Chapter 176: Touring Their Ship
Hibroke, who was writing something on the huge wooden table, looked up at the visitors who had suddenly come to see him and broke into a smile.
"You're back, and it's a pity to see you haven't lost an arm or a leg."
He still remembered the mischievous look Alka had when discussing matters with him before—he'd never met such a picky customer.
Alka nodded with a grin. "Not bad."
But Hibroke also knew why they'd come now, so he skipped the small talk and got straight to the point:
"Judging by the way you all look, you seem pretty impatient. All right, let's go take a look at your new ship right away."
With that, Hibroke immediately led the group toward the shipyard below. Before long, they arrived at the site where Alka's new vessel was being built, right next to the shipyard.
It went without saying that ships already completed couldn't be placed inside the shipyard anymore—it would take up way too much space.
And you could see plenty of other brand-new ships scattered all around, each waiting for their owner.
As soon as they arrived, they saw a ship covered by a giant black tarp, resting on the island's launch rails that ran all the way to the shore.
All it would take was a gentle push when needed, and the ship could slide straight into the sea all on its own.
No need to exhaust a lot of manpower for the launch.
For a large shipyard, this kind of equipment was essential—many major ports and commercial harbors even had such rails.
For example, the Great Cathedral's harbor had these used specifically by those who needed to keep their ships docked for long periods.
Hibroke led them under the massive hull of the ship, then waved his hand, signaling the workers to pull off the giant tarp and reveal what lay beneath.
Basking in the sunlight, everyone looked up.
The ship's hull was made of pure, unadulterated wood—but definitely not ordinary timber. The intricate grain made that perfectly clear.
Besides, ordinary wood wasn't worthy of bearing Spells.
The whole ship retained its natural coloring, coated only with protective varnish and plating, without any additional paintwork or decorative finish.
Both the prow, stern, and the exposed rails were clad with steel metal armor, which greatly reinforced the hull's structure.
Overall, the hull formed a beautiful, streamlined silhouette. The forecastle was very low, and there was just a single level of aftcastle—this way, wind resistance was minimized during sailing.
Three enormous masts rose along the hull, and the central mainmast supported a semicircular lookout post at its top—almost the size of a whole room.
Looking at it, it resembled something like a mushroom house.
The most eye-catching feature of all was the statue at the stern.
The figurehead was a giant bird's head—it looked somewhat surreal, almost styled like a storybook illustration.
The bird had two golden feather "eyebrows" sweeping across both sides, the entire head white, and on top, a pair of golden spiral horns curved outward.
Behind the sculpture was a trumpet-like opening, ringed by many feathers, with the statue perched right at its center.
They said this creature was based on a real legend: whenever it flew across the sky, it filled the air with music as beautiful as any melody.
It cleansed people's hearts, gave them courage, and calmed their inner sadness and fear.
In this world, it was the symbol of music itself—a supremely positive image.
The sails were currently furled, but from what they could see, they were plain white sails. How they'd end up painted was up to Alka and the crew.
The ship was now completely unrecognizable from before; compared to its dilapidated state, it really was like a brand new vessel.
Come to think of it, it truly deserved to be called a "reconstruction."
By the side, Hibroke gave his introduction: "The entire ship is 45 meters long, 19 meters wide, with a draft of 8 meters. There are two gun decks below the main deck, and a cargo hold layer.
Besides fulfilling all the requirements you listed before, the entire interior layout has been carefully designed. Of course, how you use those rooms—that's up to you."
With those words, he waved his hand, and all the Spells engraved on the hull suddenly lit up.
"The Spells carved into the hull represent the highest-grade configuration, constructed together by the shipyard workers and the Church Engravers.
This includes the basic spell group for automatic navigation. You'll be able to set a route for the ship to sail itself, and when the seas are calm, it can cruise in safe waters entirely on auto-pilot.
Of course, once the ship truly becomes a Ghost Ship, these Spells will help her sail all on her own, even without a crew.
The outer hull has been inscribed with cleansing Spell arrays and acceleration Spells; there's even a three-stage speed system: 1.5 times, 2 times, and 3 times faster.
There's hostile intent detection within a 50-meter range, automatic Magic Shield, and more..."
As they listened to Hibroke's introduction, everyone's faces were alight with excitement.
This was amazing—truly the ship of their dreams! Just hearing the features made them want to leap aboard and set sail.
"All right, no use standing around—you all look eager to get on board. Go ahead, she's been waiting for you long enough."
Hearing this, Alka couldn't hold back anymore and scrambled up the hanging rope ladder.
The rest hurried after him.
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