Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 233 Icebreaker

Several simple workshops with roofs were set up on the flat riverbank dock of the Bingyuan River.

Dozens of skilled workers transferred from the Ministry of Industry were busy inside, and the sound of clanging and hammering could be heard continuously.

The alchemical camel beasts pulled carts of shipbuilding materials that had just been delivered from the steel mill and brought them to the workshop one after another and stacked them neatly.

Under Reiner's leadership, several blacksmiths have used steel bars to piece together the basic outline of the hull - a conical bow, which reduces the resistance of the ship while taking into account the effect of icebreaking navigation in winter. The middle section of the hull is slightly wider to increase the area for transporting loads, and the tail is narrowed but square to facilitate the installation of a steering rudder linked to the magic power device.

The entire ship is about six meters wide and thirty meters long, which is more slender than conventional inland sailboats. It has completely abandoned the mast and sails, and only uses wooden frames to temporarily piece together an unfinished cockpit, which is reserved for the magic power core that will be delivered for installation later.

Normal wooden ships usually use resin and fish bladder glue to waterproof and bond the hull, but the iron ship designed by Harvey obviously cannot copy this method. Even if highly adhesive rubber fruit is used, it is very likely that the effect of bonding steel will not be achieved, causing the iron ship to fall apart at any time as soon as it enters the water.

So Reiner had to go into battle himself, using his ability to manipulate alchemical souls, leading several working alchemical beasts, wielding magic welding guns to weld the steel frame of the iron ship firmly, and then splicing pieces of thin iron plates sent from the foundry onto the hull frame, and using bare-hand welding to piece together a strangely shaped iron ship.

Chris has coated all the metal materials used in the hull with pectin from rubber fruit in advance, which can effectively prevent water and rust, so that this strange ship will not be scrapped due to rust and damage soon.

"This thing... can it really float in water?" Reiner, despite strictly following Harvey's instructions and personally completing the assembly and welding of the iron ship, still couldn't believe it completely. "Sir, if... if it sinks as soon as it enters the water, we'll have to salvage it. We can't let all the steel and iron plates on it go to waste."

Chris and several alchemy apprentices were digging around in the nearly completed hull, tinkering with something. Hearing Reiner's words, he couldn't help but peek out and say with a smile, "You've followed Master Harvey for so long, how come you're so untrustworthy of his wisdom? I'm 100% confident this boat can float."

He jumped down from the cabin, took off his gloves, and walked over to Harvey and Reiner. "Sir, the magic power unit and the transmission steering wheel have been installed."

Harvey nodded, clapping his hands in satisfaction and smiling. "We'll have the workers apply a layer of rubber fruit anti-fruit gum to the hull. Once the hull is dry, we can immediately start the sea trials."

The technical workers who were transferred to the shipyard had no idea what their work content was these days. They could only blindly follow the instructions of the territory's general manager Reiner and the industrial department's technical consultant Chris. They spent most of their time participating in some simple tasks such as carrying and applying glue, and had no say in the welding and manufacturing of ships.

When they heard the lord's order to push the huge iron pig trough, which took several days to piece together and weld together, into the water, they were all stunned and stood there motionless.

The temporary shipbuilding shed was temporarily dismantled on the river side, and a large number of polished and transported rolling logs were laid on the inclined ramp dug in advance at the bottom of the iron ship.

The workers used thick iron chains to drag and secure the boat to prevent it from sliding into the water too quickly. If the bow of the boat dived into the river bottom, all their efforts would be in vain.

After everything was ready, more than a dozen working alchemy beasts pulled the chains that fixed the ship tightly. After Reiner gave a command, the alchemy beasts slowly loosened the entangled metal chains, and the bottom of the iron ship began to slide on the rolling logs, making a harsh metal friction sound.

With a loud bang, the iron ship slid smoothly into the river. The waterline he had drawn on the hull in advance was immediately submerged by the water, but fortunately the entire hull was still nearly one meter exposed above the water surface, which was a trivial estimation error.

Everyone, including Reiner, stared at this scene in amazement. The iron pig trough, which was heavier than a stone, did not sink to the bottom of the river with a gurgle, but floated up on the surface of the river.

The water flow in the glacial river in early autumn was extremely fast. Harvey immediately called on Reiner to command the alchemy beast to tie the iron chain for towing the boat firmly to the concrete piles that had been poured in advance to prevent the newly built boat from being washed away by the river.

Asdalen, who was usually taciturn in public, finally couldn't help but speak, the shock in his tone difficult to conceal: "Why? Why can metal float in water? Did you engrave some special magic matrix on the bottom of the ship?"

Chris, who had long been chasing Harvey to find out the underlying principle, couldn't help but proudly show off his knowledge. "Why can't metal float in water? Mr. Asdalen, you should be like me, learning more about the new knowledge of the current era from adults, instead of clinging to those ancient historical texts. Not all phenomena that are incomprehensible to ordinary people can be attributed to extraordinary means... Sometimes mortal wisdom can surpass the power of magic!"

