c8 A New Era

The winds of the hurricane whistled and the heavy rain bucketed down. The three-masted sailboat wobbled between one after another “mountains” that were made up of waves. It was like a little toy that was being tossed around by giants.

The dark red in Alger Wilsen’s eyes faded and he found himself still standing on the deck. There was no difference from where he was at previously.

Immediately afterward, he saw that the weirdly shaped glass bottle in his palm shattering into pieces, the frost in the bottle turned into water and dissolved in the rain.

In just two or three seconds, all traces of the ancient relic had completely disappeared.

The image of a hexagonal crystal snowflake emerged in Alger’s palm, and then it quickly faded until it could not be seen. It seemed to have shrunk into the flesh.

Alger made a hardly noticeable nod as though he were thinking of something and he stood quietly for a full five minutes.

After that, he turned and headed towards the cabin entrance. While he was entering through the door, a man who was also dressed in a robe with lightning patterns walked out at the same time.

The man with soft blonde hair paused and looked at Alger, then he reached out his right hand and placed his fist firmly on his chest.

“May the Storms be with you.”

“May the Storms be with you.” Alger pounded his right fist on his left chest and returned the greeting without showing any emotions on his rough looking face.

After saluting each other, Alger entered the cabin and walked along the aisle to the captain’s room in the distance.

Along the way, he didn’t even encounter any sailor or crew. The place was as quiet and desolate as the inside of a tomb.

The door of the captain’s room opened. A soft, thick, and dark brown carpet appeared before him. There was a bookshelf at one side of the room and a wine cabinet on the other side. There were books with slightly yellowed covers and a bottle of red wine that sparkled with a strange luster under the glow of the candle.

There was also a bottle of ink, a feather pen, a black metal telescope, and a brass sextant on the candle-lit desk.

Behind the desk, there was a pale middle-aged man who wore a captain’s cap with a skull symbol. He stared at Alger who was walking into the room and spoke angrily.

“I won’t give in!”

“I believe that,” Alger replied in a calm voice as if he was only talking about the weather.

“You…” The middle-aged man was confused for a moment as he did not expect such an answer.

At this moment, Alger lowered his body slightly. He suddenly sprinted forward, instantly reducing the distance between the two of them to only a desk.

Pa!

He squeezed his shoulder and thrust his right hand out, grabbing the throat of the middle-aged man.

Without giving the other person a chance to respond, illusory fish scales emerged on the back of his hand and force on his fingers increased tremendously.

Snap.

Amidst the crisp sound, the middle-aged man glared at Alger’ eyes as his body was being raised in the air.

His legs twitched violently, but they quickly stopped. His eyes were wide open and his pupils began to dilate. The position of the crotch was gradually moist and malodorous.

Alger lifted the middle-aged man up, leaned forward, and moved his feet towards the wooden wall at the side.

Bang! He had used the middle-aged man as a shield and slammed the body into the wall. At the same time, the muscles on his arm became thick and monstrous.

The wooden wall was smashed and through the opening, he could see the violent storm and smell the saltiness of seawater.

Then, Alger swung his shoulder and flung the body of the man out of the cabin into a mountainous wave.

The sky was dark. The wind and rain were howling. The forces of Nature would bury everything.

Alger took out a white handkerchief. He carefully cleaned his right hand before throwing the handkerchief to the sea as well.

After taking a few steps back, he waited patiently for his companion.

“What’s wrong?” In less than ten seconds, the man with soft blonde hair rushed into the room.

“The ‘captain’ escaped,” Alger gasped and replied with annoyance in his voice. “He had managed to retain some extraordinary powers!”

“Damn!” the blonde man muttered.

He came to the opening on the wall and stared into the distance, but he could see nothing except for the storm and waves.

“Forget it, he is only supplementary,” the blonde man waved his arm. “After all, we have discovered the Ghost Ship of the Torton era. We will be rewarded.”

Even though he was blessed by the sea, he dared not sneak into the water in such a weather.

“And if the storm continues, the ‘captain’ will not survive.” Alger nodded and noticed that the wooden wall around the opening had begun wriggling. It was recovering the damage at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He took a long look at the wall and subconsciously turned towards the position of the rudder and sail.

Even though his view was blocked by the many layers of wooden planks, he clearly understood the situation there.

There was no first officer, no second officer, no crew, no sailor, not even a living person!

There was no one. Yet, the rudder and the sails were self-adjusting mysteriously.

Once again, Alger’s mind wandered back to the image of The Fool who was shrouded in grey mist. He suddenly sighed.

Turning his head back to the turbulent winds outside, Alger whispered in a mix of fear and anticipation.

“A new era has arrived…”

…

Beckland, Capital of Ruen Kingdom, Queens District.

Audrey Hall pinched her own cheeks as she could not believe what had just happened.

