Chapter 8 The New Era

Woo!

The wind was howling, the rain was pouring, and the three-masted sailboats undulated from one wave to the next, like a toy thrown and caught by a giant, caught and thrown away.

The crimson in Alger Wilson's eyes faded, and he found that he was still standing on the deck, no different from before.

Immediately after, he saw the strangely shaped glass bottle in his palm snapped and shattered, frost and snow melted into water, and merged into raindrops.

After just two or three seconds, this ancient wonder completely lost the traces of its existence.

A hexagonal crystal snowflake appeared in Alger's palm, and then quickly faded until it disappeared, as if shrinking into flesh and blood.

Alger nodded invisibly as if thinking about something, and remained silent for five minutes.

He turned around and walked towards the entrance of the cabin. Just as he was about to enter, he met a man who was also wearing a robe embroidered with lightning patterns.

The man with soft yellow hair paused, looked at Alger, stretched out his right hand, clenched his fist on his chest and said:

"The storm is with you."

"The storm is with you." Alger's rough and profound face showed no excess emotion, and he similarly clenched his right fist to his left chest.

After salute each other, Alger entered the cabin and walked along the aisle to the captain's cabin in the distance.

Along the way, he did not encounter any sailors or crew members again, and it was as quiet as the inside of a tomb.

The door of the captain's room opened, and a soft and thick dark brown carpet appeared in front of him, with bookshelves and wine cabinets on both sides. Books with yellow covers and bottles of dark red wine flickered under the light of candles. strange luster.

On the desk where the candles were placed was a bottle of ink, a quill, a black metal telescope, and a brass sextant.

Behind the desk, a pale middle-aged man wearing a skull captain hat watched Alger come step by step, gritted his teeth angrily and said:

"I won't give in!"

"I believe you can do it." Alger calmly said that the weather is not very good today.

"You..." The middle-aged man was stunned, as if he did not expect such an answer.

At this moment, Alger bowed slightly and suddenly rushed forward, instantly shortening the distance between the two to the point where only the desk was left.

Snapped!

His shoulders tightened, and his right hand suddenly stuck out, pinching the middle-aged man's throat.

Without giving the other party a chance to react, pieces of illusory fish scales appeared on the back of his hand, and his five fingers exerted frantically.

Click!

In the crisp sound, the middle-aged man's eyes widened, and his body was lifted up.

His feet twitched violently, but he quickly regained his composure. In the daze, his pupils began to diverge, and the crotch of his pants gradually became wet, and a stench came out.

Alger lifted the middle-aged man, lowered his back, stepped forward with his feet, and approached the wall next to him.

boom! Using the middle-aged man as a shield, he slammed into the front, his arms as thick as a monster.

The wooden walls shattered in response, and the violent wind and rain swept in with the smell of sea water.

Alger twisted his back and threw the middle-aged man out of the cabin and into the huge waves like mountain peaks.

The sky was dark, the wind and rain were howling, and the mighty force of nature buried everything.

Alger took out a white handkerchief, wiped his right palm carefully, and then threw it into the sea.

Taking a few steps back, he patiently waited for his companion to enter.

"What's wrong?" Within ten seconds, the man with soft yellow hair rushed in.

"'Captain' escaped." Alger panted and replied angrily, "He still retains some extraordinary powers!"

"Damn!" The yellow-haired man cursed in a low voice.

He came to the breach and stared into the distance, but he couldn't see anything except wind, rain and waves.

"never mind,

He is just incidental. The yellow-haired man waved his arm, "We can only get credit for finding this ghost ship from the Tudor era. "

Even if it is the favored person of the sea, in this weather, he does not dare to dive into the water rashly.

"And if the storm continues, the 'Captain' won't be able to support it for long." Alger nodded and found that the crack in the wooden wall began to wriggle and recover at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He took a deep look, turned his head subconsciously, and looked at the position of the rudder and sail.

Even if there are many wooden boards, he can clearly know the situation there.

No first mate, no second mate, no crew, no sailors, not even living people!

There was nothing there, the rudder and sails adjusting themselves eerily.

The "The Fool" whose whole body was covered in gray mist appeared again in his mind, and Alger suddenly sighed.

He turned his head to look at the strong wind and waves outside, and said in a dreamy tone of anticipation and fear:

"A new era begins..."

…………

Backlund, the capital of the Loen Kingdom, Queens.

Audrey Hall pinched her cheeks, unable to believe what happened just now.

