In the summer of Sea Circle Calendar 1518, a heat wave swept across the West Blue. Yet hotter than the weather was the irrepressible vitality and soaring fighting spirit throughout Hua Country. Several months had passed since Chen Yu ascended the throne as King of Hua and named his reign "Dawn's Light." During that time, this newborn kingdom had operated at full capacity like a precise, efficient war machine under the banner of the Soaring Dragon Plan. The Royal Shipbuilding Bureau's docks blazed with lights day and night, the craftsmen of the Academy of Natural Philosophy and the Directorate of Works poured their hearts into their work, and battle cries shook the Military Academy's training grounds. Beneath this seemingly tranquil sea, a mighty force was gathering and growing at a furious pace, awaiting the moment it would burst from its cocoon and soar across the Four Blues.
East of Chang'an City, within a top-secret harbor nestled between mountains and sea, the Royal Shipbuilding Bureau's Dock One stood under heavy guard. Beneath the enormous dock roof, a hundred feet high, the keels of three warships had already taken shape.
The largest, codenamed Zhenyuan, was the planned future flagship. Its keel was not made from traditional massive timbers, but cast from a new alloy containing trace amounts of meteoric iron essence and Seastone powder. Dark blue-green throughout, it gleamed with the cold luster peculiar to metal beneath the dock's torchlight. Rather than a simple straight line, the keel had a smooth, natural curve like a creature's spine, faintly exuding an indescribable resilience and vitality.
Mo Heng had once excitedly told Guo Jia in private that the keel seemed to "breathe," making minute adjustments on its own to resist the stress of the waves. This was naturally the result of energy particles containing