"We have a lot of enemies right now. Alice reminded in a whisper: "You know, the threat of the orcs and the Holy Spirit has not been lifted. And now, the crisis at sea, far away from the overseas Arabe......"

Qin Song smiled, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a starfish rushing up on the beach, red and beautiful. He bent down to pick up the starfish, his fingertips feeling the rough protrusions of the epidermis.

"Alice, do you think it's pretty?"

Alice was stunned: "It's okay, I've lived by the sea since I was a child, and it's a bit commonplace." ”

She winked playfully again: "Sometimes, though, something interesting comes up." For example, a large conch bigger than a horn, a pirate captain's blindfold, a fish with one eye on one side, a small pink octopus with one eye, or something. ”

In front of Qin Song, Alice has always been honest and sincere, never flattering him because of his status as a wise man, and always choosing to express her meaning truthfully.

"yes. Qin Song smiled knowingly, and casually threw the starfish back into the sea: "In the vast sea, there are countless lives and secrets that cannot be solved. Just like this starfish, there are countless others like it, and in the past countless years, I don't know how many starfish have been washed on the beach. In the face of the power of the sea, they are too small and too weak to go with the flow. ”

Alice looked at the familiar, unfamiliar sea, thoughtfully.

In the past, she was just a simple child, and her impression of the sea was only vast, and she could bring many strange things to the beach. For her now, knowledge has become the new 'ocean' she loves, allowing her to focus on the wonderful creations that knowledge brings.

Qin Song sighed: "Don't you think that sometimes we are like a small starfish swimming in the sea." ”

"In the ocean of knowledge. Alice's pretty face was full of brilliance and interest: "Whether it's the captain's blindfold or the one-eyed octopus." In the face of the charm of knowledge, all are bleak. ”

Qin Song stopped, facing the blowing sea breeze, and the scorching sun hanging in mid-air sprinkled a faint layer of gold on the sea surface. It looks sacred and beautiful, but in fact it is full of dangers.

Alice's worries were for a reason, due to the lack of steel in the Blackstone Collar, the orcs were completely frightened and lost their source of steel. Even if a lot of manpower and material resources were wasted, the steel left in the hive was collected. But the amount of ironclad ships is too large and stretched.

So far, counting the No. 1 ironclad ship that has returned from Shanghai, the No. 2 ship that has just been towed out of the dock, and the No. 3 ship, only the No. 4 ship can be undocked after waiting for the installation of the torrent engine, and the deck of the No. 5 ship has not yet been completed.

In addition to armor, there are also supporting turrets, ammunition, reinforced keels, and reinforced decks, all of which are large iron consumers.

Hate only hated that he had played too many tricks before, all kinds of flowers, all kinds of spirals ascending to the sky, and frightened the iron boy orcs, and now he is concentrating his forces, and he only wants to break through the stronghold of the Holy Spirit, so as to find some confidence and heal the wounded heart.

Also considering the amount of steel required for the defense of the Blackstone Collar itself, it can barely be counted as 5 ironclad ships.

According to Harald, the number of warships of the Principality of Vendon was about 60 of the same tonnage, not counting the rest of the light and fast ships.

In terms of quantity, there is indeed something that is not enough.

But what about the quality......

Iron armor plus turrets, who uses who knows.

"Alice, a lot of times we don't have time to prepare. Ship No. 5 did not have time to reinforce the deck and batteries, and was temporarily used as a transport ship. Tomorrow morning is a good day for a long voyage, and I have a hunch that by saving the city of Arabe, our strength will be qualitatively improved. If you go on this expedition, the Blackstone Collar will be handed over to you and Leah......"

Before Qin Song's words were finished, Alice grabbed his hand and raised her little face: "I want to go on the expedition with you." ”

The biggest problem hanging overseas is not firepower, but logistical supply. Ammunition, food and fresh water are hard needs. Whatever is not effectively replenished, the consequences are unimaginable.

It's an adventure where every second counts.

Qin Song didn't want Alice to be in danger, after all, he wouldn't die.

