Visitors

"But... but Your Excellency!" the ship owner cried out anxiously. "If we delay for five days, I'll be late for the delivery!"

"Do you wish to sink to the bottom of the North Sea and sleep forever right now?" the priest captain threatened.

Not far away on the sea, there was a light frigate bearing the golden sun emblem of the Temple of Light. The dark muzzles of its cannons gleamed with a cold metallic light in the gloomy sky.

The boat owner's face turned ashen instantly. "Yes! Yes! I'll be off right away!"

Amidst the first mate's urgent whistles and shouts, the sailors climbed the mast and vigorously turned the massive sail bars.

The "Pious Widow" turned its bow around and sailed away in an almost desperate manner. Only after it was out of the sight of the escort ship did the cargo ship drop anchor and come to rest.

****

The cabin door opened with a creak, and Stanton and Yuya stepped out.

"The warning line has been set up here." Stanton looked in the direction the frigate had disappeared. "It seems the main fleet of the Temple of Light is about to pass through the forward channel."

Illusory magical wings unfurled behind the two simultaneously, and the two Feather Race figures sprang up from the deck, rapidly rising and climbing higher.

Soon, they had broken through the kilometer mark. The air became icy cold, the wind biting, and Yuya began to struggle.

Stanton still had the energy to climb, but he didn't continue; the two maintained their altitude and began to fly level.

In this magical world, the further away from the land and sea, the more the properties of the Magic Power diffused in the air change. The decrease in concentration is secondary; the key issue is that the Magic Power becomes increasingly "chaotic" and difficult to control.

Ancient legends say that the blessings of the earth and sea gods calmed the restlessness of Magic Power, making it docile and controllable when near the surface. But the further away Magic Power went, the more wild and "unruly" its nature became.

Humans, as the last race to master the secrets of magic, are the least adaptable to the Magic Power disturbances at high altitudes. Most humans can only fly at a height of a few hundred meters.

The Feather Race is much more adaptable. Experts like Stanton can reach altitudes of around 1,500 meters.

The two carefully avoided the small frigate carrying out the blockade mission and continued flying into the wider depths of the sea, like two feathers blending into the leaden-gray clouds.

Soon after, in the distant horizon where the sea meets the sky, several tiny sails, like ink dots, entered their sharp field of vision.

Their eyes have a tubular structure, giving them excellent long-distance vision.

"We can't get any closer!" Yuya gasped, her voice breaking in the howling wind. She focused her senses, "I—I sense the Silver Dragon's presence!"

Flying at such a height in the frigid wind would be an enormous drain on physical strength, even for the Feather Race. And the Dragon Race, as the overlords of the skies, possesses even greater flying abilities than the Feather Race.

The two quickly slowed down and hovered high in the sky to observe. Soon after, more sails appeared in their field of vision, densely packed and of an astonishing scale.

Stanton affirmed, "It's the main fleet of the Temple of Light."

From a specially made leather pouch at his waist, he took out an exquisite magical sextant, a precision clock displaying "star time," and a detailed nautical chart covered with a waterproof oil film. Although the clouds were thick at the moment, obscuring the sun, moon, Stars, there were several islands in his line of sight, and the angles between them were the same.

Working together, the two quickly completed the measurement and recorded the data. Upon returning, they were able to accurately calculate the fleet's current location based on this data.

As for the course and destination of this massive fleet, Stanton quickly compared its movement trajectory with the direction lines on the nautical chart, confirming that their course was heading straight for Giant Horn Island!

"Done!" Stanton packed up his tools. "Let's go!"

"Okay!" Yuya replied with a sigh of relief. Using the thrust of the high-altitude airflow, the two of them, like two feathers blending into the leaden-gray clouds, instantly changed direction and sped back towards the way they had come.

****

Shortly afterward, Stanton's reconnaissance report was sent to Su Ming via an encrypted communication array.

The report clearly recorded the size of the Temple of Light fleet, the time of its discovery, its precise location, and its course and speed data. Stanton and Yuya's core responsibility during their time at the Temple of Light was reconnaissance, and they were extremely familiar with all types of warships in the Light Navy.

Next, the two Feather Race will continue their surveillance mission, maneuvering flexibly along the fleet's planned route and periodically detecting the enemy's latest movements.

[Miao Xin, how's the torpedo modification progress?] Su Ming opened the link.

Miao Xin's reply came quickly: [Modification complete, ready to teleport at any time.]

"[Proceed immediately.]" Su Ming said. "[Our hiding place has been exposed, and the 'guests' are already on their way.]"

Miao Xin hurried to the warehouse. At the same time, she took out her phone to contact Xiao Cheng and notify the research team to take their positions.

"[The Pansy's propulsion system is fully deployed so quickly?]" Miao Xin asked in confusion. If she remembered correctly, the propulsion system hadn't even started transmitting yet.

"Of course not," Su Ming replied. "The plan is to set sail tomorrow afternoon."

But starting up is just the beginning. During the subsequent sea trials, the entire power system will need to be adjusted until it can operate stably and reliably.

