Steel steam and flame

"Remember that was the second incident with extremely heavy losses." Hilarelli did not comply with Nonoska's wishes. She continued to talk about that memory. Nonoska said she didn't want to think about it, but she didn't stop Hilarelli from continuing to bring up the topic. He knew that the decades of life on the ship had already become an important part of his life and could not be eliminated.

Now talking about the situation at that time, the mood and attitude of the two people have completely changed. It was as if he were simply reciting the content printed in the textbook in calm and emotionless words. It was no longer something he had personally experienced, but he was completely standing in the perspective of a bystander.

"Think about it, it's been forty years since we boarded the Venetus and started exploring unknown waters..."

"Forty-four years." When Hilary was thinking, Nonoska took up the conversation and gave the specific time, "Forty-four years, seven months and thirteen days. Of course, if we finish today, it will be Fourteen days.”

"You remember it clearly." Hilarelli with a wry smile didn't know whether it was a compliment or pity for Nonoska who could remember this time clearly. "At that time, you, me, and Chilman were all because of one thing. We were attracted by the notices posted to various departments and agencies of Theocratic State, and even in the dark world. It was very in line with the characteristics of our age group at that time. The so-called generous salary, the ability to join some national institutions of Theocratic State after returning, and the promotion of positions were all It seems unimportant. What is important is that this notice has really aroused the curiosity of too many people. Becoming an adventurer when you are young and seeing all kinds of unknown things is not an impulse in everyone's heart."

"I am a researcher at the First Institute of History of Theocratic State, and Hillary, you are a teacher at a school for first- and second-stage surgeons. And Chillman, who went to the Venetus, has been traveling around the Theocratic State all year round. In the dark world of the city. Middlemen, arms dealers, bounty hunters, assassins who can kill anyone within their capabilities as long as the reward is enough, etc. Speaking of which, among the three of us, Chillman’s experience is legendary and the richest. , It seems that I have done everything for my own life." There is also a kind of gratitude that is unconsciously revealed in the sighing words. Nonoska knew that Chilman could account for 90% of the reason why she was still alive, sitting in the room and talking to Hilary about her past. The same goes for Hillary.

Hillary sighed and laughed, "This is the difference between everyone. Because of our respective positions and experiences, different people will achieve different results when dealing with things and facing various situations."

Nonoska nodded in agreement. For Chilman, during the time when the giant ocean-going ship Venetus was exploring unknown waters, or to be precise, during the first nineteen years of exploration, neither he nor Hillary knew that the entire fleet was Among the members, there is also a man named Chilman. Similarly, the entire fleet has more than 400,000 members, and he and Hillary only know a very small number of people. And during those nineteen years, the first fifteen years, Nonoska and Hilary were strangers to each other. Including Chillman, the three people belonged to different functional departments of the fleet and were assigned to work on different accompanying ships.

When the ocean-going giant Venetus set out, it brought with it more than 130 ships of various types. Among them, there are five supply ships that are larger than the Venetus itself. The ocean-going giant Venetus itself is about three thousand meters long, and the five supply ships are close to seven thousand meters long, just like an artificially constructed steel island on the sea. In order to push it to keep up with the fleet, nearly half of the space of each supply ship is used to install and build power systems and auxiliary equipment.

But fortunately, all equipment and ships are powered by steam, and the seawater purification system is not a problem for the Theocracy's technological power.

In the first three years, the entire huge fleet never stopped since it set off. Following the counter current formed by the central current belt impacting the back phase continent, the speed of the fleet is very impressive. Three years later, the fleet without any time to rest successfully reached the edge of the previous fleet exploration.

The exploration activities consumed a huge amount of money, but they never stopped for a long time. Because the purpose of each exploration is different, for unknown areas, the shape formed by the places that have been explored is not an arc, but various barbed ridges.

The ocean fleet changed course for the first time in three years. They plan to go to the deepest point they have explored before, and then use it as another starting point to reach their target sea area. So another two years of non-stop sailing began.

Five years does not seem to be a long time for the more than 400,000 people in the entire fleet, because the entire journey is in the already explored sea areas, and relevant follow-up research and exploration are also carried out simultaneously. During that period, curiosity and adventurous psychology During the time, everyone was indeed satisfied.

During that time, Nonoska and the others also realized that there was a group of people called "Lone Observers" far away from the mainland. In some explored sea areas, scrapped supply ships from previous fleets are used as floating islands on the sea to continuously observe the situation in that sea area.

He had almost lost contact with the mainland. If he hadn't known that the Theocracy had set up a special department for these people, Nonoska would have believed that these people were the lost ones who were lost in the endless sea after major incidents occurred in the fleet in the past.

Every time it passes a "lonely observer", the fleet will replenish them with some supplies. In fact, this is also one of the tasks and tasks of the ocean-going fleet.

Five peaceful years passed, and the sixth year of the voyage began. At that time, Nonoska, Hillary, and Chilman were still at their respective posts, doing their own things well. When they have time, not only them, but also many others, will choose to walk among the ships that can be boarded in the entire fleet. While looking at the different types of ships, they also apply for a rare opportunity to stay away from the fleet to explore the sea area. Opportunity for tasks to follow up on previous research and collect further data.

The sixth year went by roughly like this. By the seventh year, the entire fleet was still absolutely vigorous, and there was not a single death or case during this period. Although not all of the more than 400,000 people are surgeons, in terms of medical treatment and disease prevention, before the start of every ocean exploration mission, the preparations made by the fleet are the most important alongside the power system and defense system. Important matters.

Then, the seventh year comes. By the middle of the seventh year, the ocean-going fleet has reached the deepest point of the sea that has been explored in the past. From there, everything it goes to will be unknown territory. At that time, Nonoska and the others also encountered the last supply ship of the "Lone Observer".

But there are no survivors on it, only an empty steel shell floating on the sea, and the bones of hundreds of crew members left behind after the ship was infected by a certain type of deadly bacteria. The changes in the entire ocean-going fleet also started from that time.