THE HANGED MAN

Chapter 8 A new era

Woo!

The wind was howling and the rain was pouring. The three-masted sailboat was undulating among the wave "peaks" one after another, like a toy that was thrown and caught by a giant, caught and thrown away again.

The deep red in Alger Wilson's eyes faded, and he found that he was still standing on the deck, no different from before.

Immediately afterwards, he saw the strange-shaped glass bottle in his palm shatter, and the frost and snow turned into water and merged with the raindrops.

In just two or three seconds, this ancient wonder completely lost all traces of its past existence.

A hexagonal crystal snowflake appeared in Alger's palm, then quickly faded until it disappeared, as if it had shrunk in his flesh and blood.

Alger nodded invisibly as if he was thinking about something, and remained quiet for a full five minutes.

He turned around and walked towards the entrance of the cabin. Just as he was about to enter, he met a man who was also wearing a robe embroidered with lightning patterns and came out.

The man with soft yellow hair paused, looked at Alger, stretched out his right hand, made a fist on his chest and said:

"The storm is with you."

"The storm is with you." Alger's rough and profound face showed no extra emotion, and he fisted his right chest and his left chest in the same manner.

After saluting each other, Alger entered the cabin and walked along the aisle to the captain's cabin in the distance.

Along the way, he didn't encounter any sailors or crew members. It was as quiet as the inside of a tomb.

The door to the captain's cabin opened, and a soft and thick dark brown carpet appeared in front of him. On both sides were bookshelves and wine cabinets. Books with yellowish covers and bottles of dark red wine shone in the light of candles. Unusual luster.

On the desk with the candles were a bottle of ink, a quill, a black metal telescope, and a brass sextant.

Behind the desk, a pale middle-aged man wearing a skull captain's hat watched Alger step by step, gritted his teeth angrily and said:

"I won't give in!"

"I believe you can do it." Alger said calmly, as if saying that the weather today is not very good.

"You..." The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, as if he had not expected such an answer.

At this moment, Alger slightly arched his body and suddenly rushed forward, instantly closing the distance between the two of them until only the desk remained.

Snapped!

His shoulders tightened, and his right hand suddenly reached out and pinched the middle-aged man's throat.

Without giving the other party a chance to react, illusory fish scales appeared on the back of his hand, and his fingers used crazy force.

Click!

In the crisp sound, the middle-aged man's eyes were stunned, and his whole body was lifted up.

His legs twitched violently, but he soon regained his composure. His eyes were dazed, his pupils began to dilate, and his crotch gradually became wet, and a foul smell came out.

Alger lifted the middle-aged man up, lowered his back, kicked his feet away, and approached the wall next to him.

boom! He used the middle-aged man as a shield and slammed forward, his arms as thick as a monster.

The wooden walls shattered with the sound, and the violent wind and rain swept in with the fishy smell of sea water.

Alger twisted his waist and threw the middle-aged man out of the cabin, into the huge waves one after another like mountain peaks.

The sky was dark, the wind and rain were howling, and the power of nature buried everything.

Alger took out a white handkerchief, wiped his right palm carefully, and then threw it into the sea.

Taking a few steps back, he patiently waited for his companion to enter.

"What's wrong?" In less than ten seconds, the man with soft yellow hair rushed in.

"'Captain' escaped." Alger panted and replied in annoyance, "He actually still retains some extraordinary power!"

"Damn it!" the yellow-haired man cursed in a low voice.

He came to the breach and stared into the distance, but could see nothing but wind, rain and waves.

"Forget it, he is just incidental." The yellow-haired man waved his arm, "We will only get credit for finding this ghost ship from the Tudor era."

Even if he is a lover of the sea, he would not dare to dive into the water rashly in this weather.

"And if the storm continues, the 'Captain' won't be able to sustain it for long." Alger nodded and found that the cracks in the wooden wall began to crawl and recover at a speed visible to the n***d eye.

He took a deep look and subconsciously turned his head to look at the position of the rudder and sail.

Even though there were many wooden boards between them, he could clearly understand the situation there.

No first mate, no second mate, no crew, no sailors, not even a living person!

There was nothing there, the rudder and sail adjusting themselves eerily.

The "Fool" whose whole body was covered in gray-white mist appeared in his mind again, and Alger suddenly sighed.

He turned his head to look at the strong wind and waves outside, and said in a sleepy tone of expectation and fear:

"A new era has begun..."

…………

Backlund, the capital of Loen Kingdom, Queens District.

Audrey Hall pinched her cheek, unable to believe what she had just experienced.

On the dressing table in front of her, the ancient bronze mirror was broken into pieces.

