Chapter 707: Chapter 89: Sister-in-law is Mighty! Sister-in-law is Dominant! (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

... 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The vast Qingluo Sea, with its clear and pristine waters, has a slightly cold temperature.

In this sea, the growth rate of various lively seafood is relatively slow, which in turn enhances the quality and flavor of these seafood. Once upon a time, this vast sea was also filled with fishing boats, yielding abundant harvests.

Unfortunately, at some point unknown, sea bandits gradually thrived in the Qingluo Sea. So much so that the fishing economy is now nearly at a standstill, with many commercial shipping vessels reduced by eighty to ninety percent compared to a century ago.

Only the large merchant ships of the Cao and Faang families can navigate these waters unimpeded.

At this moment.

Among these vast sea waves, a fleet has formed a stable formation, cutting through the wind and waves, advancing swiftly forward.

In this fleet, what stands out the most is a uniquely styled large merchant ship.

This ship is named "Luomiao," a newly designed merchant ship jointly created by the East Port Chen Family and the Changning Wang Family.

Unlike ordinary sea ships with towering masts, this one erects a huge cylindrical object where masts should be.

Its size is far larger than typical sea ships, with many joints using the latest steel structures. Apart from traditional sails, the power source comprises a massive power chamber at the bottom of the ship, housing a huge boiler and a steam-powered propeller.

This is the latest artifact refining product from the Wang Family’s secret research institution—the "Wang’s Steam Engine."

Speaking of steam engines, they are one of the greatest tools driving civilizational progress on Earth. Every ordinary person knows the principle of steam engines, but most don’t understand their detailed structure.

Just like Wang Shouzhe, while he knows how to generate power using steam and has a vague idea of some structures, designing an entire steam engine structure out of the blue is something he couldn’t achieve.

Fortunately, the Wang Family’s research institution, after several decades of development, is now full of talented individuals. Regarding steam power, Wang Shouzhe proposed concepts, principles, and general structural directions and ideas decades ago.

The structure of steam power isn’t actually complex, and the world isn’t short of smart people. Often, encountering a technical bottleneck requires just a change in thought or direction.

With a clear idea and direction, blacksmiths, artifact refiners, and technicians, under Qian Gold’s encouragement, gradually overcame various challenges, taking several decades to create this large but seemingly primitive steam power system.

Though primitive, it is still a steam system, belonging to the ’boiling water’ level of ’high-end technology’, far advanced compared to purely sail-based energy.

The biggest issue limiting the development of the shipping industry is the carrying capacity of ships. Because only with sufficient cargo capacity can there be enough profit.

And what’s actually limiting the cargo capacity of ships is power.

Using sails for power is not only easily influenced by climate and ocean currents, but nearly half of the year ships are forced to halt, and the power provided has an upper limit, making the transportation speed not particularly fast.

However, using a steam system as power removes this concern.

The power produced by the steam system has an upper limit far surpassing sails, and steam power is more stable than sail power, being very little affected by climate and ocean currents. It can continuously and stably provide strong power. Even when sailing against the current, the speed is never too slow.

Additionally, given how coal is extremely cheap in this world, its consumption isn’t high.

Based on this, the shipping industry has enormous growth potential in the future.

However, as of now, the Wang’s steam propulsion system is still in an experimental phase and requires continuous improvement through practical application, far from being ready for mass production.

The "Luomiao," is the Wang Family’s trial endeavor.

At the same time, this large merchant ship named "Luomiao" is also the flagship of this entire fleet.

It carries the most precious foreign glassware and is equipped with as many as twelve Divine Power Cannons, making its defensive force so formidable that calling it a "seaborne mobile fortress" is anything but an exaggeration.

Compared with the Luomiao, the defensive power of the other nine merchant ships is much inferior, with each equipped with just one Divine Power Cannon.

The bow deck of the "Luomiao" is very high, standing five to six zhang above the water level, making it appear much more majestic than ordinary sea ships.

At this moment, at the front of the deck, next to one of the Divine Power Cannons, stands a charming woman.

She has a rather pretty appearance, her long hair simply tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, without any extra adornments. Draped in Black Tortoise martial attire and cloak, her figure appears tall and exquisite, exuding a heroic and crisp spirit.

This woman is naturally the person in charge of this fleet’s current mission, Wang Luomiao.

Generally, for women from high-grade Black Tortoise clans, the more outstanding ones often follow the Academy route, while most take the path of marriage and children, aligning the clan, especially those from the direct lineage often unable to dictate their marital choices.