In front of the Earl's heir, Major General Alberto needs to maintain respect: "Commodore Caleb, do you also know the whole story of these three captured ships?"
"Yes, Major General Alberto, these three Carolingian ships are so eye-catching. And the largest and most valuable of these three ships is undoubtedly this 80-gun ship."
After Caleb came in, he did not look at his brother Kedrick, but looked at Rudolf.
"Mr. Rudolf, the adjutant has told me about your heroic deeds. On behalf of the Earl's Castle of Golden Anchor, I would like to express my sincere gratitude. I also know the suggestions made by my dear brother." Caleb smiled gently:
"You don't need to go to Mr. Butler for this matter. I can make the decision. The Earl's Castle will send a patrol butler to visit the Dock Manor in the southern continent. The patrol butler can provide you with protection along the way. Are you satisfied with this solution?"
"Very satisfied."
Rudolf got what he wanted, the Royal Navy got what they wanted, and Commodore Caleb in front of him also got what he wanted.
Only Kedrick seemed to have done everything and nothing. He received several compliments from others, which were so sincere and useless.
Major General Alberto smiled at Rudolf and left the deck. It would save a lot of trouble to arrange for a count's son to join the Royal Navy.
From the moment Caleb appeared, all of Kedrick's actions became the actions of the count's castle, and had little to do with him personally. This was the art of nobility.
Others left one after another, only Kedrick did not leave. Kedrick felt that the smell of the sea breeze was so bad, with lingering sulfur and burnt smells.
Rudolf tried to invite Kedrick: "Master Kedrick, if you are willing, come and sit on our ship?"
Kedrick nodded mechanically. At this time, he didn't want to go anywhere. The wizard's ship made him feel more comfortable than the count's palace. He couldn't imagine what version of this matter would become in the mouths of others. A bold and lucky reckless young master? A useless young master who had to rely on his eldest brother to make the final decision? Or is he a fool who tried his best but was seen through by his elder brother at a glance?
When everyone else walked away, Rudolph apologized: "I'm sorry, Master Kedrick, Commodore Caleb has the final decision. Under the circumstances at that time, it was not convenient for me to fight for anything for you."
"I know, this is not your problem. I want to thank you. If it weren't for you, it would take me a long time to enter other people's vision. At least I made some achievements last night, which also made my future path much smoother. When I turn 16 and join the army next year, others may find out that I have done something special here."
That's what he said, but Kedrick's face was not good.
When they left the 80-gun ship, they saw Ursula waiting for Kedrick on the plank road.
"Master Kedrick, I just saw the Commodore also boarded the ship. I wanted to inform you, but was stopped by the Commodore's attendant..."
Kedrick changed back to a sunny and decent smile, and said to Ursula: "It's okay, the matter has been perfectly resolved."
Several people changed the plank road and boarded the 60-gun ship next to them.
The shells and gunpowder on the deck were soaked with water and could not be used. They had been cleared by engineers. There was no problem with the cannons. Several alchemy engineers were checking them one by one.
There were two tall black chimneys on the ship. When the ship was moving, the two chimneys would spew thick smoke. There was a huge paddle wheel on each side of the center of the hull. The power generated by the steam engine would be sent to the two paddle wheels, which would paddle the sea water and drive the ship forward.
The upper part of the paddle wheel, that is, the part exposed to the air, was protected by a sheet metal cover to prevent the paddle wheel from being damaged. There was a bridge connecting the two paddle wheel protective covers. This was where the captain or pilot would look out in the future.
Rudolph looked at the excited Cooper on the side: "Captain Cooper, how does it feel to stand on the bridge?"
"Great! This big toy is much more interesting than the circus!"
Rudolph thought Cooper was the most suitable to be the captain. His zombie could work in the cabin below, without food or rest. He was a perfect coolie.
In the future, the bridge, deck, and first-floor cabins will be areas for living people to move around, and the remaining three floors will be the working areas for zombies.
Kedrick also smiled, but only he knew how bitter he felt. Such a powerful ship is just a big toy for these heretics. If this ship is given to him, he will definitely become a qualified captain.
