Chapter 218 Scarlett O'Hara, the Heiress of a Conglomerate
Although it is also called the Pacific Ocean, this sea is completely different from the ocean on Blue Star in Mu En's previous life.
This world does not have that giant continent stretching between east and west; instead, it has a super ocean that covers 40 percent of the planet's surface and spans nearly 30,000 kilometers.
Several fragmented landmasses and countless islands float on this ocean, bluer than the planet Earth. The New Continent, the Sahara State, the Alfheim Continent, and the Eastern Ocean Archipelago are the four largest and most densely populated of them.
Here, ordinary wooden boats from the old days simply cannot sail eastward, because no one has ever been able to fathom the temperament of this vast ocean.
Even on so-called "safe routes," unexpected Storm and giant waves are common, with waves reaching tens of meters high being a regular occurrence. Modern steamships also frequently face the risk of sinking.
Only massive steel ships, built at great expense and possessing enormous size and powerful engines, can guarantee basic safety.
Does this mean humanity will abandon the ocean, live on islands, or only travel via sea routes to the western New Continent?
Of course not. How could humanity, such an ambitious species, allow nature to tie its hands and feet?
The answer provided by human civilization in this world is its unique and advanced airship technology.
With extremely low energy consumption, comfortable flight range, and cargo capacity far exceeding that of propeller aircraft and jet aircraft, it can take off and land and load and unload cargo without runways or ports, and can even hover directly over cities to transport supplies.
Neither the bumpy and dangerous ships nor the steam trains that are limited by rail and cannot cross oceans can match the airship.
The only limitation to the development of this technology is its "lift source," namely light gases such as hydrogen and helium, which directly determine the weight of cargo that the airship can carry.
However, as is well known, hydrogen is flammable and explosive and extremely dangerous, while helium is extremely scarce and difficult to produce. In addition, the steam engine required a huge boiler and coal, which imposed many limitations on early airships.
The first to break this restriction was the Northern United Kingdom.
Inside the luxury airship, a business class that also serves as a geography lesson is underway.
The airship's gondola is divided into three levels: the bottom level is the cargo hold and cockpit, the middle level is the restaurant and lounge area, and the top level is a luxury suite for VIPs.
At this moment, in the luxury suite, a small mahogany table sits on a thick wool carpet, with biscuits, black tea, and other snacks on it.
In front of the small table hung a huge map, as tall as a person.
The map, printed on silk with the finest mineral dyes, is marked with information such as shipping routes, monsoon directions, and the spheres of influence of various countries. Its accuracy is over 90%, making it the most authoritative version published by the United Kingdom.
The lecturer was a middle-aged man wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a black suit. He was overweight, had a small mustache, and his squinty eyes always held a fawning smile.
The student attending the lecture was Scarlett O'Hara, the heiress to the O'Hara Conglomerate and the chairman's granddaughter.
The girl looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, with long, curly blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore an exquisitely tailored pink lace dress with a bow tied at the neckline.
( Scarlett O'Hara, the female protagonist of Steamboy, this world is a fusion worldview.)
She leaned back in the soft sofa chair, but her eyes remained fixed on the view outside the porthole.
"Young Miss, next we'll review our knowledge of the circumnavigation route and the United Kingdom. This is the Alfheim Continent, and this is the Eastern Ocean Archipelago. The shortest route connecting these two places passes through—"
"Okay, okay, I've already memorized it!"
Scarlett impatiently tossed her long, golden curls, her tone filled with utter disdain.
" The Northern United Kingdom is just a nouveau riche nation that monopolizes shipping routes by relying on technological monopolies. They were the first to discover the wonderful uses of oil, pointed out the internal combustion engine technology with extremely high combustion efficiency and small size, and also discovered an ultralight gas with lift far exceeding that of helium, which could even make a metal lump like the Goliath fly into the sky."
"Relying on these advantages, the Northern Kingdom created the world's most powerful air force, and with Goliath and various types of giant airships, it monopolized the circumnavigation route from Alfheim to the Eastern Ocean and then to the New Continent. All countries along the route that wanted to transport goods had to..."
