SWNOVELXO Chapter 138: Chapter 138 - Night Voyage
Stars twinkled in the night sky.
Yet a vast swath of light moved steadily along the northern coast of Blackwater Bay.
Reflections danced upon the sea, beams of light shot straight into the heavens, and crisscrossing rays pointed in all directions, rousing the slumbering residents along the shore.
Those sleeping upon their fishing boats or in seaside huts groggily opened their eyes, enduring discomfort as they strained to peer at the unusual radiance upon the waters, lest they be swallowed by some sudden calamity without warning.
Fortunately, the shipping lane where the lights traveled was not near enough to pose an immediate threat to the coast, yet not so distant that people could not discern the rough outline of the spectacle.
A continuous line of ships.
Sails swelled full, flags gleamed bright, and majestic black stags stood proudly upon golden banners, their gaze fixed ahead.
The source of the light beams and orbs illuminating the dark night came from the masts that rose above the stags' heads—lookout posts.
This was the King's Landing fleet. The fleet of the king blessed by the gods. Many now understood what they witnessed. The king's fleet had set forth! Against whom?
Some attempted to count the passing ships with the naked eye.
Though they concentrated their minds fully, and though each vessel shone with dazzling brilliance, they invariably missed a few in their counting. Eventually, the specific number blurred, leaving them staring blankly as the fleet gradually sailed beyond sight.
There must be hundreds, the people guessed, unwillingly yet excitedly, as they lay back in their beds or at the bottom of their cabins.
The shocking scene had long since banished all sleepiness, so they could only gaze up at the stars in the night sky, hoping the twinkling celestial light might restore their fatigue and grant them pleasant dreams.
May the gods protect us.
...
The exact number was three hundred and one.
Three hundred wooden ships, one ship of steel.
Wooden vessels were easily constructed. Ship blueprints were complete and abundant, and with so many ready-made models in the Royal Fleet to emulate, the sorcerers' work was undoubtedly straightforward.
Given sufficient timber, the original Royal Fleet could be multiplied several times over without even incorporating magical runes.
But wood was not the sole limitation; sailors and supplies proved scarcer than lumber.
After comprehensive consideration, the King's Landing fleet had been rebuilt and expanded to three hundred ships, with a total tonnage of 100,000 and a fixed crew of 16,000 souls.
In addition to the 10,000 guards who would soon land upon the coast, along with personnel in logistics, intelligence, medical care, production, and construction, the total number aboard the fleet approached 30,000.
This massive armada represented the maximum that King's Landing could presently support.
Recruiting skilled sailors and reliable captains, preparing supplies, weapons, and specialized tools, conducting intelligence preparations, arranging personnel, bolstering morale, and guiding propaganda.
That these tasks could be accomplished successfully within a single day was owing entirely to the institutional reforms enacted in King's Landing during this period.
Other factions would not dare even contemplate such feats.
In one day, the 200 ships of various sizes in King's Landing Port had transformed into 300 excellent warships, equipped with sufficient sailors and soldiers, and set sail together for the open sea.
Joffrey dearly wished to witness Renly's expression upon receiving this news.
It would surely be wondrous to behold.
Moreover, there was also this unique flagship, the massive steel-forged "God's Grace," driven not by sail but by magic and steam.
This warship would inspire more awe than flames and healing powers ever could.
One must understand that not only is the terrain of Westeros long and narrow, with rivers and seas intertwined, but life and trade are also intimately bound to the sea.
The Free Cities across the Narrow Sea depend even more heavily upon sea transport and naval power.
When news of the steel warship spread, the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, the magisters and princes of the Free Cities, and the Sealord of Braavos would certainly not remain untroubled.
Cannons and giant ships.
Joffrey overflowed with confidence that he could conquer the Seven Kingdoms—nay, the entire world—with cannons and giant ships alone!
"God's Grace" was both beginning and harbinger, an experimental vessel for accumulating experience and data. Future warships would stand upon its shoulders and ascend to greater heights.
Joffrey looked at Qyburn beside him. The old man was engrossed in murmuring calculations while studying a data sheet.
After these few hours of sailing, the performance data of "God's Grace" and the consumption rates of various devices had been initially compiled.
As of now, the average speed of the entire fleet was eleven knots, approximately twenty kilometers per hour.
The speed of "God's Grace" matched this exactly.
To maintain this pace, it consumed an average of 20 units of fire magic energy and 50 units of solid magic energy per hour.
Without question, if the speed were doubled, the consumption of both types of magic energy would increase dramatically, far more than twofold.
This consumption was not excessive for Joffrey at present.
The rune energy paid to create hundreds of Holy Warriors could guarantee the warship's self-sufficiency, and the new rune energy accrued in a single day could create ten such vessels.
But.
Compared to hundreds of living Holy Warriors who could be harvested continually, was a steel warship truly the more valuable choice at this juncture?
Fortunately, a more perfect solution existed.
Transform the crew of the warship into Holy Warriors, allowing them to continuously inject magic energy into the vessel each day, thus achieving two purposes at once.
Of course, this was ultimately but a temporary measure during the transition period. To obtain safer and more stable combat power, runes devoid of thoughts and feelings were undoubtedly more suitable.
Qyburn's murmuring grew increasingly frenzied and obsessive.
Joffrey knew the old man pursued a more perfect warship structure.
The energy contained within 20 units of fire magic energy vastly exceeded the actual energy consumed by the warship, indicating that useless loss within the power system was alarmingly high.
The 50 units of solid magic energy revealed an even graver problem: the warship could not exist independently.
Each point of solid magic energy signified a flaw or weakness, representing that it had prevented a breakage, disintegration, or even explosion.
As an initial model, such issues were perhaps unavoidable.
Qyburn's task was to collect data on the warship and its magic energy consumption, analyze and study the problems, and devise better solutions.
The abilities of the sorcerers afforded Qyburn considerable latitude for trial, error, and improvement.
Even while seated in his cabin, Joffrey could clearly perceive the changes wrought upon the warship by Qyburn and his sorcerers.
From the fleet's departure until now, Qyburn had altered the structure of the boiler seventeen times, reshaped the turbine blades of the steam turbine twelve times, modified the transmission system eight times, and redesigned the propeller fifteen times.
Every position on the hull that consumed solid magic energy had likewise undergone multiple adjustments.
It was almost a completely exhaustive method of trial and error.
Yet overall, the consumption of magic energy diminished slowly but steadily.
Optimistically, by the time the fleet reached Storm's End, the magic energy consumption of "God's Grace" might be reduced by half.
Four days.
Qyburn's burden was indeed heavy.
"Your Grace."
Joffrey turned toward the door.
The red-robed woman Melisandre swayed as she approached, her movements fluid and graceful. "The Lord of Light has commanded me to come and serve."
Qyburn withdrew from the chamber.
Before accepting the gift of the Lord of Light, Joffrey dispatched instructions to Beric Dondarrion at Massey's Hook and to the red priest Thoros.
"Arrive at Stone Dance City before sunset tomorrow and join the fleet."
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