Viscount Sonanda was delighted to hear this. "That sounds very promising.
Those steam gunships of your Golden Sunflower Family truly are the heavy hammers of our entire Vela Navy. Unfortunately, they simply couldn't stay at sea for very long before.
Your steam engines are bottomless pits that devour fuel. Even with a full load of fuel, they could only manage eight days at sea at most. That was far too short.
Now that we have these dedicated fuel transports, those steam gunships will certainly be able to stay at sea much longer.
Our operations will be far more assured then."
The naval officers around him all voiced their agreement. They knew what the Golden Sunflower Family's steam gunships meant to them. Without this fleet of extraordinary fighting power, the Vela Navy would be absolutely no match for the combined fleet six or seven times its size.
Not long afterward, just as the war council was about to end, something happened.
A lookout aboard the flagship suddenly spotted something and reported to Viscount Sonanda that columns of smoke had appeared in the distant sky, suggesting an approaching fleet.
Upon hearing this, everyone understood that it had to be the Golden Sunflower Family's supply fleet.
After all, only the Golden Sunflower Family's steamships produced smoke columns like those.
Everyone went to the rail to watch. As the columns of smoke drew closer, the distant silhouettes of the ships became increasingly clear.
Through their spyglasses, they could easily make out the Golden Sunflower Crest on the mast at the stern. It was indeed the Golden Sunflower Family's long-awaited supply fleet.
Aboard the ship leading that fleet, Blox gazed excitedly at the enormous fleet in the distance. At last, they had reached the rendezvous safely.
He turned and shouted to the crew behind him,