Chapter 356: Explorer's First Ocean Voyage (Part 2)
"Mundell, is this the thing that the Duke mentioned?"
Captain Hausen couldn't contain his excitement and went over excitedly.
Under the protection of Idar's CIA agent, Mondale looked around and then lowered his voice and said:
"This is not the place to talk. Let's go to the captain's room."
"Understood! Come with me!"
Although Mundell was just a butler, he was the Duke's true attendant and the mouthpiece of Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar.
In addition, Mundell was holding the nautical chart that he had been coveting for a long time, so Captain Hausen was naturally quite respectful.
As he spoke, Mundell, led by Captain Hausen, boarded the Explorer, a three-masted warship anchored in the naval port.
As one of the first two three-masted warships in service in the Idar Navy, the name of the three-masted warship "Explorer" embodies the ambitions of the Idar people, or rather, the Duke of Idar Bruno Stuart, for the ocean.
At this special moment, the mission of the first ocean voyage naturally fell on the three-masted warship "Explorer".
It was not until Mundell climbed up to the two-story deck and came to the captain's room on the top floor that he took out a map drawn on brown paper from the bag on his back.
There are all kinds of variables in the vast ocean. Although the Principality of Idar is able to produce paper in large quantities, this map that will follow the Idar naval soldiers to the open sea still uses special kraft paper that is not easily damaged as the material.
When Mundell carefully spread an extremely detailed nautical chart on the table, Captain Hausen's body couldn't help but tremble slightly.
His eyes quickly swept across the land marked with the Principality of Idar and the Merlin District, and then looked towards the ocean on the east side of the continent.
Faran Islands, Merlin Bay, Coral Island...
As familiar place names flashed quickly before Captain Hausen's eyes, his sight finally stopped on the ocean that had never been explored by the Idar Navy.
Bruno had marked in detail possible ocean currents, islands and reefs, and all factors that might affect navigation in that sea area that Captain Hausen felt extremely unfamiliar with.
Although Captain Hausen and any Idar navy soldier had never sailed near that sea area, looking at the extremely detailed nautical chart in front of him, Captain Hausen suddenly felt very ambitious.
After all, this is the Idar Navy's first ocean voyage. If there is no nautical chart in front of them, they can only make decisions based on their own judgment, and the difficulty of sailing will be greatly increased.
But with this nautical chart, as long as we follow the route marked on the chart, we can achieve...
etc!
As he was thinking, Captain Hausen's eyes suddenly fixed on the nautical chart in front of him.
He even bent down to observe it carefully.
What is a route? It is a normal sea route between two places that is planned based on the navigation mission and the geographical, hydrological, meteorological and other conditions of the navigation area, as well as the condition of the ship!
The key point is two places!
One end of the route is naturally the Merlin District on the east coast of the Principality of Idar, and the other end of the route...
Captain Hausen leaned down slightly, and his sight followed the intermittent light blue line closely, following the route leading to the open sea and gradually extending towards the eastern waters of the Principality of Idar...
Captain Hausen finally found the destination of this route in an inconspicuous corner of the map.
"Lord Mondale..."
Captain Hausen looked up in bewilderment, his voice trembling slightly.
"This map was passed down by an ancestor of the Stuart family. It has been kept in the Duke's underground vault for safekeeping."
Regarding the origin of the nautical chart, Bruno's explanation is actually very simple, that is... no matter who asks, no matter what, those are things left by our ancestors.
But as to which ancestor left it and how it became the property of the Stuart family, although it sounds quite strange, no one will delve into it.
Anyway, no one in this land dares to go against Bruno.
"Then what is the route marked on the nautical chart... and the land at the end of the route?" Captain Hausen finally calmed down.
"Although it sounds incredible, this is indeed the news that the Stuart family's ancestors got by chance. In addition, the intelligence that the Duke obtained from other sources shows that there is indeed a vast land on the other side of the ocean."
Mundell said this with certainty.
"So... Captain Hausen, the Duke has only one mission for you, and that is to reach the land on the other side of the ocean at all costs, and bring back what you have seen and heard on that land to the land of the Principality of Idar!"
"Please report to His Excellency the Duke that the officers and soldiers of the Idar Navy will definitely complete all the tasks assigned by His Excellency the Duke!" Captain Hausen replied confidently.
With routes and destinations in place, this has indeed greatly reduced the risks of ocean voyages.
But for today's Idar Navy, if they were to travel a long distance to the other side of the ocean, they would still take great risks.
However, the Idar Navy was not afraid of this, because they knew that the heavier the burden on their shoulders, the more military merits they would gain, and the more rewards they would receive from Duke Bruno Stuart of Idar.
"His Excellency the Duke has prepared a brand new kind of food for you, and it is almost here now."
Just as Mundell was immersed in the shock brought to him by the continent on the other side of the ocean, Mundell spoke out.
"New food?" Captain Hausen seemed a little confused.
"Just follow me. While occupying the same amount of storage space, the food provided by the Duke can last twice as long as other food."
"Double?" Captain Hausen's eyes widened.
Not to mention Hausen, the captain, even any ordinary naval officer or soldier knows what double the time means.
The lack of logistical supplies has always been the most important issue that plagues ocean voyages.
And double the time means...if the original food can last for one month, then the current Idar Navy can last for two months!
Combined with the magical device designed by Idar the Mage that can purify seawater into fresh water, from now on, logistical supplies will no longer be an obstacle to the Idar Navy's voyage to the ocean! "At least double!"
Mondale added confidently, "And this kind of food is called... compressed biscuits by the Duke!"
(End of this chapter)
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