Chapter 590

Chapter 590: Lightning and Silver Wheels (Part Two)

The western side of the Calm Moon Strait, on Banuo Island.

This small island in the strait is located further west than Hope Lane, now considered part of the rear lines in the ongoing conflict.

“Lord Black, Master Lund has arrived.”

Inside a massive shipyard on the island, Lord Black stood under the nearly completed giant warship, looking up with a sigh.

It’s been almost five years since he left Hope Lane for this small island to carry out his mission; how time flies.

Back then, he was just an orphan in Hope Lane, later adopted by the Carites family, becoming a guard, then promoted by Miss Lacy to his current position. Unbeknownst to him, he had gone through so much.

He still remembers that day when Miss Lacy called him into her office, asking about his aspirations and future plans, then entrusting him with this mission.

“Although we have gained independence and signed a truce with the Frost Union, it is only a temporary ceasefire. With the support of the Dais商会, the Frost Union’s ironclad warships will continue to explore and advance.” Lolan Hill said, her light eyes like clear crystal.

“And the Carites family cannot fall behind; we must even prepare in advance for potential future wars.”

“Therefore, I need someone trustworthy to undertake this arduous task.”

“I am willing to follow Miss Lacy’s will,” he knelt on one knee, swearing his loyalty.

Afterwards, Miss Lacy gave him thick blueprints, numerous documents, heritage gems, and even elixirs to enhance his strength. A year later, he reached Sequence 5, and now he has just advanced to Sequence 6.

Over these years, he constantly traveled between this island and various places, purchasing materials and handing them over to technicians. Under his supervision, they gradually built this massive shipyard, and after several more years, completed these giant warships.

Today, these ironclad warships are finally fully completed.

“Master Lund has arrived,” a guard reported as a man in a gray-black coat walked in.

His clothes and hands were still dusty and greasy, but no one could tell he was a master. Only the staff here knew how deeply this alchemist studied and understood naval technology, something unimaginable to outsiders.

To test the optimal hull structure, he led his apprentice mages to conduct hundreds of experiments in the nearby sea, building model ships and experimental vessels. Finally, these three battleships were born.

“What does Lord Black need?” Although Lund is the chief technical officer of the island, Black, as Miss Lacy’s proxy, oversees all matters and holds a higher status.

“Miss Lacy recently sent a letter,” Black said, having nothing to hide regarding Lolan Hill’s instructions.

Lund took the letter and read it carefully.

The letter informed Black and Lund that the young strawberry kingdom had agreed to a full alliance with Clancia, and the Carites and New Vergha would also participate. After the three warships were prepared, they would immediately set sail, head to the frontlines, join the young strawberry kingdom’s fleet, and engage the Frost Union’s fleet.

“This day has finally come,” Lund sighed.

Though he came from the Frost Union, he faced many exclusions due to his humble background and being in a small faction. Later, he led his students to migrate to Vergha. Now, years later, he found himself facing the opposite side of his former country.

However, in the Ivar world, there wasn’t a strong sense of national identity. He hadn’t received any favors while in Rourna, and he moved away with his family, so he didn’t feel uncomfortable. He merely sighed at the unpredictability of life and the great differences in fate.

Previously, he was a third-rate alchemist in Rourna, ignored and looked down upon. Now, he has risen to become the chief technical officer of the Carites商会. If the war is won, he might even gain a good position in the future country, something he once couldn’t have imagined.

“I understand. I will ensure my apprentices and juniors handle this well,” he said, looking at the towering battleship before him, stepping forward slowly, and gently touching the hard steel hull.

While the young strawberry kingdom still used wind-powered warships, the Frost Union had already begun using wind-sail and propeller hybrid ironclads, similar to early modern warships in Lolan Hill’s memory.

The outer layer was thick iron plating, with a half-meter-thick teakwood layer inside to mitigate impact and cannon fire. The innermost layer was several layers of steel, making it a wooden-steel hybrid ironclad.

Lolan Hill’s technology initially aimed at classic designs from the Great War era, specifically dreadnoughts, for improvement. From the start, they abandoned the cumbersome and wind-catching masts and sails, relying solely on the powerful propellers at the stern.

The ship’s length stretched to over 200 meters, with a displacement of over 24,000 tons. It had two sets of magitek steam turbines, capable of reaching a maximum speed of 28 knots, and could maintain 20 knots normally, far surpassing the current Frost Union ships averaging 18 knots.

The hull bottom utilized sealed compartments, optimized armor structures, and had five dual-barreled 300mm main gun turrets—three forward and two aft. Originally designed as ordinary magitek cannons, last year Lolan Hill sent a new design based on the information from the Twilight Era.

The intricate engravings and theories remained incompletely digested by Lund, but he only needed to follow the blueprint. Whatever the pattern meant, as long as it ran, it seemed to work.

