Xu Yi had different roles in mind for mana airships and mana-powered ships, so naturally, his requirements differed as well.
He saw mana-powered ships primarily as cargo vessels, so his main requirement was a large carrying capacity. He was less demanding when it came to power and speed.
For mana airships, however, he envisioned fast, convenient transportation, mainly for passengers, with some cargo transport as well.
Furthermore, from a long-term strategic perspective, mana airships were immensely significant and would certainly take on more important missions in the future. His requirements for them were therefore higher, focusing mainly on power, safety, and range.
After discussing the matter with Avita for a while, Xu Yi clarified the direction of her research again, asking her to do her best to increase the airship's speed while improving its range.
Xu Yi wanted mana airships to fly at least faster than a Great Mage using flight magic.
Taking Great Mage Camilla as an example, if she used flight magic at full power, her speed could reach or even exceed fifty kilometers per hour. The mana airship's current speed was only forty kilometers per hour, far short of Xu Yi's requirements.
Of course, Avita said there was considerable room to improve the mana airship's speed.
Improvements to either the power output supplied by its magic arrays or the airship's own mechanical structure could increase its flight speed.
Naturally, given the current progress of mana airship development, it was still a long way from reaching the astonishing speeds of a thousand kilometers per hour or more that were common on Earth.
After asking about the mana airship, Xu Yi turned the conversation to another project for which Avita was also primarily responsible.
That project was magic crystal refining.
Avita had already developed several suitable, practical magic arrays