pdf-ebookys Chapter 749 What a magnificent ship!
Chapter 749 What a magnificent ship!
“Your Grace, you are undoubtedly a very shrewd man.”
Hearing this, Xu Ning was quite certain that the Duke was one of those who were determined to save Fontaine.
However, he knew very well that sending the Fontaines, who are easily soluble in water, to investigate the secrets of the Primordial Ocean was like throwing a sugar cube into boiling coffee.
So he chose the Fools, this stone that doesn't dissolve in water, and let them explore under his control, throwing away those that didn't suit his taste.
Hearing Xu Ning's praise, Leosley smiled wryly and said, "At first, I did think so too, but things have now turned out to be beyond my expectations. The young master's sudden disappearance may be because he saw the right answer, but what exactly he saw, I have no idea."
Xu Ning smiled slightly, "So you need to throw in the second stone. If you're short of people, I'm willing to help you."
Leosley did indeed have this idea in mind, so he wasn't surprised at all when Xu Ning brought it up.
But there was no greater joy. This Liyue native in front of him was said to be driven by self-interest and seemed to have never suffered a loss in his journey from various countries. The Duke did not believe that he had no conditions.
What price do I need to pay?
Leosley asked calmly.
Xu Ning liked talking to people who understood things, so he waved his hand and laughed, "'Price' sounds too heavy. Actually, I just want to ask His Excellency the Duke to be my guide again, just like the day before, to tour the restricted area protected by Mello Petersburg."
Leiosley was slightly surprised when he heard Xu Ning's words. "That's it?"
Xu Ning chuckled and said, "What do you mean 'that'? I did my homework before I came. It's said that the secret guarded by Mello Petersburg can be traced back to the destruction of the last civilization and the birth of Fontaine. There wasn't even a name like Mello Petersburg back then. Something that has been hidden for thousands of years deserves to be called 'that' by you?"
Leosley scratched his head and smiled.
"So, I really have been sitting on a treasure trove without realizing it? Alright, let's go, I'll take you to the restricted area of Mero Petersburg."
Leosley's office is very much in the style of Melo Petersburg, resembling a giant circular pipe.
After all, Xu Ning had experienced the high-tech baptism of the Crimson King's Tomb, and upon entering this pipe, a concept immediately came to mind: an elevator shaft.
Leosley's office for receiving guests was on the second floor. The first floor was completely empty. After he touched a switch somewhere on the wall, a cover suddenly spun open on the side, revealing a staircase leading downwards.
Leosley went down first, and Xu Ning followed.
"It's clear you're not surprised at all by the location of the restricted area."
As Leosley descended the spiral staircase, he looked up slightly at Xu Ning's face and asked.
As Xu Ning sipped his wine, he looked around and casually replied, "Oh, this may be offensive, but from what I've heard, people outside call His Excellency the Duke 'Cerberus,' since Cerberus guards the entrance to Hell. So, the fact that this entrance is hidden right under your feet is really nothing to be surprised about."
Leosley laughed, “They certainly don’t mean the hell I’m talking about, but they are right about the entrance.”
The two walked down a long staircase and arrived at the basement level, where a huge gate was revealed on the wall.
In front of the gate, there was already a man and a woman standing there.
The man greeted Leosley as soon as he saw him, "Duke, you've come at the right time. The data from the latest experiment is in..."
"Wait, Julius, there's someone else!"
The girl, however, had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Xu Ning coming down. She not only stopped the man named Julius in time but also took out a small bottle from her pocket.
Xu Ning naturally recognized those bottles. According to the confessions of the treasure-hunting groups in Liyue, many of them "sourced" their goods from Fontainebleau by using chemical agents and elemental power.
And within Mero Petersburg, there are countless "talented individuals" who can manufacture and utilize talent.
"Lourvie, don't be nervous. I brought this gentleman down here specifically."
Despite what Leosley said, the girl named Lulvie did not put the small bottle back in her hand and continued to watch Xu Ning warily.
"Your Grace, you also said that we must not reveal our plans to anyone under any circumstances!"
Leosley smiled and said, "This one is different. He has been involved in our plan for a long time. Do you remember the 'pointer reversal' incident I told you about?"
Julius exclaimed in shock, "Isn't that a mechanical malfunction as we suspected? It was him...you...but how did you do that?"
Xu Ning saw Leosley turn around and smile at him without saying a word. It seemed that this guy was also quite curious about his methods.
Since the other party is willing to be open and honest in bringing me to the restricted area, I should at least be more honest in return.
So Xu Ning frankly told the three of them, "I'm sorry, I have no comment."
Lulvie clearly made a throwing motion, but thankfully she managed to hold back.
At Leosley's prompting, Julius pulled the lever with a dark expression. The gears spun rapidly, and the gate slowly opened before him.
Xu Ning couldn't help but take two steps forward and exclaimed, "What a magnificent ship!"
Behind the gate was a raised viewing platform with huge, thick floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offered a panoramic view of the underground factory in Melo Petersburg.
However, what lies behind this is neither the assembly workshop for forging mechanical parts and assembling mechanical guards that the young master remembered, nor the sorting workshop for processing "primordial ore" that Linni found deep underground on the third floor.
This is a massive shipyard that is in no way smaller than the southern port of Liyue Harbor.
Amidst countless enormous hammocks, a mechanical ship that Xu Ning had almost never seen before was being meticulously polished and painted, seemingly nearing completion.
"What a magnificent ship! Well, I didn't really expect you to appreciate the grandeur of the Viengorai anyway. After all, it's modeled after the golden behemoth 'Fatuna' of the god-king Remus. Legend has it that that behemoth came from the heavens, and our Viengorai will also soar through the heavens..."
Xu Ning glanced at the excited Lulvie, "You actually want to build a flying behemoth? That's a very good idea. May I ask who this gentleman is?"
Leosley chuckled, “I forgot to introduce you. These two are technical advisors I’ve hired. Julius is one of the top research talents at the Fontaine Academy and Edwin’s assistant. This Miss Lulvie is Julius’s assistant.”
Xu Ning glanced at Leosley with some surprise. "Oh? Your Grace is quite bold in employing people. Although I don't know these two, Edwin, is he the mad scientist who blew up the Fontaine Academy?"