After enjoying the sea breeze on the bridge, several people went down to the first-floor cabin. The cabins here have windows, which are where the crew live.
It turned out that the wet and dirty bedding of the sailors was piled up and was waiting to be transported away. The Royal Navy may find these supplies somewhat useful, but Cooper is ready to replace them all with new ones, anyway, Rudolph has plenty of money.
The second-floor cabin is the combat zone, where there are cannons on both sides. The shells and gunpowder have been damaged, and the cannons can be used after processing.
"Will my zombies operate the cannons here in the future? The operating pressure will be very high!" Although he said that he was under great pressure, Cooper's face was full of interest.
The third-floor cabin is also a combat zone, and there are also artillery here. The good news is that the hatch of this floor is very strong, and the soaking time is short, and the seawater has not entered the third-floor cabin. The bottom cabin is the ship's warehouse, where some coal and supplies are stored.
This is the general layout of the ship. There are many small rooms inside, such as equipment rooms, which require Cooper to learn slowly.
They finally rushed to the most important engine room. At this time, there were more than a dozen alchemy engineers busy in the engine room. These engineers were all engineers of the Royal Navy, and Mackenzie was supervising these engineers here.
Seeing Rudolph coming over, Mackenzie put down the parts in his hand: "Mr. Rudolph, the steam turbine is in good condition and should be repaired in another week."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Mackenzie."
According to the agreement with Mackenzie, he will be free after the steam turbine is repaired.
"Mr. Rudolph, how are you going to drive this ship away?"
This question asked Rudolph's pain point. This was his first time riding a large steam ship, and he didn't know how to drive the ship.
"Mr. Rudolf, my suggestion is that we recruit a group of crew members as soon as possible."
"I have the same idea, but you said 'we'?"
Mackenzie no longer concealed it: "Mr. Rudolf, I think I can be the first mate of this ship. I don't want to go back to the Carolingian Kingdom, where I will either continue to be a pirate or go fishing, which is not what I want."
Before Rudolf could speak, Cooper spoke first: "That's great! My ship is short of a first mate!"
Cooper now only has the title of captain, and knows nothing about sailing and ships. He really needs a helper.
Rudolph felt that Mackenzie's attitude had always been good, so he agreed to Mackenzie's request: "Very good, we now have a captain and a first mate. Captain Cooper, you and First Mate Mackenzie go recruit crew members next."
Rudolph wanted to turn around and leave, but Cooper stopped him. He asked in confusion: "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Give me money!"
"What money?"
"Money for recruiting crew members."
Old Gray didn't leave Cooper anything decent, just corpses, not to mention more money. Rudolph had to take out his space wallet:
"This is 2,000 gold shields, First Mate Mackenzie, are these enough?"
Mackenzie began to count: "Second Mate, Navigator, Boatswain... Chief Engineer, First Engineer, Second Engineer... Purser, Cook... If you add the supplies needed by the ship, it's far from enough."
Rudolph reluctantly took out another 2,000 gold shields: "The war stopped the ocean trade, and most of the crew members in Kordor Port lost their jobs. In the past one or two months, I think we are the only ones recruiting workers, and these seafarers are not difficult to find. So, is it enough?"
"Enough! Mr. Rudolph, you are so smart!"
Cooper and Mackenzie took the money that was not theirs and spent it with great interest. Rudolph and Yvonne were also ready to leave the ship, but Kedrick and Ursula followed them all the time.
Facing Rudolf's puzzled look, Kedrick said, "Oh, there's nowhere I want to go. Why don't I go to your place and sit down?"
Rudolf knew that Kedrick didn't want to go back to the Earl's palace. It's also good to follow. The title of the Earl's fourth son is not very useful to Major General Alberto and others, but it's different for those alchemy engineers. It can make them pay more attention to the work in their hands.
Rudolf deliberately came to the supplies department at the port first and looked at the things that were ready to be loaded on their ships. Those low-ranking officers were really concerned when they saw Kedrick, and they allocated some better things to Rudolf on the spot.
Everything is valuable, and Rudolf walked towards the cabin by the sea with satisfaction.
