshop of Lord Hagrid Grave Draka.
There are a large number of unfinished large ship hulls placed on dozens of slipways. The hulls are supported by black steel frames and wooden piles. Some are being assembled by craftsmen and slaves, and some seem to be waiting for materials.
Countless Druch overseers, Druch craftsmen and slaves from different races and countries are constantly busy. They are either holding whips, standing or sitting on the slipway and in the workshop, holding tools and operating Equipment, hard at work for boat processing, assembly and repair.
Blacksmiths also played a vital role in shipyards, shaping iron pieces into shapes and sizes suitable for ship hulls. Darkus saw them standing in the workshop covered in sweat, pounding on the red-hot metal.
A crude but useful slipway crane made of black pine and black steel slowly lifted a large hull component under the control of chained Yankee slaves. It was a kind of crane used for lifting and Mechanical device for transferring ship hulls, large cargo and various large components. It is installed above the slipway and can be moved along the slipway to play the role of hoisting, transfer and installation throughout the construction process.
Thanks to the arrival of Darkus, a Druchi overseer saw a group of powerful people standing next to him and kept swinging his whip to beat the Yankee slaves, as if to show off his skills to show off his superb skills to the powerful people. Skill.
But this Druchi overseer seemed to be favored by bad luck. I don't know if it was not well maintained, or it was using too much force, or the parts were too heavy. The slipway crane collapsed during the turning project, and the large hull parts hit the ground heavily. The rope of the crane also collapsed. The rope first hit the Yankee slave and then the Druchi overseer.
Darkus, who was standing not far away, consciously took a few steps back at the moment of the accident. The followers blocked him in an instant. He heard the sound of bone cracking, and he didn't know which unlucky guy it was. He frowned and shook his head in disgust.
Darkus, who was thinking about something again, couldn't help but want to laugh, but soon he crossed his arms and covered his mouth with his hands.
"Treat them, and work harder after they are cured!" Newkel's face did not darken, but he waved his hands as usual. At the moment of waving, the fate of these wounded people seemed to be decided, and he continued Thinking of something, he coldly ordered the sorceress, and the fate of the wounded man was changed again.
Then, Darkus walked around again and looked at the simple panel machine and painting workshop. They were no different from when he served as Newkel's adjutant. No technological innovation had occurred in the past few years. The purpose of his visit was simply to visit the shipyard. The highlight was to visit the ships that were about to undergo sea trials.
"When Hagrid Grave was there, our team of sorceresses developed a steel-making furnace. The hardness and quality of the steel produced were comparable to the black steel armor tailor-made for the powerful. I put this kind of The steel is named Keith Steel. But there are still some key technical problems in this steel-making furnace that have not been solved. It can only be refined in small batches through high-level sorceresses manipulating the wind of magic." Darkus stood there and watched. Looking at the completely scrapped slipway crane, he said to himself that he was not surprised by this situation. The machines and equipment in this world are magical, as if they have real organic souls inside, and their stability is full of idealism. and metaphysics.
"You list the steel materials needed for the key machines and equipment in the shipyard. It will still be some time before the Black Ark Fleet returns. Let the sorceresses work hard first." Then Darkus turned to the accompanying shipyard stewards. said.
"Yes, Master. I will take care of this matter today." The shipyard steward bent down and said respectfully.
Darkus glanced at Nukel who was standing next to him again. Nukel understood what he meant and nodded to him, indicating that the rest of the matter would be handled by Krakalund.
A group of visiting dignitaries came to a relatively high place and took a look. There were a large number of watchtowers standing on the sea and coast at the entrance and exit of the shipyard. The watchtowers standing on the sea were connected to each other with five black steel chains. The watchtowers form a dense network of stars.
This is something Darkus has never seen before, but he knows that this is Nukel's outstanding achievement in the past two years. This can effectively prevent raids from the sea, and there are a large number of patrol ships further away. Constantly cruising and patrolling.
On the land in the same distance, a large number of slipways are being built, which seem to cover the entire east bank of the Red Poison River estuary.
A new wall on the north side was also built due to the hard work of slaves, in order to prevent land raids from the north. The docks, markets, taverns, inns, animal farms, warehouses and slave areas that used to be located on the east bank of the Red Poison River mouth are now also very lively. Darkus took out the single-channel telescope from his belt and took a look. It seemed that these places Demolition and renovation work is underway to prepare for the new slipway.
A few ships are anchored in the port. These ships usually move within the Sea of Resentment, transporting wood and food to various cities. As for other ships, they are wandering on the seas of the medieval world at this time. Now is the plundering season. The port of Krakarond will only be busy before the Sea of Resentment freezes in winter and after the ice melts in spring.
