Chapter 13: Grinding Experience

Good news: no extra R&D costs required.

Bad news: 22,500 silver coins is an alarmingly huge sum.

22,500 silver coins are worth one million, and this is one million from 1996.

If measured by grain purchasing power, one million today is harder to earn than ten million twenty years from now.

Of course, if materials are self-provided, it becomes much cheaper, requiring only a little over 300,000.

This figure makes hope seem more realistic; besides, recycling scrap steel seems to have a small bug:

It doesn't require purchasing through formal channels; one just needs to obtain steel.

Although 900-plus tons of scrap steel is not a small amount, it is far better than buying it; besides, steel today is not something cheaper than cabbage in later eras, and ordinary people find it very difficult to purchase such a large quantity.

Building the "Matsukaze" within 100 days is slightly difficult, but the bigger problem is who to sell it to.

Who would buy an outdated warship from the World War II era in the 90s?

Truly a headache.

With the task of sustaining an entire shipyard pressing down, Tang Wen lost the desire to continue spinning; he lifted his feet and walked toward the office, intending to prepare thoroughly for future plans.

Early the next morning, Tang Wen, who had stayed up half the night and dozed off in his chair in a daze, was awakened by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

A thin, elderly man pushed the door open; text hovered above his forehead:

【Tang Yi: R&D Center Director / Naval Engineer (Junior)】

"Greetings, Commander. I am the supreme head of research and manufacturing at the Gaijin Shipyard, and I will assist you in developing new equipment and resolving manufacturing issues.

The R&D Center currently has four members total, possessing the capability to develop naval and most mechanical equipment prior to the 1940s. You may conduct research at any time by consuming resources."

After the old man spoke a great deal, he snapped his heels together with a "click," saluted Tang Wen, and only then concluded.

"Wait, what did you call me? Commander?"

Tang Wen felt this title was somewhat strange; why did it feel like playing Azur Lane?

"Of course. You hold command authority over the shipyard and all warships manufactured there.

Your mission is to build increasingly powerful warships, then use them to defeat all challengers, and finally dominate the entire ocean!"

The old man's tone was impassioned, leaving Tang Wen increasingly confused as he listened.

This is not what the system said!

Tang Wen: "I can command warships?"

Tang Yi: "Yes. You can control any warship originating from the shipyard. Of course, I strongly recommend recruiting suitable captains, as this will greatly improve combat efficiency."

Tang Wen: "But controlling a warship requires many people; at the very least, hundreds of sailors. This is too difficult."

"You can directly control the warship, but equipping it with a suitable captain will make this much more convenient.

When the number of captains is sufficient, you can even command an entire fleet."

Tang Yi spoke concisely, saying the most terrifying things in the most matter-of-fact tone.

Tang Wen suddenly jumped up from his chair and asked incredulously:

"Are you saying I don't need anyone else? That I alone can control a warship, making it sail, maneuver, and fire its guns in combat??"

"Yes. This is the ability of every Commander; only you can do it."

Tang Wen's mouth hung slightly open; suddenly, as if realizing something, he looked at Tang Yi.

The latter raised an eyebrow and continued:

"When you command a warship, you must remain stationed on the bridge, so I do not recommend you undertake any dangerous actions."

Tang Wen was momentarily disappointed, but quickly became excited.

If one person could control a warship, that would be absolutely wonderful; isn't this just like playing a game?

Originally, the dozen departments and thousands of sailors on board would be completely unnecessary; relying solely on oneself to command a warship, doesn't that imply many possibilities?

"Tang Yi, can the 'Tax-Free No. 1' I built earlier be controlled as well?"

"Apologies, Commander. 'Tax-Free No. 1' is merely a hull and does not count as a warship. In fact, you have never built a single complete vessel."

Tang Yi's expression turned somewhat resentful; the system had descended for over half a month, yet Tang Wen had stubbornly built not a single ship, thinking only of reselling diesel engines for profit. This was a gross misuse of talent.

Meeting his gaze, Tang Wen sheepishly scratched the back of his head, thinking to himself that he truly hadn't done anything proper.

However, thinking of the less than 200 silver coins remaining in his pocket, he could only return to reality.

"Tang Yi, can a Level 1 shipyard only produce items related to warships?"

Tang Yi nodded.

"Then do various engines count? Actually, many engines used on land can also be installed on ships."