"No, Qin, you listen to me. Alice shook her head stubbornly: "I'm not impulsive, I'm deliberate." Moreover, my sister and I also discussed it. Would you like to hear my reasoning?"

"Okay. Qin Song nodded, Alice is not a person who will easily change her attention.

"Number one, the logistics that you're worried about. There really are no shortcuts to this. However, at least I can guarantee that part of the ammunition is recycled. ”

"Second, our ironclad ships, with the exception of ship No. 1, do not have enough time to test. There's no guarantee that it won't break down halfway. In this regard, as a participant in the whole process of design and manufacturing, I am the best repairer. ”

Regarding these two points, Qin Song certainly took them into account, but compared to the risk, he was more inclined to protect Alice.

"There is a third point. At this point, another situation needs to be considered. For example, we successfully approached Arabe, but we didn't have the strength to solve the dilemma. Then, we can consider using local materials and using the existing resources of Arabe City to make more weapons without waiting for the assistance of the Blackstone Lord. ”

"Fourth. ”

Seeing Qin Song's appearance of listening carefully, Alice suddenly smiled mischievously: "I have seen the sea countless times, I have seen its vastness, its greatness, but do you know? I have never been out of the port, because my father and my sister think that the sea is too dangerous......

"Is this a reason?" Qin Song was a little crying and laughing.

"Of course!" Alice nodded thoughtfully, "I'm also the master of the Blackstone Territory, and it's logical to lead our own fleet and visit other countries on behalf of the Blackstone Territory to talk about the alliance, right?"

"Besides. Alice turned a heart-shaped silhouette on the tip of her toes on the soft white sand with her little hands behind her back, and then stood on it playfully, winking: "And one last reason, guess what?"

His face was red, but his eyes were hot.

There seems to be a string in my memory that has been touched.

In my memory, there was a girl wearing a white dress and white shoes, standing in the woods full of fallen leaves, tilting her head with a smile and asking him, "Guess what?"

All along, Qin Song's decisions have been based on the cruel facts behind the world, and he has to weigh the pros and cons, although there are risks, but they are all focused on the overall situation.

But at this moment, he was a little shaken.

Alice is not illusory, she has flesh and blood, her own persistence, her own feelings, and she is not a tool person born for his success or failure.

Qin Song understood that as long as he calmly analyzed the pros and cons, Alice might not disobey his decision.

Moreover, he has a hole card, that is, the army of mantis shrimp that has been hidden in the waters of Guano Island is now large, and there are hundreds of them, which can greatly cover the disadvantages of dense ocean warfare.

No matter how bad it is, there are still a few giant tentacle monsters that can be pulled to the battlefield.

However, he couldn't speak.

After a long silence, he walked up to Alice, took her little hand, and faced the place where the sea and the sky met, and a sunset was sinking.

"I've heard that the sunrise over the sea is more magnificent than on land. ”

Alice grabbed his big hand and smiled sweetly: "I'll watch it with you." ”

......

The decision to go on the expedition was made at the morning meeting, and in the evening, Qin Song announced that he had made changes. A few more names were added to the list.

Alice, Elena, Monica, and Joe, the latest to join the ranks of witches and contribute to the Riptide engine.

It was night, and the Daotan Pier was more busy than ever.

A large number of prepared supplies were loaded onto the ship, and the carefully selected soldiers were loaded with guns and ammunition, lined up in a neat line, and officially entered the ranks, becoming a glorious member of the Blackstone fleet.

For the sake of safety, the expedition is strictly secret, and the only people who see them off are Leah, Linda, Veronica, and Luna, and it's not that they don't want to go on adventures with them, but their homeland needs their defense, and they also take great risks against the orcs and the Holy Spirit.

Witches, young and old, have been through many battles, and their minds are no longer what they used to be. In the darkness of the dawn, there was no crying or parting.

Only encourage each other, and the indelible sadness that lingers in my heart.

When the sun's rays illuminated the Blackstone Collar, everything seemed to make no difference, the harbor was still bustling with ships and the farmers were still busy.

Five departing ironclad ships, riding the wind and waves, disappeared into the distant horizon.