Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

"Doesn't the structure need to be modified?"

"No need, because the crew cabins are all together, just artificially separated by carbon fiber, so it's not difficult to modify."

Structurally, it is a whole, but it is artificially divided into multiple spaces. Unlike surface warships, this thing has many internal cavities to avoid excessive weight and maintain a stable center of gravity.

"Also, regarding the armor, this ship has almost no armor. It's thicker than an aircraft gunboat, but it's nothing compared to a land-based ship. You'd better not expect it to help you break through the fire net. Try to use glide bombs and artillery attacks as much as possible. If all else fails, use the heavy bombs mounted on the top. Just don't try to engage in a direct artillery duel."

The armor's strength is only enough to withstand current Terra air defense weapons; any heavier firepower would be fatal.

"Control sorcerers work in groups of five, rotating in seven shifts. You can go back and start selecting personnel. The platform is larger and the movement is simpler, so the technical requirements are not high, but the requirements for endurance and concentration are higher. Select personnel according to this standard."

"Also, for aviation mages, it's best to choose those with good eyesight, courage, and high concentration ratings. Also, although the ship has various facilities, including air conditioning, we should still try to select people with taller physiques."

A few days later, at the Aviation Sorcerer School, Mudrock leaned on his hammer, looking somewhat troubled. "Um, what should I say?" After a moment, he continued, "The Sarkaz men are fighting monsters on the front lines, and the Sarkaz girls can't fall behind. We disdain staying home like those Letanian women, being good wives and mothers, nor are we like those Victorian ladies who are well-versed in art, and we're not even as strong as the Ursus girls..."

"However, we can choose other ways to demonstrate our value. The daughters of the Sarkaz should use this hammer from the sky to deliver a devastating blow to the enemy!"

It must be said that Mudrock, a rare female Sarkaz warrior who chooses melee combat and wields a hammer, is very persuasive in saying this.

Traditionally, Sarkaz girls are sorcerers, while boys are warriors. They wear full-coverage robes and masks, casting spells with their bare hands to tear a bloody path for the men to charge, while male warriors wielding greatswords and shields are their first and last line of defense.

"In the past, we stood behind the men. Now, we stand with them, using cannons, hammers, and missiles to destroy them and our enemies!" The Sarkaz girls below cheered.

However, the subsequent tests were not as simple as controlling drones, because even flying warships are either unbearably hot or unbearably cold inside, requiring a very high level of endurance and physical fitness.

The spaceship, tentatively named "Sky Throne," uses welding instead of the riveting techniques commonly found on land-based ships. Also, unlike the carbon-based main structure of land-based ships, it uses a lightweight alloy keel.

Although it is not as light as carbon materials, which nearly doubled the weight of the original 2900-ton project and increased the number of thrusters from 4 to 16, it is also not as flammable as carbon materials.

To further increase buoyancy, there are helium-filled airbags on the stern of the ship, where the deck is located. The balance is adjusted by regulating the airbags and propulsion power to prevent the airbags from tumbling in a storm.

The missiles are positioned at the bow, just like the torpedo tubes. The current tactic is to first launch heavy missiles to plow the enemy's heavy air defenses, then use the heavy artillery on both sides to destroy other air defense areas, and then coordinate with the ground forces to advance layer by layer. Once the target is reached, glider bombers will be released to spread out to both flanks and destroy a larger area of ​​the enemy's positions, completely tearing apart the enemy's defenses.

The same principle applies when attacking cities: first destroy their mobility with missiles, then flank them by bombing the outskirts of the city with gliders, then enter and provide close-range artillery support with heavy artillery. Compared to artillery units, these airborne gunships are more likely to counter enemy artillery fire.

It's also easier to dodge – it only needs to increase its power output to gain altitude to avoid shells.

"How's the situation at the research institute?"

"Current measurements indicate that Originium Power can power Boss Xia's warp drive. Theoretically, we may have built a small spaceship."

"What's the actual situation?" the doctor asked.

"In reality, this thing can't fly too high; simply put, the fuel can't push it out of the atmosphere and achieve orbital speed."

Of course, if you really want to see what Terra looks like, you can push it straight up and down to a high altitude, and then fall down until the fuel runs out. Moreover, flying in a low-gravity environment is even more difficult.