Tang Yi thought for a moment, then nodded again:

"Yes. Limited by our knowledge base and processing capabilities, the engines we can build are capped at 1940s technology. However, we can indeed provide a series of power components including steam turbines, reciprocating steam engines, coal-fired boilers, oil-fired boilers, internal combustion engines, and electric motors."

Tang Wen: "So sonar counts as well?"

"Of course. This is a basic fixture for warships. Anti-submarine sonar from the 1940s was already quite advanced. We can manufacture very capable sonar, both towed and ship-mounted."

"Then can it be used to detect fish schools?"

"This... of course it can, but..."

Tang Wen shifted the topic so abruptly that Tang Yi almost suffered a mental crash, yet he still hesitantly nodded.

Detecting fish schools was certainly no problem; a trivial matter.

Seeing his affirmation, Tang Wen rejoiced inwardly. Sonar was a great asset, and military-grade sonar was certainly superior. If sold to fishermen, it would surely generate huge profits.

He continued asking:

"What about radio transmitters? High-power radio transmitters must exist, right?"

"We have a very good vacuum tube radio, so could it be..."

"That's great!"

Tang Wen was already clapping excitedly; a radio was also a good thing. Now many fishermen couldn't afford radios, but if they could guarantee communication while at sea, they would surely be willing to spend money to buy one.

He was like someone who had discovered a new continent, constantly asking Tang Yi all sorts of strange and bizarre questions:

"You definitely have searchlights too, right? How could a warship not have one?"

"Yes, high-power searchlights are also easy."

"What about ordinary incandescent bulbs? The bulb technology of the 1940s should also be quite good; low-wattage household bulbs can be produced too, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"Telescopes are also good things; do you have these?"

"Can small marine electric motors be used as agricultural machinery?"

"..."

Facing Tang Wen, whose imagination was running wild, Tang Yi, realizing something was wrong, could only nod in frustration, yet Tang Wen seemed to get more and more out of hand.

"You can definitely cook on a ship; is there kitchen equipment? Is there an ice cream machine?"

"This..."

"The cabins on warships seem to be connected by telephone; can you make telephones too?"

"Commander..."

"There must be washing machines on the ship! That's a good thing too; home appliances are very popular now!"

"But..."

"On the ship there are also..."

"Commander!"

This time Tang Yi finally could not bear it any longer and raised his voice to interrupt Tang Wen:

"I must tell you first that in a Level 1 Shipyard, any item requires Research Experience to research; experience can only be exchanged singly for Silver Coins and cannot be exchanged 【back】."

"You currently have no Research Experience."

Tang Wen was greatly shocked: "But I could still use Silver Coins to research at Level 0!"

"That is because the Shipyard level was too low; it was a forced, helpless measure."

"You need to build different types of ships to gain Research Experience, or gain it by using the warships you build in combat."

Tang Yi then explained the official exchange rules of the upgraded Shipyard: besides Silver Coins being exchangeable bidirectionally with RMB, Gold Coins and Research Experience can only be exchanged unidirectionally for Silver Coins, cannot be exchanged 【back】, and can only be obtained through the system.

Coal and oil resources can only be purchased, but cannot be converted into other supplies, nor can they be materialized into reality.

Researching new products requires Research Experience, but Research Experience can only be obtained by researching new ships or through combat.

Without Research Experience, new products cannot be researched; without researching new products, Research Experience cannot be obtained.

But with only zero experience, isn't this a damn dead loop?

The only way to break this loop is combat; does he have to fight a hearty naval battle with someone?

Besides, the ships currently available to build are limited to the hull of the 'Tax-Free No. 1' and a 50-horsepower diesel engine.

The gasoline engine, which originally required 1000 Silver Coins to research, had suddenly changed to requiring 500 Experience, which could not be obtained again in the short term.

Tang Wen's face immediately turned dark, and he viciously grabbed the collar of Tang Yi's shirt:

"Now the Shipyard hasn't researched a single ship; if you can't research new ships and can't fight, isn't it over?"

The unprepared old man was almost pulled off the ground; he hurriedly slapped Tang Wen's hand away and said:

"How is there no ship? Mounting a few 50-horsepower tractors on the 'Tax-Free No. 1' is quite good; as long as it's a ship, it can fight."

"How to fight? Boarding combat?"

Tang Wen imagined the scene of himself jumping from a speedboat onto another fishing boat and then engaging in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat with the opponent.

"No, ramming."

Tang Yi explained seriously:

"It is one of the most primitive tactics of naval warfare; any ship can use it as a weapon. For ships below Level 1, you need to ram and sink a ship of similar size to count as sinking a warship."

