Age of Mysticism

  Chapter 333 War Fortress

  When Luke followed the servant to the emperor's study, Queen Christina was quickly writing opinions on a document with a swan brush. Her expression was very focused, revealing the majesty of a monarch, so that the officials waiting aside did not dare to make any sound.

  After Christina finished writing, she took out a seal from the square box at hand, stuck some alchemy ink pads on it, and pressed it on the document.

   Handed the approved documents to the officials, and then said: "Cotton coats and fire crystals for winter must be sent to the northern border as soon as possible. There are also necessary medicines and potions, which must be replenished to the warehouses in the northern border according to the maximum reserve.

  From today, the cost of the palace will be halved, and the royal industry will raise a sum of money to supplement the national treasury. You prepare according to the order and don't have to worry about money. "

   "Follow the order, Your Highness the Queen."

  The officials took the order to leave, and Queen Christina asked everyone else to go out.

  Luke saluted Christina: "Your Highness, what is your purpose for summoning me?"

   "Don't be so restrained, sit down and talk." The queen invited Luke to the rest area beside him. After the two sat down on the leather sofa, an alchemy puppet brought out the tea set and poured tea. "Just now you heard that fighting two wars at the same time made the empire's finances very tight. Fortunately, you and Agatha solved the western border, so that the empire does not need to face the situation of fighting on three fronts.

   But the fiscal gap is still very large. "

  About military expenses, Luke talked with Agatha. Procurement of war materials, mobilization and recruitment of soldiers, and training of the army are all big money swallowers. The current empire is trying every means to plunder money, and the cabinet has already started discussing the collection of war taxes from the people.

  Luke said: "Your Highness...the city is expanding, fighting for sea power, and supporting the western border. The financial pressure of Raging Waves City itself is also very heavy.

   Now Raging City can also borrow from the World Bank to meet its own expenses. After the war with the United County of Yate County, the World Bank is very likely to stop follow-up cooperation.

   I'm afraid Raging Waves City can't make too many donations. "

   Facing Luke crying poor, Empress Christina smiled: "Don't worry...I summoned you this time, not to ask you for money.

   This is a quotation for war supplies, do you see any problems? "

   Not asking for money!

   Luke breathed a sigh of relief.

  He took a piece of paper from Queen Christina, and after just a few glances, he found a big problem.

   "This... Are these alchemy products?"

  Queen Christina picked up the teacup and took a sip, then slowly said: "I thought it was an alchemy product at first, but I sent someone to investigate...it's not.

  Just like the teacup I use and the tea I drink now, they are all ordinary things. "

  Luke looked at the list in his hand again, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Such a quotation can't be regarded as wool, it's just skin and skin.

  They can't do such a terrific thing, can they? "

  Water cup...unit price 100 Reichsmarks.

   Iron shovel... The unit price is 1200 Reichsmarks.

  Sword Embryo... The unit price is 5,500 Reichsmarks.

  …

   Sobriety Potion... The unit price is 23,000 Reichsmarks.

  Energy Supplement... The unit price is 32,000 Reichsmarks.

  Great recovery potion...Unit price 105,000 Reichsmark.

  …

Queen Christina sighed and said: "They don't dare to blatantly use the war to make money. This batch of supplies was reported in other accounts. Your majesty is not in good health, so it is impossible to see it in such a detailed way, so they are confused. .

   But these are small change! "

   "Is this still small money?"

  Luke was very surprised. He thought he was already a black-hearted businessman, but he didn't expect these people to be darker than himself.

  And if this is small money, how amazing is big money.

  Luke corrected his attitude and showed the appearance of studying.

  Queen Christina said: "I can see these exaggerated quotations. And for some large weapons and equipment, especially those that integrate new technologies, they can quote whatever they want.

   Anyway, I can't understand it.

  Procurement officials, audit officials, and cabinet ministers are all their people, and the empire can only pay according to the prices they set.

   Just one of the latest offensive and defensive war fortresses requires 10 billion Reichsmarks. "

  Clear Sky was wanted in Raging City back then, and the most expensive time was 1 billion Reichsmarks. One war fortress is ten clear skies, this money is too easy to earn!

Luke said: "The difficulty of manufacturing a war fortress is much lower than that of an all-metal warship. My first machine-class warship only sold for one billion imperial marks. A war fortress costs 10 billion. No wonder the empire's finances are so tight. "

  Queen Christina asked: "The difficulty of building a war fortress is lower than that of an all-metal warship?"

