Chapter 8 The new age

Woo! The strong wind howled and the rain poured down. The three-masted sailing ship rose and fell between the "mountains" of waves, like a toy thrown and caught by a giant. The deep red in Alger Wilson's eyes faded away, and he found himself still standing on the deck, no different from before. Then he saw the oddly shaped glass bottle in his hand crack and the frost and snow melt into the raindrops. In just two or three seconds, this ancient artifact had completely disappeared without a trace. A hexagonal crystal snowflake appeared in Alger's palm, then quickly faded until it was gone, as if it had shrunk into his flesh. Alger nodded imperceptibly as if he were thinking about something, and remained calm for a full five minutes. He turned around and walked towards the entrance of the cabin, and just as he was about to enter, he met a man wearing a long robe embroidered with lightning patterns. The man with soft yellow hair stopped in his tracks, looked at Alger, and extended his right hand, making a fist and placing it on his chest, saying, "The storm is with you." "The storm is with you," Alger replied, his rough and profound face showing no extra emotion, as he also made a fist and hit his left chest. After exchanging greetings, Alger entered the cabin and walked down the aisle towards the captain's room in the distance. Surprisingly, he did not encounter any sailors or crew members along the way, and it was as quiet as a tomb inside. The door to the captain's room opened, and a soft, thick brown carpet appeared before his eyes, with bookshelves and a liquor cabinet on either side. Books with yellowed covers and bottles of dark red wine shimmered with a strange luster under the candlelight. On the desk where the candles were placed, there was a bottle of ink, a feather pen, a black metal telescope, and a brass sextant. Behind the desk, a middle-aged man with a skull captain's hat and a pale face watched as Alger approached step by step, gritting his teeth in anger and saying, "I will not surrender!" "I believe you can do it," Alger said calmly, as if he were talking about the weather. "You..." The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, apparently not expecting such a response. At that moment, Alger's body arched slightly, and he suddenly rushed forward, instantly bringing the two of them close to the desk. Snap! His shoulder tightened, and his right hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the middle-aged man's throat. Without giving the other person a chance to react, his hand back appeared with illusory fish scales, and his five fingers exerted force frantically. Crack! In the crisp sound, the middle-aged man's eyes widened in shock, and his body was lifted up entirely. His feet twitched violently, but he quickly calmed down. His gaze became unfocused, his pupils dilated, and his crotch gradually became wet with a foul smell emanating from it. Alger lifted the middle-aged man, bent down, and kicked his feet, approaching the nearby wall. Bang! He used the middle-aged man as a shield and slammed him fiercely forward, his arm as thick as a monster. The wooden wall shattered with a loud noise, and the violent wind and rain swept in with the smell of seawater. Alger twisted his waist and threw the middle-aged man out of the cabin, throwing him into the mountain-like waves one after another. The sky was dark, the wind and rain were howling, and the natural power buried everything. Alger took out a white handkerchief, wiped his right palm carefully, and then threw it into the sea. He stepped back and patiently waited for his companion to enter. "What's going on?" Less than ten seconds later, the man with soft yellow hair rushed in. "The captain has escaped," Alger gasped, frustrated in his response. "He still had some extraordinary power!"

"Damn it!" The man with yellow hair cursed under his breath. He arrived at the breach, staring into the distance, but could see nothing but wind, rain, and waves. "Forget about him, he was just a side note. We will only get credit for finding this ghost ship from the Tudor era."

Even the guardian of the sea dared not rashly dive into the water in this weather. "And if the storm continues, the captain won't last long," Alger nodded, noticing the breach in the wooden wall was slowly repairing itself at a visible speed.

He took a deep look at it, subconsciously turning his head to look at the position of the helm and sails. Even though there were layers of wooden boards between them, he could still clearly sense what was happening there. There was no first mate, no second mate, no crew, no sailors, not even a living soul! It was empty, and the helm and sails were adjusting themselves in a strange way. The image of the "Fool" shrouded in gray mist appeared in his mind again, and Alger suddenly sighed. He turned his head to look at the raging winds and waves outside, speaking in a dreamy tone that was both hopeful and fearful, "A new era has begun..."