Chris... he's not ashamed of copying my words.

Harvey explained succinctly: "Density... As long as the ship's structure is less dense than water, it will float on the water. It doesn't matter whether it's made of wood or metal."

Asdalen didn't ask any further questions, lost in thought. Harvey smiled wryly and shook his head, then instructed Chris to direct the workers to complete the finishing work on the hull. Although the hull and frame were welded from steel bars and sheet iron, the cabins and decks inside couldn't be made of metal. They still had to be laid out the traditional way, using pre-planed planks sent from the lumberyard.

The waterproof and anti-corrosion treatment of the wood was also done by applying and painting with the all-purpose rubber pectin. The workers were already familiar with this technology and were good at it. They carefully stepped onto the iron ship on the built sampan. After discovering that the iron pig trough was not in danger of capsizing, they immediately started working in full swing.

Harvey also led Reiner and others onto the iron ship, and only then did he realize that when he was designing the ship, he seemed to have only considered the main purpose of transporting cargo, and did not pay much attention to other supporting facilities, which was a bit of a loss of focus.

The cockpit at the stern was too simple, just a wooden shed less than a few square meters in size. A large hole was dug out on the ground deck of the shed to connect the magic power core installed in the cabin below and the rudder transmission device designed by Chris.

"By turning this wheel, the iron ship can sail normally in the river at the desired speed and direction. It does not need the help of sails and consumes liquid magic energy like a magic car..." Chris introduced the iron ship's control system to Reiner and Asdalen in a torrent of words. This was the idea provided by Harvey, and Chris was fully responsible for its design and manufacturing.

Reiner stroked the wooden steering wheel and asked in surprise, "Then this...this ship, doesn't it only need one person to steer it? There's no need for a sailor or helmsman at all. This is incredible."

Having said that, once it is put into use, it is still impossible for one person to drive a metal ship several dozen meters long steadily on the rushing glacial river.

According to some scientific knowledge about ship navigation that Harvey learned in his previous life, the minimum staffing standard for a small modern ship requires at least one captain, one first mate, and one sailor. If the needs of night navigation are to be met, an additional sailor on duty will be needed, and the captain and first mate will be responsible for taking turns driving the ship.

In addition, if long-distance voyages are to be made, a technician who knows how to repair and operate the magic power core must be arranged to serve as the "magic version" chief engineer. Otherwise, once the power unit breaks down due to a malfunction, the iron-hulled ship will lose control and run aground.

However, Harvey currently has no plans for long-distance voyages. After all, the glacial river that passes through the territory can only be safely navigated to the valley outpost. However, it is only a day and a night's journey, so there is no need to worry too much about power failure.

After the military dock at the valley outpost is built, the Northern Army will no longer have to ride on slow-moving war beasts for a bumpy ride when rotating garrisons. They can take a boat downstream and reach the outpost in less than half a day, which is much more convenient and quick.

Harvey called Chris over and readjusted the design of the cabin. He added a heating boiler and glass windows to the cockpit at the stern. Otherwise, in the dead of winter, even if the ship could break the ice on the river, the people standing in the cabin to drive would be frozen into ice.

"Once all the finishing touches are completed, let's pick a day with good weather for the official sea trial! We'll sail from the territory dock to the river valley outpost, which will also be a good opportunity to test its speed."

……

After explaining all the follow-up work, Harvey returned to the territory castle.

Just as I sat down at the desk and had no time to drink a sip of water, the magic brain device beeped and sent a reminder that a message had been received.

Astrologer: Mr. Kel'Thuzad, are you there? We have arrived at Jackdaw Town on the border of Saint Varen, as requested by Observer Neumann. When can we expect to meet you?

"They arrived so quickly..." Harvey couldn't help but sigh. "Just half a month ago, I used my identity as an observer to ask them to come to Saint Valen. I didn't expect them to waste even a moment and rush to Jackdaw Town."

However, he had no intention of inviting the two high-level spellcasters from the forum to come directly to the pioneer territory, as this would easily expose his embarrassing identity as not being high-level, and many situations in the territory still needed to be kept secret for the time being.

Disguised as the observer Neumann, they came to Jackdaw Town simply to build an additional network of relationships beyond the Federation. The "Astrologer", "Eye of Illusion" and "Mithril Unicorn" were not spellcasters with a Federation background, but independent magicians from ancient wizard families with the support of the seven wizard kingdoms.

Kel'Thuzad: I'm deeply sorry. My experiment is currently at a critical juncture, and I may need you to stay in Jackdaw Town for a few days. I will contact you again as soon as possible to schedule a meeting time.

Astrologer: No problem, we have plenty of time, we can definitely wait. However... there's one thing I might need to tell you in advance... On our way to Jackdaw Town, we discovered that the Church had dispatched an armed investigation team specifically targeting you. Your true identity has been leaked by an informant within the Federation!

(End of this chapter)