"So, in reality, that engine only provides us with some anti-gravity weight reduction and a deflection shield. The good news is that some of the enemy's anti-aircraft heavy artillery will be useless, as the increased gravity effect will cause the shells to fall on them faster. However, the bad news is that the shield is not very effective against magic cannons."

Kal'tsit flipped through the report and said that in order to complete the project within a year, all the subsystems were tested and manufactured separately.

As for whether the final product will work, no one is sure, especially since Lao Xia's cheat expires and there won't be any chance of compensation if something goes wrong.

"But with some modifications, it could definitely go into space, right?"

“Yes, but Mr. Xia’s manufacturing equipment license has expired…” Kal’tsit shrugged. “So, forget about further modifications and upgrades, we can’t even repair it if it breaks down. It’s a genuine weapon for the final battle, are you sure this is a good idea?”

"It's not good for war, but I think it's worthwhile for training designers and workers, even if it's expensive, not very useful, and its battery life is uncertain. It gives us an important opportunity to get in touch with this kind of ultra-high-end technology..."

That's the doctor's view on the ship: even if it never manages to fly, all the manpower and resources wasted were worth it.

Because being able to truly access interstellar technology and ancient civilization technology, and to realize where our shortcomings lie, is far more valuable than the ship itself.

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Standoff

Chapter 49

Two years have passed since the start of the war, and the battle between Ursus and Colombia has yet to reach a decisive victory. The two sides have been fighting on the Snow River Plain for several months. Although Ursus has successfully consolidated its occupied territory, more and more Colombians continue to pour into the remaining territory of Sami. More than 50,000 corpses have been left on the plain by both sides.

"Almost every inch of the land was soaked in the stench of corpses and blood..." This is how the Ursus reporter described the battlefield situation.

On the eastern front, Letania's defeat in Kazdel forced their troops advancing into the eastern Ursus region to slow down, regroup, and withdraw some back home.

In the central region, Kazimierz launched a fierce offensive against the lost territories, but to no avail. Countless knights fell on the battlefield, and the city's defenses remained unbroken. Ursus's new equipment inflicted heavy casualties on Kazimierz's knights. However, Kazimierz did not lose any more land.

The Ursus were also very troubled and frustrated by their giant cannons. Kazdel explained that they had not sold any weapons to Kazimir, and that these cannons were sold during the pre-war economic cooperation period. Due to the lack of evidence and the need for Kazdel to contain Victoria and Letania in the south, Ursus reluctantly accepted this explanation.

Of course, this also meant that Kazdel was unable to supply Kazimir with more weapons.

Otherwise, things would truly break down. Thus, the world war on Terra gradually transitioned from a period of intense fighting to a stalemate, with neither side able to advance or break through the stalemate. What began as a triumphant advance became a contest of endurance and willpower.

This period will last for 2-3 years, depending on the number and situation of the participating countries. Then, when one of them shows signs of defeat, the war will enter the final decisive stage.

It's basically garbage time, with the outcome already decided. When it ends depends solely on what price the winner is willing to pay and what kind of victory they want to achieve.

After two years of fierce fighting, Longmen's economy was in dire straits. The stock market had long been closed, and international trade had become negligible. The only thing that could still hold on was a few large groups continuing their businesses in Longmen.

Blacksteel sells weapons and equipment to Kosichite through Lungmen, and also provides mercenaries.

Of course, it doesn't just sell these things to Kosichie; they're also involved in Letania, the Gallic Restoration, and even Kazdel.

Similarly, Raytheon Industries and Rhine Lab have become increasingly active, and their extensive use of Originium weapons and magical weapons has rapidly increased the incidence of Oripathy. Rhine Lab, of course, will not let this opportunity pass.

Besides Oripathy inhibitors, Rhine Life's main businesses include various battlefield drugs, anesthetics, stimulants, and first-aid supplies. Unfortunately, this business suffered a major blow from the Xia Group.

Apart from a few flagship products, the other side doesn't have many high-tech pharmaceutical products, but it stands out for its large volume, saturation, and brutal efficacy—they are all veterinary drugs. However, for military doctors on the battlefield, they prefer the drugs produced by the Xia Group.