...In the capital of the Rune Kingdom, Beckland, in the Queen's district. Audrey Hall pinched her own cheeks, unable to believe what had just happened. The ancient bronze mirror on her dressing table shattered into pieces. Looking down, Audrey saw a "deep red" flow on the back of her hand, like a starry "tattoo". The deep red gradually faded, eventually disappearing into the skin. It wasn't until this moment that Audrey was sure she wasn't dreaming. Her eyes sparkled and her lips curled up as she stood up, lifting the hem of her dress and bowing to the air. Audrey's footsteps were light as she spun around and began to dance the popular "Ancient Elf Dance" of the court. Her figure was graceful and her face was full of radiant smiles.

Knock, knock, knock! Suddenly, there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Who is it?" Audrey stopped abruptly and assumed a graceful posture. "Miss, may I come in? You should get ready," the maid asked from outside the door. Audrey turned her head to look at the mirror on the dressing table and quickly restrained her smile, leaving only a faint trace. After confirming that her appearance was perfect, she gently spoke, "Come in." She twisted the doorknob and her maid, Annie, entered the room.

"Oh, it's broken..." Annie immediately noticed the fate of the ancient bronze mirror. Audrey blinked slowly and said in a slow voice, "Um, yeah, Suzy came in earlier, you know how she always likes to destroy things!" Suzy was a golden retriever with impure bloodlines, a gift from Audrey's father, the Earl of Holbeach, when he purchased a hunting dog. However, Audrey was very fond of her.

"You should teach her a lesson," Annie said as she skillfully cleaned up the broken pieces of the bronze mirror, afraid of hurting her mistress. After finishing, she looked at Audrey and asked with a smile, "Which dress would you like to wear?"

Audrey thought for a moment and said, "I like the one Mrs. Ginevra designed for my seventeenth birthday." "No, we can't. People will say that the Hall family is facing a financial crisis if I wear the same dress twice in formal occasions!" Anne shook her head in denial.

"But I really like it," Audrey emphasized in a gentle tone.

"You can wear it at home or in less formal occasions," Anne said firmly, without room for negotiation.

"Then how about the one Mr. Saunders sent over the other day, with the ruffled cuffs?" Audrey discreetly took a breath, maintaining her elegant and sweet smile.

"Your taste is always so impeccable," Anne laughed and stepped back, calling out to the outside, "Number six dressing room, forget it, I'll get it myself." The maids began to bustle around, one in charge of the long dress, one in charge of the jewelry, one in charge of the shoes, one in charge of the veil, one in charge of Audrey's makeup, and one considering her hairstyle.

As the preparations were coming to an end, the Earl of Hall appeared at the door wearing a dark brown vest. He wore a hat of the same color, had two pretty little mustaches, and his blue eyes were full of laughter. However, his relaxed muscles, bulging belly, and increasingly obvious wrinkles mercilessly destroyed his youthful handsomeness.

"Beckland's most dazzling gem, we should leave now," the Earl of Hall stood at the entrance and knocked twice on the open door.

"Dad, don't call me that," Audrey stood up with the help of the maids, deliberately showing a hint of distress.

"Then my beautiful little princess, it's time to go," the Earl of Hall bent his left arm, indicating for Audrey to take it.

Audrey smiled lightly and shook her head, "That's where Lady Hall, the Countess, my dear mother, should be." "Over here," said the Earl of Holbe with a smile, bending his right arm. "This is the pride of a father." ... Port Pritz, Oak Island, Royal Navy Base. When Audrey walked down the carriage arm in arm with her father, she was suddenly shocked by the huge object in front of her. In the nearby naval port, there was a towering giant ship that shimmered with metallic light. It had no sails, only an observation tower, and two towering smokestacks, and two open-air gun turrets. It was so magnificent, so huge, that the nearby sailing battleships looked like dwarfs just born, clustering around the giant. "Storm on top..." "Oh, my lord." "Ironclad ship!"... The exclamations were low and intertwined, and Audrey also felt the same shock. It was a miracle created by humans, an unprecedented maritime miracle! After a while, the nobles, ministers, and members of the lower house recovered. At this time, a black dot in the sky gradually occupied one-third of the sky, occupying everyone's sight and making the atmosphere suddenly solemn. This was a huge floating object flying in the air, with extremely smooth and beautiful lines. The overall paint was dark blue, and a sturdy and lightweight alloy frame supported the cotton cloth with airbags. Below it hung a box with machine gun ports, bomb ports, and flat-firing gun ports. The exaggerated hum of the high-octane steam engine and the crazy rotation of the tail rotor blades formed a heart-shaking movement. The airship carrying the royal family arrived, with the majesty of overlooking everything from above. The "Sword of Judgment," with a handle adorned with a ruby crown, hung vertically downwards and reflected the sunlight on both sides of the compartment. It was a symbol of the Augustus family, a legacy that could be traced back to the previous era. Audrey, who had not yet turned eighteen and had not participated in the "introduction ceremony," was officially entering the social scene of Beckland under the guidance of the queen to declare her adulthood. She could only quietly observe from a distance and not approach. However, she didn't mind too much and even felt relieved that she didn't have to face the princes.

