Chapter 91

After the political banquet, which was filled with hypocrisy and scheming from start to finish, Luo Zhengdao remained silent on the carriage ride back to the temporary residence. Seeing his troubled expression, this unusual behavior aroused Vena Dubov's suspicion, but she was unsure how to handle it. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up:

"Will, what's wrong with you?"

Hearing the question, Luo Zhengdao switched from deep reflection to the real world, looked up at the half-elf beauty, and smiled, saying:

"Hehe, nothing, just feeling that Queen Yaling didn't say everything. Perhaps the timing wasn't right. After all, this gamble has just begun, and they don't need to bet all their chips. I'm not their only option, so it's expected that they wouldn't put all their chips on me."

As he said this, a hint of self-mockery crept into Luo Zhengdao's smile. Without waiting for Vena Dubov to respond, he continued:

"Alright! Regardless, we've achieved most of our goals in coming to the Yaling Empire. I hope the upcoming procedural negotiations will go smoothly."

The heads of both sides had agreed on the general direction of cooperation. The specifics, such as the amount of aid, the timing, and the form of payment, would require detailed negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement. This process was bound to be tedious and uninteresting, far more challenging than the broad strategic issues that could be resolved in a single banquet.

Deciding to sign a contract, Luo Zhengdao boldly presented a detailed list of requested aid to Queen Yaling. The first item on the list was three new Yaling sixth-class battleships and one fifth-class battleship. With some additional support vessels, this would form a regular regional fleet. Needless to say, with such a fleet, even if they encountered the goblin fleet, they could at least escape if they couldn't win, which would largely meet Luo Zhengdao's needs.

Converting the negotiation results into a rigorous written agreement, one that was watertight in its wording, was a laborious and time-consuming task, even if both sides had no dispute over the ultimate goal. Luo Zhengdao didn't personally handle the negotiations but had to coordinate with his subordinates to determine the limits of the terms. He was still fully occupied until the document, which took a week to complete, was signed, and both sides breathed a sigh of relief.

Luo Zhengdao's demands were not insignificant, but for a political entity backed by a national treasury, they were a minor matter. The Yaling Empire could gain many promises in exchange for a small cost. As long as Luo Zhengdao fulfilled his responsibilities in the future, the Yaling Empire would not lose out. Therefore, the Yaling Empire quickly agreed to meet all his demands. However, this was just the beginning. Everything has its pros and cons, and there are no perfect deals.

In the new world, the existence of magical forces influenced both warship designers and ordinary shipbuilders. They didn't focus entirely on optimizing the ship's structure. Their first reaction to difficulties was to seek unconventional means, such as magic, to enhance the warships.

It's easy to understand why. The benefits of changing the sail design of a warship are far less effective than engraving a few magic arrays to accelerate the ship. Strengthening the warship's durability through improvements in the ship's structure is clearly less convenient than using alchemical potions to directly reinforce the hull. Therefore, even to Luo Zhengdao, a half-knowledgeable enthusiast of the Age of Exploration, the Yaling warships, which represented the highest shipbuilding skills of the new world, were far from perfect in their basic structure, especially in the smaller fifth and sixth-class battleships.

Smaller main warships lack the ample budget and space for magical enhancements that larger battleships have, and there is no such demand from users. Thus, there were many areas where Luo Zhengdao could make improvements.

Considering the potential negative impact of advanced shipbuilding technology leaking out, allies are not eternal, only interests are. Luo Zhengdao was very cautious in his choices. He spent a night thinking and wrote a draft of warship modification requirements, focusing mainly on key structures like the keel that cannot be reinforced later. When he handed the document, written in Common but with awkward phrasing, to the shipyard manager, he also reminded him:

"Please make sure to replace all the ship's ribs with this type of wood."

Industrial products like warships have few secrets. Experts can tell what's going on with a glance. The key is whether you have the technical and financial resources to replicate it. Otherwise, it's just a waste of time. In a different world, the technical difficulty is different. Luo Zhengdao emphasized the strength of the ribs in his plan, requiring the use of high-quality hardwood. For ordinary warships, this design requirement was quite peculiar. Despite this, the Zelan Royal Shipyard was ordered to meet all the customer's demands, and the queen was paying the bill. How Luo Zhengdao chose to spend the money was none of their concern.