Although it is quite dangerous, the treatment is brutal and the dosage is sufficient. As for the danger and toxicity...

When used on the battlefield, nobody cares about these two things; as long as the toxicity doesn't kill someone on the spot, it can be used.

After all, if they didn't use it, they would be doomed. Even if using it had toxic side effects and blinded them, at least they could save their lives and go back. The soldiers on the front lines knew which was more important.

Besides, the largest trade in Longmen at present is actually the "grain trade," which is the least likely to happen during wartime. The disaster caused by the sea monsters has dealt a heavy blow to the agricultural production of Da Yan. To this day, there are still a large number of sea monsters active in the southern region. Da Yan's repeated encirclement and suppression and the mobilization of troops from various towns have further increased the consumption of the already scarce money and food.

Even if those gentry hoarded grain, they still needed to be able to buy it. They couldn't turn money into grain, so purchasing grain from outside became the preferred option for the Great Yan Dynasty.

"A total of 2 tons of wheat flour, to be loaded and shipped tomorrow." The Xia Group clerk glanced at the Da Yan official in front of him, tore off a bill of lading and threw it on the counter, "Go over there to transfer the money and pay."

This time, the officials of the Great Yan were not as arrogant as before, because the emperor said that they should either return with grain or return with heads.

While the invasion by Hai Si was undoubtedly a tragedy and a disaster, the decisive granting of land and rewards, coupled with the severe damage to the southern heartland and the fact that powerful and wealthy people everywhere were waiting for imported rice to save their lives, meant that at this critical juncture, no one would send an ignorant and reckless youth to cause trouble, and even less would anyone stop the emperor from killing to vent his anger.

Of course, those grain merchants who monopolize grain and the people who hold shares behind them have the guts to cause trouble.

However, this time Old Wei was not so easy to talk to. Before these people could cause any trouble, he directly reported a fire at the embassy to his superiors—and the emperor tacitly approved of it. Now, the "talents" who had been carefully selected were coming.

It must be said that the sudden shift from extreme arrogance to utter humility was so abrupt that even the office staff found it a bit disorienting. However, since Da Yan was bringing money to purchase grain, things were much easier.

Compared to the relatively humble purchasing team from Dayan, the purchasing agents sent from Yuegang were treated much better.

After all, both parties are long-time clients who frequently make "big deals," so instead of humbly conducting transactions at the trading counter, they can enter the VIP room to discuss matters.

"How come it's only this much?" The manager frowned. "That shouldn't be the case. You used to buy much more than this. Logically, you should be buying more now."

"Well... I'm short on cash." If it were before, it would be easy. Just find a few warships in good condition in the fleet and "scrap" them, and you'll have the money. Kazdel would be happy to receive such readily available goods. The shipyard workers, who have been without pay for several years, would also be happy to have the fleet directly pay them with food and pork as wages.

The eunuchs guarding the garrison also received a routine tribute; the shipyard had orders, the fleet had new ships, Kazdel had available stock and a market, officials at all levels also received a share of the profits, and even the prefect of Moonport received recognition for his achievements—

It could be said that everyone was happy, the only problem was that the fleet was now almost crippled and it was impossible to sell any more ships.

The shipyard's production capacity also needs to meet the fleet's combat power recovery as soon as possible, including recruiting and training new recruits, and providing pensions to fallen soldiers, etc. The small treasury that the Moonport Fleet had saved up before is almost empty, so purchasing military rations now seems like being stingy.

"Even if you're short on cash, this is still a lot. Add some more. If you do this, I won't be able to explain it to you when you get back!"

They came to buy things with great fanfare, but in the end they didn't buy as much as the people at the trading counter in front. How can this be tolerated?

In particular, this year's bumper harvest in Kazdale has meant that, after deducting necessary reserves, industrial production, and consumption, there are at least 200 million tons of wheat and an equivalent weight of other grains waiting to be sold, not to mention the even larger quantities of various vegetables. However, meat production this year is much lower than last year.

Because most of the ranches were concentrated in the northern region and were mostly destroyed by war, and many ranches chose to raise warhorses rather than livestock, the price of meat in Kazdel skyrocketed, forcing the ranch to invest in war reserves to stabilize prices.

