Industrial Cthulhu? It's Cthulhu Industrial!!

Chapter 36 Mobile Base (Please read!)
The Saint is a typical magical ship from the Age of Exploration.

There was no particularly outstanding strategic design. At that time, people were still in the simplest period of adjustment with the gods and blood sacrifice technology. Although many factories had begun to use the blood of gods forging, most of the time, due to the sparse population, they still chose ordinary construction methods like the Saint.

Because it wasn't forged from a single piece, the entire ship was divided into several large modules. Furthermore, due to the lack of scientific development and the loss of magical protection, the ship would likely not be able to maintain stability in the wind and waves, and would likely capsize. Furthermore, the internal cargo was clearly arranged in a chaotic manner, highlighting the state of affairs where I thought this was the only way to go, so I just put it together.

The reason for this was largely due to the limitations of the times. The Old World, ravaged by the War of Faith, was a land of ruins and desecrated soil, making it virtually impossible for normal humans to survive. Furthermore, barbarian wizards and their frenzied armies continued to clash across the continent, and even supernatural entities occasionally destroyed urban areas. It was truly unsuitable for human survival. To meet these pressing environmental demands, ocean-going vessels like the Saint were built in large numbers.

The defining characteristic of these ships is their ability to move, their speed, and their ability to carry people and goods. Everything else can be discarded. There's nothing particularly noteworthy about them. The core is the figurehead; only the magic unleashed by the figurehead can sustain the ship's high-speed propulsion across the ocean.

This is also the reason why primitive people like Li Ang can actually start these things by tinkering and modifying them.

Because these things can't move, the only way they can run is to have enough engine power.

And due to certain professional reasons, even the Saint's No. 1 that Leon and his team had hand-made was, to some extent, more effective. At least compared to the original version, the current Saint's No. 1 was much stronger than the original version.

Of course, this was because there was simply nothing else on the island. While the people of Silver Gate didn't share the same morbid love for ceramics as the Hill Empire, they still liked it. Whether it was for damage resistance, impact protection, or anything else, it was much easier to smelt than regular minerals. Large-scale production was entirely feasible.

It is precisely because of this material replacement, modification of internal details, and polishing of the appearance that the entire Saint looks weird and distorted, which is even intuitively presented on Leon's system panel.

'System prompt: You have obtained an ocean-going vessel, the Saint!

Saint (weird modification)

Completeness: 75%
Because many details and related designs on the blueprints were incomprehensible, the ship's construction reached its current limit. However, researchers within this civilization were unwilling to accept this and attempted various methods to repair and forge the overall structure of the ship. While a significant portion of the ship remained damaged, it was clearly operational. There was nothing to criticize.

characteristic:
Natural Growth: This ship utilizes mysterious Eastern magical technology to extend and transform, creating a unified, integrated vessel imbued with vitality. Not only can it withstand shockwaves, but it can also cultivate plants within its cabin to serve as a reserve for ocean voyages.

Plant space +1, defense +3, immune to joint area damage

Ceramic Steel Coating: This ship was originally a composite vessel clad in iron, propelled slowly by magical power. However, because this civilization lacked iron or similar minerals, they used Lianshan Kiln porcelain instead. This ceramic steel possesses properties superior to most steel, though the people of this civilization themselves are not fully aware of it.

Defense +15, immune to damage below 10, ignoring seawater corrosion
Soul Infusion: This ship was forged and bonded using clay infused with soul crystals. While no blood sacrifice was intended, objectively speaking, these soul crystals imbued it with the desire to animate the ship, propelled by countless souls. This enchantment effectively grants it the ability to sail, allowing it to float.

Health: 7500
Defense: 25'

How should I put it, it's a very subtle panel.

Combined with its bloated and huge body structure, this thing is certainly not pleasing to the eye from a visual perspective alone.

But as Li Ang had always emphasized, these things didn't survive by being ostentatious and visually pleasing. They survived purely out of pragmatism. Because they lacked artillery, the relevant gun positions were converted into ship cabins. Because they lacked formations and large-scale rituals, the church and its internal ritual matrix were transformed into production and processing areas.

Although the system didn't clearly indicate this, Leon and the people of Silver Gate had transformed this ship into a mobile production base. It could produce approximately 50 kilograms of food daily, with a self-circulating cycle. If a wizard were present within the ship, this self-circulating production could even reach 100 kilograms per day. After all, those flour trees weren't growing in vain; they provided a rich supply of vitamins sufficient for human survival.

Aside from being incredibly unpalatable, this flour could easily be said to have fed an entire nation. Apparently, it also formed a crucial component of the Saint's ocean-going vessel.

Because this ship lacked artillery and heavy weapons, it actually only carried three landing craft, equipped with enough ceramite armor and masks to support fifty people. In other words, this ship was essentially a large troop transport, with no offensive means and relying on defensive means.

But so what? This was an ocean-going vessel, after all. Essentially, with it, if he truly wanted to escape, Leon could still sneak away from this island with all his belongings, then wait for the day when he could lead his men to the New World. With it, he had a trump card to retreat from. Although Leon had no intention of using it.