Looking down, Audrey saw "deep red" flowing on the back of her hand, like a "tattoo" of stars.

The "dark red" gradually fades, eventually disappearing into the skin and disappearing.

It was only then that Audrey was sure that she was not dreaming.

Her eyes were flowing, and the corners of her mouth were turning up a little. She couldn't help but stand up, and bent down to lift up her skirt.

After bowing to the air, Audrey walked briskly, turned her body, and danced the most popular "Ancient Elf Dance" in the palace.

Her figure was graceful, and her face was filled with a bright smile.

Boom, boom, boom! There was a sudden knock on the bedroom door.

"Who?" Audrey stopped abruptly and put on an elegant posture.

"Miss, can you come in? You should get ready." the maid asked outside the door.

Audrey turned her head to look at the mirror on the dressing table and quickly suppressed her smile, leaving only a faint smile.

She looked left and right to make sure there was nothing wrong with her image before speaking softly:

"come in."

Turning the handle, her personal maid Anne pushed open the door and entered.

"Oh, it's broken..." Anne saw the fate of the ancient bronze mirror at a glance.

Audrey blinked and said slowly:

"Uh, yes, um, Susie came in before, you know, it always likes to destroy!"

Susie is a golden retriever with a less pure bloodline. She was a gift from her father, Earl Hall, when he bought a fox terrier, but he is very popular with Audrey.

"You have to teach it a lesson." Anne picked up the fragments of the bronze mirror skillfully, fearing to hurt the lady.

After doing all this, she looked at Audrey, smiled and asked:

"Which dress do you want to wear?"

Audrey thought for a moment and said, "I like the one that Mrs. Genia designed for my seventeenth birthday."

"No, others will say that the Hall family has encountered a financial crisis, and a skirt is worn for a second time on a formal occasion!" Anne shook her head in denial.

"But I really like it," Audrey emphasized gently.

"You can wear it at home or on less formal occasions." Anne said that there was no negotiation on this matter.

"Then the one Mr. Seders sent over the day before yesterday, the one with ruffled cuffs." Audrey took a hidden breath and kept her elegant and sweet smile.

"Your vision is always so good." Annie stepped back with a smile and shouted to the door, "Clarkroom No. 6, forget it, I'll get it myself."

The maids started to get busy, one was responsible for the long dress, one was responsible for the jewelry, one was responsible for the shoes, one was responsible for the gauze hat, one was doing makeup for Miss Audrey, and the other was considering the hairstyle.

When the preparations came to an end, Earl Hall appeared at the door wearing a dark brown vest.

He wears a top hat of the same color as his clothes, has two beautiful mustaches, and his blue eyes are full of smiles. However, his flabby muscles, bulging belly, and obvious nasolabial folds have ruthlessly destroyed his handsomeness when he was young. .

"Backlund's most dazzling gem, it's time for us to set off." Earl Hall stood at the entrance and knocked twice on the open door.

"Dad, don't call me that." Audrey stood up with the help of the maid, deliberately showing a somewhat distressed look.

"Then my beautiful little princess, it's time to set off." Earl Hall bent his left arm and motioned for Audrey to take it.

Audrey smiled and shook her head:

"This is Mrs. Hall, countess, my dear mother's place."

"This way." Earl Hall smiled and raised his right arm, "This is the pride of being a father."

…………

Pritzker Harbor, Oak Island, Royal Naval Base.

When Audrey took her father's arm and stepped out of the carriage, she was suddenly shocked by the huge thing in front of her.

In the military port not far away, there is a majestic giant ship with a metallic light shining all over it. It has no sails, only an observation deck is left, and it has two more towering chimneys and two more open-air turrets arranged in the front and rear. .

It is so majestic and huge that the sail battleships parked nearby are like newly born dwarves surrounding the giants.

"The storm is coming..."

"Oh, my Lord."

"Ironclad ship!"

…

There were murmurs of exclamation, and Audrey also felt the same shock. It was a miracle created by humans, an unprecedented ocean miracle!

It took an unknown amount of time for the nobles, ministers and members of the House of Commons to recover. At this time, a black spot in the mid-air grew from small to large, gradually occupying one-third of the sky, occupying everyone's sight, and the atmosphere suddenly became... Solemn.

This is a behemoth floating in the air. It has extremely smooth and beautiful lines. It is painted in dark blue. The strong and light alloy frame supports the cotton cloth equipped with air bags, and a machine g*n hangs below. The mouth, the bomb-dropping port, the body of the flat-firing muzzle, the exaggerated hum of the high-phlogiston steam engine and the crazy rotation of the tail blades constitute a shocking movement.

