Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 152 Second Tier, Moon Wheel, New Realm, Shipyard

The storm of public opinion on Earth has not yet reached the icy, snowy world of stars.

While the distant Dongguanling—now Xinyunwuling—is covered in snow, the Hanhailing, located on the edge of the desert, remains untouched by a single snowflake.

Hmm, it's probably because there isn't enough moisture in the air.

Fate presented two completely different pictures. The residents of Cloud Mist Territory, lacking food and clothing, had no choice but to huddle together for warmth in their limited living environment, while the residents of Vast Ocean Territory, who had food and shelter, could only sigh in silence every day as they looked at the scorched sand.

Fortunately, the New Cloud Mist Territory possesses a well-functioning bureaucratic system. The officials who followed the young princess through hardships to this new land have all undergone the most rigorous tests of loyalty.

Thanks to the efficient arrangements made by the team led by the Earl's old clerk, tens of thousands of immigrants finally settled down, albeit with some difficulties.

However, when Helan first met the old scribe, he had to treat him with the respect due to a junior. Now, the old scribe had to address him respectfully as "Ruler Helan".

Having ability is not as important as doing the right thing, and doing the right thing is not as important as following the right people. Life's encounters are truly mysterious.

Seeing that the new Cloud Mist Territory was gradually getting on track, Chen Mo felt relieved and once again entered a state of focused and tranquil cultivation.

It has been a year since I last advanced to become a formal mage, that is, a first-tier Stardust.

Although this Stardust Mage's level was only officially certified by the Starry Continent's official system with the recent establishment of the territory's mercenary guild, that was never what Chen Mo cared about.

What he needs is the boost to the altar's fortune brought about by this miraculous breakthrough in rank.

From apprentice to full-fledged mage, his bloodline altar teleportation ability increased from hundreds of kilograms to tons, directly transforming his initial plan to cultivate in seclusion in the vast ocean into a rapidly developing territory.

He was incredibly excited to see what kind of changes the Moon Wheel would bring once it reached the next level.

According to Archmage Downs's prediction, the next breakthrough in rank should be just around the corner.

Then let's cultivate and adjust our state at the same time.

If Chen Mo's last advancement to Stardust was smooth sailing thanks to Morton's protection during his psychic enlightenment, then now, with Archmage Downs and the Magic Society's Anthony scholar residing in the territory for an extended period, breaking through to the Moon Wheel realm should be a breeze as long as his mental strength reaches the required level.

However, given that this was a major rank advancement, all the informed professionals within the territory were on edge.

Master Downs's mansion houses the old man's magic tower core and a meticulously arranged magic array, which can barely be considered half a magic tower. It is also the favorite place for several scholars from the Magic Society to stay. Now, it has become the lord's temporary breakthrough arena.

The magic array, inscribed with psionic runes, slowly began to operate, and the embedded mana crystals shimmered. Chen Mo gradually adjusted his breathing, synchronizing it with each energy tide of the surrounding environment.

For the first two days, everything was normal, except that the elements in the air around the tower became unusually active, and occasionally apprentices would report seeing a faint light flickering at the top of the tower, like breathing.

The real change occurred late on the fourth day. At that time, Towns and Anthony were playing chess on the first floor below the tower, their mental focus highly concentrated, sensing the movements above.

Suddenly, the chess pieces on the board trembled slightly, and an invisible vortex of air formed in the magic circle area. A humming sound, originating from psionic vibrations, seemed to come from a distant place.

Although invisible to the naked eye, both archmages could clearly "see" that magical energy within a radius of several miles was being continuously drawn in, gathered, and poured into the seated figure within the magic circle.

A faint glow began to emanate from the lord's body, not dazzling, but a soft, cool luster like moonlight.

This radiance flowed around him, gradually condensing and outlining, faintly forming a phantom, incomplete, bright moon behind his head! This is the origin of the name of the "Moon Wheel" rank.

The night sky outside the tower seemed to be affected as well. The local magical elements were stirred up, and the clouds seemed to be slowly rotating around the magic circle. The stars peeking through the gaps seemed exceptionally bright.

Tiny, almost invisible points of starlight were constantly drawn in, flowing into the tower like rivers flowing into the sea.

Chen Mo's spiritual sea underwent a new round of expansion and transformation. The surging spiritual power was continuously compressed and purified, becoming more condensed and stable.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the sky, the surging energy tide within the magic circle slowly subsided.

The moon's progression is a natural and inevitable process.

The mercenary guild certification officer waiting outside the door immediately stepped forward and respectfully presented the new badge representing the identity of a second-tier Moon Wheel Mage.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with everyone, Chen Mo immediately entered the heavily guarded Hanhai Navy Factory warehouse, surrounded by his guards.

Here, Chen Mo once again entered that long string of true name incantations.

Occasionally, he would feel a little curious: if he taught a string of true name incantations to someone else, could a necromancer with no blood relation activate this spacetime altar?

Or, if my child were to follow the path of a necromancer in the future, would they inherit my bloodline and become the new generation of interdimensional liaison for Dongxia?
But no matter what, he is still all alone now, a lonely gatekeeper, guarding this only passage to the Eastern Xia of Blue Star, connecting this universe that spans countless billions of light-years.

