The harbor was utterly silent, save for the occasional cries of a few seagulls circling overhead.
Everyone was watching the Iron Warships arrayed in the harbor.
Veterans who had sailed the outer seas often spoke of an enormous whirlpool in the deep ocean, with all manner of gigantic sea beasts lurking beneath it.
They had sharp fangs, elongated bodies, and hard scales.
Wooden warships shattered at their touch, without the slightest chance to fight back.
The Navy Fleet that the people of Kul Tiras took such pride in was merely a tool for contesting territory with trolls and other nations. Before true power, it was nothing.
Yet the Iron Warships before them seemed like sea monsters made manifest. Encased in steel armor, their hulls were indestructible, their advance unstoppable.
As a series of low rumbles sounded, clouds of white smoke rose above the warships' bridges.
The steam engines built up power, driving the paddlewheels. Their tremendous thrust pushed the bows through the seawater, carrying the ships slowly forward.
Kobi and his son ordered the soldiers to bring the engines to full power. After a burst of high-frequency vibrations, great quantities of steam hissed out through the exhaust ports.
Like arrows loosed from a bow, the Iron Warships surged ahead at speeds no sailing warship could match.
The sea trials were a success, and deafening cheers erupted throughout the harbor.
Every worker, every soldier, everyone present had poured their hearts into these two warships.
As the Iron Warships cruised unimpeded across the sea like great sea beasts, everyone felt something different. Yet one feeling united them all: pride and excitement.
Young Master Rowan had once said that the age of sail would eventually end.
Leonard and Byron were soldiers who had truly experienced large-scale naval battles. Seeing the Iron Warships' superior