"It's acceptable," Lucas nodded lightly. Fifty-two gold coins for a ship, and a fifty-meter one at that, was a decent price.
This was mainly because the materials didn't have to be transported from far away, and the transport was free. The newly recruited infantrymen, just like the cavalry, had been sent to haul timber as part of their training. If this were a coastal city, a fifty-meter ship would cost at least one hundred and fifty gold coins to start.
"Master, there were a few mistakes during the construction of this first ship. Otherwise, it wouldn't have cost fifty gold coins," Annie said, flipping through her notebook. "They got the structure wrong at one point and had to tear it down and rebuild it."
"It's their first time building a ship. That can be forgiven," Lucas chuckled. This incident had been reported to him before. Otherwise, the ship would have been completed half a month ago.
"Master, the ship is about to be launched," Mina said in a deep voice. She was holding an umbrella, standing to Lucas's left front.
Lucas raised his eyes slightly and saw Weiss holding an axe, chopping at the thick hemp rope tying the ship to the slipway. It took him three swings to cut through it. However, the ship didn't move. It had been tied up for too long, and the slipway was stuck fast.
"Quick, come push the ship!" Weiss roared, being the first to push against the hull.
Thump, thump, thump…
Dozens of shipwrights ran over and pushed against the ship together. With their combined effort, the hull shuddered.
"Back, get back!" Weiss shouted, quickly retreating. The others immediately ran back as well, and then they saw the slipway begin to move.
The weight of the ship, combined with the sloping platform, caused the slipway to start sliding. It moved very fast, instantly sliding into the water. The ship rushed into the Whispering River, throwing up a splash a dozen meters high.
SPLASH…
The wave crashed into the shipyard, soaking Weiss and the others to the bone. Only a few droplets reached Lucas, which Mina blocked with the umbrella.
"Success! The launch was a success!" Weiss stood stunned for a moment, then wiped the water from his face and roared with excitement. "It's in the water! The ship is in the water!"
He had waited for this moment for too long. A fifty-meter ship, launched once again. His dream had taken another great leap forward.
Lucas walked onto the wooden platform and looked at the ship rocking in the Whispering River, his eyes shining with anticipation. The first ship of the golden waterway had been launched.
"My Lord, I request permission for a trial voyage," Weiss shouted respectfully. He was now eager to go aboard, test its sailing, and check for leaks.
"Let's go together," Lucas said with a smile. He also wanted to go up and experience it.
"Huh?" Weiss was taken aback. His expression changed slightly as he tried to dissuade him. "My Lord, you can't! This ship hasn't had its trial voyage yet, it could…"
"Do you not have confidence in your own skills?" Lucas glanced at him and said flatly, "I have confidence in my own blueprints."
"This…" Weiss was at a loss for words. Did he lack confidence? To be honest, he really was a little unconfident. After all, all the fifty-meter ships he had worked on in the past had sunk.
"Get ready. We're boarding immediately," Lucas said with a wave of his hand and a faint smile. "We'll have lunch on the ship."
"Yes," Weiss replied respectfully. He turned to arrange the boarding preparations. First, they had to pull the ship back to the bank and then set up a ladder.
Weiss arranged all of this with great skill. It wasn't long before everything was ready. He then invited Lucas and the others to board. He and a dozen shipwrights ran around the ship, inspecting everything.
Lucas and the beast-ear girls stood at the ship's bow, quietly watching Weiss and his men run about. The entire structure had to be checked for any leaks or cracks.
After bustling about for half an hour, Weiss came to Lucas with a joyful expression. "My Lord," He said respectfully, "The hull is fine. Shall we begin the trial voyage?"
"Begin the trial," Lucas said in a deep voice.
"Yes," Weiss replied in a low voice. He turned to the shipwrights behind him and shouted, "Hoist the sails!"
WHOOSH!!!
The shipwrights, who were already prepared, unfurled the sails. The wind immediately billowed in them, and the ship began to accelerate, moving very quickly because it wasn't carrying any cargo and was very light.
The ship soon passed the port, immediately catching the attention of the commoners there. They all stared, dumbfounded. For many of them, it was the first time they had ever seen a fifty-meter ship.
"Look, isn't that ship huge? It's so much bigger than those other big boats."
"The Lord? Everyone look, the Lord is on it!"
"Did the Lord buy this ship? That's so cool."
"..."
Lucas listened with a smile to the exclamations coming from the shore. This was only the first step. When his fleet of dozens of ships docked in the future, that would be truly astounding. Not to mention the hundred-meter-long super-ships.
"Annie, withdraw three hundred gold coins from the treasury and invest them in the shipyard. I want to build two more docks, to construct three ships at the same time," Lucas said calmly, his long black hair fluttering in the cold wind.
"Yes…" Annie hesitated before replying. She opened her mouth, glanced at the beaming Weiss, and then closed it again with a sigh.
Weiss was certainly happy. He could build another fifty-meter ship. This would allow him to accumulate experience, which would qualify him to build the hundred-meter ship the Lord had mentioned.
"Go on, say what's on your mind," Lucas said. He could sense something was off with the fox-ear girl.
"Master, Dahlia hasn't arrived yet," Annie could only hint. With other people present, there were some things she couldn't say outright.
"Mhm, perhaps she'll arrive in a few days," Lucas said, his dark eyes narrowing. He knew what the fox-ear girl meant.
The gold coins he had earned from Pentos City were almost all spent. After all, the investment in the great prairie was enormous. The current situation was that the treasury was about to be empty again. If Dahlia didn't arrive this month, they wouldn't be able to pay the workers' salaries.
"Master, did something happen to Dahlia?" Annie asked in a low voice. She was being tactful. Her underlying meaning was: did Dahlia run off with the money? The amount of gold from selling those goods was not small.
Her suspicion was not without reason. The Master had given Dahlia carrier pigeons. After so long, not a single message had arrived.
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