The image on the screen flickered with coarse static, and the announcer's thick Backlund accent echoed through the living room.
"The Loen Kingdom's first new-model warship has been launched..."
At those words, Klein's mouth twitched. He nearly crushed the cup in his hand.
A new-model warship?
No, wasn't this a little too new?!
An angled flight deck, an island, even goddamn steam catapult tracks!
They had brought out an aircraft carrier in the age of sailing battleships?
Even cheating had its limits!
Klein couldn't stop ranting inwardly.
But considering how close Edwin was to the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, building an aircraft carrier wasn't impossible.
After all, according to the information he had obtained, Beyonders of the Artisan Pathway really did have that ability.
As long as they knew the blueprints, they could build one even with their bare hands.
More importantly, the moment Klein saw this Helicarrier, he understood where Edwin's confidence came from.
After taking power, Edwin had immediately reformed the Loen Kingdom's military.
Originally, it had been a royal army. The king was nominally its supreme commander, and most of its officers were nobles.
But after Edwin took power, he had somehow persuaded the leadership to turn the royal army into the Guard, drastically reducing its size.
At the same time, he had recruited large numbers of civilians to form the People's Freedom Army.
Then, with vast funds and a technological advantage, he had nationalized the vital steel, coal, electricity, and transportation industries.
So all of that had been groundwork for today?
"How is anyone supposed to stand against this?"
Klein muttered to himself.
At the top, Edwin had the protection of the Evernight Goddess and the God of Steam and Machinery. Below, he had an absurd, era-defying creation like an aircraft carrier.