The boundless Qingluo Sea was clear and clean, its waters somewhat cold.
In these waters, all manner of fresh, succulent seafood grew relatively slowly, which further enhanced their quality and flavor. Once upon a time, fishing boats had blanketed this vast expanse of sea, yielding abundant catches.
Unfortunately, pirates had begun to flourish in the Qingluo Sea at some unknown point in time. As a result, the fishing economy had nearly ground to a halt, and compared with a century ago, commercial vessels traveling these waters had dwindled by eighty or ninety percent.
Only merchant ships belonging to great aristocratic clans like the Cao Clan and the Fang Clan could travel freely through these waters.
At this moment.
Amid the vast rolling waves, a fleet sailed swiftly forward in a steady formation, cleaving through wind and waves.
Among this fleet, the most eye-catching vessel was a large merchant ship of a uniquely distinctive design.
This vessel was named the "Luomiao," the newest type of merchant ship jointly built by the Donggang Chen Clan and the Changning Wang Clan.
Unlike ordinary seagoing vessels, it did not possess several towering masts. Instead, a gigantic cylindrical object stood where the masts ought to have been.
It was also far larger than ordinary seagoing vessels. Many of its key sections already used the latest steel structures. In addition to traditional sails, a huge engine compartment had been built into the bottom of its hold, containing an enormous boiler and a propeller driven by a steam mechanism.
This was the latest artifact-forging product produced by the Wang Clan's secret research institute—the "Wang Clan Steam Engine."
Steam engines were one of the greatest tools to drive the progress of Earth's civilization. Every ordinary person knew the principle behind a steam engine, yet the vast majority did