A Ship-New Invention

Jinxia City, outskirts of the North Gate.

The army had set up a long cordon around the area, not because of an enemy attack or an accident, but because the Mechanical Bureau intended to conduct a weapons improvement test here.

Unlike previous tests held at the Martial Arts Arena or on the beach, this time the grounds alone encompassed nearly a hundred mu, and no residents were allowed anywhere near the testing site. Both the scale and the secrecy had risen by a great deal.

The person presiding over it was naturally Mo Yun, the Mechanical Bureau's chief overseer.

"Lady Mo, the target is ready!" Aili reported excitedly. "The measured distance from the firing point is two hundred and thirty-five zhang. All personnel have withdrawn."

"Good work." Mo Yun raised her Observation Mirror and looked toward the eastern sea—there, a two-masted vessel floated at a slant not far from shore, with clear frost marks visible below its waterline. It was one of the pirate ships that had previously invaded Jinxia's coastal waters. Its hull had been badly damaged by an Ice Boat and was not worth repairing, so after being dragged ashore and beached, it had been left on the sand. Now, with the breach temporarily frozen shut and the vessel hauled back out to sea as a target, it could be said that every last scrap of its value was being put to use.

"Would you like to be the activator for this test?"

"Eh, me?" Aili froze for a moment, eagerness already stirring in her expression.

Mo Yun nodded. "You know the procedure anyway. Just inject qi according to the usual operating method."

"Yes, I'll do my best!" the elf said, patting her chest.

"You needn't favor her so much, either. If she makes a mistake, punish her