The moment the altar shone brightly, a surge of energy rushed forth.

The expansion of the teleportation space completely confirmed his guess—another leap forward! After a simple test, the monthly transport weight has reached 27 tons, perfectly matching the previous linear growth model of Dongxia.

Chen Mo had a vague feeling that his bloodline altar was different from those of other necromancers.

In any case, many plans that were already on the agenda can now be pushed forward at full speed.

Taking advantage of the psionic energy diversion, Chen Mo quickly replenished the armory with a set of equipment. Accompanied by the centaur squad, he traveled swiftly to the easternmost point of the Vast Ocean Territory, where Emerald Bay is located.

Many, many years ago, there was a trading port here. According to the descriptions of the local old sandy people, the lighthouse could always accurately guide the ships to this harbor that was deeply embedded in the mainland.

Today, the former dock has completely disappeared. Only a few stone steps, as if carved by a knife and axe, and the weathered stone base of the lighthouse can still vaguely reveal some of the original layout.

A breeze carrying a salty, fishy scent swept by, and the lord stepped down from his carriage, standing on a high cliff to gaze out at the vast and desolate expanse of azure blue that came into view.

This is Emerald Bay!
It resembles the gaping maw of a gluttonous beast, with wide-open corners on both sides, forming a natural and enormous harbor. The bay is an irregular arc shape, flanked by rugged black cliffs that silently withstand the raging winds and waves of the open sea.

The water inside the bay is a different color from the deep blue of the open sea, presenting a brighter, almost transparent blue-green. When the sunlight shines directly on it, it truly resembles a huge, gently rippling piece of jade.

Because of the shelter on both sides, the waves are not as turbulent as in the open sea, but gently, layer upon layer, surging onto the wide beach and reefs, making a soothing and rhythmic splashing sound, like playing some kind of music.

White seabirds circled and cried out on the sea surface, sometimes swooping down into the water like lightning to snatch a silvery fish.

Looking down, you can see the ruins of that once prosperous trading port.

The long, main body of the pier, built of huge granite blocks, stubbornly extends into the depths of the bay. These blocks were once scattered and collapsed, covered with slippery moss and shellfish. Now, after some renovation, it has begun to resemble a harbor pier.

On the stone foundations of those docks, three wooden boats are under construction at a rapid pace.

Just as Chen Mo looked up to admire the view, the bearded dwarf Iron Hammer Thor, the director of the First Shipyard of Hanhai, who had received the news, came to greet him.

Chen Mo didn't know why dwarves all had big beards before, but after getting to know them better, he realized that the tradition of dwarves growing beards has a long history. Essentially, it's because their short stature makes it easy for people to misjudge their age and look down on them.

With a full beard, he instantly exudes a sense of maturity.

Well, not only male dwarves grow beards, but female dwarves do too. They braid the hair from their temples down their cheeks and wrap it around their chins to create a style that resembles a full beard, which is quite aesthetically displeasing to the lord.

Of course, another version of the story also circulates among the dwarves:
"If we don't grow beards, people will think we're a bunch of effeminate dwarfs!"

Ironhammer Thor was once a slave and a dwarven craftsman. Although he might only be considered average in the outside world, in a place like the Vast Ocean Territory, he definitely deserves the title of "master".

Thor originally came from a small family in Xiasha Port of the Xiyue Federation. His father used to be a master shipbuilder in Xiasha Port. His daily work was to build and repair fishing boats for the fishermen in the fishing villages around Xiasha Port. Occasionally, he would also cooperate with the Xiyue Federation government to build some larger merchant ships or warships.

He would tap on the boat planks, beat the side of the boat, drink a little wine, save up some money, and hope to marry the simple-minded girl from the next village. Iron Hammer Thor's life was full of dreams.

However, all of this was destroyed by a sudden accident.

Orcs attacked the young princess of Cloud Mist Territory.

They disembarked at Xiasha Port, so the federal government tracked them down, and the port director of Xiasha committed suicide.

This has severely harmed the port authority's loyalists.

As part of the post-incident investigation, the Xiyue Federation follows a certain "downward but not upward" accountability practice: those above the port director are all loyal subjects, while those below the port director are all scoundrels.

A large number of mid- to low-ranking officials in Xiasha were arrested, including Ironhammer Thor, a dwarf who was a shipyard craftsman.

In the River Moon Federation, a place full of ports, shipbuilders were not a big deal. The Sol family became prisoners and were then pushed into the slave market.

The slaves moved back and forth, their once-great hands now only used for mining. After a hard day's work, they were chained up and crammed together with a group of emaciated prisoners.

Later, caught up with the wave of slave acquisition in the vast sea, Thor was bought by a speculator and began a journey with no end in sight.

The bumpy journey, hunger, humiliation, and despair for the future almost crushed him until he arrived in the Vast Ocean Territory.

Here, slaves had the opportunity to register their special skills. Saul rattled off all the skills he possessed, which garnered high attention from the territory officials.

After a brief inquiry and test, Thor was taken away from the group of laborers.

