Chapter 216: Shipbuilding Plan |
"Mm, Teacher Luo, tell the convoy not to depart from the main gate later, have them come find me directly." After giving those instructions, Qin Ziwen returned to the Home and used a Recruitment Card to summon a human senior shipwright.
When the glow faded, a man of about sixty appeared on the spot. Compact in build, his back slightly hunched, he wore a gray-streaked braided queue. His exposed skin was bronzed from years of wind and sun. His eyes were calm and focused, his finger joints thick and callused.
"Master Tao Fu pays his respects, Guild Leader!" the old man said, clasping his fists; his voice was loud and clear.
Qin Ziwen promptly and concisely explained their current situation and the need for ships for the next map, the Island.
"Based on our Home's current capabilities, I need to produce the most suitable ships," Qin Ziwen said.
"Guild Leader," Tao Fu answered with steady eyes, "shipbuilding rests on material, technique, and manpower. Even with a building's special effect, you cannot rush it. The keel is the key for sea vessels. The rest—hull joinery, watertight compartments—are complex. The urgent matter is not large ships first, but to build small boats. That will meet nearshore fishing and hunting needs and allow people to quickly get familiar with handling and sailing."
Qin Ziwen said, "I remember the keel is very important."
Tao Fu replied, "You're correct, Guild Leader. Keels are generally made from large timbers. Preferred choices are nanmu, teak, and oak."
"That might be difficult. There aren't many trees in this patch of Gobi; finding giant timbers is basically impossible," Qin Ziwen said.
"For small boats, yes. Not for large ships," Tao Fu shook his head.
Qin Ziwen's expression shifted slightly. "What about metal? Master Tao, are you skilled in forging metal?"
"Metal? No. Heavy and prone to corrosion, and likely to snap. Guild Leader, though metal is hard, using it for a keel is a poor choice. With rough seas, metal keels won't last long before breaking. Besides, metal is better used for forging weapons and armor; using it for ships would be a waste," Tao Fu explained.
Qin Ziwen pondered. In modern industrial times ships are almost all metal, which shows metal can work. He wondered whether, given the Yanwu Military Arsenal's capabilities, they could forge an iron ship. He was not an expert in that field and didn't know modern shipbuilding details, but among the two thousand people in the residential complex, surely someone knew something about it.
Qin Ziwen instructed, "Alright, Master Tao, then follow your judgment. Make some ships that can sail nearshore. Reinforce the hull bottoms as much as possible. The seabed will likely have various sea beasts."
"Understood, Guild Leader."
Qin Ziwen then led Tao Fu to the edge of the Yanwu Military Arsenal. On the arsenal's outskirts he used a Level 1 Building Card to create a shipyard.
When the light dissipated, a wooden-and-stone shipyard occupying a 20 by 60 area appeared, half embedded in the ground, half exposed at the surface. The main structure was a 30 by 10-meter dry dock in the center, its bottom lined with anti-seep clay.
A five-meter-long slipway extended forward from the side. At the slipway's end was the Home's border, a pale, misty, gray barrier wall.
Behind stood a wooden hut. Inside, saws, plane irons for shipwork, and wooden saws hung on the walls. In the corners were coils of coir rope and barrels of tung oil filled to the brim. A large tin can held rivets.
Tao Fu walked around and looked troubled. "Guild Leader, these are indeed shipbuilding tools, but... they can only build small river and lake boats. Larger ships will be very difficult."
"That's fine. Do you see the arsenal behind us? You can normally go into its R&D Workshop and Ingenious Devices Workshop, then coordinate with the shipyard," Qin Ziwen said.
Tao Fu turned toward the Yanwu Military Arsenal. From its exterior it looked much more imposing than the shipyard. If one was an imperial-era royal weapons center in the capital, the other was like a small coastal county's boatyard.
"Master Tao, for the first batch of ships, besides reinforcing the hull and thickening the bottom, the primary functions are fishing and hunting sea beasts," Qin Ziwen instructed.
Tao Fu thought for a moment, then said, "Then make a batch of flat-bottomed pointed boats. Guild Leader, although flat-bottomed vessels cannot go to the deep sea or withstand large waves, they are suited for shallow waters, can navigate reef areas, and can beach directly. Suitable for early use. After we identify suitable harbors, we can build larger ships."
Qin Ziwen laughed heartily. "All right. We'll follow Master Tao's plan. Experts specialize, so we listen to the professionals."
He then called for Li Tieshan, handed over the arrangements, and prepared to depart.
Tao Fu stopped him. "Master, I've heard there's an oasis in the Gobi. May I accompany you to see if there are materials suitable for shipbuilding?"
Qin Ziwen agreed and told Tao Fu to prepare; he would take him along later.
The transport teams had already been waiting downstairs for a long time.
"Guild Leader!"
Shouts rose and fell in the crowd. Most of these people were now members of the Qin Alliance, and the remainder were students from the Student Council. As for those originally from the Alliance organization, after comparisons they had gradually abandoned the Alliance and joined Qin.
"Come upstairs with me and load the cart onto the platform."
Everyone exchanged looks. That cart was not light; moving it up through the safety passage would be hard work. But out of respect for Qin Ziwen's authority, several strong men crouched down and began lifting.
Seeing them start, others followed, and the line of people stretched out like a long dragon.
From afar, some onlooking residents pointed and whispered, "Why are they bringing those carts up?"
"They'll just carry them back down later. Why bother?"
Those residents had waited outside for a long time, but once those teams went in, they never came back out and had mysteriously disappeared.
In the distance, Zou Jianghe's face darkened. He had long heard that Qin Ziwen and his people possibly had a 'portal' ability. Now it seemed true. A streak of intense jealousy flashed in his eyes. He felt he was understanding Qin less and less. The growth rate was so fast it seemed like cheating.
"Wow, Guild Leader, we arrived at the oasis directly!"
"So fast. It saved a day's travel."
The crowd bustled. Many people stared in stunned amazement at the surrounding scenery. Some had seen vehicle-mounted crossbows transported through a node before, so they had some mental preparation. But having preparation and experiencing it yourself were entirely different.
"Guild Leader, can we return directly from here back to the residential complex?"
"We can't. You still have to walk back. This is only a one-way passage," Qin Ziwen shook his head.
"That's still great. It saves half the trip," someone said with a smile. "We're riding on the Guild Leader's coattails for sure."
Tao Qian arrived with the group and was full of curiosity about everything in the oasis, especially the massive creatures roaming there that resembled gigantic beasts—the core dragons of the oasis in the distance.
He murmured, "No wonder Guild Leader asked if beast bones could be used to build ships."
With bodies that large, their bones must be extremely hard. Not to mention the Guild Leader, even he felt a surge of eagerness to try.
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