vstars Chapter 680 Steam and Magic Coexist
Chapter 680 Steam and Magic Coexist
At the research institute on the outskirts of Helmingen, John, who had just returned from Mitland a few days earlier, was accompanied by Foundry Minister Stephen, focusing his attention on the newly completed steam airship in the center of the site.
The streamlined airbags above the airship gleamed, not yet fully inflated.
The cockpit suspended below has a sturdy wooden frame covered with a thick windproof canvas. The edges of the canvas are tightly wrapped with oil-soaked ropes and firmly fixed to the wooden frame. Several research members are squatting in the cockpit, making final checks on the metal parts at the joints.
"All connections have been reinforced, and the steam pressure has stabilized within a safe range."
One of the research members stood up, waved in their direction, and called out.
Stephen nodded slightly and made a simple gesture toward the tower not far away.
The flag bearer on the tower immediately waved the red flag in his hand, and the research team below quickly evacuated to the designated safe area. The operator in the cockpit reached out and pulled the start lever on the side.
The roar of the steam boiler suddenly filled the air, spreading a scorching heat.
Thick white steam billowed from the two exhaust pipes beneath the airship, and the capsule slowly expanded as it was continuously filled with hot air, making its originally slightly loose surface even tighter.
As the power output continued, the huge airship slowly lifted off the ground, the distance between its bottom and the ground gradually increasing from a few centimeters to more than a meter, accompanied by a deep and continuous roar, rising little by little.
The airship ascended slowly but steadily, its capsule gradually expanding. The cockpit, like a small wooden box, hung below, swaying gently with the ascent but always maintaining its balance.
John and the other researchers followed the airship as it slowly passed over the high walls of the research institute and hovered in mid-air.
Stephen's lips were pressed into a straight line, his gaze never leaving the airship until it was completely out of the research institute's area, at which point he relaxed slightly.
The flag bearer on the tower waved the flag again, this time a green signal flag to indicate that they were moving forward.
After receiving the instruction, the airship adjusted its direction and slowly moved forward.
The operator in the cockpit used the observation windows on both sides to determine the direction, and the steam power output was stable, propelling the airship gradually away from the research institute.
John and Stephen walked side by side, their pace quickening unconsciously, their eyes fixed on the moving silver-gray figure.
At the designated landing point in the distance, another flag bearer is waving a yellow flag to guide the airship to its precise landing spot.
The airship adjusted its attitude at high altitude, tilting slightly and gradually slowing down as it slowly approached the landing point. The exhaust steam decreased, the airship descended, and the bottom of the wooden cockpit drew closer to the ground, finally landing smoothly on a pre-laid haystack with a soft thud.
"It's done!"
The first cheer erupted from the crowd, followed by enthusiastic cheers from the research team. Some patted their companions on the shoulder, while others raised their arms and shouted, releasing months of pent-up excitement.
John smiled broadly, raised his hand and clapped vigorously. The crisp sound of his palms colliding echoed in the air. Stephen clapped along, his applause not loud, but conveying genuine approval.
"Your Majesty, the initial sea trials have been completed, but it will take some time to prove its safety before it can be put into use."
Stephen turned his gaze from the cheering crowd to John.
"The steam airship is only 8 kilometers per hour, and its large size makes it easy to be observed. It is easy for the enemy to detect it on the battlefield, so I think it would be better to improve it for a while longer."
John lowered his clapping hand, but the smile on his face remained.
"It's alright. I will approve a grant for you later. Keep up the good work and strive to build the kingdom's first air force as soon as possible."
Heldran actually already had a so-called air force, but its personnel were pitifully small, only a little over a hundred, plus ten observation hot air balloons.
Each time it was used, the army had to allocate manpower to carefully transport the hot air balloon to the designated location using heavy horse-drawn carts. Then, it was secured to the ground with a dozen or so ropes before it could slowly rise, solely for observing the approximate location of enemy troops.
Such an air force is more like an auxiliary tool of the army and cannot be considered a true air force at all.
Army generals once proposed an idea at a military conference: to mount small artillery pieces on hot air balloons and use their high altitude advantage to strike the enemy from above.
However, this proposal was directly rejected by military commander Hawke. The reason was simple: hot air balloons were too unstable and would shake violently if they encountered even the slightest airflow. They were simply unable to support the weight of artillery, let alone accurately aim at targets.
