Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 108: Project 666

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

TL Note: 666 is a Chinese internet slang for "Awesome" or "Amazing"

A crowd gathered on the beach to watch the maiden voyage of the new ship, including Bennett Todd and several of his merchant friends.

He asked his friends around him, "Did you all see that clearly? It seems that ship doesn't even have a single oar."

"You're not mistaken. Indeed, it has no oars at all; it relies entirely on wind power," confirmed the salt merchant Gedwyn.

"I wonder if Lord Grayman's summoning of us this time is related to this ship."

"What?"

"Lord Grayman previously mentioned establishing a deep-sea trading company, but at that time, there were no suitable ships for long voyages. It was shelved, and now such a ship has been built."

"But we still don't know its performance."

The merchants discussed fervently on the beach.

...

In the afternoon, the town hall once again convened merchants from Port Frand and its surrounding areas. Sure enough, Earl Grayman mentioned the deep-sea trade again.

"After the completion of the second ship, I will conduct a deep-sea trial voyage!" Paul announced to the merchants.

"The tentative destination will be Balmo Port within the kingdom's borders. If possible, we will continue south to Angle Bay."

Soon, someone asked, "Lord Grayman, will your ships be available for sale to us private merchants?"

"Of course, the more you buy, the happier I'll be. However, it must meet the needs of the military first. We must have a strong navy to ensure the safety of the routes. You wouldn't want to encounter pirates at sea, would you?"

"You can now place orders at the shipyard; first come, first served!"

"Hansel, the supervisor from the Ministry of Affairs, will soon depart for the capital. You can go on your own or send representatives with him to explore the market situation in the south."

Upon hearing this, the merchants were excited, eager to make their move.

Under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Affairs, Alden and Byerldine now have over a dozen private factories emerging with Paul's technological support. They operate either independently or in joint ventures, producing goods such as paper, porcelain, and canned goods. Several salt fields have also been established along the coast, causing local and neighboring territories' salt prices to decrease.

Certainly, these private entrepreneurs invested heavily, eagerly hoping to expand their market scope.

To Paul's surprise, when he "invented" canned goods, he followed the information in his memory which suggested using wide-mouth glass bottles. However, the private producers actually switched to ceramic jars, significantly reducing costs.

This was indeed a remarkable "innovation," demonstrating the terrifying profit motive of merchants.

To prevent his own canned goods factory from being eliminated, he ordered the use of ceramic jars for producing canned goods as well.

...

While Paul painted a rosy picture for the merchants, a military meeting was underway in the heavily guarded naval base.

Present were Chief of Staff Schroeder, Navy Commander Austin, Equipment Minister Kelly, Logistics Minister Ron, and recently arrived Army Company Commander Bryce in Port Frand.