In other words, after nearly two years of fighting, Letania has finally depleted its opponent's military reserves, which is truly a cause for celebration.

Their enemies have finally entered into a rationing system for luxury goods such as meat, sugar, and tea, and have begun stockpiling war reserves. However, there are currently no restrictions on the purchase of staple foods, and there are even reserves of millions of tons intended for export.

So no matter how Letania communicated with Wei, the latter disagreed with sanctioning Kazdel and freezing their assets—of course, your enemy still has food exports, who do you think you can win?

"Then add some vegetables or something... but no more, unless you agree to pay on credit." "That's definitely not possible. We're already offering the biggest VIP discount by accepting barter."

"Then...wait, do you want a steel mill?"

"Ok?"

"A steel smelting plant of Longgang Steel".

"Oh? You're planning to sell?" The manager immediately sat up straight; this was a big deal.

"To be precise, would you buy a portion of the shares if they were offered for sale?"

"How many shares?"

"17%, and we can also sign a priority supply agreement with you!"

"Let me ask for instructions." The manager felt he couldn't make the decision on this matter himself and needed to consult his boss.

“Sure, we’ll do it if they increase their stake to 21%. I’ve done my research. The steel mill isn’t the most advanced, but it’s a decent size. Governor Shi of Yuegang owns about 40% of the shares. We’ll do the business with 21%, which will ensure we have enough say in it. In addition, we need some management control of the steel mill. If they agree, the deal will be done.”

"What if they refuse?" Little Tiger thought for a moment, then said to his subordinates, "If they refuse, remove them from the VIP client list, and then we'll talk to Da Yan about the acquisition. I believe the officials in Da Yan will be more clear-headed." They're selling Da Yan's assets and taking their own benefits, so of course they're perfectly clear-headed.

"This, this condition, I need to think about it." It's not that it's impossible to accept, but it has indeed crossed the line, and I need to reconsider and recalculate.

“Alright, but you don’t have much time, because the Great Yan Dynasty is also buying grain, and they might be willing to pay a higher price.”

This is indeed a powerful threat. We are all people of the Great Yan Dynasty, and we all understand. What wouldn't those on the other side sell out in order to purchase more grain to get promoted? Not to mention that we have a hospitality expense of up to 3 million Lungmen Dollars.

"Purchasing assets from the Great Yan, hmm, that's certainly something we can try, as an attempt to penetrate the Great Yan market." After receiving his wife's report, Lao Xia thought for a moment and added, "Prioritize acquiring their alloy, chemical, and advanced optical technology factories and laboratories. As long as they're willing to sell, we'll take them. It's best to bypass the Great Yan court and negotiate with the direct owners."

"That's what I was thinking too..." Little Tiger nodded; her thoughts were similar to Old Xia's. Of course, she might have gone into a few more details, but overall it was the same idea.

Ultimately, Xia's Group acquired a 21% stake in Yuegang Steel Mill in exchange for 50 tons of wheat, and obtained limited management rights.

However, the relevant technology remains in the hands of the other party. But for Lao Xia, this is not a problem at all.

Master Nian has the technology from Longgang Steel, but Kazdel simply can't build such a large-scale steel plant in a short time.

Moreover, Lao Xia is not exactly an expert in this traditional metallurgical industry, but he is certainly completely clueless about it.

In this way, most of the material problems of the Sky Throne and Kazdel Shipyard were solved. Da Yan had a complete set of materials and steel technology and manufacturing processes for all levels of land-based ships, as well as a group of qualified workers and engineers, and the equipment was also readily available.

If Kazdel were to acquire another shipyard, or even poach its workers and engineers, it would be able to possess one of the most powerful ships in Terra.

However, its shipbuilding capacity is at least third in the rankings, allowing it to produce land-based ships on a small scale to compensate for its lack of super-heavy units.

Leitania strongly condemned the actions of Da Yan and Longmen. However, Da Yan's diplomatic strategy has always been "none of your business" and "none of my business," remaining unmoved. In fact, after reading the Leitania envoy's protest letter, the emperor casually tossed it aside and turned to ask if it was feasible to use a portion of the factories to offset the huge purchase order.

In order to fight against the chaotic monsters and demons around them, the Great Yan Dynasty has a large number of military workshops and supporting industrial zones throughout the country.