The lord didn't give him any empty promises, but simply handed him a bunch of tools and materials, along with a simple task: to design and build a comfortable, sturdy boat for Master Downs, suitable for offshore fishing.

Despite his doubts, the feeling of holding the tools again brought tears to Saul's eyes.

Of course, for Han Hai Ling, this was a last resort.

The problem remains the same: as a small and dilapidated new territory, Han Hai Ling has virtually no ability to attract technical talent, and this cannot be reversed by offering attractive recruitment prices.

Sometimes, the higher the price you ask for, the more people will think you're a scammer.

Therefore, the talent that can be extracted from slaves is already a rare treasure for Han Hai.

Encouraged by various policies, Thor used his best skills to not only quickly and well build a fishing boat, but also incorporate some unique dwarven reinforcement techniques and Thor's interesting aesthetic sense.

For example, a row of sturdy wine barrels was installed at the bow of the ship, which made the lord frown.

"Let's carve another line here: 'Don't drink and sail, and don't drink and sail!'"

The exquisite and sturdy little boat passed inspection. Unfortunately, the Archmage Downs didn't get to use it. Previously, the Seven Luminaries Garland had delivered a pure metal ship to the Vast Ocean, which was much more comfortable than this simple toy.

However, having passed the test, Iron Hammer Thor became the first shipyard manager of the lord's newly established "First Shipyard of the Vast Ocean".

Saul felt as if he had been transported to another world. The dramatic change in his status from slave to factory manager filled him with an almost blind loyalty and gratitude towards his lord.

Then, he was frightened by the lord.

The lord assigned a big task to the first ship.

A large ocean-going vessel that is over fifty meters long.

Iron Hammer Thor turned pale with fright. He even suspected that the lord might be using the excuse of not liking dwarves who drank alcohol to kill him.

However, dwarves truly cannot lie, and Thor stammered as he explained to the lord:
"My lord... I... I don't know how..."

"Such a large ship can only be built by true master craftsmen. I can only help out. I can't even make the cabins properly!"

To everyone's eyes, the great lord remained calm: "You will receive a detailed blueprint, down to the number of times each piece of wood will be processed and the precise dimensions of each part. In addition, you will receive the processing tools you have always dreamed of."

"All you have to do is one thing: complete it exactly as shown in the blueprints!"

"Ten days. Within ten days, I will give you enough manpower. You can pick out those who can work with you, make all the necessary preparations, and wait to start work!"

From the next day onwards, Iron Hammer Thor knew that this ruler of the Vast Ocean was not joking with him.

Thor watched as massive warehouses rose from the ground; the dry docks along the coast, which had been there for countless years, were renovated and even had a breakwater built; the workshops, living quarters, and even entertainment facilities for the craftsmen were completed at breakneck speed; and batches of selected, quick-witted, and agile slaves from various races came here to await his selection.

A steady stream of expensive timber, paint, hemp fibers, metal nails, and large iron plates produced by the Hanhai factory, traveling hundreds of kilometers across the desert from the south at astronomical freight costs, was continuously delivered to the newly established "Hanhai First Shipyard".

Warning towers were erected next to the camp, and guards from the National Defense Forces patrolled the area with long strides. A radar device was set up on the high ground, and power lines supplied electricity to the defense equipment as well as lighting to the work and living areas.

Then came the mountain of blueprints and the shipbuilding breakdown video, which seemed like divine revelation.

By the Mother Goddess of Earth and Mountains, Thor swore he had never seen such detailed craftsmanship in his life. He felt that even that idiot Gronn from Xia Sha could build this ship by following the tutorial, as long as his hands were still intact.

In reality, the value of these drawings and videos was far greater than he had imagined.

Shipbuilding is not difficult, and building a wooden boat of this size is even easier. However, the experts on Earth must match it with local craftsmanship, which is the real major project.

The goal is to deduce the local shipbuilding process as completely as possible using incomplete data and the local shipbuilding techniques that Saul previously described and demonstrated, including the analysis and matching of many new local shipbuilding materials.

The design team needs to take into account the local meteorological, hydrological, and dock conditions to design seagoing vessel blueprints that conform to the local realities.

Then, to ensure everything went perfectly, the technical team urgently deployed personnel on Blue Star to replicate these processes and conduct actual trial production.

Ultimately, what appeared before Thor was a large seagoing vessel that was 56 meters long and 12 meters wide, with a square bow, partially flat bottom, watertight compartments, double decks, and a tall sterncastle.

It must be pointed out that because of the existence of sea creatures, except for a very few countries that share the same beliefs as the sea creatures, humans are almost unable to venture into the open sea. Therefore, the size of ships in coastal waters is generally limited.

Even in the Creek Moon Federation, where maritime transport is relatively developed, a ship of this size would be considered a behemoth.

However, after spending the entire night studying those exquisite and detailed blueprints, Thor came to see the lord with bloodshot eyes.

"Sir, is there something I've overlooked? I don't see any sails, oars, rudder, or even a steam engine room or magic room. This ship can't move!"

The lord crouched down and patted Thor on the shoulder.

"My dedicated Factory Manager Saul, just do as I say."

"I have my own plans regarding the power source!"

(End of this chapter)