Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 222 Eye in the Sky
Howard Dylan is renowned as the chief architect of the Royal Institute of Design.

He was primarily responsible for the design of airships, and most of the Empire's airship designs were done by Howard Dylan.

For this reason, after Li Wei was knighted as the Knight of the Thistle, the important task of designing the flagship was handed over to Howard.

Howard took this mission very seriously. His rise to the position of chief architect of the Royal Academy was due not only to his exceptional intelligence but also to his keen political acumen. He was the first Thistle Knight appointed by the Empire, and the royal family had ordered that Levi's flagship be built as quickly as possible, at any cost.

Howard knew very well what this meant.

From the time of Emperor Arthur, the empire had always been founded on military might, with the sword-wielding nobles holding the strongest position and power within it. And at the pinnacle of the sword-wielding nobles were naturally the Thistle Knights, corresponding to the Twelve Knights. Needless to say, as the first Thistle Knight and the leader of the Thistle Knights, Li Wei's flagship had to be the most dazzling and incredibly powerful.

That's what Howard thought, but what troubled him was that he didn't know what Levi thought.

Livy was not the only one who was qualified to build airships after being ennobled. Howard, during his decades-long career as a designer, also designed and planned airships for many other nobles.

But how should I put it... the phenomenon of laymen instructing experts is far too common.

Not to mention, it's even more of a headache when the client directs the contractor.

Many nobles didn't demand safety and practicality, but rather various decorations and colors. Some even drew up fantastical designs, asking Howard to bring them to life. For example, one nobleman once asked Howard to make his airship resemble a giant stag, because their family crest was a giant stag.

Howard was stunned. "Causing Deer Antlers? So you don't care about aerodynamics, huh?"

Although the other party does not actually need it.

However, after so many years, Howard has met all sorts of nobles, so he wasn't surprised.

Therefore, when he first received Levi's opinion, he didn't take it seriously at all. After all, in Howard's view, Levi, as a detective, knew absolutely nothing about airships. He initially just skimmed through it, thinking that if the requirements were too outrageous, he would simply find an excuse to persuade him to change his mind—convincing clients was Howard's specialty.

After all, if we were to build airships according to the client's wild ideas, they would have crashed countless times by now.

However, Levi's request surprised Howard.

Unlike other nobles, Livy did not have any requirements regarding the shape or color of the airship; instead, he did have requirements regarding its performance.

First, Li Wei required that the airship be able to fly very high, preferably up to 10000 meters.

Secondly, he hoped that the airship could be equipped with a high-powered radio communication system, ideally enabling it to communicate with any unit on the ground anytime, anywhere.

Next, Li Wei requested that the airship be equipped with an orbital drop system.

Furthermore, Levi requested that the airship's telescopes have the highest possible magnification.

Finally, Levi requested that the airships not be armed with bombing weapons, but instead be equipped with large-caliber howitzers.

Levi wasn't a military expert, so his writings certainly didn't contain precise equipment data. But this actually piqued Howard's interest, because he could tell that Levi's requirements showed he was very clear about what he wanted to do with his airship.

This immediately caught Howard's attention.

Although it's not a good way to put it, since the Empire began its steam industrial revolution, although it now possesses a large number of advanced steam weapons, none of these weapons have truly been tested in war.

Of course, when designers design weapons, they consider what these weapons are actually used for.

But unless war actually breaks out, who knows if their ideas are correct? Will others act according to their ideas?
Just like an anti-aircraft gun is used to target air units, you can also use it to attack infantry.

But the latter will absolutely not be written in the operation manual.

The civil war in Melicia is completely irrelevant. How could an airship be shot down by primitive people? You wouldn't even be able to deal -1 damage.

Howard, as the designer, immediately recognized the core ideas behind Li Wei's requirements: high-altitude flight, long-distance communication, squad deployment, and fire support.

Furthermore, Li Wei also demanded that the airship not be too large, but as small as possible, and not made into something like a Cyclops.

It has to be said that this relieved Howard. Although it was not impossible for the royal family to make it look like a Cyclops, it would be very troublesome to design.

In other words, Li Wei required that the airship and reconnaissance ship be about the same size, and what other functions were needed?
What exactly does he intend to use this airship for?
With this in mind, Howard decided to have a face-to-face talk with Levi to understand his thoughts. This is also essential for a designer, since you can only grasp a client's ideas by talking to them in person.

Howard then contacted Levi, but unfortunately Levi was in Delicatus at the time. It wasn't until he returned that the two arranged a time to meet at the Royal Institute of Design.

This was also the first time Howard had met Li Wei.

Howard had read the newspaper reports about Levi, but he had to admit that, in his opinion, those reports seemed more like adventure novels than reality. However, the fact that Levi actually became Knight of the Thistle proves that these accounts were not fiction.

Howard was quite surprised to meet Li Wei.

As the chief architect of the Royal Institute of Design, Howard had met nobles before, especially those spirited young nobles. Some were arrogant, some were humble, some were proud, and some were irritable. In short, there were all kinds of people.

But for Howard, his first thought upon seeing Levi was…

I've never seen anything so beautiful!

That was the first impression Levi left on Howard. He was certain that if Levi appeared in social circles, he would become the prince charming and dream lover of every young lady in the shortest amount of time.

However, considering his profession... well, those nobles probably wouldn't dare to deal with him casually.

After all, Li Wei was a member of the royal family.

Li Wei didn't have much of an impression of Howard at first; a meticulous designer was enough for him.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides took their seats and began discussing the construction of the airship. Howard, naturally, was also extremely curious and began to ask why Levi had made such a request.

