Chapter 687: ***37: Interlude 36: Various Ships**

**Chapter 20***37: Interlude 36: Various Ships**

On November 30th, 3457 of the Continental Calendar, in the port town of Kuup at the southern tip of the Celuroa Kingdom, a large crowd had gathered.

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

“It’s huge!”

“Will it really move?”

“If that ship works, it’ll change the world.”

“I’m envious.”

The ship, named “Bridget,” had just launched. It was a 40***meter class wooden sailing ship.

The ship’s design was reminiscent of the “caravel” ships from the Age of Exploration on Earth.

Although it was a sailing ship, it was propelled by magic.

Wind magic was cast towards the sails to move the ship forward.

Small sailing ships were not uncommon in Kuup, but a large ship with three masts and divided sails had captured the public’s attention even before its launch.

“This is well***made. No leaks and the swaying is reduced.”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

On the deck, the ship owner, Eckert Techres, and the magic craftsman, Arthur, were exchanging words.

“Everything is fine with the steering mechanism. We can depart anytime.”

The voice from the stern belonged to Guenna, Arthur’s wife.

In truth, Arthur and Guenna were not humans; they were the fifth column quintuples sent by Jin. Arthur was Regulus 50, and Guenna was Deneb 30.

The assistant golem was a smith golem, Smith 40.

“Alright, raise the anchor! Let’s set sail!”

“Aye!”

Of course, there were many human crew members on board. “Bridget” unfurled its sails.

“Magic engine, start.”

“Roger!”

A large magical device with the same effect as the wind attribute magic “Gale” began to operate.

A strong wind arose, filling the sails.

“Wow!”

The spectators on the shore cheered.

“Bridget” slowly left the port.

“Good, let’s sail around for testing! Get used to it as soon as possible!”

The ship owner Eckert instructed the captain.

“We’re going to buy food from the Shouro Empire soon!”

Eckert knew that the northern and eastern parts of the Celuroa Kingdom were on the brink of a food shortage. He planned to use this large ship to buy wheat from the Shouro Empire, rumored to have a good harvest.

***

Meanwhile, in the town of Simos on the shores of Lake Wass in the Shouro Empire, a second new ship was being built based on the plans left by Jin.

The same shipyard that built the “Bernstein” was being used.

Most of the workers and helpers were the same ones who had worked on the “Bernstein.”

This time, the site supervisor was Cobalt, a shipwright from Simos.

However, instead of moving the ship to the lake on a cart, they planned to use the water***injection method.

This plan was suggested by Christoph, who had broken out in a cold sweat when the “Bernstein” didn’t start moving.

As for the ship, the same materials as before were gathered.

Five magic engineers were hired, not the best, but competent enough. The lack of quality was compensated by quantity.

“Let’s give it our best!”

Even though they had built one before, the second time wasn’t any easier.

“Things are so slow without Jin here…”

Despite following the same procedures, they got stuck on the details. These were the parts Jin had secretly adjusted.

“Look at this gap!”

“It won’t fit together!”

“Why are the dimensions off!?”

Grumbles and complaints were heard all over. Cobalt was busy calming everyone down.

The first ship, “Bernstein,” was a new model representing the pride of the Shouro Empire, and success was the primary goal.

The second ship was intended to be the first of many sister ships, built without top***tier engineers.

Cobalt’s struggles were far from ordinary.

Then he noticed a file left by Jin, titled “Notes on the New Ship Construction.” Christoph had handed it over to Cobalt, but he had been too busy to pay much attention to it.

“What’s this?”

Cobalt picked it up and read it, feeling as if he’d been struck on the head. It contained detailed notes on the problematic areas.

“Jin left us something like this…!”

Regretting not reading it sooner, Cobalt realized he had to act now.

“Better late than never…”

With Jin’s notes in hand, Cobalt inspected the construction site.

“Check the strength of this joint.”

“Make sure this seam won’t leak.”

“The reliability of the jet thrusters isn’t high if they’re not made by Jin. We might need more backup thrusters.”

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

With the notes, Cobalt supervised the site, jotting down new observations.

“I should have had an apprentice shadow Jin back then…”

Deciding to act, Cobalt chose a young shipwright to be his assistant.

Thus, the shipbuilding skills of the Shouro Empire gradually improved.

***

Back on the “Bernstein.”

“December 9th: Clear skies, calm seas. Departed for Potluck. Crew is in high spirits. Anchored off Bunsen.”

“December 10th: Clear skies, calm seas. Sailed by the Great Divide River. No issues except for slower than expected speed due to currents. Anchored off Alco.”

“December 11th: Overcast, calm seas. Crossed the Border River into the Celuroa Kingdom. No issues. Anchored off Inaina.”

On December 12th, the “Bernstein” left Inaina and approached Kuup at the southern tip of the Celuroa Kingdom.

“Captain! A large ship ahead! About the same size as ours!”

“What?”

The lookout reported from the observation deck.

A few minutes later, the captain and crew also spotted the large ship.

“The ship is called… ‘Bridget.’ It’s from the Celuroa Kingdom. It’s sailing with its sails full of wind. Wait, that can’t be right? There’s hardly any wind today.”

On the “Bridget,” they had also spotted the “Bernstein,” causing a commotion.

“Is that a ship from the Shouro Empire?”

“The name is… ‘Bernstein?'”

“It’s about the same size as ours. But it has no sails or masts. How is it moving?”

Only Arthur wasn’t surprised, having been informed by Laojun.

(So that’s the new ship Chief worked on. It’s flawless. As expected.)

The two ships passed each other at a distance of less than 100 meters.

“Bridget” headed west, while “Bernstein” headed east.

The crews stood at the rails, waving and calling out to each other.

“Good luck wherever you’re going!”

“Keep it up!”

“Don’t sink!”

Despite their different nationalities, the sailors felt a kinship and shouted their encouragements.

Everyone present believed that this marked the beginning of a new era of large ships.