Chapter 454: Chapter 219: Temporary Captain, Hengyu-class Battleship
On top of that, Leng Yanran had also granted him access to the shipâs database, which to him was a virtually endless treasure trove.
With that in mind, Li Changâanâs wariness finally eased. He spoke up, "In that case, wouldnât it be better for me to go directly to the Imperial Capital and meet you now?"
Leng Yanran shook her head. "Apologies, but due to the incursion of Dark Energy, the Li Yang Imperial Capital is currently under complete lockdown. And as a Reincarnator, itâs highly likely that you carry Dark Energy yourself. The Imperial Capital is densely populated. If a Dark Tide were to appear in the surrounding Star Realms, the consequences would be devastating. I cannot take that risk!"
Hearing this, Li Changâan nodded, accepting her explanation.
Once their conversation was over, Leng Yanranâs image quickly vanished.
A moment later, the ship in the distance that had responded to Li Changâan earlier approached, seemingly with some reluctance.
A woman in her twenties walked out of the shipâs compartment, removed her battle armor, and said, "Captain, sir. Chief Petty Officer Su Wanrong, of the Battleship Hengyu, Third Universe Fleet of the Liyang Empire, reporting for duty. Awaiting your orders!"
The woman, who introduced herself as Su Wanrong, wore a form-fitting set of Interstellar Navigation Clothing. She was exceptionally beautiful, with a full chest that rose and fell with her breathing.
Of course, those werenât her most striking features. What stood out most was her head of long, brilliant, cherry-pink hair.
Right now, she was pouting her rosy lips, secretly sizing up Li Changâan.
Before locating this planet, Su Wanrong had anticipated all sorts of potential incidents and prepared corresponding contingency plans.
These included, but were not limited to, a massive Dark Tide eruption, or natives with overwhelming combat strength threatening the battleshipâs safety...
As it turned out, not a single one of her pre-prepared emergency protocols was needed. Instead, the most improbable event of all had occurredâthe person who was supposed to be a wanted fugitive had, in a sudden twist, become the captain and supreme commander of her own battleship.
If she hadnât repeatedly confirmed that the battleshipâs command authority had been transferred, and that the directive had come from the highest echelons of power, Su Wanrong would have suspected the ship had been infected by some stray interstellar virus during its journey, causing a critical system failure.
Li Changâan sized up the pink-haired âgirlâ of indeterminate age before him, then asked after a momentâs thought, "How many people are stationed on this battleship? Why are you the only one here?"
Hearing his question, Su Wanrong explained, "This vessel has a total crew of five hundred and forty-two. However, aside from myself and one other person on duty, all other personnel are in deep hibernation..."
She paused, tilting her head after a moment of thought. "Captain, sir, should I wake them all?"
âA battleship this huge, and it only has a crew of just over five hundred?â
âFor real?â
Li Changâan was left a little dumbfounded.
Seemingly sensing the change in his expression, Su Wanrong kindly explained, "Strictly speaking, all of the Hengyuâs mechanical functions are handled by its intelligent AI. All we crew members need to do is provide manual override when necessary. Under normal circumstances, we only need two people awake to authorize the shipâs various operations!"
Her explanation, far from clearing up his confusion, only left Li Changâan even more flabbergasted.
âA colossal battleship of this scale is almost entirely automated? No hands-on human operation is needed throughout its voyageâjust a few authorizations are enough to ensure stable interstellar travel...â
This gave him a much more direct understanding of the Liyang Empireâs current level of technology.
âEven the Flying Ships of the Immortal Palace couldnât do this!â
Seeing his astonished expression, Su Wanrong thought he didnât believe her and explained in a low voice, "Interstellar voyages are measured in centuries. Having too many crew members aboard would increase the load on the internal recycling systems!"
At this, Su Wanrong paused to think, counting on her fingers before saying seriously, "Actually, a crew of over five hundred is already on the larger side. Weâre only staffed this heavily for long-range voyages. For short-range trips, the number of personnel can be reduced even further!"
Li Changâan: "..."
He said no more, instead looking up at the battleship with a fiery glint in his eyes. He couldnât wait to ask, "Are there blueprints for this type of interstellar battleship in the database? Download a copy for me. I want to study them!"
âNever mind anything else, if I could build an interstellar battleship like this back in the Main World, I could probably crush all opposition.â
âNo, I wouldnât even need something so advanced. A ship with just a tenth of this battleshipâs capabilities would be enough to grant me an insurmountable advantage over the Main World.â
Su Wanrong stared at him as if he were an idiot. After a long moment, she replied, "The blueprints for a Hengyu-class interstellar battleship are kept in a sealed vault in the Imperial Capitalâs Department of Military Strategy. All records are physical, on paper. There are no backups anywhere else, not even on the network!"
Hearing this, Li Changâan wasnât sure whether to be disappointed or relieved.
He was disappointed, naturally, because he couldnât view the design schematics for such an incredible battleship. He was relieved because, even if he did see the blueprints, he likely couldnât build one even if he spent a thousand years trying.
After all, once technology reached a certain tier, it was no longer just a test of his personal comprehension, but a test of his civilizationâs entire industrial capacity.
Without a doubt, with the pathetic production lines he had in Cangxuan City, it was already a struggle just to produce a Super Electromagnetic Cannon or an Energy Particle Beam Cannon. To scrape together enough materials to build such an immense and terrifying battleship... he probably couldnât succeed even if he bled the entire Main World dry.
With that thought, Li Changâan stopped dwelling on the issue of the blueprints. He turned to Su Wanrong and said seriously, "Please give me a tour of the shipâs interior and grant me access to all the information available to my current clearance level. That shouldnât be a problem, right?"
Su Wanrong nodded. "Of course not!"
As she spoke, she beckoned to a smaller ship hovering not far away. Its AI registered the command and quickly maneuvered the vessel in front of Li Changâan.
A ventral hatch opened, presenting a soft, form-fitting set of Interstellar Navigation Clothing. Su Wanrong handed it to Li Changâan. "This is the captainâs suit. Once you put it on, youâll be connected to the shipâs network. You can communicate with the AI to do anything you need."
Then, after Li Changâan had put on the interstellar spacesuit, Su Wanrong led him aboard a small tactical shuttle and returned to the interior of the Constant Star-level Battleship.
...
For a long time after that, Li Changâan took up residence directly on the Liyang Empireâs massive battleship.
One could only truly grasp the meaning of the phrase "technological aesthetics" after witnessing the intricate environment inside such a behemoth.
Although Li Changâan couldnât learn the battleshipâs entire manufacturing process from blueprints, with Su Wanrong and the other on-duty crew member as his guides, he still managed to gather a great deal of useful information thanks to his Heaven-defying Comprehension.
At the very least, his understanding of battleship construction was raised to a whole new level.
After touring the battleship, Li Changâan began to browse its database, where he discovered records of dozens of Cultivation Methods.
After asking Su Wanrong, Li Changâan learned that these dozens of Cultivation Methods were merely what this Hengyu-class Battleship had acquired during its current voyage.
The number of Cultivation Methods collected by the Empire proper was far greater.
Unfortunately, the battleship was too far out to connect to the Empireâs central network, so Li Changâan only had access to limited information. Otherwise, the Imperial database alone would have been more than enough to overwhelm him.
...