Chapter 820: Chapter 820 - 447: The Power of the Fernando

The battlefield's shrieks, cannonades, and crashing waves were swallowed by an even more domineering sound."Wooooo - !"It was a deep rumble, so low it made your teeth ache.As it pushed forward, an extremely pungent stench instantly rolled across the battlefield.This was the smell of industry, proclaiming its sovereignty over these waters.A hapless pirate brig just happened to be crossing its path.That ship had once been a hulking predator before merchantmen, but now it didn't even qualify as a speed bump.The Fernando didn't blow its whistle, didn't slow down, didn't even bother to turn."Crack."The wooden keel turned to powder the instant it touched the steel bow, and tens of thousands of tons of steel kept surging forward on inertia.Splintered planks, rotten canvas, and dozens of pirates who hadn't even figured out what was going on were sucked under that massive black hull in a heartbeat, leaving only pale streaks of blood in the wake.Before absolute mass, all technique, all courage, are a joke.Inside the armored command tower, it was as quiet as an air bubble in the deep sea.Thick bulletproof glass sealed out every trace of the destruction outside; the only sound was the low-frequency thrum of the steam engine coming up through the floor like a heartbeat.The air was dry and warm, even faintly scented with black tea.Fleet commander Arwin stood at the Sea Chart table.His dark blue double-breasted naval uniform was pressed razor-sharp, every button fastened up to the very top.He held a command sword in one hand, tapping it idly against his palm.Louis stood beside him, cup in hand, as if watching a play that had been rehearsed a hundred times, though in truth he was quite curious just how far this ship could go.Orland, on the other hand, had lost his composure a little.The chief engineer's fingers were shaking; his face was pressed to the glass as he stared, unblinking, at that enormous black silhouette of a ship outside.Arwin saw the signal flags rising from the vanguard squadron, and through the fog he also made out the three big fellows trying to close in.He turned, didn't raise his voice, and spoke into the voice-tube in the tone of someone ordering in a restaurant: "Shipwide, first-class battle configuration.""Unlock the main batteries."