After listening to Radak’s explanation, Andre shortlisted three types of Star Realm Battleships.
The first was the Floating City. This type of battleship was suitable for entering an Otherworld and serving as a war fortress.
However, its disadvantage was its slow travel speed in the Star Realm. It needed to move alongside other Star Realm Battleships, using their combined Witchcraft Arrays to increase its speed.
The second was the Star Universe Cannon Ship. This battleship was extremely fast, both in the Star Realm and in Otherworlds. Furthermore, its Attack Power was formidable due to the Magic Energy Giant Cannons installed on it.
But its downside was high energy consumption.
The third was named the Round Battle Fortress. As its name implied, this battleship was shaped like a sphere and was one of the most powerful defensive battleships available.
Its surface was inscribed with a large number of Deflection Fields. Any attack that made contact with this layer would be diverted away.
At the same time, this battleship also possessed a considerable number of Magic Energy Giant Cannons, giving it decent offensive capabilities.
Its drawback, however, was that its internal space was spherical and relatively cramped.
All three battleships had their pros and cons, and for a moment, Andre didn’t know which one to choose.
According to Radak’s advice, he should choose the Round Battle Fortress.
But if he really chose the Round Battle Fortress, the interior space would be a problem.
After all, he commanded a Black Iron Giant Tribe and a Frenzy Beastman Tribe.
These two tribes had enormous appetites, consuming a substantial amount of resources and producing a large quantity of waste every day.
The Black Iron Giant Tribe was manageable, as they produced very little waste.
The Frenzy Beastman Tribe, however, was another story. Their formidable strength came not only from their innate abilities but also from their hearty eating and drinking, which built up immense physical reserves to fuel their Power in battle.
Therefore, the Frenzy Beastman Tribe produced a lot of waste and consumed a great deal of resources each day.
If he chose the Round Battle Fortress, this was a point that absolutely had to be taken into consideration.
But if he were to choose the Star Universe Cannon Ship, he would have to worry about its internal energy consumption, as it was equipped with far too many Magic Energy Giant Cannons.
As for the Floating City, its speed was simply too slow. If someone were willing to team up with him on this expedition and use the energy from their own Star Realm Battleship to tow the Floating City, it would actually be a decent choice.
But he was all alone. No one would want to team up with an unlucky sod who had just become an Official Wizard only to be immediately drafted into the Expeditionary Corps.
Therefore, the Floating City had to be ruled out. He had to make a choice between the Round Battle Fortress and the Star Universe Cannon Ship.
"In three months, I will take you to the Main Institute to make your selection!"
Radak said, shaking his head as he looked at the troubled expression on Andre’s face.
"To the Main Institute?" Andre’s face showed surprise when he heard this.
"Did you think the branch institute would have Star Realm Battleships for you to choose from?"
Radak reached out and tapped Andre on the head.
Andre rubbed the spot where he was tapped and nodded, indicating that he understood.
"Make your choice soon. Or, if you’re not satisfied with these options, you can look for books on the subject and see if there’s anything you like better."
"If there’s really nothing you like, you can also have one custom-made. That’s an option too."
"Custom-made? Has Star Realm Battleship technology really developed to that extent? Is two years enough time?"
Hearing this, Andre’s eyes widened as he stared at Radak in disbelief.
He had read up on Star Realm Battleships before.
According to that information, the construction time for a single battleship was usually measured in centuries.
This was because their construction was incredibly complex, requiring a vast amount of materials. Moreover, after the initial frame was built, it had to be inscribed with all sorts of Demon Patterns to form unique Witchcraft Arrays.
Only then could a Star Realm Battleship travel through the Star Realm.
"At the Main Institute and within some of the major powers, Star Realm Battleships are already being produced through modular manufacturing. As long as you have enough materials, production is very fast."
"After all, aside from differences in the hull’s shape, the other components are all the same."
"Even if there are some special functions you require, you can find corresponding designs for them from throughout the Wizard World’s long history."
"Therefore, the production speed for things like Star Realm Battleships is naturally much faster than when the technology first emerged."
Radak looked at the bewildered Andre, took a deep breath, and explained.
Andre nodded, then returned to the Wizard Inheritance Hall and began to browse books on the topic.
After going through a dozen or so books about Star Realm Battleships, Andre came to understand exactly what "customization" entailed.
This practice had existed since the very first day Star Realm Battleships appeared.
The vast majority of those who custom-ordered these battleships were members of major powers.
This was because these Wizard Influences each had their own unique inheritances, and they needed to leverage elements of that inheritance when using a Star Realm Battleship.
Thus, the industry of custom-building Star Realm Battleships was born.
And just as Radak had said, after so many years of development, there were many existing counterparts in the Wizard World’s long history for the functions he desired.
He only needed to state his requirements, and the Wizards responsible for manufacturing Star Realm Battleships could create the corresponding components for those functions, then fit them together to assemble the battleship he wanted.
Generally speaking, a standard Star Realm Battleship costs around 30 million Medium Magic Stones.
Each additional function would add another million Medium Magic Stones to the price.
The price was also determined by the battleship’s size.
The larger and more feature-complete the battleship, the higher its price.
In the history of the Witch World, there have been several absolute flagships among Star Realm Battleships that cost billions of High Level Magic Stones to create.
These absolute flagships, besides costing vast quantities of Magic Stones for materials and specialized customization, also had many slots reserved for War Witchcraft Artifacts.
When War Witchcraft Artifacts were installed in these slots, their effects could be maximized through the amplification Witchcraft Arrays on the battleship.
’This is my first expedition, so I won’t need something like that, and I don’t have the money for it anyway. But I should still make some modifications.’
Andre began to plan his own Star Realm Battleship.
First, the space had to be large enough. The King of the Black Iron People and the Black Iron Giant Tribe were manageable; he could place them in his Secret Realm.
The Black Iron Giant Tribe and the King of the Black Iron People could remain inactive for long periods, as long as they were supplied with Magic Stones.
The Frenzy Beastman Tribe, however, required a great deal of space. Furthermore, to maintain their combat effectiveness, a lot of room was needed to prepare food and other necessities for them.
It would also need to be custom-made, which meant another huge expense.
Beyond that, he needed sufficient Attack Power and Defense Power.
Generally, Deflection Fields and Magic Energy Giant Cannons were the most commonly used defensive measures and offensive capabilities on a Star Realm Battleship.