In fact, Li Wei's request for his airship was not just a random thought.

When Li Wei learned that he would be able to own an airship, he began to plan the airship's capabilities, and the planning of the airship's capabilities was naturally closely related to Li Wei himself.

So far, no real aerial battle has taken place in this world. Therefore, the Empire's air warships are basically configured with firepower based on naval warships, which means they are equipped with cannons on the sides and front and rear of the ship and then engage in air combat with the enemy. In concept, it is basically the air combat version of the navy.

As for airships like reconnaissance boats, they simply have two heavy machine guns mounted on top of the airbags. Not to mention overly futuristic airships like the Cyclops, most airships rely mainly on airbags for flight.

Airships currently serve primarily as auxiliary tools for reconnaissance and bombing within the Empire. To put it bluntly, no country on the continent has yet developed the concept of fighter jets; their operations are essentially limited to aerial fortress battles or mass ground bombing raids.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that airship technology is very mature in the world, while airplane technology is not yet mature.

Sky fortresses like the Cyclops have already abandoned the weakness of airbags, and even airships are completely different from the common perception that they are just lightly armored and filled with flammable gas, which would explode at the slightest attack.

However, airships have very limited attack methods; basically, their only option against the ground is to drop bombs.

This is obviously not possible.

Levi himself frequently engages in ground combat, and considering the nature of his profession, encountering monsters and cultists is a common occurrence. While bombing is certainly satisfying, the area of ​​effect is too vast. Levi desires an airship capable of providing precise aerial fire support.

He quickly remembered the famous gunship he had used in the game.

This is an optimal weapon for low-altitude, air-superiority-based, comprehensive ground strikes, and one that the Empire's current military technology can achieve. It can launch precise and concentrated attacks on targets, destroying enemy bunkers and fortifications with virtually no chance of retaliation.

Moreover, it is quite useful even in war.

Why did Li Wei request that his airship be equipped with a high-precision telescope?

The reason is simple: during wartime, Li Wei can maneuver the airship to hover at an altitude of 10,000 meters and then activate his Soul Vision—in this way, he is essentially a human radar, and no movement below can escape Li Wei's eyes.

If Li Wei can accurately record the positions of all the troops in his field of vision, then fighting will be much simpler and more convenient.

It can be said that Li Wei has directly elevated the Empire's military warfare to the level of information warfare. Not to mention that his [Soul Vision] only detects souls, which means that no matter what the clouds or rain, it cannot block Li Wei's vision. He can linger above the clouds, letting the wind, rain, and lightning rage below, using [Soul Vision] to record the positions of enemy troops one by one, and then transmit them back to headquarters.

It could be said that Li Wei intends to transform his airship into a combination of an aerial gunship and an early warning aircraft.

In this way, Li Wei could not only ensure his importance in the war and prevent others from saying that he was all talk and no action, but also ensure his safety.

No matter how fiercely you fight on the ground, I can drink tea and eat meat in the air. Isn't that better than anything else?
Li Wei had no intention of dedicating himself to the empire until his death; he naturally wanted to live!

Even air fortress-class warships of this era couldn't fly to an altitude of 10,000 meters because their large size made them heavy, and even with high-powered coal-powered propulsion, their capabilities were limited, allowing them only to fly at low altitudes. Therefore, even in the air, Li Wei was unlikely to encounter any enemies.

This is why Li Wei requested a wide-area radio system; he needed to transmit his information.

As for installing an orbital drop system on the airship, it was naturally for the purpose of calling for reinforcements. In the future, when Li Wei is carrying out some tricky missions and there are many enemies, he can simply use the radio to call for reinforcements.

Just like back in Melicia.

Of course, Levi didn't reveal his "Soul Vision" to the designer, only saying that he had a way to accurately pinpoint enemy locations from high altitudes. After all, he had done it before in Melisia, and Howard had seen the battle reports from Melisia, knowing that Levi's words were true.

Besides, the reason Li Wei dared to use such a risky method was because he had another trump card.

That is—the core of the Ghost Ship!

Once the Ghost Ship core is installed, it will automatically spread mist to surround and conceal itself. In the air, it's like an airship hiding in the clouds, making it impossible for anyone to detect it.

Yes, Li Wei is very careful about his fear of death; he doesn't overlook any way to stay away from danger.

Howard the designer knew nothing about this, but Levi's statement still piqued his curiosity.

Information-based warfare.

The world isn't unaware of the benefits of information technology; sending spies and using airships for reconnaissance before battle is commonplace. However, Levi's description clearly elevates information technology to another level. Unfortunately, Levi's statement that his method of finding the enemy under tree cover was obviously based on his own reconnaissance abilities, something most trained individuals couldn't achieve, somewhat disappointed the designer, Howard.

In any case, this meeting put Howard, the designer, at ease. It was clear that Levi's requirements for the airship were based on his own understanding and design, not just random ideas. How to achieve his requirements was now Howard's own responsibility.

In response, designer Howard decided to just do it!
That's right. After all, we are currently in a period of extensive development of steam technology. Just like steam cars on the ground have all sorts of strange shapes, people are only speculating on how airships and warships should be built, what kind of firepower to use, what equipment to place, and what tactics to implement.

If a real fight breaks out, will the situation be as they expect?
No one knows.

Levi's suggestion was somewhat unusual, but it led Howard, the designer, to discover a completely new design direction. He wasn't sure if Levi's airship would truly achieve the desired effect, but since the other party had already made the decision, they would build it according to the plan!

However, there's one last question...

What name do you plan to give the airship?

"A name..."

Li Wei pondered for a moment.

"Let's call it — Eye of the Sky."

(End of this chapter)