On the dressing table in front of her, the old bronze mirror had broken into pieces.

Looking down, Audrey saw a “deep red” spiral on the back of her hand, like a tattooed star.

The crimson gradually dimmed. It eventually sank into the skin and disappeared.

Until now, Audrey was finally able to confirm that she had not been dreaming.

With sparkles in her eyes and a slight curve on the edges of her lips, she couldn’t help but stood up and held the ends of her skirt.

After performing a salutation to the air, Audrey walked briskly to the center of the room and with her body spinning, she began dancing the most popular style of the court, the “Dance of the Ancient Elves”.

Her figure swirled elegantly and her face was smiling radiantly.

Dun. Dun. The bedroom door was suddenly knocked.

“Who?” Audrey immediately came to a halt, setting down her elegant posture.

“Miss, can I come in? You should start preparing.” The maid asked from outside the door.

Audrey glanced sideways at the dresser’s mirror and suppressed her smile, leaving only a slight touch of content on her face.

She looked at the left and right side of herself in the mirror and confirmed that her expression was no longer suspicious.

“Come in.”

The handle was turned and her personal maid Anne pushed open the door.

“Oh, it’s broken…” Anne immediately saw the fate of the ancient bronze mirror.

Audrey blinked and said slowly.

“Oh, yes, um, Susie came in just now. You know, it always likes to destroy things!”

Susie was a mix breed Golden Retriever dog. It was a gift from her father Count Hall when he was buying foxhounds. Audrey adored it deeply.

“You have to teach it a lesson.” Anne skilfully picked up the bronze mirror fragments as she was afraid of hurting the lady.

After all this, she looked at Audrey and smiled.

“Which dress do you want to wear?”

Audrey thought for a moment, “I like Mrs. Genika’s design for my 17th birthday.”

“No! People will start questioning whether the Hall family is suffering from a financial crisis, such that a dress is actually being worn a second time on formal occasions!” Annie shook her head and rejected the suggestion firmly.

“But I really like it,” Audrey emphasized gently.

“You can wear it at home or on less formal occasions.” Anne continued to put on a non-negotiable attitude.

“How about the one that Mr. Seders sent the day before yesterday? The one with the lotus leaves cuffs.” Audrey took in a slight breath, maintaining her elegant and sweet smile.

“Your decision is always so outstanding.” Annie smiled and took back a step. She shouted to the outside of the door. “No. 6 cloakroom, forget it, I’ll take it myself.”

The maids began to get busy, they started helping Audrey with the dress, the jewelry, the shoes, the yarn cap, the makeup, and the hairstyle.

When it was near completion, Count Hall, who was wearing a dark brown vest, appeared at the doorway.

He wore a same-color hat, had a beautiful mustache, and his azure blue eyes were filled with delight. However, the flabby muscles, the bulging belly, and the obvious nasolabial folds had ruthlessly ruined the handsomeness that he had in the past.

“The most dazzling gem of Beckland, we should set off.” Count Hall stood at the entrance and knocked the open door twice.

“Daddy, stop calling me that.” Audrey stood up with the help of the maid. She deliberately revealed a distressed look.

“Then, my beautiful little princess, it’s time to go.” Count Hall raised his left arm and motioned for Audrey to hold his arm.

Audrey grinned and shook her head.

“This is reserved for Mrs. Hall, Countess Hall, my dear mother.”

“Over here then.” Count Hall smiled and raised his right arm. “This is for the pride of a father.”

…

The Port of Pritz, Oak Island, Royal Naval Base.

When Audrey stepped off the carriage holding her father’s arm, she was dazed by the gigantic vessel in front of her.

In the military harbor not far away, there was a huge warship that was shimmering with metallic rays. It had no sails, but an observation platform and two towering chimneys. There were also two large open-air turrets located at the front and the back of the ship.

The warship was so majestic and colossal that the nearby naval sailing ships looked like be newly born dwarfs sitting around a giant.

“Mighty Storms of above …”

“Oh, my Lord.”

“Ironclad warship!”

…

Amidst the sounds of exclamation, Audrey felt similarly shocked. It was a miracle created by mankind, an unprecedented marine miracle!

It took a while for the aristocrats, ministers, and members of the Parliament to recover from their awe. At this time, a dark spot in the air started growing from the distance. It gradually filled up one-third of the sky and occupied everyone’s line of sight. The ambiance suddenly became solemn.

It was a giant airship floating in the air. It had extremely smooth and graceful outlines. The whole ship was painted in dark blue. A strong but light alloy skeleton supported the cotton fabrics to form a large hydrogen airbag. Hanging below the carriage was the muzzle of a machine gun, a projectile port, and the body of a parallel gun. The exaggerated buzzing of the high-grade fuel steam engine, together with the frenzied spinning sound of the tail propeller, formed an unusual melody.

