Chapter 62: Escort Fleet
The next day, to Eric 's surprise, Tom enthusiastically helped arrange a merchant ship to transport the necessary materials. Tom probably didn't know that in this world, cheat-like systems existed.
With no way to reveal his secret to outsiders, Eric had no choice but to lead the team and follow the merchant ship on a supply run.
"Are these people really reliable? I'm worried whether they'll return safely with the cargo." The ship's owner was a chubby middle-aged man who kept wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief while complaining to Tom. He seemed uneasy about Eric 's group, mostly composed of women.
"Hm?" Esdeath, who had been standing beside Eric , turned her head with a glare that could kill. Her voice, low and chilling, felt like a whisper from hell.
"Eek!" The man squeaked like a frightened mouse and ducked behind the burly Tom, trembling.
"Hahahaha! Impressive, right? Strong, aren't they?" Tom laughed so hard his eyes teared up.
"Mr. Tom! I thought I was about to die back there!" The man wrung out his handkerchief and kept wiping his cold sweat, now out of fear.
"It's fine, Mr. Sutton. Look here," Tom said, pulling out several wanted posters and newspapers. "This group includes fugitives who escaped from a Rear Admiral of the Navy, including a big-name pirate with a bounty of 98 million Berries! The pirates that usually harass trade routes wouldn't stand a chance."
"That makes me even more worried! What if they team up with the pirates and rob my goods themselves?!" Sutton panicked. Hiring pirates as guards? That sounded like sending meat buns to a wolf's den!
"No need to worry, Mr. Sutton. I've looked into them thoroughly. They're not the kind of pirates who rob civilians or merchant ships—they've only targeted the Navy. You can trust them."
"..." Fat Mr. Sutton was somewhat reassured… though something still didn't sit right with him.
"So, weren't we just supposed to escort one ship? Why's there a whole fleet now?" Eric asked the coordinator in confusion as he stared at the dozens of ships docked in the harbor.
Sutton, sweating profusely, explained, "We were ready to depart, but somehow the other shipyards caught wind of powerful escorts. They rushed to add their own transport ships to the group. Before we knew it, it turned into a full fleet."
Eric thought to himself: 'Tom… you must've leaked the news to help the other shipyards secure materials too, to keep this city alive. Who knew that big goofy guy had this kind of foresight?'
"Oh, so these are the mighty escorts? We'll be counting on you in the coming days!"
A boisterous man walked over, clearly outgoing and familiar. "Name's Grek Wall, owner of Dock No. 6. Just call me Wall. Each of our ships will pay a fee—don't worry, we won't stiff you."
"Likewise, Mr. Wall. Are we ready to depart?" As captain, Eric stepped up to respond, even though in his past life, he hadn't been comfortable with overly friendly types. But with money involved, his earlier irritation vanished.
"Of course! We're all set. Let's move!"
Though they were only acting as escorts, the crew's rooms were still quite comfortable—meant to ensure that Eric 's team could stay in peak condition for any pirate attacks.
A fleet of over a dozen ships set sail for their destination: the Queen of Spring, the capital of "Saint Banyang." This island, relatively close to Water 7, specialized in timber exports. With favorable winds, the journey by sail would take just two days. Once the sea train tracks were finished, the trip would be reduced to half a day.
"Pirate ship spotted at three o'clock!"
The lookout raised the alarm again. The fleet was so large that the chance of being spotted by pirates had skyrocketed—this was already the third group.
"I'll handle this one," Chiron said, stretching his arms and pulling a longbow from his back. He aimed to take out the enemy's mast and disable their mobility.
"Wait a sec—let me try this time." Eric tossed a coin into the air, preparing to test his railgun.
"Yes, yes! Try a test shot, Captain-kun, so I can collect data on the railgun." Da Vinci held an unknown device, ready to take measurements. While she had designed the ship's weapons theoretically, she lacked real-world data and needed it to finalize their effectiveness.
And so, the "Thunder King" Eric was called in as a guinea pig. In his hand was a coin made from a special iron-cobalt alloy Da Vinci had synthesized. "Hey, do you guys know what a railgun is?"
Sure enough, a nearby shipwright played along. "R-rail... gun?"
Eric smirked, pinching the coin between his fingers. "Also known as the 'super electromagnetic cannon.' It uses Fleming's left-hand rule to launch projectiles with electromagnetic force. Don't underestimate this little coin—launched at three times the speed of sound, it can pack a punch."
"Ohhh! Clap clap clap!" The shipyard workers had no idea what he was talking about, but it sounded awesome. They cheered loudly to boost the mood.
Da Vinci, however, looked bored. "Yes, yes, right-hand rule, hurry up so I can go back to my room."
"..." Interrupted mid-brag, Eric slouched slightly. "Da Vinci-chan, could you give me a little dignity?"
"Science experiments and time are more important, Captain-kun~"
"Alright then…" Eric flicked the coin high into the air. Blue electricity surged across his body—bzzzzt bzzzzt! "Take this—Railgun!"
The falling coin entered the electromagnetic field and was accelerated by magnetic force, transforming into a golden projectile. It tore through the air toward the pirate ship with thunderous force—then vanished…
That's right. It vanished into thin air. Friction with the air generated intense heat. The coin melted after flying just a hundred meters, and by two hundred, it had completely burned up.
Eric stood frozen, arm outstretched—firing into nothing.
"Hmm…" Da Vinci calmly recorded the data. "Initial speed is decent, but we need high-temperature-resistant materials." She placed a round iron ball the size of a lead slug in Eric 's still-outstretched hand. "Try this next."
A nearby shipwright nervously reminded them, "Um… we're about to enter the enemy's cannon range."
Eric , silent up to now, finally spoke. "Chiron, I'll have to rely on you again."
"No problem, Captain. Everyone fails their first time. No matter how many setbacks or hardships lie ahead, I believe you'll overcome them and keep moving forward. That's the kind of student you are. Hah!"
With words of encouragement, Chiron loosed a brilliant arrow. The enemy ship's mast collapsed with a loud crack.
"Of course! This little failure won't stop me!" Eric launched the next round with his electromagnetic powers. The high-speed projectile struck the disabled pirate ship, tearing through most of it with immense kinetic force.
(END CHAPTER)
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