Luke knew that the queen didn't understand the difference between a battleship and a war fortress, so he explained to her: "The war fortress is a mobile castle when fighting on land. As long as the chassis is strong and there is enough power, the upper layer can be piled up freely. architecture.

  Most of the northern borders are plains, and movable war fortresses allow the army to arrange battle lines according to changes in the battle situation. The structures of war fortresses with different functions are different for offense, defense, troop deployment, and armed transportation, but they are generally very simple, and steel, wood, and bricks can be used as materials.

  The battleship has to consider buoyancy. This determines that warships must fully consider space, defense, and power, and dig out all potential as much as possible under limited conditions.

   The cost of 10 billion Reichsmarks is really...

  Your Highness, please give me this money. I will add an engine to the No. 1 machine, remove a part of the navigation equipment inside and install the tracks, and then ten war forts that can go ashore. "

  Queen Christina immediately became interested after hearing what Luke said: "Can the No. 1 warship really be converted into a war fortress?"

  Luke didn't expect Queen Christina to take it seriously, as if she wanted to place an order immediately. He hastened to fill in the omissions and said: "After all, the No. 1 machine is a sea vessel, and its shape is not suitable for land combat. But the machinery factory I just built in the cape area of ​​Raging Wave City has the ability to develop and build war fortresses.

  The major shipyards in Rough City can also provide materials and components for my machinery factory.

  As long as the empire gives me orders, Rage City can continuously manufacture cheap and sufficient war fortresses for the empire. "

Queen Christina became more interested, but she asked anxiously again: "Raging Waves City is far away from the northern border, and has to cross the mountains. How to transport the war fortresses built? The war fortresses currently in service in the empire are all built in Saint Lun City. Then there is a dedicated railway to transport to the north.”

   Encountered a good thing to make money, Luke's IQ broke through the sky in an instant.

"It's easy to handle! Rage City has the technology to build all-metal warships, and it can build large tugboats of more than 10,000 tons. I asked the machinery factory to seal the outer shell of the war fortress, and after the construction was completed, the tugboats would directly pull it from the sea to the northern border. Coastal landings.

  Transportation costs and efficiency are higher than railways, and it can save the empire a lot of money. "

   Queen Christina was very happy when she heard that Raging City was capable of transporting war fortresses by sea.

  In the history of wars in the northern border, due to the terrain, war fortresses have always been high-consumable items. And the high cost of the war fortress made the empire suffer for a while every time it received an application for a war fortress in the northern border.

   Now that Meteor has made a move, luxury goods have been priced at the price of cabbage. Queen Christina is more confident in her supervision of the Northern Territory.

  But Queen Christina did not fully believe Luke's words. After all, although the war fortress purchased by the cabinet was expensive, there have been no major mistakes. If it is rashly changed to purchasing cheap war fortresses from Raging Waves City, will there be serious quality problems?

   After all, fighting a war is related to human life and the fate of the country, so you can't just consider saving money.

  The War Fortress is definitely not what Meteor said, it is a low-tech weapon, which is only relative to the all-metal warship.

   "Raging Waves City has never had experience in building a war fortress. How can I believe that you will be able to adapt to the Northern War when you build a war fortress for the first time?"

  Luke laughed inwardly.

  Raging Waves City has no experience in building war fortresses, but players do!

   The hobbies of the player group are varied. Some like to specialize in warships, and some like strange weapons like war fortresses.

  The War Fortress is an enlarged version of the armored vehicle. Depending on size and function, dozens to thousands of soldiers can be loaded inside. Among them, the armor of offensive and defensive war fortresses is generally very thick, and it is difficult for existing artillery to penetrate the armor of war fortresses of the same level. Therefore, war fortresses on the battlefield are like knights charging one-on-one on the open ground.

   After colliding with each other, the special ramming angle can basically open a hole in the opponent's war fortress, and then the soldiers of both sides will fight hand to hand.

   Shelley once served in the steam fortress, and served as the commando captain and the third officer of the fortress.

  The 10,000-ton steel fortress collided, and sometimes there were scenes of war fortresses from both sides driving bumper cars in the wilderness in groups. Dozens of war fortresses collided with each other, and tens of thousands of people were fighting in the steel jungle. Just thinking about that scene made people's blood boil.

