The sea was burning. Firelight filtered through the fog and reflected against the Dawnlight's hull, red as molten metal.
Louis stood before the observation window in the command cabin, quietly watching the sea torn apart by cannon fire.
After every salvo, a clerk beside him lowered his head to record the hit rate, cabin temperature, and armor resistance.
The writing crowded ever more densely across the pages, the scratching of the pen drowned beneath the deep rumble.
Louis did not need to ask. From the frequency of the vibrations and the rudder's response, he could judge the results: accurate fire, steady movement, no deformation in the armor.
Everything had exceeded his expectations. The Dawnlight's performance not only met its design specifications but far surpassed the calculated figures.
Satisfaction rose in Louis's heart. This ship belonged to Red Tide's first batch, and with experience, their later designs would only improve.
Beside him, Bernard stared through the observation scope. The sea being torn open by firelight nearly made him forget to breathe.
The Dawnlight's guns flashed through the fog. Every salvo struck like thunder, sending the entire stretch of sea churning.
Right before their eyes, a pirate vessel took a hit from a Demon Explosive Bomb. The whole ship burst apart as though blown open from within, flames shooting from its belly and staining the surrounding water dark red.
Planks and human figures flew into the air together, disintegrating in the flames.
Another pirate ship tried to evade, only for the Dawnlight's secondary guns to strike its stern.
Amid the flashes of the explosions, seawater surged and wreckage tumbled through the waves.
Bernard could almost hear the distant cracking of timber.
He had never imagined that a ship he built could wield such power. Like an awakened behemoth, it left his chest