The shipyard manager, a man of Yaling blood, forgot his cold and noble demeanor and displayed a professional businessman's smile, warmly saying:

"Of course, my lord. We will meet your special requirements, but we cannot guarantee the performance of the modified warships..."

In a bureaucratic system, the key is to avoid responsibility. The less you do, the less you can go wrong. Doing nothing is the safest option, as the idiom "a尸位素餐" (a尸wei su can) aptly describes them.

No one is perfect, and those responsible for specific tasks are bound to make mistakes. If they don't do anything, they won't make mistakes. In the old world, countries with a civil service system all had this trait. Officials would dodge responsibilities and pass the buck. The British TV show "Yes, Minister!" satirizes the inherent inertia and flaws of the bureaucratic system, which, as is well known, has its roots in the Eastern imperial examination system.

Although Luo Zhengdao had never held an official position in a certain magical country, he was aware of this basic fact. Such half-finished statements usually have two meanings: one is that you won't get anything done without a bribe.

If the man in front of him tried to extort Luo Zhengdao, he wouldn't dare even if he had a hundred or eighty lives. If Luo Zhengdao mentioned it to Queen Yaling, the man's remaining time would be counted on one hand. The other possibility was that he wanted to avoid responsibility.

Seeing this, a hint of sarcasm appeared in Luo Zhengdao's smile as he said casually:

"Oh, no problem, I'll take full responsibility for all the consequences."

"Great, then there's no issue, my lord."

With the queen's direct order, Luo Zhengdao's shipbuilding commission became the top priority, overriding all real-world difficulties. The Zelan Royal Shipyard had a large stock of high-quality shipbuilding materials and sails. With someone willing to pay, they could work day and night without sparing any effort. In just one month, the four battleships provided as military aid to Luo Zhengdao were completed and launched. As usual, the half-literate穿越者 had to rack his brains to name the ships, feeling quite frustrated.

"My lord, this is your new flagship! What will you name this newly launched fifth-class battleship?"

The three previously launched ships were named Zhiyuan, Jingyuan, and Jingyuan, with a rather mischievous touch. For this flagship, he was indecisive. Names like Dingyuan and Zhenyuan didn't fit the atmosphere.

After a long period of contemplation, he suddenly recalled the agreement with the residual consciousness of Will Needham. Luo Zhengdao closed his eyes and softly said:

"...Let's call it the Avenger. We are the ones who will avenge the goblins and reclaim what once belonged to us. This is a promise."

...

"Will, you're back. Uh, take a look at this invitation."

In the small garden outside the window, a cluster of bright yellow primroses bloomed brilliantly. Luo Zhengdao, who had just returned from the Zelan shipyard, pushed open the door of the temporary residence and walked into the living room. A gentle breeze blew through the room, carrying a faint scent of flowers. Hearing his footsteps, the half-elf beauty, who was organizing Luo Zhengdao's documents, reminded him. According to the Yaling arrangements, Luo Zhengdao's residence should have been heavily guarded, but he found such excessive security ridiculous. He declined the offer and dismissed the large number of guards sent by his vassals.

In a complex battlefield, it's one thing, but in peacetime, a mage who is so fragile that he can't protect himself might as well find a tofu block and bash his head in.

Picking up the invitation from the table in the living room, he struggled to read the content. After two minutes, he frowned and said:

"An invitation from the Elven Trade Guild? Has the Elven Federation not given up on me?"

Hearing this, Vena Dubov, who was working as a secretary, looked up, holding a quill pen and smiling wryly at Luo Zhengdao, saying:

"The mainland is a vast land. It's understandable that the Elven Federation wants a share of the benefits."

As a half-elf, Vena was a social outcast between humans and elves, with a deep and detailed understanding of both human society and elven affairs, but lacking a sense of belonging. In social and cultural matters, even with the pride and confidence of a穿越者, Luo Zhengdao could not ignore her advice. From her tone, it seemed she disagreed with Luo Zhengdao's current approach of completely avoiding contact with the Elven Federation.