The temporary shipyard next to the Redwater River was full of people.

Everyone knows that this wooden shed is building a strange ship, its shell is like a huge bath, made of gray cement and that once solidified, it is no different from the stone, thrown into the water, except for a pip, not even a shadow can see.

The craftsmen who came to work here gave it apt name: the bath boat.

Today is the day when the first two ships are launched.

The crowd was roughly divided into two categories, one of which was the residents of the new border town, who were quite curious about the news, or were incredulous, and came forward with a suspicious mentality to see a fresh one, many of them fishermen and sailors from the east and south.The first category is the local residents, who have long been accustomed to the miracles created by His Highness, and have heard of the "small town" before it, and gathered here in the snow, but only to see the Prince's Highness whom they worship.

Kakusim is the former.

When his Highness posted the message and the new recruitment order on the square signboard, he said he would come here anyway.Vader had no way, had to ask Mr. Carter for a leave, accompanied him to come here to live unfamiliar, coupled with the serious snow, he really did not worry about the other party alone ran to the crowd gathering place, if accidentally pushed and injured, for the old man almost unhealable harm.

"You look too small to me, child," said the old man, waving his hand, indicating that he did not have to follow him, "I have also experienced great winds and waves, although I am old, but not much worse than you."

"Yes," Vader said disapprovingly, "I've taken a leave of absence, and it's too late for you to say anything."I just don't understand why you should come see this thing into the water?“Isn’t that a ship?”

"But you say it was made of grey stone," Kakusim shook his head, "and a stone as big as the bathtub this year can float on the water?"

They all blamed themselves for their mouths, and when he chatted with him, he somehow talked about the announcement of the square, "Perhaps your Highness just exaggerates the rhetoric, there is probably part of a wooden ship that is made of what kind of cement?" 」

"That's even more impossible," insisted the old man, "when did you think about when this wooden shed was built?"

“It seems to be more than a month ago.”

“Yes, sooner than you were recruited as a police officer, it was still an open space when we moved into the inner city of the town!”His beard shook, "It took a month to build the shed, didn't it mean that it took His Royal Highness only half a month to build the first ship?"

“What’s wrong?”Vader is confused.

“Of course not!”Kakusim shouted, “In the name of the sea god!”I have never seen a ship that takes only half a month to build, and this has nothing to do with the size of a sailing ship, and it will take more than a month to process the ribs alone, and it needs to wait for the wood to be completely dried and then steam be bent, a process that is extremely troublesome and impossible to complete in a short period of time.”

Vader was surprised, “How do you know so well about shipbuilding...?”

"I used to be a captain, child," the old man spat out white, "when I was young, I used to carry a large number of goods, through the sea breeze county and the port of Bishui, and to the morning kingdom and the fjord islands.Then something came to this.

"You've never told me that before."He rolled his eyes.

"You never asked, child."Kakusim shrugged.

"Well," said Vader, turning his eyes to the shipyard, "so what you're really curious about is the technology of your Highness to build a sailboat in half a month."

"No captain would be curious," said he, touching his beard, "and if your Highness is not lying, do you know what that means?"For a year or two he would be able to get all the rivers in the fort into his fleet.”

Vader moved, “Are you going to...”

The old man smiled, "I can't always eat your porridge in vain."

"Your Highness, of course, does not lie," said one of the men, "and it is not a sailboat."

Vader looked back, the speaker was a young man, listening to an accent like a native of the West, “A sailboat?”

"Yes, it doesn't need sails, and it's faster than any sailboat."The other side said with great honor, "Have you ever seen a steam engine in the mine that is in the fog?"The kind that can be easily and easily towed out of the mine hole, these cement ships are exactly what they are powered by, according to His Highness, they are all steamships!”

“Can you sail without sail?”Kakusim questioned, "Boy, you are talking nonsense, if a ship does not have sails, it can only be crossed by the oarsman, this speed can not be compared to other sailing ships."Besides, they have not yet been launched, and you have not seen them, how do you know they can move?"

"Of course I have seen it," grinned the young man, "you are newcomers, and you don't know it or normal."In the summer I transformed a steamboat for the carpillary across the strait.But the ship is still made of wood, not as durable as these stone ships.”

Vader wanted to say something, and the other side's eyes suddenly lit up and pointed in the direction of the shipyard, "Look there, the Prince's Highness came out!"

There was a cheer in the crowd, and everyone raised their hands to salute their lords.

Prince Roland boarded the wooden platform on the side of the shipyard, briefly said a few words of congratulations, and then announced that the new ship was launched.

In the sound of the slogan, the workers opened the wooden shed on the side of the red water river, a 40-meter-long gray hull sliding down the river embankment and planted it into the cold river water.

Vader heart up, he almost thought that this thing would sink directly into the bottom of the water, but did not expect the rest of the rest into the water, the bow went up again, but also set off a large sum of water.

There was a loud applause in the crowd again.

"Oh my God, it really floats," Kakusim paused for a moment, "but what was really made of stone?"

Vader also had the same question about the surface of the bathtub ship looking too smooth, like a finely polished granite slab, but it could not find a patchwork trace, and the whole ship was all in one.The cabin without the deck is very shallow, it is impossible for people to sleep, and the bottom is very flat, and it is impossible to fix the mast, as everyone said, this is a bathtub.

But in any case, His Highness did indeed build the ship in half a month.

He looked at Kakusim and saw the other side's eyes glittering with great luster.

"I'm going to apply for the captain's seat," said the old man.

(Unfinished.