This steam airship is larger, more robust, and has more power, which may indeed meet the army's original needs.
For John, the main purpose of building airships went far beyond that.
What he wanted was real anti-air power, weapons capable of defending against those flying apostles.
Those apostles, who possessed the ability to fly, wreaked havoc on the battlefield. Ordinary bows and crossbows were completely ineffective against them, leaving the ground troops to passively endure the attacks.
The emergence of airships may break this deadlock, giving humanity the ability to proactively counter aerial threats for the first time.
In addition, airships can also carry out airdrop missions at night, taking advantage of the cover of darkness to silently send an elite squad deep into enemy territory, strike the enemy's command center, and complete a decapitation mission.
John snapped out of his reverie and turned his gaze back to Stephen.
"What is the progress of the research institute's development of steam armor?"
Stephen's relaxed expression faded slightly, and his tone became somewhat helpless.
"We have manufactured some core components, but they are completely unusable after assembly."
He paused, his tone carrying a clear hint of helplessness.
"First of all, it's too heavy. Even the strongest soldiers can't lift it, let alone move around in it."
"Secondly, the temperature inside is too high. The steam-driven transmission structure will continuously dissipate heat, and the sealed interior of the armor is like a stuffy iron box. A normal person would get burned in less than a minute inside and would not be able to continue fighting."
John's face slowly darkened, but after a sigh, he composed himself.
Steam armor was another core research and development project he had high hopes for. If successful, it would significantly improve the soldiers' protective capabilities and combat effectiveness, giving them a better chance of winning against the inhuman power of the Apostles.
"It's alright, I already have a solution for this. Come with me."
John waved his hand, then turned and walked out of the research institute, gesturing for Stephen to follow.
Stephen didn't ask any more questions and quickly followed John's footsteps. The two walked out of the research institute together, where a caravan of carriages had already been prepared.
John boarded the carriage first, followed closely by Stephen. The driver pulled the reins, and the convoy slowly drove away from the research institute, heading in the distance.
The carriage traveled for about half an hour before finally stopping in front of a fortress.
John and Stephen stepped off the carriage and entered the fortress.
As soon as Stephen entered, he noticed something was amiss. Fully armed soldiers were everywhere in the fortress, their eyes wary, and the number of troops deployed was much greater than that of the research institute.
"Your Majesty, what is this...?"
Stephen looked at John, a hint of doubt in his voice.
"This fortress was originally used to defend against the invasion of Yoda's army. After I returned, I reused it for researching magic and training wizards."
John's voice was calm, but Stephen froze on the spot when he heard this.
From birth, he had prayed with his parents and heard some legends about gods and magic, but he didn't believe in magic or anything like that. He thought they were just imaginary stories created by writers to fool ordinary people.
He never imagined that his own emperor would believe in such an ethereal thing, and even go so far as to use a fortress to study it. Perhaps he had been fooled by some people with ulterior motives.
Stephen composed himself, looked at John, and spoke sincerely.
“Your Majesty, I think you shouldn’t waste your time on these things. Many people in this world have tried to find magic or something similar, but some have never found any trace of it in their entire lives, while others have been executed by the Royal Court for being cultists. Basically, no one has ever really encountered these things.”
John did not refute, but simply spoke calmly.
"I know you don't believe me, but come with me and you'll see if it's true or not."
After saying that, John turned and walked deeper into the fortress. Stephen hesitated for a moment, but followed him.
The two walked through several corridors and finally arrived at a heavy door.
Ten guards stood on each side of the gate, clad in armor, carrying flintlock rifles on their shoulders, their expressions solemn.
Upon seeing John, the guards immediately knelt down on one knee in salute.
John raised his hand to signal them to stand up and commanded:
"Open the door."
One of the guards stood up, took a bunch of keys from his waist, walked to the gate, inserted the key into the lock, and turned the key.
With a few soft clicks, the door was slowly pushed open.
The moment the door opened, Stephen's gaze was immediately drawn to the scene inside, and he then revealed an expression of utter astonishment.
Inside the fortress, a dozen people were suspended in mid-air, their feet off the ground and their bodies hovering steadily in the air, seemingly engaged in some kind of training.