Thus, this far superior main cannon, the [Incandescent Engraving Cannon] (Evaluation: Rare Pearl Grade),

She knew that the Dusk Era had many advanced technologies and weapons, but due to the lack of basic materials, personnel, facilities, and other industrial chains not yet completed, she could only sigh with regret and temporarily store them in the system.

“Has Miss Lacy named the three warships?” Lund suddenly asked.

“Mm-hm. They are named Ship No. 1 · Aglaea, Ship No. 2 · Thalia, and Ship No. 3 · Euphrosyne, also known as the Three Graces.”

With the launch of these three ‘Invincible-class’ battleships, over a thousand crew members of the Kallithea Merchant Guild boarded the ships. Under the guidance of the technical officers, they gradually became familiar with the vessels. Then, leaving behind long, light blue trails, the ships sailed towards the southeastern Chuberry Kingdom.

—

A week later, in the Strait of Silent Moon.

“Report to Lord Black, enemy forces have been spotted ahead!”

In the spacious and light-colored command tower, Black had not fully adapted to this new type of warship when the warning voice came through the speaker beside him.

“It seems our opponents won’t give us any time to prepare, Master Lund,” Black said, wearing a purple and white military uniform, addressing the alchemist beside him.

“Indeed. But this is also a good opportunity to test our achievements,” Lund said, looking out the window at the constantly surging waves, his heart surging. A desire to prove himself swirled in his mind.

He wanted those who once underestimated others to be shocked, to feel the unparalleled power of this warship.

“Prepare the main cannons,” Black said into the speaker.

“Yes!” came the synchronized response from within the pipes.

The heavy and imposing main cannon turret slowly rotated, aiming at the distant ironclad fleet. The new magical reactor inside the ship continuously charged up, and intricate and exquisite enchantment patterns appeared on the barrel, which gradually turned red and then a fiery yellow.

“Fire!”

A dull rumbling echoed from the cannon’s mouth. The massive recoil caused the 24,000-ton warship to tilt slightly, then several glowing red-hot shells pierced through the air with terrifying force, directly piercing through the enemy ships kilometers away, causing explosions and rising fragments and flames.

“How is this possible?”

On the ironclad ship of Frost Union, a high-ranking mage looked in disbelief at the burning and sinking warship on the sea.

As a top elite mage from the major faction in Rourna, he had always been proud of the nation’s technology. Now, how did this warship flying the purple flower and star flag come to possess such powerful magical cannons, and why was its size several times larger than their own?

Could it be a masterpiece of the New Moon Parliament? But weren’t they opposed to machinery and steel? What exactly is going on here? Countless questions swirled in his mind, but there was no time for contemplation now.

The terrifying giant cannons on the opposing ship continued to spit fire, one fiery red shell after another, carrying immense power, shooting toward them.

Even though the ship rose a series of light blue barriers, they were shattered by the divine-like fury, allowing water to pour in, ultimately sinking the ship.

“Counterattack! Counterattack! Counterattack!”

An anxious naval commander shouted to the gunners inside the ship, his face flushed with excitement.

Bang bang—

As the cannons engraved with magical runes fired, 40 cannons on the ship fired sequentially from back to front, sending black projectiles like whistling bullets towards the three enemy ships.

Unfortunately, most of the shells fell into the sea before reaching the enemy ships, only splashing up useless water.

“Damn it, accelerate!”

The general of the ironclad fleet became enraged, signaling his flagship to raise special signal flags, and then fully activated the magical reactors to increase propulsion, heading forward.

On the Kallithea side, the observer reported the situation to the flagship at the head.

“Lord Black, they are accelerating to chase us.”

“Then we will accelerate too, trying to distance ourselves from them.”

Thus, the two fleets engaged in a tense and thrilling chase at sea. One side consisted of over 30 ironclad ships, surging forward and breaking through waves, heading southwest. On the other side, the three Aglaea-class battleships left long arcs on the sea, continuously firing at the pursuing enemy ships from the rear.

Compared to the ironclad fleet, which could only chase with its bow facing the enemy, the three Aglaea-class battleships could maintain their range and optimal distance while still maneuvering to present a tilted T-shape, continuously bombarding the enemy.

“No!”

In the chasing ironclad fleet, one ship after another exploded under the enemy’s cannon fire, shattering into flying iron and wood debris, forming large orange-yellow fireballs before sinking into the cold abyss.

This scene repeated itself again and again, gradually breaking the morale of the sailors and mages in the fleet. They had tried to let some mages ascend and attack the enemy ships, but unfortunately, the floating mages were shot down by the密集的副炮 (dense secondary cannons) in the air, turning into human fireworks before falling into the sea.

Just as the general of the ironclad fleet was hesitating about retreating, a high-ranking mage advisor approached him.

“My lord, our reinforcements have arrived.”

Above the three Aglaea-class battleships, dark clouds parted, and one iron-gray airship after another emerged, their paddle wings still trailing wisps of mist. As they descended, the vast and layered shadows covered the three newly launched warships, making them seem as insignificant as fingers.