When the ship was built, Leon felt the urging of the spirit of nature.

This seemingly aged nature spirit was actually closely following Leon's production progress. Sensing that things were nearing completion, it began pointing and signaling from behind. The urgency was palpable, even without the need to communicate with the Sanctuary. Leon was curious as to why this powerful nature spirit was so drastically demanding they quickly eliminate the monsters on another island. However, the Silver Gate didn't have any rituals, so Leon simply gave the order, and nearly a hundred people were selected to enter the Saint. It was still work time, so they quickly familiarized themselves with the ship's operations and procedures.

In the Imperial Standard Shipbuilding Area, the gates were quickly opened from both sides, and huge amounts of water waves began to pour into the grooves, supporting the entire ship.

In fact, from Li Ang's perspective, this scene is really weird.

A huge ebony and white porcelain steel ship, bloated, staggered out of the shipyard, hoisting its sails, which were made by patching up a rotten old sail with new linen. Then, this bloated monster staggered out of the shipyard.

The figurehead mounted on the prow released a magical glow, countless streams of pale blue light surrounding the massive hull, beginning to support it. However, this power was essentially wasted, as the soul bond itself could bear the pressure. In contrast, the entire Saint seemed to float on the water, swaying and slowly moving towards the more distant island.

And at this time, the system even did not forget to give a very sarcastic pop-up window.

'System prompt: Your fleet has officially begun to face the ocean!'

System prompt: The ocean holds countless risks, but it is also the dream home of the brave! Within the ocean lie ancient treasures, lost civilizations, and all the precious things everyone desires but cannot obtain. Can you find what you desire?

"System prompt: A great secret lies hidden within the Misty Islands, and it was because of these secrets that the Nameless Cult chose death. Perhaps you can use your fleet to explore these terrifying and horrifying secrets. They may very well overturn the entire world. Remember, a cult that has faced the day of ascension and still wanted to survive will not give up their lives easily. They must have witnessed something unimaginably terrifying."

System prompt: Some supernatural beings are not benevolent. The Communication Sanctuary is not just a communication area, but also a special channel to the outside world. If you accidentally connect to a malicious area, accidents are likely to occur. The ocean, as a public area, is considered the core area of ​​countless exchanges. Civilizations that possess a Communication Sanctuary are likely to be entangled by certain supernatural creatures while traveling on the ocean, leading to a series of unpredictable consequences and problems. If you want to complete all commissions perfectly, please carefully distinguish whether these things are helpful to you.

'System prompt: Your fleet is heading to your mission destination. If necessary, you can manually control the direction of the fleet!'

Ocean voyages are an indispensable part of the entire world.

From the Old World to the New World, from Elysium to Paradise, the connections between these continents, the wars and wealth, and the countless blood and wails that came with them, were all born and linked together from ocean voyages.

Li Ang naturally wouldn't sit idly by. These things could affect his own civilization to a great extent. This was also the underlying reason for building the entire ship into a mobile base. In reality, it was virtually impossible to develop a large civilization on an island. Any civilization could only be born on a large landmass.

Why? Because the living space on the island is too narrow.

Even with the fruits of the Hanging Gardens, the approximately 150 people living on Ceramic Island would need to move to the main island. And that seemingly enormous main island, judging by the situation, could only support the living space of about 10,000 people at most.

For an entire civilization, this was a death zone with a clear end in sight. Within the entire valley, there were no quiet minerals or magical fields. The chemical raw materials and various magical props needed for civilization advancement and forging were completely nonexistent. Even though the natural spirits of this place were so kind and their requirements so simple, Leon knew full well that he would have to leave sooner or later.

This ocean-going vessel was a plan and experiment of his own. They didn't need any combat capabilities; after all, they lacked demonic artillery, and their population wasn't large enough for blood sacrifice, so it was useless. They didn't need any special magical abilities either; as long as they could survive and find a continent to sow their seeds, that would be a perfect outcome. After completing the mission with the nature spirit, Leon planned to perform a divination to see if there was any place suitable for the development of his civilization.

The reason why he was so anxious was actually very simple. With the skills of flower cultivation, it wouldn't be long before his own sky garden would have a thousand people, and then the upper limit would be ten thousand.

The Hanging Gardens, the cornerstone of civilization, only have this simple effect even at full capacity, and they can be moved. However, if 10,000 people want to migrate, that's a massive undertaking. Therefore, you still need to explore the surrounding map and your own capabilities to see how much you can still eat and how much advantage you have.

Strictly speaking, the arrival time of those fleets is approaching. It's almost too late for me to increase my military strength. If I don't give it more consideration, I'll be doing myself a disservice.

'System prompt: Your fleet is in some trouble! Some schools of fish are curious about your ship, causing your ship's movement speed to be reduced!'

Well, it seems more important to get this shit sorted out first, and then think about what's going to happen next.

Looking down at the ocean-going ship surrounded by countless tumbling schools of fish in the ocean, Leon couldn't help but sigh, feeling a little sad for his own hard-earned fate.

(End of this chapter)