Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 71 Sea Trials
It took another day to install the No. 2 steam turbine unit, and another day for the subsequent commissioning.

Due to the increase in electrical equipment on board, the original small steam engine has been moved to the middle of the ship to drive the generator. Two newly acquired large steam engines, designated No. 1 and No. 2, are used for propulsion and are located in the stern to drive the propeller.

Once the outfitting was completed, Su Ming finally began its sea trials.

The bridge has been significantly renovated and placed in the best vantage point at the front upper part of the hull, equipped with 240-degree transparent portholes. A proper bridge has replaced the previous haphazardly constructed structure, with control consoles for auxiliary equipment such as radar and sonar arranged around it, giving the entire layout a modern feel.

With the addition of equipment, Russell the White Skull was also assigned to the cockpit for training.

Although it was night, Su Ming had radar, and this time he had also brought over many searchlights. With ample power, the entire ship and its surroundings were brightly illuminated.

Therefore, Su Ming was not afraid to set sail at night. He started the engine, steered the ship away from the island, adjusted the direction to southwest, and then began to increase the propeller speed.

As the output increased, the noise from the equipment also grew louder. Even after Su Ming installed numerous honeycomb panels, the noise still reverberated throughout the entire ship. Su Ming was helpless about this; he could only hope for the alchemical product, Kongjing Mian, that Zijin had mentioned.

The exhaust vents were positioned between the main hull and the side hulls, below the deck. This allowed the smoke to be discharged downwards towards the sea surface, where it was cooled by the spray from the voyage. Consequently, the smoke rose to a significantly lower height and became much paler, drastically reducing the detection range of the White Triangle.

This can be considered as one of the few excellent designs adopted from the independent class.

The ship's speed steadily increased, easily reaching 20 knots. Su Ming began to experiment with various controls, and the ship, which was perfectly fine, was now wobbling precariously under his and the two skeletons' control, like a three-wheeled vehicle on a country road.

Violet was refining the newly added bone in the Bone Fortress, but this ordeal forced her to stop.

She ran to the cab and discovered that the steam engine wasn't even fully loaded. Aside from its bulkiness, modern steam engines are quite efficient and powerful. Coupled with their fuel-independent nature, the idea that all technology could be reduced to boiling water is no joke.

"Can we go even faster?" Violet asked.

“Of course, but you have to wait until I learn how to operate this ship first. The control of a trimaran is too complicated, and it causes a lot of trouble.” Su Ming kept flipping through the manual, and the all-English instructions were making him feel overwhelmed.

This is because at sea, there's no need to worry about collisions. If it were on land, the scene would be too beautiful to imagine.

“Many details need to be adjusted now,” Su Ming continued to complain. “Center of gravity, center of buoyancy, center of stability, as well as resistance axis, propulsion axis and so on—it would be great if you could help with the research.”

“I don’t recognize these characters,” said Violet. “And I don’t recognize geometry either.”

"Geometry in physics is very simple!"

The scholar was clearly not fooled: "I haven't even fully sorted out my four-sided physical field yet."

“But you’ve made great progress,” Su Ming said. “I’m starting to understand the language. Once the little troublemaker finishes this next job, he can go to the hospital in America and see if there are any dead bodies.”

"Are suitable materials easy to find?" Violet asked. Materials that are linguistically appropriate require the deceased to have a certain level of literacy.

“It’s easy to find. In my current area, the literacy rate is over 80%,” Su Ming replied.

"So tall?" the scholar exclaimed in surprise. "Here, only one in ten people can read. You have universal education, don't you?"

“The Earth’s education system is much more advanced, and the concepts are completely different,” Su Ming said. “However, this time you will be learning English, not my native language, Chinese.”

“That’s fine, we can come again when we have the chance,” Zijin said. Su Ming spent a long time fiddling with the ship, adjusting many parts of the hull, and finally stabilized it. The original Independence-class ship had an aluminum hull, with a density similar to the bone of the White Bone Fortress, so its dynamic structure could largely be reused.

Otherwise, Su Ming really wouldn't have been able to handle it.

He continued to increase the speed, and with both steam engines at full power, the speed reached 28 knots, but the operation was not very stable.

The new steam engine unit clearly required many adjustments, and some components needed reinforcement. Su Ming made a plan and decided to carry out these adjustments while sailing over the next few days.

Feeling the speed of the white triangle, Violet asked Su Ming, "Will we stop using sails from now on?"

She had noticed earlier that the design did not provide any space for masts and sails on the upper part of the hull.

“No need,” Su Ming replied. “Sailing is dependent on the weather, greatly restricts its course, and is too easily damaged in combat.”

For matters that Zijin needs to ponder before drawing a conclusion, Su Ming only needs to refer to Earth's history.

"I just feel it's a real shame about the wing sail technology," said Zijin. "The wind can actually propel the ship so fast; your fluid dynamics is amazing."

“Once we resolve the crisis, Wingsail Technology can be sold,” Su Ming said. “Sell it to several companies at the same time?”

“That’s a good idea, but don’t you have any other types of sail technology on Earth?” Violet said. “Let’s start by selling the lower-level ones and make money multiple times.”

"...Um, aren't you a top scholar?" Su Ming couldn't help but ask, "Why are you so skilled at these things?"

“Because conducting experiments costs a lot of money!” Violet said matter-of-factly, “especially in pioneering and exploratory fields. Without a lot of money, you can’t go far on this path.”

With the cabin reorganized, a large amount of supplies needed to be reorganized, and these tasks were left to the skeleton servants to lead the zombies.

Over the years, Zijin had accumulated quite a few odds and ends. Su Ming saw a life-size statue. Although its exterior was covered in dirt, the carving was exquisite, the shape was solemn, and it possessed great artistic beauty.

Su Ming kicked it a few times and it felt quite sturdy.

"Can I use this as a bow sculpture?"

Most ships in this world have statues erected on their bows, often related to sea gods, to pray for calm winds and peace.

"No!" the scholar interrupted. "I stole this when I left the temple. Although it's a worthless fake, there's no benefit in exposing it."

"...If it were genuine, wouldn't you have sold it already?"

"Of course."
-
Su Ming loathed American transportation. His next stop for Miao Xin was Virginia, a straight-line distance of nearly 4000 kilometers, almost spanning the entire United States!
If this were in China, he was confident he could arrive within 48 hours. But in the lighthouse, the train he chose had broken down yet again. A quick search of the news revealed that this was the norm.

Left with no other choice, he arranged for Miao Xin to rob the truck.

When Su Ming returned to Zhongyang in the newly built White Triangle, Miao Xin hadn't even completed half the journey; it was a truly horrific ordeal.

(End of this chapter)