Staring at the Steam Battleship before him, Zhang Xuepeng's face was filled with utter shock.
Beyond the visible horror, a storm raged in his heart.
How can such a steam ship exist?
Where did Liyue get this?
Even Fontaine's steam ships don't look like this.
Compared to the battleship in front of him, Fontaine's ships looked... mediocre.
"Xuepeng? Xuepeng?"
While Zhang Xuepeng was paralyzed by shock, the Liyue Ship Bureau Chief called out from the gangway. "What are you standing there for? Come aboard! Why do you look so surprised? It's like you've never seen a ship before. Doesn't Fontaine have steam ships too?"
Zhang Xuepeng came from Fontaine and used to work at their Ship Bureau. He had always bragged about their steam technology, making the Liyue experts envious.
So why was he staring at this battleship like a country bumpkin?
Shouldn't Fontaine's ships be similar?
Unless... this Steam Battleship was even more advanced than Fontaine's?
A sudden realization struck the Liyue Chief.
"I... I'm just surprised," Zhang Xuepeng stammered, forcing down his shock and wearing an awkward smile. "I didn't expect Liyue to have such a steam ship. If you had it, why have I never seen it before?"
He boarded the ship, his eyes darting around, taking in every detail.
He tried to probe for information while suppressing his panic.
If Liyue possessed such technology, there was no reason he wouldn't have seen it earlier.
He had lived in Liyue Harbor for a while now. Even as a shut-in, a ship like this would be the talk of the town.
"Hehe, that's because Captain Beidou only brought it out today," the Chief laughed. "We received orders from Lady Ningguang immediately. We're here to study it and hopefully build a downgraded version based on its design."
"We don't expect to replicate it perfectly. But we want to upgrade our existing fleet to steam power."
"Since you're from the Fontaine Ship Bureau, we have some questions. You understand steam ships, right?"
The Chief led Zhang Xuepeng deeper into the ship.
Walking behind him, Zhang Xuepeng was speechless.
He knew of Captain Beidou. The Alcor was impressive enough.
But now she commanded a ship far superior to The Alcor.
Where did it come from?
And he caught a keyword.
Steam Battleship!
Not "Steam Ship." Battleship.
It sounded like a higher tier of vessel.
The Liyue Chief had said "battleship" implied something superior to a "ship."
He knew the principles of steam ships. But a Steam Battleship? He was clueless.
Forcing a smile, Zhang Xuepeng followed them into the control room.
"Xuepeng, you're here!"
"Great! Xuepeng, come look at this! There's so much we don't understand. Explain it to us!"
"Yeah, Xuepeng! You know steam principles. Teach us how this works!"
"Xuepeng, we're counting on you!"
...
As soon as he entered, the Liyue experts swarmed him with eager, knowledge-hungry faces.
They genuinely believed he could solve their problems.
Zhang Xuepeng felt a bead of cold sweat roll down his back.
He looked at the control panels.
The arrays of high-tech buttons and screens made him dizzy. It was a visual assault.
Seeing their expectant gazes, his scalp tingled. He forced a smile. "Let me see."
He stepped up to the console.
"Xuepeng, look at this. I know what it does—it's labeled—but I don't understand why this mechanism is needed here..."
An expert pointed at a red button and asked a complex question about its integration.
Zhang Xuepeng stared at the red button. Then at the alien console. His eyelid twitched.
He didn't even know the function, let alone the principle.
"Sigh."
Facing their eager eyes and the incomprehensible technology, Zhang Xuepeng sighed deeply.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I don't know what these things do. I can't explain it to you."
There was no point in pretending. He genuinely didn't know.
Pretending now would only humiliate him later.
Better to admit it honestly.
He had truly never seen anything like this.
"Huh?"
The room fell silent. Everyone stared at him in confusion.
Zhang Xuepeng doesn't know?
How? It's a steam ship!
"Xuepeng, don't be humble. You're from the Fontaine Ship Bureau! You said your ships are steam-powered. How can you not know?"
"Yeah, Xuepeng. Are you lying to us? Are you holding back because you don't want us to learn the principles? That's not cool."
"We've treated you well with food and drinks! How can you deceive us now? We just want to study the principles!"
"Xuepeng, stop joking. I believe you know. You just don't want to say."
"You talked so fluently about steam ships before. Now you claim ignorance?"
...
The Liyue experts voiced their disbelief and dissatisfaction.
To them, it seemed like he was gatekeeping knowledge.
After all, he was the guy who constantly bragged about steam tech. Suddenly claiming he knew nothing felt like a betrayal.
Some looked genuinely hurt. They treated him as a friend.
"Everyone, I really don't know," Zhang Xuepeng said with a bitter smile.
"Fontaine has steam ships, yes. But this... this Steam Battleship is far more advanced than anything we have. I don't even know what these buttons do."
"If I knew, why wouldn't I tell you? I'm telling you, this is the first time I've ever heard of such a ship."
"Fontaine has steam ships. Not steam battleships. You guys said a 'battleship' is higher tier than a ship. Well, you're right. This thing is leagues ahead of Fontaine's technology. How can I explain something I've never seen?"
He looked helpless.
He really didn't know. If he did, he would share it. These people were his friends.
But seeing this ship... he was dumbfounded.
It was ridiculous. How could it be better than Fontaine's?
He made a mental note: he had to return to Fontaine and report this.
Liyue possessing a Steam Battleship was a major geopolitical event.
"Ah?! Is that so?"
Seeing his genuine helplessness, the Liyue experts looked at each other.
It seemed Zhang Xuepeng was telling the truth.
He really didn't know.
And he admitted this ship was superior to Fontaine's!
The mood in the room shifted.
If even the Fontaine expert didn't know, this was going to be hard.
They had pinned their hopes on him.
"Sigh."
Someone sighed in disappointment. Without understanding the principles, reverse-engineering would be painful.
"Xuepeng is telling the truth. Even he was shocked when he saw the ship from the dock," the Bureau Chief intervened.
"But it doesn't matter. We have so many brains here. We don't need to understand everything perfectly. Even if we can only copy 10% of it, that's still better than our current ocean-going vessels."
"We can't get fat on one bite. We'll take it slow. Study it step by step. As long as we work hard, we can grind an iron rod into a needle. We'll start with the exterior, then the interior, and slowly figure it out!"
"Yes, Boss!"
The Liyue experts clenched their fists and nodded.
True. If they didn't know, they would learn.
They would figure it out themselves.
Their fighting spirit returned.
This was for the advancement of Liyue's fleet. They had to contribute.
...
Meanwhile, at the Jar Shop.
Felix watched Mona eyeing the jars with obvious hesitation.
He smiled lightly. "Miss Mona, are you sure you don't want to open one? It's definitely worth the money. Even if you get something you don't like, you can sell it for Mora."
"I..."
Mona was tempted.
The jars contained Mora. And strange alchemical tools.
If she pulled an alchemical tool, even if she didn't use it, she could sell it for a high price.
And if she pulled hundreds of thousands of Mora like that fisherman... that would be even better.
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