Six ships of different shapes slowly came out from the shipyard. As the horn sounded, the mechanical winch in the watchtower slowly turned, and the chains across the sea were lowered one by one. The patrol ships cruising outside also received the signal. The signal is coming to the factory.
Under the precise and coordinated operation, the incoming and outgoing ships moved in an orderly manner without being affected by the chains. There was no ship that either traveled too fast and had to wait, or the chain was pulled too slowly and the hull hit the chain.
Darkus knew that this was Newkel's show off, showing off the results of the past two years, so as to prevent many possible hidden dangers. There is a reason why the Hell Calamity Family has been able to sit firmly in Krakalond for thousands of years. He felt very happy in his heart. What is a fairy teammate? This is it! His teammates know what he is going to do, and the most important thing is that his teammates know what they should do, instead of letting him worry and plan everything.
If his teammates didn't do their best, Darkus would simply go to the Lustria continent and wait for death. If he was lucky, he might even get a ship ticket. Could this be part of the big plan? We may meet Malekith and Morathi later to renew their relationship. (AOS)
A special ship began to travel at an extremely fast speed after leaving the observation area. Darkus took another look with the monocular telescope. In front of the bow, a hell dragon was pulling the hull, and the hull was in contact with the ship. The plunder ship was exactly the same, and the gaff sails on the ship were constantly adjusting according to the changes in the wind direction, and the other ships were soon left behind.
Looking at Darkus, it seems that this is a clipper ship with an engine installed. As for the efficiency of this biological engine, there is still a question mark and is open to discussion.
Ranked second is a clipper ship that resembles a plunderer. It is the pride of Krakalond and the symbol of Druch! Unlike the traditional looters equipped for the Black Ark, this clipper ship has a longer hull, a tapered bow with an upper part that expands outwards, and a wide hull with a spacious hatch, designed to increase the load capacity. The power system adopts a multi-mast and multi-sail design. The gaff sail has a large area and a reasonable area distribution, which can more flexibly adapt to different sea conditions and wind conditions.
As for the other things, Darkus, a layman, couldn't figure it out. He complained that the wind on the sea was not as strong as expected, and the stability and speed of the ship still needed to be tested in the vast ocean. He asked the shipyard manager for some questions. The key question.
"Master, we have tested it with black marble. The maximum load capacity is 550 tons. As for the speed limit, it cannot be tested in the Sea of Resentment." "What's
the number of crew members?" Darkus nodded and asked.
"Master, this test ship now requires 50 crew members, including sorceresses, captains, first mates, sailors, cooks and other people with different positions. These crew members need to be responsible for the navigation, maintenance, cleaning, repair, and sail manipulation of the ship. System and other work." Darkus nodded affirmatively again. In his impression, the most peak clipper ship in the previous life was the Prussia. Although it was called the Prussia, it was not in Kaliningrad (Königsberg, How that song goes, built from.), but a commercial sailing ship built in a famous shipyard in Hamburg. This ship type is characterized by excellent speed and maneuverability and is used for ocean navigation and commercial transportation.
The Prussia clipper ship adopted many innovative designs and technologies, such as steel hulls, steam engines and electric lights, etc., which gave the ship better reliability and navigation capabilities, and set many records during its operation. .
But what makes Darkus helpless is that he does not know the specific data of the Prussia, such as length, width, draft, load, etc. He only knew that steam engines and coal-fired boilers could provide a certain amount of power, and that steam engines could be applied to the operation of sail rigging, saving more manpower.
Of course, Darkus's dream ship is the Great Eastern, but he knows that it is not realistic at present. This requires time, a mature and good system, and the ultimateization of industrial stereotypes. But he believes it won't be long before the Prussia can be developed based on iterations.
As for the boat driving behind, there is no need to look at it. To Darkus, it feels like it is driving in reverse, which is neither fish nor fowl. Somewhat similar to Galenic and Dutch galleons, the problem is that these ships used gaff sails instead of square sails. It's like wearing Renaissance plate armor and holding a Fangtian painted halberd. However, these ships have advantages and disadvantages, such as crew, materials and load. More importantly, these sailing ships can carry artillery.
But the artillery thing is a bit useless to Darkus? One is that Druchi has no relevant technology, and the other is that Druchi has no tradition of using artillery. It seems that he has always resisted, rejected and maintained some unique characteristics.
Marauders rarely engage in head-on battles with the navies of the old world. They usually use magic and Reaper ballistae to launch raids at night, or rely on the Black Ark system to fight. The main threat is the fast naval fleet of their cousins.
The hull structural strength of the clipper ships seemed unable to support the design of the artillery, but it didn't matter to Darkus. When the clipper ships in a group encountered Asul's eagle ship, they just used the reaper ballistae to keep a safe distance. As for the dragon boat? It's just like whoever runs faster among clipper boats will have better luck.