On the way back to the cabin, Kedrick couldn't hide his irritability and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Rudolf, you are so active, decisive and courageous. If you were me, what would you do if you encountered today's situation?"
"Well... this question is difficult..." Rudolf thought about it carefully and felt it was very tricky:
"You have done it perfectly. Both I and Major General Alberto agree with your suggestion. A roving steward has perfectly solved many problems. I have been guaranteed safety, and the Major General does not need to lose combat power.
The only problem is that you need to convince the castle steward to agree to send a manor steward to the southern continent. This is also the key to the problem. Brigadier General Caleb's advantage is that he can really send a roving steward. He is the first heir and has this power.
Just one step difference makes a huge difference in the result. Major General Alberto can thank Brigadier General Caleb, and It's not to thank you. Your plan to join the Royal Navy was forced to stop. There is a big difference between becoming a captain of the navy because of the earl's order and becoming a captain of the navy because of your merit.
You can't go to the earl to complain, which means exposing the discord between you brothers to the earl and others. No matter who is right or wrong, your morality will be flawed in the earl's eyes, which is not worth the loss.
If I were you, I couldn't stand this.
Shouting "Don't bully the poor young man", run away from home! Get promoted again and again in danger, and then come back and slap your eldest brother's face.
What level of knight is your eldest brother?"
"Level 4 knight."
"Oh, then wait until I become a level 5 or even level 6 knight before coming back, I'm not afraid that he won't serve you coffee obediently!"
Ursula said hurriedly at the side: "This is absolutely not allowed! The young master can't run away from home!"
How can the fourth son of the earl, the heir of the noble Golden Anchor family, run away from home?
Rudolf became more and more excited as he spoke:
"Think about it, if you tell everyone that your elder brother bullied you, how bad will people's impression of you be.
If you say nothing and run away from home, then everyone will be curious about why the fourth son of the earl would run away from home?
You can also leave a trustworthy person to secretly spread the news of what happened today. When others find out, it turns out that it was your elder brother who bullied you and took the credit for you. You have no place to complain about your grievances, and during the war, you have to consider the overall situation. You don't want to have a rift with your elder brother at this critical moment, so you have to run away from home.
In this way, you have expressed your anger reasonably, and more importantly, you have disgusted your elder brother. Don't you think it's perfect?"
Kedrick was so smart that he continued, "If I ran away from home with you, I could also provide you with an extra layer of protection. Wouldn't it be more perfect?"
Rudolf was so thick-skinned that he didn't feel embarrassed at all when Kedrick saw through his true purpose. He continued:
"You are wrong. You did not run away from home with me. You ran away with the roving steward of the Earl's Castle. Don't forget that Brigadier General Caleb has agreed to let a roving steward go to the South Continent with me.
Anyway, you are under 16 years old and not old enough to leave the castle. You might as well go with me. There is no chance here. For you, this will not only ensure your safety, but also allow you to learn about the business of the Golden Anchor Family in the South Continent. You will kill two birds with one stone. You win!"
"You win too, Mr. Rudolph."
"Then who do you say loses?"
Kedrick thought for a while and said, "If the operation is good, then my eldest brother loses. He will be known as a man who excludes his brothers!"
"Smart!"
Kedrick's eyes flickered. If he left with the roving steward, he would not have to worry about his safety. A level 4 knight is a very strong apostle on both sides of the Saragu Sea. It is reasonable in name, and it is not too much to go and see the family business in the South Continent.
"Okay! I will go with you then!"
Ursula on the side was dumbfounded. Did the wizard Rudolph just use any witchcraft? Why did the young master run away from home?
Kedrick quickly said to Ursula: "Ursula! You must support me! Otherwise I will go crazy here!"
Seeing that there was no more sadness in Kedrick's eyes, Rudolf knew that his goal had been achieved.
Kedrick said: "I will ask the palace to send food and wine. I will also live in the temporary camp next to you for the next few days. Anyway, I don't like to go back to the Earl's Palace."
"That's right, retreat to advance, let them worry!"
Rudolf was secretly delighted in his heart. He kidnapped Kedrick, and he was not afraid that the itinerant steward of the Earl of Golden Anchor Castle would not help.