Chapter 38

Spring faded, and the scorching heat of summer arrived.

To the east of Ironwood lay a sweeping, arc-shaped coastline stretching forty-five kilometers—Crescent Bay. Here, a bustling port city had risen from the sand, boasting three commercial piers and two massive drydocks carved into the earth.

Since the successful test flight of Flyer One, Clyris's workspace had shifted to this coastal hub.

In one of the drydocks, a true Leviathan of Steel sat upon the slipway.

Its body was forged entirely from steel, gleaming with a cold, silver light under the blazing sun. Workers swarmed over it like ants, climbing up and down the dense scaffolding that encased the hull. Steel plates larger than a man were hoisted by towering cranes and affixed to the ship's sides. Rivets, heated until they glowed red-hot, were clamped with tongs and hammered viciously into the ship's skin, binding the armor together.

High above the deck, a towering superstructure rose. Near the top, observation ports the size of a man looked out like the unblinking eyes of a giant, surveying the city below.

"It is... beautiful!"

Standing on a high observation platform, Charlo looked down at the metal beast on the slipway, unable to suppress a sigh of admiration.

"So, when are the turrets arriving? The hull is nearly finished," Clyris asked, rolling her eyes at his infatuation.

"A few more days. Freya only recently cracked the engineering for the Twin-Mount 300mm Turrets. She is rushing production now," Charlo said, shaking his head with a smile. "Who knew that the hull—the largest part of the project—would be the first to finish?"

"Hmph. Although I can currently only exert the power of a Seventh-Rank Mage, do not underestimate me! Do you understand the gap in our abilities now?" Miss Demon Lord lifted the corner of her mouth, looking at him with triumphant pride.

"Don't talk nonsense! When have I ever underestimated you?" Charlo waved his hands defensively. "It is precisely because you are the strongest mage here that I assigned you the hull. I was just surprised by your speed!"

"So, what now?"

"Have the crews install the secondary batteries, the fire control directors, and the observation towers. You... go to Speer's workshop and help finish the turrets."

"What? I have to run another errand?!" Clyris glared at him.

"As the saying goes: those with ability do more work! Please~ Miss Clyris!" Charlo clasped his hands together and tilted his head with a charming smile.

"Fine... I brought this on myself by agreeing to help you."

A few days later, the shipyards were packed with a sea of people.

Clyris watched as the tower cranes lifted four massive steel lumps—the main turrets. One by one, they were lowered into the empty sockets on the deck.

From the face of each turret extended two long, terrifying barrels, pointing straight ahead. The spiraling rifling inside the dark muzzles glinted with an unsettling cold light in the sun. They were the fangs of the beast.

With the installation of the final turret, the unprecedented giant was finally complete.

After several days of system debugging, launch day arrived. Everyone who was anyone in Ironwood was present.

The sluice gates opened. Water rushed into the drydock. The giant swayed slightly, then lifted. It floated.

A steel body over two hundred meters long, impervious to sword and spear. Four twin-gun turrets arranged in a superfiring configuration—meaning the rear guns could shoot over the front ones—capable of obliterating anything in their path. Rows of secondary guns bristled along the sides like the quills of a steel hedgehog.

"This is it... A true Heavy Weapon! This is the weapon of my dreams—The Ideal Instrument of War!!"

Davis threw his head back and shouted, dancing with excitement, his usual knightly composure completely shattered. Although Clyris found his display a bit embarrassing, she understood. Anyone seeing this behemoth for the first time would be shaken to their core.

"Ahem! Then, allow The Great Me to introduce the firepower of this vessel!"

Freya cleared her throat and stepped forward, her expression serious as she addressed the assembly.

"Thanks to everyone's hard work, Ironwood's first battleship is armed and ready. The Main Battery consists of four twin-mount 300mm cannons, arranged along the centerline to allow a full broadside of eight guns to either side."

She pointed to the massive barrels. "These guns can elevate to 55 degrees, hurling a shell 25,000 meters. We can strike the enemy before we even appear on their horizon."

"And the ammunition?" Charlo asked.

"Two types," Freya explained. "The Armor-Piercing shells weigh 650kg. They are designed to penetrate 300mm of solid steel at a range of 20 kilometers. The High-Explosive shells are slightly lighter, but packed with 44kg of explosive filler to shred unarmored targets."

She gestured to the forest of smaller guns along the rail. "For the Secondary Battery, we have installed ten twin-mount 125mm guns. These are dual-purpose—capable of engaging ships or elevating to 70 degrees to shoot down aerial threats. Combined with our 60 autocannons, the air defense is impenetrable."

"That concludes the firepower briefing."

Thunderous applause erupted as Freya finished.

"Strong! Powerful! Fierce!" Davis roared.

"Quiet down. I will now introduce the ship's protection." As the applause faded, Miss Demon Lord stepped forward, a confident smile on her lips.

"This vessel is a fortress. It measures 210 meters long with a beam of 32 meters."

She tapped the side of the hull. "The physical armor utilizes the Turtleback Scheme. The main belt is 300mm of hardened steel, inclined at 19 degrees. Behind that lies an internal armored deck that slopes down like a turtle's shell to deflect any shell that penetrates the outer layer."

"And the magical protection?" Charlo prompted.

"Thorough," Clyris smirked. "Because the surface area is so vast, we didn't have to hold back. The exterior hull is inscribed with three overlapping 7th-Rank Defensive Arrays. And the internal armored deck? That canvas was large enough for a masterpiece—a single, colossal 8th-Rank Defensive Array."

"Excellent! As expected of our Chief Magic Consultant!" Charlo led the applause.

"Finally, I will explain the performance," Speer stepped up, adjusting his glasses.

"She is heavy," Speer admitted, looking at the water line. "Standard displacement is 28,000 tons, rising to over 33,000 tons when fully loaded. Yet, despite this mass, the engines are performing well.

It's top speed at 48 kilometers per hour (26 knots). At a cruising speed, she has a range of 12,400 kilometers. She can patrol the entire coastline without needing to refuel."

"Good! Now, all that remains is to give this ship a name!"

Charlo thought for a moment, looking at the grey silhouette dominating the harbor. It rendered everything before it obsolete.

He punched his palm.

"Let's call her—The Dreadnought (Wuwei)!"