—

End of Translation.

The sky suddenly seemed to darken as the massive propellers of the airships whirred loudly, like a heavy gray curtain falling, causing the extraordinary magic fluctuations to create an overwhelming sense of terror among the crew members on the three warships.

Dozens of mages were stationed on each airship, and together there were over 3,000 mages with various sequence levels, including some elites at sequences 6-7. There were even traces of mages at sequence 8 and above.

To counter the formidable Chuberry Kingdom, Frost Union redirected its main forces to the Silent Moon Strait, aiming to blockade and defeat this southern faction, which was another lineage of mages left behind by the ancient Oz Country.

Oscillating crimson cannonballs shot out from the turrets towards the sky, only to be halted by the vast interconnected array.

Over a thousand mages cast their spells simultaneously, forming a vast and intricate blue magic array in the sky, pressing down layer by layer to block the cannonballs beneath it.

Boom—boom—

Shattered cannonballs exploded like fireworks in the sky before falling onto the decks below and the sea surface.

Black stepped out of the bridge, gazing up at the swarm of airships, shielding his eyes from the falling sparks and ashes with his hand, clenching his fist tightly before letting it go weakly.

“Even with years of preparation and technological superiority, we cannot resist such a vast national advantage.”

The airships hovering in the sky opened their lower hatches, extending their cannons to target the three defenseless warships below. The barrels gradually changed from dark to orange as they charged.

Just as the crew on the warships began to lose hope, a flash of light appeared at the edge of the sky, followed by rumbling thunder.

“Is it thunder? At this time?”

A mage from the ironclad fleet glanced back carelessly; the warship beneath him had long ceased pursuit and was quietly watching the destruction of the three enemy ships far away.

In the twilight, under the thick nearly black leaden clouds, a lightning bolt surged across the sky. It was a nearly deformed figure whose body seemed composed of golden lightning. As he approached the limit of his run, he stretched out into a long snake of lightning. This terrifying pressure conveyed the immense power of Extraordinary Sequence 9.

This blazing magic energy in the golden lightning burst forth like a sharp arrow, piercing through the oppressive gray sky and striking the dark airships above the sea.

In the airship cluster, a ripple suddenly spread out.

A man in an elegant robe appeared in the sky. His black hair turned white amidst the surging and releasing magic, eventually turning bright white-blue. Another Extraordinary Sequence 9 sage had appeared.

“Temporal Secrets Three·Stasis.”

A large clock face floated in the sky where the airships were, displaying extremely precise gears and hands. Inside, six smaller clock faces emerged. As the hands turned, everything around seemed frozen.

If air were clear water, now it seemed to have frozen solid. In Black’s perception, everything moved incredibly slowly. He tried to speak but his teeth only parted slightly from his jaw after a long while.

Cannonballs shot out of the barrels, sliding slowly in the air, barely faster than snails. He could clearly see the patterns on them and the spreading waves of air.

The propellers on the airships in the sky also seemed to stop turning, everything becoming silent.

When the dazzling lightning struck the stagnant gray sky, it shattered like countless pieces of glass, creating a noisy trajectory in the still space.

“Urielvis, it’s you,” the man in the sky said, recognizing the approaching figure from the increasingly clear lightning.

“Long time no see, Silver Wheel’s Pointer·Clarke.”

Although his words were calm, the lightning in the sky suddenly flashed explosively.

Crack—

A shocking lightning bolt exploded through the thick leaden clouds, breaking the almost tranquil space with fierce force. After the blinding light and thunder passed, the cold moonlight shone in the night sky. The propellers of the airships spun again under the moonlight, and the world seemed to regain sound.

But the battle was not over. The clock face reappeared in the sky, silver and transparent, and when its hands turned, the two hundred airships vanished abruptly before reappearing.

“Temporal Secrets Two·Transfer.”

Layered airships formed a huge circle in the sky, surrounding the golden lightning. The cannons on the airships fired intensely, creating a dense pattern of fire that converged towards the center, drawing a dense circle pointing towards the center in the sky.

As the lightning flashed again, another sage spoke in the sky.

“Temporal Secrets Four·Cutting”

The lightning in the center seemed momentarily trapped in a small spherical space, then submerged under countless flames and cannonballs.

Seconds later, the flames dimmed, and smoke filled the air. Just as some mages celebrated, purple-red lightning sparks lit up on all the airships before exploding.

Amidst the rolling black smoke, these airships plunged into the sea, and the mages inside scattered like ants.

The lightning streaked across the sky once more, carrying the might of nature, breaking through all obstacles.

The silver wheel also spun again, performing ancient witchcraft one by one, capturing the mighty lightning between heaven and earth with human bodies.

Electric sparks flew, thunder tearing through layers of space, the hands of the clock turning, the pointers on the silver wheel rotating backward.

—And now, lightning and the silver wheel were evenly matched.

(End of Chapter)