"Then how are you going to launch the torpedoes now?" Miao Xin was even more puzzled.

Inside the warehouse, the atmosphere was slightly chaotic. Research team members were quickly starting up various testing equipment, and the beeping of electronic self-testing devices echoed throughout the empty space.

"It's just a torpedo strike mission," Su Ming replied calmly. "We don't need to rely on the Pansy as a platform, and we don't even need me personally."

****

In the center of the warehouse, two twelve-meter-long torpedoes lay silently on a specially made support, their black casings reflecting the cold light.

Based on Su Ming's range requirements, Earth engineers carried out emergency modifications. Adding 50 kilometers of fiber optic cable was a minor task; together with the spool, the weight was only a mere 3 kilograms.

However, in order to achieve an ultra-long range, the volume of the fuel tank was significantly increased.

Fengshou stepped forward and said, "Comrade Su Ming, in order to accommodate the extra propellant, the space in the warhead has been compressed by half."

The current reserved volume can only hold 600 kilograms of explosives.

"600 kilograms?" Su Ming frowned upon hearing this. "This isn't like your usual style. Do you think this amount of explosives can sink the Jade Sea and Tang Valley?"

He clearly remembered how proud Fengshou was on the eve of the Sacred Mountain Battle, saying that the amount was more than ten times the original amount, as if he wanted to wipe the Divine Might Prison off the map!

"That's enough!" Fengshou quickly explained, "The principle of underwater explosions is completely different from that in air." He showed a data table, "Water is 800 times denser than air and is almost incompressible. The same explosive detonating underwater produces a shock wave with a peak pressure 300 times greater than that in air!"

"300 times?!" Su Ming was genuinely hearing this for the first time. He pointed in astonishment at the enormous torpedo casing. "So—this time, you still gave me an excessive amount of explosives, right?!"

If the payload hadn't been reduced to increase range, what kind of destructive power would the originally planned 1.2-ton warhead have possessed?

Even Ford Class like this probably couldn't withstand a single shot!

"No! Absolutely not! It's just within the normal range!" Fengshou Shou explained with a chuckle, "Necessary tactical redundancy!"

Su Ming didn't believe a word of it. He stretched out his hard bone claws and touched the torpedo's outer shell.

Both torpedoes were unloaded of fuel and explosives, and their actual weight was much lighter than they appeared. He gave them a push, and the torpedoes wobbled on their supports.

"The weight of a single empty shell is controlled at 150 kilograms!" Fengshou Shou added, "To save materials, we adopted a lightweight structural design."

If 150 kilograms of materials could successfully replace the enemy's core main warship, it would be an extremely worthwhile deal! Su Ming calculated in his heart.

****

The two torpedoes, weighing a mere 300 kilograms each, did not require much effort from Su Ming. After the transfer was completed, he quickly dispatched a group of workers to carry out the preparation work for the torpedoes.

Several alchemists began preparing oxygen and injecting it into the torpedo's gas tanks using an air compressor. Others brought in alcohol and injected it into the fuel tank.

The warhead assembly was personally overseen by Hansite, a former coal mine gunner. He carefully filled the pre-designated spaces in the warhead with chunks of high-energy alchemical explosives. He also installed a trigger rune array to ensure the torpedo detonated upon impact with the target.

[Zijin, tell Beianqi to come to the deck to find me immediately.] Su Ming transmitted.

[good.]

A minute later, Beianqi appeared in front of Su Ming, slightly out of breath.

"Mr. Su, you were looking for me?" This young mechanic had clearly run all the way here to save time so she could get back to her assembly work as soon as possible.

Su Ming handed her a towel so she could wipe the oil off her hands and face.

"Sorry to interrupt your work. But there's something I need you to do now." He gestured to the heavy torpedoes being prepared, "Take this message to our old friend, the Jade Sea and Tang Valley."

Beianqi sighed softly; it seemed the return to the lower deck would be delayed again. She carefully examined the enormous cylinder before her. "A new toy?"

"Right!"

The two walked slowly around the massive torpedo. Su Ming briefly explained to Beianqi the weapon's basic principles, propulsion method (compressed air + alcohol hybrid power), wire-guided control mode, and combat objectives.

"Interesting! Exciting!" Beianqi's eyes brightened as she listened, her frustration vanishing. "You plan to use the Five Fangs as a platform, carrying this torpedo-like underwater vehicle, to dive into a predetermined area, and then remotely control it to attack the Jade Sea and Tang Valley, right?"

"That's right!"

The dwarven fleet that came to their aid this time was not limited to the Ale. Several key technologies that Su Ming had previously provided—the "Tight-Tube Manufacturing Process," the "Hot-Dip Galvanizing Anti-Corrosion Technology," and the "Scrap Shear High-Speed Sailing Ship Design"—opened the door to a new world for these technology-obsessed dwarves, making their eyes light up with excitement.

Therefore, a little over a month ago, when Su Ming offered to hire the dwarven semi-submersible ship "Five Fangs" for a reward of 100,000 gold coins to carry out a guard mission in the Northern Lands, the dwarven high command readily agreed without hesitation.