Treasure Ships

Biodata

Grade System

Construction and Power Source

Treasure Ships are built from graded Spirit Wood and Spirit Iron. A ship’s spirit-material grade must match the grade of its inscribed array runes, array nodes, and formation core. After construction under a senior Crafting Master, a Crafting Master of the corresponding grade must establish its arrays. Such masters require at least Fourth Layer Martial Dao cultivation, True Qi, Divine Sense, and knowledge of Five Elements arrays. 93

Arrays and Armament

Protective Magic Arrays

Treasure Ships can raise protective formation shields, but the energy cost rises sharply under sustained attack. Low-Grade vessels are especially vulnerable to powerful opponents, while High- and Supreme-Grade ships possess defenses that cannot be quickly breached even by the Great Golden Eagle. 93 235

• Defensive arrays can protect ships from drifting river ice during winter navigation. 177
• A ship’s shield can be shattered by concentrated Spirit Energy Cannon fire, allowing boarding forces to seize the vessel. 310 477
• Protective arrays are ineffective against the massive waves created by Long-tailed Tiger-headed Black Sharks if ships remain moored in harbor. 244

Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array

A Treasure Ship may contain a Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array that fills its formation space with dense spiritual energy. 162

• Obscures activity within the array space from outside observers. 162
• Isolates occupants from wind, rain, snow, cold, and heat, maintaining a springlike interior climate. 162

Spirit Energy Cannons

Spirit Energy Cannons are large Spirit Weapons installed on High- and Supreme-Grade Treasure Ships. A High-Grade flagship of the Wei State Duke's Estate carried four massive cannon turrets, positioned fore, aft, port, and starboard. 188

• Used for long-range fleet bombardment and shore bombardment. 188 490 538
• Revival Army upgrades converted ship-mounted cannons to Magic Tool-grade weapons and expanded cannon armament to Mid-Grade ships. 253
• Concentrated volleys can break Mid-Grade defensive shields in a single salvo or destroy unshielded ships outright. 310 490

Spirit Crossbow Carts

Spirit Crossbow Carts supplement the slower firing rate of Spirit Energy Cannons. 188

• Repeater models can fire ten waves of twelve Spirit Weapon bolts each. 188
• Together with Spirit Energy Cannons, they form the setting’s strongest documented combination of large Spirit Weapons. 188
• The Revival Army upgraded its carts to Magic Tool level alongside its cannon modernization. 253

Strategic Use

• Logistics — Mid-Grade ships can sustain an army’s supplies, while High-Grade ships enable the movement of entire large formations with their equipment. 159 160
• Mobility — Zhang Xianzhong regarded two Low-Grade ships as sufficient to greatly improve the Rebel Army’s ability to advance, retreat, and survive. 93
• Naval warfare — Ships serve as mobile artillery platforms, boarding bases, and flagships for fleet formations. 188 266 477
• Amphibious assault — Revival Army soldiers disembark directly from Treasure Ships to secure docks, towns, and islands after bombardment. 318 538
• Fleet communication — Signal flags and naval-horn Magic Tools coordinate large formations at sea. 235 502

Ownership and Fleet Records

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Zhang Xianzhong intercepts and captures the Tian family’s two Low-Grade Treasure Ships, recognizing them as assets more valuable than his previous seizure of an entire border county’s wealth. 93 94
• Li Dingguo’s forces seize three Mid-Grade ships from the Fan family, substantially improving Revival Army logistics. 159
• The Revival Army begins building a navy around captured vessels, upgrades their arrays and armament, and produces small Treasure Ship speedboats from Li Dingguo’s designs. 196 253 257
• At Lingshan Island, the Revival Army captures enemy fleets and expands its naval force with numerous large vessels and nearly one million Demon Cores. 263
• Treasure Ships become the foundation of major sea campaigns against the Zheng Family Army, Japanese Pirates, and Spanish forces in Manila. 422 490 502 538
• The Revival Army First Shipyard begins constructing its first purpose-built Peak-Grade Treasure Ship, seeking standardized vessels superior in defense, speed, and carrying capacity to its mixed captured fleet. 474

Trivia

• Within the Great Ming Dynasty, all forces combined possess fewer than 3,000 Treasure Ships; fewer than 800 are Mid-Grade, fewer than 100 are High-Grade, and fewer than 20 are top-grade vessels. 159
• A single High-Grade Treasure Ship can be worth as much as a small city. 477
• The Fan family’s fleet alone was valued at nearly one hundred million taels of silver. 159
• White Barbarian ships are described as taller than Great Ming vessels of equivalent rank, usually carrying more Spirit Energy Cannons but fewer Spirit Crossbows. 234
• The Revival Army dismantled captured Mid-Grade White Barbarian ships to study foreign shipbuilding methods and reclaim their materials. 246