The airship on which the king and his family arrived arrived, with the majesty of overlooking everything from above.

A "Sword of Judgment" emblem with a ruby crown pointing vertically downward reflects sunlight on both sides of the car body. This is a symbol of the Augustus family's long heritage that can be traced back to the last century.

Audrey was not yet eighteen years old and had not yet participated in the "introduction ceremony". Under the guidance of the queen, she officially entered Backlund's social scene and declared her adulthood. She could only watch quietly on the spot and could not get close.

However, she didn't care too much, and even felt relaxed because she didn't have to face the princes.

The "miracle" of mankind's conquest of the sky landed steadily. The first people to come down the escalator were the heroic young guards. They were wearing red military uniforms, white trousers, and ribbons. They held rifles in their hands and lined up in two rows. Waiting for the appearance of King George III and the queen, prince and princess.

It wasn't that Audrey had never met a big shot before, so she had no interest in it. Instead, her eyes wandered and looked at the two black-armored knights who looked like statues next to the king.

In this age of steel, steam and guns, there are still guys who insist on wearing full body armor!

The cold metallic luster and the deep black helmet give people a feeling of heavyness, majesty, and obedience.

"Could it be a higher-order 'Punishing Knight'..." A few words from the elders in the family while chatting flashed through Audrey's mind. She was aware of it, but she didn't dare to get close.

With the arrival of the king's family, the ceremony finally began, and the current Prime Minister, Lord Agushed Negan, walked to the front of the crowd.

He is a member of the Conservative Party. So far, he is the only non-noble person to become Prime Minister. He was awarded the title of Lord for his outstanding contributions.

Of course, Audrey knew better. Agushed's brother, the main supporter of the Conservative Party, was called Pallas Negan, the Duke Negan of this generation!

Agushid was in his fifties, tall and thin, with sparse hair and sharp eyes. He looked around and said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you have seen it. This is an ironclad ship, an ironclad ship that can subvert the times. It is 101 meters long and 21 meters wide. It has a high dry shipboard design. The main armor belt is 457 mm thick and has a displacement of 10,060 tons. Front and rear There are four 305mm main guns in total, as well as 6 rapid-fire guns, 12 6-pound guns, 18 six-barreled machine guns, and 4 torpedo tubes, and the speed can reach 16 knots!"

"It will be the real overlord, it will conquer the sea!"

There was a commotion among the nobles, ministers and parliamentarians. The Prime Minister's description alone was enough for them to imagine the horror of this ironclad ship, not to mention the real thing right in front of them!

Agushid showed a slight smile, spoke a few more words, and then saluted King George III:

"Your Majesty, please name it."

"Starting from Pulitzer Harbor, let's call it Pulitzer." George III looked quite happy.

"Pritz!"

"Pritz!"

…

Beginning with the Lord of the Admiralty, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy, the name spread in sequence, and finally came to the ironclad, where officers and men cheered in unison:

"Pritz!"

In the atmosphere of celebration, g*n salutes were fired, and King George III issued the order to set sail for a test launch.

Woo!

The whistle sounded, thick smoke spewed from the chimney, and the sound of mechanical operation could be vaguely heard.

The behemoth set sail. When it sailed out of the port and used its two bow main guns to bombard the uninhabited island ahead, everyone was shocked.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground seemed to be shaking, dust rushed into the air, and hurricanes swept outward, setting off waves.

Prime Minister Agushid turned his head with satisfaction and said to the nobles, ministers and parliamentarians:

"From now on, the seven pirates who call themselves generals and the four pirates who arrogantly claim the title of king can only tremble and wait for the end!"

"Their era is over. Even if they have more or less extraordinary powers, ghosts or cursed ships, the only ones that roam the oceans are ironclads!"

At this time, Agushid’s chief secretary deliberately asked:

"Then couldn't they build their own ironclads?"

Some nobles and congressmen nodded secretly, thinking that this possibility should not be ruled out.

Agushid immediately smiled, shook his head slowly and said:

"Impossible, never possible! Building such an ironclad requires three large-scale coal and steel complexes, more than twenty steel plants, and sixty scientists from the Backlund Artillery Research Institute and the Pulitzer Shipbuilding Research Institute. and more senior engineers, two royal shipyards and their affiliated nearly 100 parts factories, a naval ministry, a shipbuilding committee, a cabinet, a firm king with excellent vision and an annual steel production of 12 million Tons of great country!”

"The pirates never could."

At this point, he paused, then raised his arms and shouted passionately:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the age of giant ships and cannons has come!"