On the dresser in front of her, the ancient bronze mirror was shattered piece by piece.

Looking down, Audrey saw "dark red" flowing on the back of her hand, like a star "tattoo".

The "deep red" gradually fades, and eventually disappears into the skin.

Until this time, Audrey was not sure that she was not dreaming.

Her eyes were flowing, the corners of her mouth turned up a little, she couldn't help standing up, bent down and lifted the skirt.

Saluting the air, Audrey walked briskly, turned her body, and danced the most popular "ancient elf dance" in the court.

She was graceful, with a bright smile on her face.

dong dong dong! There was a sudden knock on the bedroom door.

"Who?" Audrey stopped and put on an elegant posture.

"Miss, can you come in? You should prepare." The maid asked outside the door.

Audrey looked sideways at the mirror on the dressing table, and quickly restrained her smile, leaving only a light touch.

She looked left and right, and after confirming that there was no problem with her image, she said softly:

"come in."

Twisting the handle, Anne, her maid, pushed through the door.

"Oh, it's broken..." Annie saw the fate of the ancient bronze mirror at a glance.

Audrey blinked and said slowly:

"Uh, yes, um, Susie came in before, you know, it always likes to destroy!"

Susie is a golden retriever with a less pure blood. It was a gift from her father, Earl Hall, when he bought a foxhound, but he was very liked by Audrey.

"You have to teach it a good lesson." Annie picked up the pieces of the bronze mirror familiarly, for fear of hurting the young lady.

After doing all this, she looked at Audrey and asked with a smile:

"Which dress do you want to wear?"

Audrey thought for a while and said, "I like the one that Mrs. Genia designed for my seventeenth birthday."

"No, others will say whether the Hall family has encountered a financial crisis, and a skirt is actually worn for the second time on a formal occasion!" Annie shook her head in denial.

"But I really like it." Audrey emphasized mildly.

"You can wear it at home and on less formal occasions." Annie put on a non-negotiable attitude.

"Then the one that Mr. Syders sent over the day before yesterday. The cuff is the one with ruffles." Audrey took a hidden breath and kept her elegant and sweet smile.

"Your eyes are always so good." Annie took a step back with a smile and shouted to the door, "Cloakroom No. 6, forget it, I'll get it myself."

The maids started to get busy, one was in charge of long dresses, one was in charge of jewelry, one was in charge of shoes, one was in charge of gauze hats, one was doing makeup for Miss Audrey, and one was considering hairstyle.

When the preparations came to an end, Earl Hall in a dark brown vest appeared at the door.

He wears a top hat of the same color, has a beautiful moustache, and his blue eyes are full of smiles, but his flabby muscles, bulging stomach, and obvious nasolabial lines all ruthlessly destroy his youthful handsomeness .

"The most dazzling gem in Backlund, it's time for us to set off." Earl Hall stood at the entrance and knocked on the open door twice.

"Dad, don't call me that." Audrey stood up with the help of the maid, deliberately showing a distressed look.

"Then my beautiful little princess, it's time to go." Earl Hall bent his left arm and motioned for Audrey to pull it.

Audrey smiled and shook her head:

"This is the position of Mrs. Hall, Countess, my dear mother."

"That side." Earl Hall smiled and bent his right arm, "This is the pride of being a father."

…………

Pritz Harbour, Oak Island, Royal Naval Base.

When Audrey took her father's arm and stepped out of the carriage, she was suddenly shocked by the behemoth in front of her.

In the military port not far away, there is a majestic giant ship with a whole body shining with metal light. It has no sails, only the observation deck, and two more towering chimneys, and two more open-air turrets in front and rear. .

It was so majestic, so huge, that the sailing battleships parked nearby were like newborn dwarves surrounding the dwarves.

"The storm is on..."

"Oh my lord."

"Iron armored ship!"

...

Voices of amazement were intertwined in a low voice, and Audrey felt the same shock. It was a miracle created by human beings, an unprecedented marine miracle!

It took a long time for the nobles, ministers and members of the lower house to recover. At this time, a black spot in the air changed from small to large, gradually occupying one-third of the sky, occupying everyone's attention, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

This is a giant floating in mid-air. It has extremely smooth and beautiful lines. The whole is painted in dark blue. The strong and light alloy frame supports the cotton cloth with hydrogen airbags. The box body of the machine gun muzzle, the bombing port, the flat firing muzzle, the exaggerated hum of the high phlogiston steam engine and the crazy turning sound of the tail blade constitute a shocking movement.

