Weird Star Witch

Half a month later, when Rudolph boarded the ship again, he saw that there was already quite a crowd on the ship.

The ship had its Carolingian military livery washed away and painted a grey-blue civilian livery. The ship was covered with colorful flags, which, according to Mackenzie, were not decorative but signal flags, representing all the letters of the alphabet and ten numbers.

The ship's new name, "Redbud", was written on the side of the bow, and Cooper adopted the name of the circus.

Today is the day of trial operation after repair of the steam turbine, and Rudolf can’t wait to go to sea. The army led by the Earl has not returned yet, proving that the war is not as smooth as the Royal Navy advertised. If the army came back, there might be other accidents, and Rudolf didn't want to delay it any longer.

In the engine room of the Bauhinia, Rudolf met Salmon, the ship's chief engineer, a level 3 alchemist. According to Cooper, he and Mackenzie recruited the alchemist with a monthly salary of 50 gold shields.

This salary is very exaggerated, 50 gold shields is not a small amount. Rudolf calculated for him that if he relied purely on salary, it would only take 40 years for Salmon to save enough gold shields to be promoted to level 4 alchemist. The war left many alchemists on sea ships without jobs. Otherwise, Salmon's salary would have been higher. I heard from him that his salary was usually 80 gold shields a month.

"Engineer Salmon, how are the Royal Navy's alchemical engineers repairing it? Is the steam engine ready?"

Salmon heard Mackenzie say that Mr. Rudolph in front of him was the largest shareholder and investor of this ship. From the tone of Captain Cooper and First Officer Mackenzie, Mr. Rudolph was the real owner of this ship. .

Of course, Rudolf is the owner of this ship. This ship was snatched back by Rudolf. So far, he has spent 5,000 gold shields on this ship and made a huge investment.

"Those knight nobles are disgusting, and the alchemists who take refuge in the knights are even more disgusting. However, those alchemical engineers are very good. They have accumulated rich experience and abilities in maintaining so many warships. After cleaning the sea water and sea salt, those engineers came on I've got new engine oil and replaced a lot of parts. I've checked it several times and there should be nothing wrong with it."

Rudolph said: "Captain Salmon, Captain Cooper and I don't want to get involved in the war between you and the knights. We hope that your views on the knights will not affect our voyage. We want to try our luck in the southern continent and see if we can There can be no chance of making a fortune."

"Of course, you don't have to believe me, but you have to believe in the salary you pay. In this chaotic situation, I am very satisfied with my job. Please believe in my professional ethics."

Hearing Rudolf say that he went to the Southern Continent to look for opportunities to make a fortune, Salmon didn't believe it. How can someone who can get a warship be short of money?

After leaving the engine room, Cooper said:

"I have inquired and found out that Mr. Salmon has been working on the ship and is a trustworthy chief engineer, but his salary is too high.

Crew salaries are divided into two types, alchemist and other. The alchemist's salary is tens of gold shields, and none of the other crew members exceed 10 gold shields. Alchemists can always raise their salaries to sky-high prices. This is their professional skill.

If it wasn't for your money, I would be heartbroken. "

"Do you hear this as a human thing?"

"There is also good news. The corpses have done all the work of ordinary sailors. I will save you... a small amount of money."

First Mate Mackenzie took Rudolph to inspect the artillery pieces. The 60-round artillery piece has been repaired and can be used, but the ammunition is not ready yet. The alchemical cannonballs are controlled materials. Kedrick has promised to contact them, but it will take some time.

"Mr. Rudolph, Captain Cooper and I have been discussing it for a long time, but we haven't decided on the business scope of the Redbud."

"Business scope?"

This was something Rudolph had never thought about. When he got this ship, he just wanted to go to the Southern Continent. The center of the southern continent is desert or grassland, and big cities are located along the coast. It is much more convenient to have a boat. Armed escort ships, armed merchant ships, or, more directly, pirate ships, are all areas that are unfamiliar to Rudolph.

First Mate Mackenzie said:

"This ship is a warship you captured from the Carolingian Navy. She has a huge firepower system. The firepower system of this ship is too abundant on the Sarago Sea. Even if half of the artillery is removed, it is enough to deal with the vast majority of enemies. Part pirate.

Too many artillery pieces put a heavy load on this ship. There are professional supply ships in the navy, but we don't.

My opinion is that if the ship is modified and the number of guns is reduced by 20, the remaining 40 guns will be enough to deter pirates. This can reduce a large part of the ship's load, and the freed space can also be used for loading cargo. This ship is no longer a warship, and there is no need to maintain such a huge firepower. "

"Captain, what's your opinion?" Rudolph looked at Cooper.

Cooper said: "This is a very big change and requires your approval. I agree with Mackenz's proposal. 60 artillery pieces. Ordinary artillery shells are of little use in naval battles only added by high-level apostles. The burden of purchasing alchemy artillery shells is too much. "Really, I just learned recently that alchemy shells still require constant maintenance by alchemists, which costs a lot of money."

"McKenz, will modifying the artillery system delay our departure to sea?"

"No. It is difficult to install the artillery, but it is very fast to dismantle the artillery. After reducing the load, it will make the Bauhinia faster and allow us to reach the Southern Continent earlier."

"Okay, then I'll do as you say." Rudolph asked again: "How is the alchemical reinforcement circle on the side of the ship now? Has it been repaired?"

"Engineer Captain Salmon helped contact a level 4 alchemist and repaired the reinforced magic circle for us, but the price was very high. He spent 500 gold shields for one attack, which was outrageous."

"No way, alchemists are always so greedy."

Under the expectant eyes of everyone, black smoke came out of the chimney of the Redbud. After a long period of debugging, the ship slowly left the dock with a sharp whistle. Her destination is a civilian dock a few hundred meters away. This ship is not a Royal Navy ship, and now it has to make room for a warship.

The vibrations brought by the steam turbine to the Bauhinia were very smooth, proving that the turbine was operating normally.

When the Bauhinia sailed into the civil pier, many people stood not far away and cheered at the pier. The port of Codor is blockaded by the Royal Navy and has not seen a ship dock for more than a month. Those who make a living on the dock are cheering for the arrival of new ships.

A week later, Nairn, the steward of the Earl's castle, met Rudolf on the Redbud.

"Mr. Rudolph, Captain Cooper, I am Nairn, the traveling steward of the Earl's Castle. Master Caleb sent me to the Earl's Castle's manor in the southern continent. We will travel together. When can we set off? If possible, I hope to leave tomorrow."

Rudolph saw the ship of the manor steward Nairn, which was flying the golden anchor flag and parked next to the Bauhinia. The ship was slender and equipped with only 12 guns. It looked like a very fast seagoing ship.

"Tomorrow! Then tomorrow!"

Rudolph's first impression of Nairn was very good. He was wearing a tuxedo, with a straight back and a tough face that only a soldier could have. I hope this level 4 knight can protect Rudolph from the wind and rain.