  In the game world, many players have too much money to spend in the later stage, and some of them play Fortress of War. There was even a "last base" brawl, where a group of battle fortress enthusiasts gathered on a battlefield with their own war fortresses, and whoever's war fortress could be activated after the chaos ended was the winner.

  In order to win, players open their minds and add various weapons to the war fortress. Sanctions on thunderbolts, laser knives, high-pressure steam attack horns...all are installed on the upper body, and then defensive equipment is added to the corresponding weapons.

  Then is to upgrade the power equipment, use alchemy and all means to make your war fortress thicker, faster, and stronger.

  Finally, floating technology has become a standard configuration for every player's war fortress, and ground collision should become sky collision.

  Of course, this kind of war fortress created by players is not suitable for consumption in national wars. But Luke randomly copied a low-profile blueprint from the mobile phone database, which is also a war fortress beyond this era.

Therefore, Luke confidently said to Queen Christina: "As long as the empire places an order for the Battle Fortress of Raging Waves, I dare to promise to deliver the goods first and then pay. Even if the northern army is satisfied with the use, there is no need to pay any more." question.

   At that time, as long as your highness says that my war fortress is not practical, I will not take any money.

  You can write my promise on the purchase agreement of the War Fortress. "

   "Good!" Queen Christina felt that she had no reason to refuse. Going to the northern border to supervise the battle by yourself, of course, the more weapons you can have, the better. The war fortress on the side of the cabinet continued to be ordered. No matter how badly the war fortress on the side of Raging Waves City was built, it was still tens of thousands of tons of iron bumps, and transporting it to the northern border was equal to more fighting power. If the war fortress built by Raging Waves is good and cheap, wouldn't the odds of winning the Northern War be greater?

  Queen Christina and Luke signed an order agreement for the war fortresses on the spot. The first batch of ten offensive and defensive war fortresses totaling 10 billion Reichsmarks will be delivered within half a year.

  After signing the order, Luke was in a very happy mood.

  He calculated in his mind that according to the industrial system and production capacity of Raging Waves City, the first batch of thirty war fortresses could be built together. Then expand production capacity while building, and strive to achieve the small goal of annual production of 100 seats.

  During the war, as long as this thing passed the battlefield inspection, it would not worry about being sold. Raging Waves City relies on sea transportation, so it can buy wherever it wants.

   Moreover, this thing is used for collision on the battlefield. If you lose the collision, it will be gone, and if you win the collision, it will also need to be overhauled. Subsequent services can make a lot of money and support a large group of people.

  Luke happily put away the purchase order. I didn't expect that such a large order could be obtained just after the machinery factory in Haijiao District was built.

  At this time, Empress Christina suddenly said with an epiphany: "I summoned you to discuss important matters. How did you turn into purchasing a war fortress from Raging Waves City?"

   Luke is also alert: Yeah! How does it talk about purchasing war fortresses coming up?

   But Luke said without blushing: "Purchasing war forts is also an urgent matter. I don't know what Her Royal Highness wants me to do when she summons me and asks me to read this list?"

  Queen Christina felt that since the purchase agreement had been signed, there was no need to think about how to change the topic.

   "There are too many blood-sucking insects clinging to the empire. The new nobles of the Cross Society have lost their previous aggressiveness and ideals, and are only thinking about how to use the power in their hands to seek benefits for themselves.

  There are too many abuses in the cabinet and the court. I recommend you to join the cabinet because I want you to check and balance them. If you have the ability to make big moves and bring them to justice, I will fully support you. "

  After listening to Queen Christina's words, Luke calmed down instantly.

   "Your Highness... You have to leave the court to protect yourself and go to the north to take risks. What can you give me to support me?"

  Christina's whole body tensed up suddenly, and her expression changed from calm to tense.

   "I went to the Northern Territory to boost the morale of the Northern Territory Legion. Don't make random associations."

   "It doesn't matter if I make random associations. It is the most deadly thing if you cross the border too much. Gabriel and the Cross Society are not so easy to deal with. You should consider whether you can withstand the first wave of the Art County United offensive in the north.

   And I have to consider whether that... can return to his position. "

   After speaking, Luke picked up the tea and drank it slowly.

   Thanks to the leader on Hatsune Yi. Adding and making up changes will be arranged during the eleventh period. I've been really busy lately.

  (end of this chapter)