A pale blue mist suddenly seeped across the bridge of the Broken Laws, accompanied by a low moan like whale song from the deep sea.
"The Ship Spirit says... uh... thank you."
If it had been anyone else, the imperial admiral would have ordered his sailors to string him up from the mast. But this was Annan, so Captain Charon could only grit his teeth and lie.
"But it seems rather worked up." Annan curiously sensed the emotion rising beneath his feet.
"Minister Ollie..." Captain Charon glanced toward Annan's companion.
"Go on. You have work to do."
Captain Charon seemed relieved. He hurried back to the bridge, apparently to soothe the Ship Spirit.
"So the Ship Spirit doesn't like fish?"
Annan had never imagined the dignified imperial Minister of Ceremonial Affairs had such a mischievous streak.
"Have you forgotten what I told you? Watch what you say once you're aboard."
"That was just... all right." Annan gave up arguing. "So what does the Ship Spirit like?"
"Things that make the warship stronger. Mountain copper, mithril, runes..."
"Forget I asked."
The first place Minister Ollie took Annan was the battering ram at the bow.
The Broken Laws was bone-white, like ivory, except for its bronze-colored ram—
Annan recognized it as mountain copper the moment he got close.
How the Empire had mounted such an enormous piece of mountain copper on a warship without throwing it off balance was beyond him.
The mountain copper ram was roughly fifteen meters long, shaped like a war spear thrust forward at an angle. Verdigris patterns etched by some unknown substance covered its surface, and a statue of the Goddess of Law holding the Codex stood on the base where it joined the hull.
If fifteen meters failed to convey its scale, the ram was as