The "miracle" of human conquest of the sky landed steadily, and the first to come down from the escalator were the young and vigorous guards dressed in red military uniforms, white trousers, with medals on their chests, holding rifles, and standing in two rows, waiting for the appearance of King George III, the queen, princes, and princesses. Audrey had seen many important people before and was not interested in this. Instead, her gaze wandered towards the two black-armored knights who stood like statues beside the king. In this age of steel, steam, and guns, there were still people who insisted on wearing full-body armor! The cold metallic luster and the deep black helmet gave people a sense of heaviness, dignity, and obedience. "Could they be the higher-ranked 'Judgment Knights'..." Audrey's mind flashed with fragments of conversations from her elders, curious but not daring to approach.

As the king and his family arrived, the ceremony finally began, and the current Prime Minister, Lord Archibald Nigen, walked to the front of the crowd. He was a member of the Conservative Party and one of only two people who had become prime minister without being a noble. Due to his outstanding contributions, he was awarded a knighthood. Of course, Audrey knew more than that. Archibald's brother, Pallas Nigen, was the main supporter of the Conservative Party and the Duke of Nigen of this generation! Archibald was in his fifties, tall and thin, with sparse hair and sharp eyes. After scanning the crowd, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you have seen it. This is an ironclad ship that can overturn the era. It is 101 meters long, 21 meters wide, with a high freeboard design, and a main armor belt thickness of 457 millimeters. It has four 305-millimeter main guns, six rapid-fire guns, twelve 6-pound guns, eighteen six-barrel machine guns, and four torpedo launchers. Its speed can reach 16 knots!"

"It will be the true ruler, it will conquer the sea!" The nobles, ministers, and members of parliament were in an uproar. Just the prime minister's description was enough to make them imagine the horror of this ironclad ship, let alone seeing it in person! Archibald smiled slightly, gave a few more speeches, and then bowed to King George III, saying, "Your Majesty, please name it." "Let's call it the Pritz," said King George III with a joyful expression. "The Pritz!" "The Pritz!" The name spread from the Minister of the Navy to the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy, and finally to the ironclad ship, where officers and soldiers cheered in unison, "The Pritz!" Amidst the celebratory atmosphere, salutes were fired as King George III gave the order to set sail and test fire. The whistle sounded, and thick smoke billowed from the chimneys as the machinery roared to life. The massive vessel set sail, and as it sailed out of the harbor and fired its two main guns at an uninhabited island, everyone was shocked. Boom! Boom! Boom! The earth seemed to shake, dust rose into the air, and a hurricane swept out, causing waves to surge. Prime Minister Agahid turned to the nobles, ministers, and members of parliament and said, "From now on, those seven pirates who call themselves generals and those four pirates who claim to be kings can only tremble and wait for the end!" "Their era is over, even if they have extraordinary powers, ghost ships, or curses, only ironclad ships can rule the seas!" At this point, Agahid's chief secretary deliberately asked, "Can't they build their own ironclad ships?" Some nobles and members of parliament secretly nodded, thinking that this was a possibility. Agahid immediately smiled and shook his head slowly, "Impossible, never! Building such ironclad ships requires three large coal-steel consortia, twenty steel mills of a certain size, sixty scientists from the Bickland Artillery Research Institute and the Pritz Ship Research Institute, and more senior engineers, two royal shipyards and nearly a hundred affiliated parts factories, a navy department, a shipbuilding committee, a cabinet, a resolute king with outstanding vision, and a great country that produces 12 million tons of steel per year!" "Pirates can never achieve this." "At this point, he paused for a moment, then raised his arms and exclaimed passionately, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the era of giant ships and cannons has arrived!'"