Chapter Fifteen: The Prodigal Son Allen
To measure or determine the Earth's dimensions, a marine chronometer is needed, but Seaman finally admits that there's something he can't make either; he simply can't. There are clocks in this world, extremely bulky and not particularly accurate, and even those are a secret technique of the Western Vampire Clan. Clocks made by others are wildly inaccurate in both size and timekeeping.
Vampires are most skilled at crafting intricate mechanical objects. The most famous watchmakers are the Baydafili, Laureus, and Cartier families of the Western Continent. Their timepieces are precise, exquisitely luxurious, and considered works of art, but they are never sold to ordinary people. They are primarily for internal use by vampires or only available to prominent figures from other races.
Qin Mo listened to Allen's explanation, her mind reeling. Wasn't this supposed to be a limited edition? Who traveled to Xizhou and invented such an advanced marketing concept?
Since clocks can't reach the level of marine chronometers, it's better not to use them at all. Wait for the opportunity to fool a master watchmaker, and then you can throw out the concept of the tourbillon yourself. Wouldn't that shock those so-called masters?
When the Kuroshio Current is close to the Japanese mainland, it splits into two branches. One branch turns towards the southern coast of Korea, while the main current flows along the eastern side of the Japanese mainland to Edo and then turns again, flowing eastward into the Pacific Ocean. If Qin Mo wants to go to the Americas, he can follow the Kuroshio Current all the way to North America. Of course, after entering the Pacific Ocean, the Kuroshio Current is called the North Pacific Current.
Qin Mo had already received news that over three thousand soldiers had been recruited in Nagasaki and Hirado. Following the principle of mutual checks and balances, the remaining soldiers would be recruited in Edo. Therefore, fifteen of the nearly thirty ships would go to Hirado to bring the people to Tianjin, the capital of Taiwan. Qin Mo himself would lead the remaining dozen or so ships to Edo.
Qin Mo gathered all the large ships together and only managed to assemble less than thirty. Although it was cruel to cramm over two hundred people onto a single ship, the consequences would be even more severe if they encountered storms and were on a large ship.
Following the Kuroshio Current, the ships generally reached speeds of ten knots. On the eighth day, as the fleet approached Fusang, it split into two. On the tenth morning, Qin Mo's galleons spotted Edo Bay. Throughout the journey, Qin Mo's flagship galleon had not been traveling at full speed, and now that they were here, the fleet was unlikely to become separated again. Qin Mo became interested and ordered the sails to be hoisted.
All the sails of the galleon were raised to their highest point, making the ship look as if it had been pushed by a giant. The bow rose slightly, and it accelerated away from the fleet. Qin Mo triumphantly gestured to Allen behind him, meaning, "I'm going first, you can take your time."
The elven moonship behind them hoisted its sails and picked up speed, but Qin Mo's Garen had an initial advantage, and its mast was noticeably higher and its sails larger. The distance between the two ships increased. Qin Mo triumphantly let out a clear whistle from the stern, the sound echoing for miles.
Then...then a faint blue light emanated from the mast of Allen's moonship, illuminating the white sails and giving them an eerie glow. The moonship's bow rose high, and its speed more than doubled, quickly catching up with Qin Mo's galleon.
Qin Mo was first stunned, then burst into a tirade of curses, showing absolutely no aristocratic demeanor.
"If things are going so smoothly, why are you even setting up a wind-gathering formation? ...Do you think my gold and silver are so easy to earn? ...You spendthrift elf..."
Allen stared straight at Qin Mo from his ship, a hint of mockery and mischief creeping onto his perpetually expressionless face, which enraged Qin Mo even more.
The Elven people possess top-tier shipbuilding and navigation skills in the Western Continent. They excel at inscribing various magical arrays to cope with the complexities of the sea, with wind-gathering arrays being the most common. These arrays allow for normal navigation even in headwinds or calm conditions, making them a favorite among adventurous or exploration fleets.
If you always sail with the wind and current, the wind and current will always carry the ship to a fixed area. Without a sextant and accurate nautical charts, if you want to comprehensively search and explore a certain sea area, sailing against the wind and current becomes inevitable. At this time, the effect of the wind-gathering array will be greatly amplified.
However... the materials used in the magic array are refined gold, mithril, and many other rare materials, extracted from ordinary gold and silver. They are extremely expensive, and the magic array is not used for navigation unless needed. Once the magic array has exhausted its contained energy, it must be re-engraved, costing countless amounts of money.
Seeing Allen use his own money to uphold the dignity of the Elven race, Qin Mo felt a surge of anger. It's just about saving face! Why take it so seriously? Can't he just let me have my way once?
Upon reaching Edo and disembarking, Qin Mo ignored Allen and went to Edo's Chinatown to find Lin Yongqian. Allen stayed close by her side, as if nothing had happened.
Upon arriving in Edo's Chinatown, Qin Mo quickly found Lin Yongqian. Because Qin Mo and Lin Yongqian planned to do maritime trade after their marriage, Lin Yongqian changed his previous stingy ways after arriving in Edo and directly bought a large house facing the street at a high price. The front housed shops, while the back housed warehouses and living quarters.
Qin Mo didn't even ask anyone before she saw Lin Yongqian's shop. It was impossible not to see it; the queue was packed three or four deep around his shop, so tight that it was impossible to move.
"Don't push, one at a time. We need to recruit a lot of warriors. As long as you're skilled, we'll take as many as you want. But first, be aware of the risks. This is a life-or-death job." A Japanese guy shouted loudly at the door. He was clearly a new recruit that Lin Yongqian had brought in with a loud voice.
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