Fiona and Oscar went outside with Maria leading the way.
“My lady, those battleships are different from the one in the imperial capital, aren’t they?” he asked her.
“You mean The Halter, don’t you? That one can’t be replicated.”
The Halter was the only aerial battleship the Empire possessed. Oscar and Fiona had ridden on it when they welcomed the prince of Inverey. It had existed since the Debuhi Empire was still a kingdom, and no one knew exactly when it was built or who its builder was. The battleship’s name had remained unchanged since it was displayed on the bridge, but...everything else about it was shrouded in mystery.
“The newly developed ‘levitation engine’ in its central core makes The Halter untouchable. We still don’t know how it works, but it has been operating for several centuries, perhaps even over a millennium, without any maintenance. That is where the floating mechanisms of the battleships you saw earlier come in.”
“Newly developed...”
“The Imperial Association of Alchemy, led by Count Hashford, researched it for thirty years, and they finally succeeded.” Maria shook her head with a smile. She found the tenacity of the alchemists astonishing.
“Thirty years... That’s older than this city...”
“Indeed. Your father’s support for this city can be largely attributed to them. Their determination made quite an impression on him.”
The three of them went around the shipyard and exited onto the lake. A gigantic ship floated there, docked at a huge pier.
“And over there, Lady Fiona, we have one of the battleships equipped with a unique version of the levitation engine... The Kulkova, the third Markdorf-class ship,” Maria said.
“The third?” Fiona tilted her head.
Maria smiled. “My hope was for you to ride on the first ship, the Markdorf, but it’s being outfitted for actual combat, and adjusting the armament is proving difficult at the moment. The third ship, however, is designed to be a pleasure cruiser. Well, it doesn’t have any arms yet, technically speaking.”
“Outfitting... Are you referring to the sails, the propulsion system, and such?”
“That’s correct, Your Highness. The propulsion system, which is at the heart of the ship and utilizes alchemical devices, is already installed. As for the sails and masts, they require various other equipment to be installed before they become operational.”
While listening to Maria’s explanation, Fiona and Oscar boarded the ship from the pier and stepped onto the bridge.
The bridge is the command center of a ship, where a team operates the entire vessel: the captain, responsible for the entire ship; the first officer, who assists the captain and takes over when the captain isn’t on the bridge; the chief navigator, who handles practical matters from selecting and proposing the ship’s course to supervising the loading and unloading of cargo; the helmsman, who follows the course by using the steering wheel; and many others.
Oscar and Fiona were allowed to observe the test voyage from the bridge.
“Most of the previous test voyages were conducted at night, so this one is special, considering it’s daylight.”
“I’m assuming doing it at night was to prevent the ship from being seen? Is this safe?” Oscar asked.
“You assume correctly. But, yes, we’ll be fine. The ship isn’t visible from the ground,” Maria answered with a smile.
“What?” Fiona was confused.
It was nearly a hundred meters long. Absolutely massive. So how could it have been invisible?
Oscar shared in her confusion.
“The Kulkova requesting launch permission,” the captain said into the speaking tube.
“This is Lakeshore Control. Lakeshore alchemical device, Sky Contrast A, deployment complete. Permission to launch, granted.”
The captain nodded. “Launch!” he commanded.
At that moment, the ship lurched forward and then...began to float. Oscar and Fiona were rendered speechless by the sensation as well as the change in the scenery outside the window. What a novel, valuable experience.
“Currently, it’s only for military purposes. But perhaps someday, a time will come when these ships span the skies of the Empire,” Maria said, joyously sharing her vision of the future.
“That would be a wonderful sight.” Fiona’s eyes sparkled.
As for Oscar, he simply watched the two of them, happiness on his face.