Chapter 1148: Chapter 1148

1148: Chapter 1134 Countdown 1148: Chapter 1134 Countdown “There are twenty-three days to departure…”

Once the final departure date had been set, all work was now predicated on the preparations for battle.

Lu Ping’an issued a “recall order,” and all those on leave would return within forty-eight hours.

Meanwhile, various weapon equipment purchases, training, and integration had also reached the final stage, but for Lu Ping’an’s team, the schedule was still a bit tight.

“How is the outer armor plating coming along?

The triple-deck made using Sealing Skills should ensure water resistance, right?”

“The schedule is a bit tight, but as long as the higher-ups don’t raise any new factory demands, we should be able to make it…”

“Sorry, but I just received a notice that not only do we need to improve the water resistance level, but the pressure resistance level has to be raised as well.

In three days, a few beast transformation battle professionals will come and bang on it to test its explosion-proof capability.”

“The boss has gone mad, what does he want, a ship or a submarine?

We’re a merchant ship, not even warships have so many demands.”

Faced with a boss who kept upping the ante, part-time workers were feeling the strain.

But what was even more unbearable was still to come…

“Don’t say that, it might actually be used as a submarine…” Someone was about to complain, but then they recognized the familiar voice.

“Boss, what brings you here…”

The appearance of Lu Ping’an himself suddenly calmed down the complaining engineers.

How to deal with complaining about superiors when caught red-handed by the boss?

While some regretted their words, they also considered where to find their next job.

“…Sorry for making you work overtime.

Overtime pay will be doubled, and I will have the Administration Department send some consolation gifts soon.

But this time we really have no choice, the world we are going to is somewhat different from what we expected.

It’s possible that the places we need to visit are not just underwater but also the deep sea…”

Lu Ping’an wasn’t intentionally making rounds; he knew all too well how “the boss” should not wander around, especially when others were suddenly working overtime.

It just so happened that he himself was reinforcing his “ship” and had encountered front-line workers who were complaining about the higher-ups’ unreasonable work demands, which had once again increased their workload.

At that moment, avoiding the issue might not have been the best idea, so…

He tossed out a seed, which transformed into “ivy” that crept along the outer side of the ship’s deck, as he explained to the workers.

“…This time, we must consider underwater operations, so we have to reinforce the hull.

Considering our own safety, we can only reinforce it repeatedly.”

As more information was declassified and obtained, it became clear that new strategies needed to be adjusted.

Lu Ping’an had initially thought that this was still an ocean world, similar to a “Future Water World” made up of water ruins, but as more data arrived, it turned out that there were also vast domains of deep sea.

One might even say that the underwater world is the core area of that world, with a considerable number of underwater cities, which simply cannot be ignored.

“But with our current materials’ strength, achieving deep sea pressure resistance is simply not realistic…” Some things, no matter how hard one tries, just can’t be achieved.

The superiors’ current demands were like asking workers to use a civilian screwdriver to work with submarine steel plates.

“Don’t worry, it’s not that difficult.

I hear that over there, wooden ships can dive deep directly.

It seems due to the composition of the ocean and differences in physical constants like gravity, even in the deep sea, the water pressure is still very low…

but we are still terrestrial creatures, so reinforcing the submarine’s strength is essential.”

Lu Ping’an glanced at his “ship deck,” where the green vine he had planted was already climbing on.

This magic plant incorporated surrounding metals and soil as part of itself, indirectly forming the strongest external exoskeleton for the ship’s deck.

He nodded in satisfaction.

Normally, a project that would require a team of seven or eight Higher Order Gardeners, he could complete in an afternoon with a Life Investment’s acceleration.

In terms of logistics ability, a high-level Gardener represents the industrial capacity of a team, and Lu Ping’an’s “operational capacity” under specific circumstances was at least equivalent to that of ten high-level Gardeners.

At least, without a higher “Decree,” no matter how much Magic Plants are accelerated, they still need time and resources to mature.

The only problem was…

“…It’s just that the shape is getting stranger and stranger.”

The ship’s original wooden exterior was now covered with a layer of green, with tendrils vaguely visible waving in the water, making it appear even stranger.

But when it comes to performance, aesthetics are a minor issue…

“As long as it’s functional, after all, it’s living wood…”

The characteristic of living wood is its sustained growth potential.

With a substantial investment of resources, Redemption had already grown at least thirty times larger than before, and it was still in a stable growth phase.

If it were to be attacked, as long as it received sunlight and nutrients, it could heal itself.

Most importantly, as a high-order magic plant, even if it were transferred to another world, most of its functions could still be stably utilized, which is much more reliable than fickle machinery.

After encouraging the engineers, who still had to work overtime, Lu Ping’an shifted his attention to the next site.

With the decryption of more intelligence, Lu Ping’an came to understand that the world in question was indeed “high on strength,” which naturally meant that his own military preparations needed to be enhanced.

Now, the spending was no longer free-flowing…

Lu Ping’an had stopped checking the bills, which were quite suitable for treating low blood pressure.

However, he had his team, and now they were even more motivated.

The reason was simple—benefits…

“It turns out to be the place of origin of ‘spirit holy water’…”

This is a very precious material and a best-seller on the market.

Though there was a significant output, one couldn’t buy it without the right connections.

As a raw material, it could be used to produce over seventy common magic potions, at least a dozen of which could permanently enhance spiritual power and were costly.

Constantly consuming potions to level up is never advisable…

unless you can ensure a steady supply of better potions for improvement.

Physique, reflex, and spiritual power are essentially direct reflections of physical strength, physical control, and soul strength.

While the first two are relatively easier to enhance through physical improvement, boosting spiritual power without major risks or costs involved is a rare and precious treasure indeed.

“I mean, the market price of spirit water has dropped by at least half over the past few years…

heh, for all we know, the output has tripled thirty-fold.”

The “holy” in spirit holy water signifies its low side effects, often used as an auxiliary component in other magic potions.

Even so, its price is still so high that it’s beyond the reach of ordinary professionals.

Now, there’s an opportunity to visit its place of origin…

As per usual, the effects of these materials in their place of origin far surpass those of the “frozen goods” from exotic realms, naturally causing many informed-people to fall into a frenzy.

As a high-level member of Lin Nu’s Church, Lu Ping’an had access to some top-secret internal documents…

That alone gave him enough motivation to work hard, showing that Mercury 42 is indeed a world of exceptional value.

However, for the indigenous people without sufficient self-defense ability, it might not be such good news.

Slow down, don’t drop it.”

After confirming the high value of that world, Lu Ping’an decided to increase his “investment.”

He discussed with Wang Xier and the high-level executives of the Ancient City and personally purchased a production line for a “Submarine Shuttle,” which was now being moved into his courtyard.

In normal circumstances, this contraption wouldn’t be up for sale, and Lu Ping’an wouldn’t have been able to afford it, as golden eggs and the hen that lays them are not of the same level.

But after Lu Ping’an revealed some secrets, assuring that the world had enough potential…

“Let’s form a joint venture, Lu Ping’an takes three shares, Feisuo Factory 1 (Development Zone and the Exotic Races) provides the technology and initial labor for a five shares stake, and the Ancient City officials get two…”

Suddenly, any potential for technology leakage or labor issues ceased to be concerns.

Lu Ping’an not only acquired a complete production line and over two hundred skilled workers but also the full set of technology and accompanying engineers.

It seems that, if all goes well, Feisuo Factory 1 might just set up a branch on Mercury 42.

For Lu, this was undoubtedly good news; at least during the long journey, his courtyard factory would have a work schedule to keep.