Chapter 1345
Leon pondered for a moment; the timing was just about right. He had to put these two old bastards in their place first—otherwise, there was no way to continue the conversation. Judging by their reactions, the effect was excellent.
"I want the two of you to join me in a major research project. The goal is to build a mana-powered battleship!"
"Mana-powered battleship? What do you mean, mana-powered battleship?"
"Driven purely by magic, with a reinforced frame, a new weapons system, energy shields, spatial traversal, and void combat capabilities—a battleship whose power rivals at least a Sky Rank mage. A true mana-powered battleship, not the empty shells of floating warships or those clunky steel ships we have now...
The floating warships of the Northend World are little more than transport tools, and even the best steel warships, once they enter the endless void, are nothing but candy for the first void beast they encounter—swallowed whole, without a chance.
The mana-powered battleship I'm planning—the weakest version could be operated by just a handful of archmages and still unleash the strength of several magisters. The strongest? A squad of titled magisters could use it to take down a void beast!
As he spoke, Leon released several rule runes, which coalesced into a three-dimensional illusion above the crystal table. It looked like a battleship shaped like a curved bull's horn, annotated with tons of information—from weapons systems to overall layout, everything was there, though it was just a rough outline.
This type of mana-powered battleship is known in the future as one of the more famous models. Its combat capability rivals a sixth-level Sky Rank mage, but its explosive power is equivalent to a hundred such mages working together. Against ordinary void beasts of the same rank, it can kill with a single strike.
Leon gave Francis and Percival a rough explanation of the battleship. Their faces changed instantly, looking as if they'd seen a ghost. Even though Leon's introduction was brief, he included many key details—down to the data and material requirements.
Seeing the ghost-stricken expressions on Pinocchio and Fantasia’s faces, Lin Yun finally let out a faint sigh of relief. With the current level of technology, building an Arcane Battleship like this is pure fantasy—the materials alone make it impossible. A thousand centuries from now, gathering those resources would be laughably easy, but right now? Assembling everything required is simply out of the question.
Less than twenty percent of these materials can be found today, or have some kind of substitute. The rest? They’re all new substances that won’t even exist until far in the future—or can only be manufactured with methods we haven’t yet imagined.
It’s just that Lin Yun remembers this particular Arcane Battleship design so vividly—enough to shake Pinocchio and Fantasia up a bit. Not that they could pick out any flaws, anyway; with current research standards, there’s nothing in the blueprint that looks off, and every parameter checks out. It all seems like the inevitable direction of future development...
Pinocchio and Fantasia huddled together, crunching numbers and running calculations. They finished quickly, and the results? This battleship’s power is nothing short of a doomsday weapon—taking down a level 46 Void Behemoth would be no problem at all. Even its Arcane Shield is terrifying: the fusion-shield array creates a massive barrier, and while the energy consumption is monstrous, the protection it offers... Well, even a Sky Rank mage at level seven would struggle to break through.
Pinocchio and Fantasia were completely hooked now. The two of them became lost in a sea of data, and Lin Yun couldn’t help but smile faintly at the sight. He left them a note and quietly slipped away.
Create a beautiful illusion for these two old scoundrels, and you’ll never have to worry about them taking the bait—they’ll come knocking themselves, desperate to join the project. As for the price of having them oversee the Arcane Array research? What price? Letting them in is already more than generous...
Leaving Pinocchio and Fantasia’s alchemy lab behind, Lin Yun posted a recruitment notice at the Starry Sky Academy—in the name of Gilded Rose, of course. Every year, dozens of alchemy shops come here to hire new talent, and Gilded Rose has done it several times before. The benefits are great, and you get to work on all sorts of new things. Whether you’re chasing gold or chasing progress, it’s a good place to be.
This time, though, the recruitment was much more specific. Applicants needed solid experience in mana energy, materials, and large-scale alchemical machinery. Most of the recruits would be Grandmasters—any regular Alchemist would just be an assistant.
Lin Yun returned to Gilded Rose, pondering what else he’d need to build an Arcane Battleship. The materials problem, at least, he could solve: combine resources from the Blazeforge Realm, Northend World, and the Abyss, and you’d have everything you need for a basic battleship. The main steel components? Just haul them from the Plane of Golems—those mountain-sized golem graveyards are almost pure magisteel, and melting them down is way more efficient than mining raw ore.
Best of all, those golem graveyards in the Plane of Golems are almost risk-free. As long as you don’t set up camp there, and keep your visits brief, there’s nothing to worry about. One trip for materials is enough to build a dozen Arcane Battleships.