The Royal family had taken a ride on the airship to observe everything from above.

Two downward-pointing, Ruby-crowned “Sword of Judgment” badges reflected the sunlight from both sides of the airship carriage. They were the symbols of the Augustus family’s heritage that dated back to the last epoch.

Audrey was not yet 18 years old and she had not participated in the “Introduction Ceremony” where the Queen would officially introduce her to Beckland’s aristocratic social circles and declare her adulthood. For now, she could only stand quietly by the side…

However, she was not bothered at all. In fact, she was a little relieved that she didn’t have to meet the Princes.

The “miracle” of the sky landed firmly on the ground. Young and valiant looking guards walked down from the steps. They wore red military dresses, white trousers, with ribbons on their shoulders and rifles in their hands. They divided themselves into two rows and waited patiently for King George III, the Queen, the Princes, and the Princess to appear.

Audrey had seen many big shots before and was not too interested. Instead, she shifted her gaze to the two black armor knights who stood like statues behind the king.

In the era of steel, steam, and firearms, why were there people who insisted on wearing full body armors?

The cold metallic luster, the somber black helmet, gave them a sense of heaviness, majesty, and obedience.

[Are they the higher Sequence ‘Tribunal Knights’…?] Some of the things that Audrey had overheard at home flashed across her mind. Though she was keen to find out more, she did not dare to approach them.

With the arrival of the Royal family, the ceremony finally commenced. The current Prime Minister, Lord Athusid Negan, came to the front of the crowd.

He was a member of the Conservative Party and was so far one of the only two people who had obtained the position of Prime Minister from non-title backgrounds. He was then awarded the Lord’s title due to his outstanding contribution.

Of course, Audrey knew more than that. Athusid’s elder brother was the main supporter behind the Conservative Party. He was Palas Negan, who was also the current Duke of Negan.

Athusid was about 50 years old. He looked tall and thin, with sparse hair and sharp eyes. After sweeping his eyes across the crowd, he began.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you have already seen it. This is an iron-clad battleship. It is an iron-clad battleship that is ahead of the world. It is 101 meters long, 21 meters wide, with a high, dry trunk design. The ship has a main armor belt of 457 mm and a displacement of 10,060 tons. There are a total of four 305 mm main guns, another 6 quick-firing guns, 12 six-pounder guns, 18 six-barrel machine guns, and 4 torpedo tubes. The ship can reach a speed of 16 knots!”

“It will be the real overlord, and it will conquer the seas!”

A commotion appeared in the group of people among the aristocrats, ministers, and members of the parliament. The Prime Minister’s description was enough to make them imagine the power of the armored ship, let alone seeing the real thing!

Athusid gave a small smile. After his short speech, he saluted King George III.

“Your Majesty, please name the ship.”

“Since it begins from the Port of Pritz, we shall call it ‘The Pritz’.” George III’s expression appeared to be pleased.

“The Pritz!”

“The Pritz!”

…

Starting with the Minister and the Chief of the Royal Navy, the name spread through the crowd and eventually reached the ironclad. The officers and the soldiers repeated in unison.

“The Pritz!”

In a festive ambiance, the guns of salute were fired and George III issued the order to set sail for a trial shoot.

A whistle sounded and a thick smoke blew from the chimney. The movements of the machinery became vaguely audible.

The mammoth set sail. When it moved out of the port, it aimed its two main guns at the uninhabited island in front.

Boom! Boom!

Everyone was shocked. The earth seemed to be shaking. Dust rushed into the air as if a hurricane had swept across, splashing the waves.

Prime Minister Athusid nodded in satisfaction and turned to the aristocrats, ministers, and members of the parliament.

“From today onwards, the seven pirates who have claimed to be generals and the four pirates who have viciously called themselves kings can only tremble in fear and await their doom!”

“Their days are over. Even though they may have some extraordinary powers, a few ghost ships or cursed ships, the overlords of the seas will be the ironclad battleships!”

At this time, Athusid’s chief secretary deliberately asked.

“Can’t the pirates build their own ironclads?”

Some of the aristocrats and members of the parliament nodded their heads silently and thought that the possibility could not be ruled out.

Athusid immediately smiled and slowly shook his head.

“Not possible, it will never be possible! The construction of such an ironclad battleship requires three coal-steel mega-complexes, more than twenty medium-scale and above steel factories, more than sixty scientists from the Beckland Artillery Research Lab, and even more engineers from the Pritz Institute of Shipbuilding. It needs two Royal Shipyards, their affiliated network of hundreds of component factories, a Ministry of Navy, a Shipbuilding Committee, a Cabinet, a determined King with foresight, and a powerful country that can produce 12 million tonnes of iron and steel annually.”

“Pirates can never achieve this.”

Then he paused, raised his arms in the air and exclaimed proudly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Era of Battleships and Cannons has arrived!”