Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 156: Trial Voyage
The next morning, a large group of people, including the new captain Kenbert, followed Owen to the shipyard to witness the launch of the new ship.
When the full view of the cement ship was revealed, many people were left dumbfounded.
A group of workers exerted all their strength to pull the ship, and with the help of rolling logs, it slowly moved forward.
Ahead was a gentle slope. Once they had pulled it a certain distance, gravity would take over, and the cement ship would continue sliding, finally plunging into the river and sending up a huge splash.
After a while, the cement ship gradually stabilized and floated quietly on the water, its draft shallow.
“How is this possible?!”
It was Kenbert’s first time seeing such a strange ship; his eyes were nearly popping out.
“Lord, how can a stone-like ship even float?”
Before the launch, he had touched the hull and discovered it was made of a material similar to stone.
“Why not?”
Owen asked in return.
“Let me correct you first—this is a cement steamship. As you can see, it’s floating on the water right now.”
“Alright… stone… uh, I mean cement steamship really is floating.”
At this point, Kenbert could only accept this mind-blowing fact. He then asked.
“But where are the mast and sails? Without them, how can it sail?”
“Even if there were a mast and sails, they wouldn’t help.”
Owen explained.
“The hardness and weight of cement are similar to stone, so the ship is extremely heavy. Ordinary wind wouldn’t be enough to move it. This ship’s power comes from a steam engine, installed inside the hull.”
“A steam engine?!”
Kenbert was completely dumbfounded.
He had only just arrived in Biānshù Town yesterday and had never seen a steam engine, so he could not imagine what it was.
“Oh, I almost forgot—you’ve never seen a steam engine.”
Owen said, putting a hand to his forehead.
“It’s a large machine that can work continuously with just water and a heat source.”
No matter how Owen explained, Kenbert still couldn’t fully grasp it.
But one thing was clear to him—he had no idea how to operate this bizarre ship.
“Lord, I only know how to sail wooden ships with sails… this cement steamship…”
Kenbert’s confidence immediately dropped, worried he wouldn’t be able to handle the job.
“Don’t worry!”
Owen patted Kenbert on the shoulder.
“Operating a cement steamship isn’t harder than a wooden sailing ship. With some sailing experience, you’ll get the hang of it quickly. I’ll also personally guide you on how to steer this ship properly.”
“Alright… I’ll do my best.”
Kenbert said.
Having already signed the contract with Owen, he had no choice but to face the challenge.
“Then we’ll board for the trial voyage. But first, let’s go over there—I need to introduce you to the sailors.”
Owen pointed with his thumb.
“They’re all local farmers with no sailing experience. So, Kenbert, you’ll need to train them properly.”
Looking at the line of tall, short, skinny, and stout sailors in worn clothes, Kenbert didn’t know what to say.
The trial voyage went fairly smoothly. The cement ship made a large circle along the Wei River and returned to the original launch site.
Kenbert wasn’t foolish and had some sailing experience. With Owen’s guidance, he quickly figured out how to operate the ship.
His command over the sailors was also passable—after all, it was their first time working together, so expectations couldn’t be too high.
After actually operating the ship, Kenbert found that the cement steamship wasn’t nearly as difficult to handle as he had imagined. After disembarking, he breathed a sigh of relief—looks like he could manage the job just fine.
“By the way, Lord,”
Suddenly remembering something important, Kenbert asked Owen.
“Since this is Biānshù Town’s first ship, have you decided on a name for it?”
“A name…”
Owen stroked his chin thoughtfully before finally answering.
“Let’s call it the Biānshù, named after this town.”
…
In the afternoon, Owen received another letter from Dongsheng Fortress.
This time it was from Kuros, written on the same paper he had sent as a gift last time.
In the letter, Kuros warned that Duke Eddie had recently been assembling troops to attack Biānshù Town and capture Owen, seemingly to carry out a task assigned by the Third Prince. Even Kuros’s father, Count Yumb, was involved. He urged Owen to escape immediately.
During Kuros and his sister Xinya’s last visit to Owen, they only stayed at the castle for one night, so they were not aware of Biānshù Town’s current military strength.
From the perspective of most people, Biānshù Town certainly could not stand against Dongsheng Fortress.
Regardless, Owen appreciated the concern Kuros had for his friend’s safety.
Another matter troubled Owen: Count Youm, Kuros’s father, would also be accompanying the army.
Since he was the father of a friend, Owen wanted to spare his life.
But whether it was cannonballs or bullets, they didn’t discriminate—they would hit whatever was in their path. It would be difficult to ensure Count Youm wouldn’t be hit.
If Count Youm were to die accidentally on the battlefield, Owen wouldn’t know how to explain it to Kuros.
Would he have to say apologetically.
“Hey, I’m really sorry, Kuros, my army killed your father on the battlefield”?
Impossible to say!
Better to take it step by step and deal with things as they happen.
Moreover, since Count Youm was a nobleman, he probably wouldn’t charge ahead on the battlefield. Bullets might not reach him; only cannonballs posed a real threat.
If Count Youm noticed the disparity in forces quickly and withdrew from the battlefield, whether he successfully escaped or was captured, it would be the best possible outcome for him.
At that moment, a personal guard entered the office, saluted, and reported.
“Marquis, Bishop Flynn requests an audience.”
Bishop Flynn? What could he want at this time?
Without thinking too much, Owen put away Kuros’s letter and nodded.
“Bring him in.”
Bishop Flynn was now the representative of the Caleb Holy Church in Biānshù Town. Owen had already begun cooperating with them, selling items such as cement and paper.
These trade goods were not a big deal; the key issue was that they wanted to send some temple knights to participate in firearm training, since Owen refused to sell firearms and black powder outright.
This required careful consideration on Owen’s part, as it involved military weapons.
However, honestly, with the new firearms entering mass production, Owen felt that selling the older firearms to the Caleb Holy Church wasn’t out of the question.
Gaining the church’s trust wouldn’t be a bad thing. Although Owen’s current enemy was Duke Eddie, the Third Prince was still someone to keep wary of.