Chapter 554: Arriving at Neverwinter
...
There are so many ships.
Idith leaned against the stern cabin window, observing the fleet of ships coming and going on the Redwater River.
Since entering the Western Region, the river had suddenly become busy. Most of the ships sailing were strange stone ships without sails. The captain introduced them as paddle steamers, propelled by steam power. Their speed was not affected by the wind direction, and they were much faster than sailboats when sailing against the current, often leaving a trail of black smoke as they raced ahead – as for how the steam powered the large wooden wheels on both sides of the hull, no one could say for sure.
But one thing was certain, these were all made in Neverwinter.
Idith estimated in her mind that a paddle steamer could be seen roughly every half hour. If they were all carrying goods, then Neverwinter's absorption of materials would undoubtedly be an astonishing figure. She learned this from the merchants – the larger a city, the higher its capacity to digest materials. Just staying on its official roads for two days could give a rough idea of how prosperous the city was and how many business opportunities there were. If one was good at communicating, one could even analyze the most in-demand commodities in the city.
Obviously, the Redwater River was the most important transportation route in the Western Region.
And the busyness of the river also meant that the propaganda she had seen in the royal capital was probably not His Majesty Roland's boasting.
In a short period of time, the Western Region had been integrated into a new city, and the permanent population and commercial trade had already exceeded the original royal capital. Such an extraordinary heir to the throne had a reputation for being unlearned, dissolute, and stubborn... Thinking of these rumors, Idith became increasingly curious about Roland Wimbledon himself.
"Conrad xiaojie, are you looking at the ships again?" The door to the room was pushed open, and a handsome, brown-haired man in luxurious clothes walked in. "Would you like to go out and get some fresh air? It must be boring to stay here all the time."
"No, it's fine here," Idith straightened up and nodded to him. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Not at all," he said with a smile. "It is my good fortune to travel with such a beautiful xiaojie like you."
Idith had heard similar flattery too many times, but she still responded with a pleasant expression, "If you hadn't offered your help, I'm afraid I would have had to squeeze in with those goods and refugees."
"Of course, I couldn't stand by and watch such a thing happen," the man sat down opposite her. "No gem merchant would want to let a jewel be covered in dust."
He was the owner of the Everspring, a gem merchant named Victor from the royal capital. After her original ship was burned down, Idith quickly selected this two-masted ship from a group of ships heading to the Western Region. It was not a passenger ship, nor did it accept hires. Instead, it was Victor's private yacht. But for a Pearl of the Northlands, as long as the owner was male, everything was not a problem.
She portrayed herself as a noble xiaojie from the Northlands going to the Western Region to find lost relatives, and with a few words, Victor was moved with compassion and took the initiative to invite her aboard the Everspring. Compared to ordinary small sailboats and cargo ships, the Everspring had comfortable stern cabins that were spacious and bright, without the musty smell of decaying wood that came from years of traveling on the water. The owner even prepared two servants for her, without charging a single gold dragon.
Of course, the only price was that Victor would occasionally come to express his generosity and concern, but this was already commonplace for Idith, who was adept at navigating noble circles. If the other party was good enough, she would even enjoy driving and controlling them.
"Although these ships can move without wind, they are ultimately too rudimentary," Victor poured himself a cup of black tea. "I once boarded a paddle steamer and observed it carefully. It is not only noisy when it is running, but also very shaky... It's good for hauling goods, but not a good choice for long-distance travel."
"Of course, it won't be as comfortable as the Everspring," Idith said with a chuckle. "But why do I feel like they appeared overnight? There weren't such ships in the Western Region before, right?"
"You're right, they appeared overnight," Victor curled his lip. "I used to run to Longsong Stronghold often, where would I see such
strange things? Only one winter has passed, and they are everywhere."
Twenty or thirty paddle steamers were built in one winter? Idith couldn't help but be surprised. As the heir of the Kant family, she naturally knew what this meant. Because large cities need to digest large quantities of materials, their expansion is limited by the transportation capacity of materials. And these rapidly produced sailless ships are obviously an excellent tool for expanding transportation capacity – if a steady stream of food and goods from all over the kingdom can be transported to the Western Region, Neverwinter's expansion speed may far exceed people's expectations!
As for the noise and vibration? That's not worth mentioning at all.
"By the way, Conrad xiaojie, don't mind those unaesthetic stone ships. I have some more interesting things here that might help you pass the time." Victor beckoned to the maid beside him and whispered a few words in her ear. The latter nodded and left the room.
"What is it?"
"Something worthy of your beauty," he said smugly. "It's also my old profession."
The maid soon returned to the stern, bringing with her a rather exquisite book. Victor spread it out in front of Idith. "I wonder which one you like?"
The parchment paper was delicately drawn with many patterns of brilliant crystals. The brushwork was fine, and the colors were bright, with even the transparent luster jumping off the paper. Obviously, the artist who drew the album was very good at this.
"This is... a gem?"
"To be precise, it is a gemstone raw stone." Victor explained carefully. "When I buy them, I determine the price according to the standards in the album. Compared with carved and polished jewelry, raw stones have a unique flavor... If you are interested in any kind of raw stone, please tell me. Of course, if you prefer finished products, I can also ask a jeweler to make ornaments for you after I return to the royal capital."
A tactic with no novelty. Idith casually flipped through the album and returned it to him. "Thanks, but no need."
Victor took it with some surprise. "You're not interested in these?"
"My relatives are still missing, and I really don't have the heart to choose these luxurious gifts. Please forgive me," Idith said in a low voice. If she agrees here, he will pester her after arriving in Neverwinter, which will not be conducive to her next actions. Although most women would be captivated by these shiny things, she would rather admire the steam engine that drives the paddle steamer. Compared to the jewelry that is only circulated among the nobles, those things are truly valuable.
...
Not long after Victor left, a series of long鸣声 suddenly came from the direction of the bow, rising and falling, thick and deep... as if a huge fleet was leaving port.
Idith turned her head and looked. She saw the light brown shoreline slowly unfolding in front of her.
Ermu says
Wish dear readers: Happy Spring! Festival! Happy!————Year of the Rooster! Auspicious!
Sprinkling flowers ~\(≧▽≦)/~ lalala