Douluo Dalu 2: Sun-Moon Glory

"Please follow me onboard."

Captain Shi turned and made a welcoming gesture. Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen nodded and followed him. Docked directly across from them at Sunrise Port was the warship hailed as the finest of the Sun Moon Empire's Royal Navy—the Sunray.

As the three walked side by side, Shi Dongsheng stared proudly at the Sunray, offering a detailed introduction.

"Before you stands the largest vessel in our Sun Moon Empire's Royal Navy—the Sunray."

Huo Yuhao walked steadily toward the ship moored at the far end of the dock. He listened intently to the captain's words while carefully inspecting the vessel that claimed to be the most advanced warship in the Sun Moon fleet.

In terms of size, it certainly lived up to its reputation. Comparable to the HMS Dreadnought of Earth's naval history, the Sunray stretched about 150 meters in length and 25 meters in width. It stood in sharp contrast to the smaller warships of the fleet, many of which didn't even exceed a hundred meters.

To propel a ship of this scale, the Sunray relied on a combination of large sails and soul engineer-powered mechanical paddle systems at the hull.

A somewhat rudimentary propulsion system, admittedly—but understandable. The Sunray had been built nearly five centuries ago, long before sealed milk bottles and other modern power systems had been invented.

Its weapon systems were similarly straightforward, bordering on primitive. The ship looked somewhat like a wooden galleon from Earth's medieval era, with countless fixed-mount soul cannon muzzles jutting from the ship's midsection. The caliber of these muzzles varied, but based on Huo Yuhao's rough estimate, the largest among them could easily launch a Class 9 fixed-mount soul cannon shell.

Aside from those cannons, there were also underwater shock bombs. According to Captain Shi, shock bombs were particularly effective against large groups of sea spirit beasts. The underwater shockwaves they produced traveled great distances, and weaker sea beasts—even if they weren't killed or knocked unconscious—would be scared off by the intense vibrations.

As for defense, the Sunray was permanently stationed with a five-hundred-member soul engineer corps. In the event of a sea beast assault, activating the ship's linked defense array could keep it protected for a certain period.

Beyond that, the ship's physical defenses were average at best. As Huo Yuhao had once said, the internal structure was mainly reinforced ironwood—sturdy, but nothing exceptional. However, the exterior was layered with a 22-millimeter-thick plating of the famed star-silver steel. Decent, but not enough to reliably fend off sea spirit beast attacks on its own.

After listening to the captain's explanation, the three ascended the stairs and boarded the Sunray. Huo Yuhao now understood why this was the only such vessel in the navy—just one Sunray required an entire five-hundred-strong soul engineer corps to operate and defend. How many such legions could the empire spare?

Additionally, due to the threat of sea spirit beasts, few coastal cities on the continent were developed, making large-scale naval investment unfeasible. It was no wonder the Sun Moon Empire's navy was relatively underfunded.

From a strategic standpoint, the primary purpose of the Sunray in future war efforts against the three Douluo kingdoms would likely be to force open a beachhead along Star Luo Empire's southern coast, using its firepower and soul engineer corps to aid a land-based pincer attack.

But Huo Yuhao had bigger plans. One day, he intended to explore the other two continents beyond Douluo. For that, a powerful navy capable of fending off sea spirit beasts would be crucial.

Even now, the Sunray was not simply a symbolic display of naval might. Its main mission was to repel sea spirit beasts that occasionally harassed human settlements, to regularly patrol and hunt sea beasts for their valuable materials, and to deter further sea beast aggression against maritime trade.

Today just so happened to be one of those missions—the Sunray was fully armed and ready to set out.

Standing on deck, Huo Yuhao observed the ship's layout. It wasn't anything particularly special: the captain's cabin, sails, and large cannons were all present. But what caught his eye were the black metal pillars spaced out along the deck's perimeter.

"What are those, Captain Shi?"

He pointed to the columns, curiosity in his voice.

"Ah, those are fixed-type linked soul tools. Unlike the mobile versions used by individuals, these large models require at least three basic-level soul engineers to charge. But in return, the energy they produce—whether for attack or defense—is formidable. Compared to fixed-mount cannons, these linked soul tools offer greater tactical flexibility."

Huo Yuhao nodded thoughtfully as he looked at the modest yet imposing pillars. If only Captain Shi knew that the Mingde Hall had already developed sealed milk bottles capable of automatically recharging soul tools—he'd be ecstatic.

With those, the Sunray's defenses could be significantly enhanced against sea beast threats. The only real limitation would be soul power consumption. As Shi had explained, even with five hundred soul engineers rotating shifts, the linked soul tools could only remain active for about an hour.

Huo Yuhao also took note of the soul engineers assembled on deck. Unlike land-based divisions, they were all dressed in crisp white naval uniforms.

Some of the soldiers cast curious glances toward the striking young man and woman following behind Captain Shi. But most of them looked on with skepticism or disapproval. After all, there had been no shortage of pampered nobles who'd been sent to the Sunray to "experience the real world," only to whine and complain once at sea, leaving a bad impression on the crew.

A sea expedition was no vacation. Many of these soldiers—even those who were Class 3 to Class 7 soul engineers—had endured the relentless wear of the ocean. With calloused hands and wind-burned skin, they regarded the fresh-faced duo with doubt.

Could these delicate-looking youngsters handle life at sea?

That was the unspoken question lingering in many of their minds.

But they were soldiers. After briefly sizing up the newcomers, they straightened up and shifted their attention back to their commanding officer.

"You two should settle into your cabin below deck," said Captain Shi, handing them a room keycard. "Your room number is printed on it. It'll be at least half a day's sail before we reach waters where sea beasts tend to appear."

(End of Chapter)

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