Darkus already had an idea in mind, and he turned his head to Nukel. Newkel shook his head in tacit understanding, and the two people who had been in contact for a long time quickly understood each other's meaning. He knew that Newkel was one of the few old elves who had fought on dragon ships. Newkel shook his head to indicate that the speed of these ships was still not as fast as the superior dragon ships.
"Young Master, do you still remember Spicazuma that I mentioned to you once?" Darkus said as he rejected the followers surrounding him and took out his pipe from his arms.
"Remember, of course I remember. According to your description, that place is very critical and important. According to your plan, it is the manufacturing base of the lizard people's armaments. I have no reason not to remember." Newkel's expression showed when he talked about this topic. Dignified, he also took out his pipe from his arms.
"Yes, it is both important and crucial." After lighting Nukel's fire, he lit it for himself and then said.
"Are you going to bring a group of shipwrights this time? Build exploration ships in the underground sea?"
"My young master, you don't understand the power of those Slann lords." Darkus laughed when he said it, and then He added, "As long as the ship is parked at the designated location, Lord Slann will teleport the ship to the underground sea. We only need to find an accessible passage under Lord Slann's plan." Newkel was a little skeptical
. Looked at Darkus.
"Young Master, do you know why there is no shortage of gold in Lustria?" Darkus asked with a smile while looking at the ships being tested on the sea.
"You seem to be more confused than me. I remember you told me that those Slann lords can use magic to pull the mineral veins hidden deep in the ground to the ground. I understand, since the Slann lords can find the mineral veins, then Exploring the underground sea route is not a problem." Newkel exhaled a puff of smoke and said slowly, and he suddenly understood in the middle of the sentence. He continued, "We also need to build a specific kind of ship that can go in and out there. It is not only fast, but also has a large carrying capacity. Transporting Keith steel when going there, and full of gold when coming back?"
Darkus didn't say anything. , but nodded solemnly.
"I guess according to your idea, you will call this route the 'Great Golden Road', and I know what to do next." Newkel said with a smile, he knew the importance of this matter, This route must be controlled by the Hellscourge family, from captain to sailor, from first mate to sorceress.
"I have a very bad premonition, which has become stronger in the past few days." Darkus exhaled smoke and said solemnly.
"I know what you are worried about. A ship full of gold sank in the sea. I can't accept it just thinking about it, and there are also losses of people on board." "
My enemies are not only our cousins, but also some others. ." Darkus pointed to the sky when he spoke, and he continued, "Not everyone likes us to come to Ulthuan, and some want to see some fun and changes in the process." "
We will try our best. With all our strength! Nothing can stop us from coming to Ulthuan!" Nukel's gentle and elegant face suddenly became distorted, and his words were filled with unprecedented severity.
Darkus didn't say anything, but nodded. It was basically finalized. The Hell Dragon version of the clipper ship was going to be further optimized to serve as a gold transport ship based on the situation in Spicazuma's underground sea.
Starting from Krakarond, cross Naggaros through the underground sea to reach the Serpent Sea in the Lustria continent, enter the underground sea in Spicazuma along the Scorpion Coast, and then start from the Turtle Shoals on the west side of the Lustria continent. Sail out of the underground sea, drive north into the Sea of Storms, and then enter the underground sea that returns to Krakalund. Of course, this is under the condition that the route of the Spicazuma Underground Sea is exactly as he imagined. If it is not feasible, he can still go The western coast of Nagaroth leads from the Boiling Sea and returns to the underground sea in the eastern part of Nagaroth. It is a bit circuitous, but it is safer.
As for the normal clipper ship, Darkus plans to use it to travel between Naggaroth and the Lustria continent to connect the north and south. Like the hell dragon version of the clipper ship, it will come out of the Serpent Sea and pass through the Scorpion Coast, Wolf Spider Coast, The Vampire Coast, passing by the volcanic islands, finally reaching Chapeuto, and the same thing on the way back.
By then there will definitely not only be ships from Krakarond, but also ships from other cities, and Darkus is not prepared to let these complicated ships get involved in the great golden road.
The name Vampire Coast is open to debate. The Lizardmen have always called it the Huta Coast, and there is no such name on the Druchi side. In Darkus’ opinion, the Tahu Coast is pretty good. Titles and place names should remain traditional. The vampire pirates entrenched there are stuck at the node of this route. He can't tolerate Luther Harken, a schizophrenic, messing around there. Even if the ancient saint's personality appears, he has to strike hard! It is our duty to fight against evil! (There is a new setting in the group book in March. There is a personality that is an ancient saint.)
It was already noon after the trial voyage. After having a simple meal at the shipyard, Darkus went to the Tower of Divine Bless the Evil Party. .
(End of chapter)