The airship the king's family was riding in arrived, with the majesty of looking down on everything from above.

A "Sword of Judgment" badge with a ruby ​​crown on the handle and a vertical downwards reflects sunlight on both sides of the box, which is a symbol of the Augustan family heritage dating back to the last century.

Audrey was not yet eighteen years old and had not yet participated in the "introduction ceremony". Under the guidance of the Queen, she officially entered the social occasion of Backlund and declared her adulthood.

However, she didn't care too much, and even felt relieved that she didn't have to face the princes.

The "miracle" of mankind's conquest of the sky landed steadily. The first to descend from the escalator were the heroic young guards, who were dressed in red military uniforms, white trousers, with ribbons and rifles in their hands. They were lined up in two rows. Look forward to the arrival of King George III and queens, princes and princesses.

It's not that Audrey has never seen a big man before, so she has no interest in it. Instead, her eyes wandered and she looked at the two black armored knights who looked like statues beside the king.

In this age of steel, steam and guns, there are still guys who insist on wearing full body armor!

The icy metallic luster and the deep black helmet gave people a feeling of heaviness, majesty, and obedience.

"Could it be a higher-order 'Knight of Retribution'..." Audrey's heart flashed a few words from the elders in the family chatting, but she did not dare to approach.

With the arrival of the king's family, the ceremony finally began, and the current Prime Minister, Lord Agusid Negan walked in front of the crowd.

He is a member of the Conservative Party, and so far the only big man who has become Prime Minister in a non-noble capacity, and has been awarded a Lordship for his outstanding service.

Of course, Audrey knows more, Agusid's brother, the main supporter of the Conservative Party, is called Pallas Negan, the Duke of Negan of this generation!

Agushid is in his fifties, tall and thin, with sparse hair and sharp eyes. After looking around, he said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you have seen it, this is an ironclad ship, which is enough to subvert the times. It is 101 meters long, 21 meters wide, with a high freeboard design, the main armor belt is 457 mm thick, and the displacement is 10,060 tons. A total of four 305mm main guns, in addition to 6 rapid-fire guns, 12 6-pounders, 18 six-barrel machine guns, 4 torpedo tubes, the speed can reach 16 knots!"

"It will be the true overlord, it will conquer the sea!"

There was a commotion among the nobles, ministers and parliamentarians, and the Prime Minister's description alone was enough to make them imagine the horror of this ironclad ship, not to mention the real thing is right in front of them!

Agusid showed a slight smile, spoke a few more words, and then saluted King George III:

"Your Majesty, please name it."

"From the port of Pritz, let's call it the Pritz." George III looked quite happy.

"Pritz!"

"Pritz!"

...

Starting with the Lord Admiral, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy, the name spread in turn, and finally came to the ironclad ship, where officers and soldiers cheered in unison:

"Pritz!"

In the festive atmosphere, gun salutes were fired, and George III gave the order to set sail and test fire.

Woo!

The whistle sounded, thick smoke spewed from the chimney, and the movement of the machinery was faintly audible.

The behemoth set sail, and everyone was shocked when it sailed out of the port and bombarded the uninhabited island ahead with the two main guns in the bow.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth seemed to be shaking, the dust rushed into the air, and the hurricane swept away, setting off waves.

Prime Minister Agusid turned his head in satisfaction, and said to the nobles, ministers and parliamentarians:

"From now on, the seven pirates who call themselves generals, and the four pirates who are arrogant, can only tremble and wait for the end!"

"Their era is over, even if they have more or less extraordinary power, ghosts or cursed ships, only ironclad ships across the ocean!"

At this time, the chief secretary of Agulhid deliberately asked:

"Then they can't build ironclad ships themselves?"

Some nobles and parliamentarians nodded secretly, thinking that this possibility could not be ruled out.

Agusid immediately smiled and slowly shook his head:

"Impossible, never possible! To build such an ironclad ship requires three large coal and steel complexes, twenty iron and steel plants of more than 20 scales, and sixty scientists from the Backlund Artillery Research Institute and the Pritzker Ship Research Institute. And more senior engineers, need two Royal Dockyards and their affiliated nearly one hundred parts factories, need an Admiralty, a shipbuilding committee, a cabinet, a firm king with excellent vision and an annual output of 12 million steel Tons of great country!"

"Pirates will never do it."

Having said this, he paused for a while, then raised his arms and shouted excitedly:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the age of ships and cannons has come!"