"Pay taxes to them, and those nobles can lie at home counting money without doing anything."
She rattled off a long list of points in one breath, then raised an eyebrow at the butler.
Is that clear enough now?
A smile spread across the butler's round face, and his already small, squinty eyes narrowed into slits.
"The young lady is truly exceptionally intelligent; she grasps things instantly, far superior to children who only know how to study by rote."
He skillfully offered a compliment, then added, "However, you are quite right, Miss. The reason the United Kingdom is so powerful is precisely because of the wealth brought by shipping and trade. Gold coins flow into the national treasury continuously, enabling the Academy of Sciences to further develop more advanced technologies and produce more advanced airships, forming a positive cycle. The noble families who monopolize ultralight gas and internal combustion engines are among the most wealthy people in the world."
Scarlett tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Wait, Simon, does that mean our O'Hara Conglomerate doesn't earn as much as they do? Didn't Grandpa say that our mines and factories are all over the New Continent, and that even the weapons used in the war between the North and South have to be bought from us?"
Slight sweat beaded on Simon's forehead as he quickly offered a forced smile and explanation.
"Of course not. In terms of total assets, our O'Hara Conglomerate does indeed have more than them, but Miss, you must know that the Chairman has always wanted to establish our own airship route, so that we won't be exploited by those nobles anymore."
"The more you work, the more you earn."
"And this technology, at present, can only be negotiated or purchased from the United Kingdom. So, miss, can we quickly change course and head north, and forget about that light thing—"
"No!"
Scarlett sat bolt upright, her blue-green eyes wide.
"I've been stuck on this crappy airship for almost two weeks now, staring at these maps and ledgers every day. I'm about to die of boredom! Now that something interesting has finally happened, you're all rushing me to get going!"
"It's just a trip to the east, how long could it take? All you people care about is making money, you don't care about my feelings at all!"
Scarlett grew increasingly agitated, crossing her arms and turning her head to one side, leaving Simon with only a glimpse of the back of her golden head.
Simon took out a handkerchief and wiped away his cold sweat. When this little rascal got angry, he was even more terrifying than the president.
"Alright, alright, Miss is right. I didn't think it through. Let's continue east and see what's at the end of that light. A few more days won't make a difference."
Helpless, he could only laugh it off and retract his earlier statement, then sighed inwardly.
It's all that glaring light's fault.
According to the plan, they should have already reached the border of the Northern United Kingdom and begun contacting the nobles.
Two days ago, while they were sailing westward, they suddenly noticed a blue beam of light outside the porthole. The beam was coming from the distant east and pointing straight in a certain direction.
Logically, if it were an optical or meteorological anomaly, it should have disappeared quickly, but this light stayed on, shining from night into day.
The young lady jumped up excitedly, insisting that the captain change course eastward to see what lay at the end of the light.
Now that's a problem. If we turn east, who knows how long we'll have to fly before we see the end.
Surely they can't just fly all the way back to Eastern Ocean, can they?
Simon shook his head, banishing the absurd thought from his mind.
Scarlett kept her eyes fixed on the blue beam of light outside the porthole, a beam that seemed to never go out.
As the airship moved forward, the angle of the beam of light gradually changed.
From a young age, she loved all sorts of strange and unusual things, but her family always kept her locked up in the manor, making her learn various etiquette, knowledge, and management skills, saying that she would inherit the family business in the future and could not act like an ordinary child.
Now that she's finally had the chance to get out of the house under the guise of inspecting industries and negotiating business, she's determined to have as much fun as she can.
She was determined to see the light to its very end.
Just then, the captain's panicked voice suddenly came from the brass megaphone on the wall.
"No, something terrible has happened, Steward Simon!"
Simon frowned, quickly walked to the microphone, and lifted the soundproof cover.
"What is it? Tell me slowly."
" Storm cloud has been spotted ahead, rapidly approaching us! We—have no time to avoid it!"