After understanding, Tang Wen came to his senses and said with sudden enlightenment:

"Isn't this just grinding experience in low-level rooms? Are there any conditions for the ships that are sunk?"

Tang Yi: "Once combat is imminent, as long as that ship does not belong to your control and ownership, using your warship to sink it in any state will count as a battle result."

"..."

Tang Wen touched his chin and fell into deep thought.

Three days later.

Wu Lao Er sat in the cargo bed of the 'four-not-like' vehicle, closed his eyes, and yawned straight.

"Old Chen, how much longer until we arrive?"

"Soon, soon; don't rush."

Chen Yonggui, who was driving the tractor, was also yawning non-stop, not much better than Wu Lao Er.

It was just that Wu Lao Er was looking for sales channels all over the city, while he was secretly going out to sea.

Strictly speaking, May to August is a fishing ban, but going out to sea is something that is done at midnight anyway, returning to shore at dawn; the Ocean Bureau finds it hard to regulate.

Chen Yonggui naturally also knew the fishing ban was to give small fish time to grow to protect fish population numbers; at the same time, to avoid regulation, he ran as far as possible each time.

After several trips, it was quite tiring; he almost slept all day.

If it weren't for going to the town to deliver grouper to his son, he wouldn't have met Wu Lao Er who was hitching a ride.

Sitting on the cargo bed, Wu Lao Er spoke proudly of his harvest:

"I've run through all the nearby towns; 25-horsepower engines are rare! And they basically aren't sold separately—they're all on tractors."

"As soon as I mentioned I had a source for 25-horsepower units, just a few agricultural machinery shops ordered over ten."

"But outboard motors aren't selling well; those boat owners think brands they haven't used aren't reliable."

"Still, they're willing to spend. I said ten thousand per unit, and they didn't even blink. I have to make a few deals off them somehow."

"Ten thousand? Actually, that's not really expensive."

Chen Yonggui said with a sigh:

"You get the motors from Little Tang for only seven thousand, turn them around for ten thousand. In the time it takes to flip them, you pocket several thousand. You've taken all the profit!"

"That's not how it works. I run around everywhere, treating people to meals, tea, and cigarettes. The social debts are countless!"

"Come on, that's only a few hundred!"

"You... never mind. I heard Little Tang is opening a shipyard? Will he continue the diesel engine business afterward?"

"Who knows."

Chen Yonggui shook his head:

"Opening a factory isn't easy; one investment equals several ships. I'd rather he make money the right way."

"A shipyard takes at least several months to build. This... wait, what is this?"

The sighing sound stopped abruptly. The village chief slammed the brakes hard, and Wu Lao Er nearly fell out of the cargo bed.

"Old Chen, what the hell kind of driving is that? I..."

Wu Lao Er cursed as he stood up, then saw Chen Yonggui jump off the 'Four-Not-Like' vehicle and walk toward a water cove dozens of meters away.

Seeing this, he hurriedly followed, then discovered some broken wood floating on the water surface.

"Whose boat broke? But there haven't been any waves lately. Did they dismantle it themselves?"

"Who dismantles a boat into such a mess."

Chen Yonggui shook his head as he walked down, frowning once he looked closely.

The fragments looked as if they had been split. Who would do such a thing? As village chief, he certainly needed to know what was going on.

"Let's go check upstream; it floated down from above."

Once Wu Lao Er climbed back onto the vehicle, the 'Four-Not-Like' immediately set off along the cove. Before long, the sound of a diesel engine was heard.

After moving slightly closer, both saw an incredible scene:

In a water cove the size of a pond, a young man piloting a steel speedboat equipped with four outboard diesel motors shot out from a corner and then—Duang! —crashed into a dilapidated fishing boat moored on the opposite shore.

The wooden hull of the latter immediately burst open with a large hole, rapidly filling with water and sinking.

The young man controlling the speedboat let out a strange cry, then turned around and aimed in another direction.

Four or five small fishing boats were still moored in the cove; they were clearly old, discarded goods belonging to the villagers, the kind that could no longer go to sea, usually piled up as scrap.

Many villagers were watching the spectacle nearby; upon seeing the village chief, they hurriedly greeted him.

Chen Yonggui hurriedly asked what the situation was, and a villager replied:

"Today, the Tang family boy said he wanted to test some hull durability. He insisted on buying our rotten boats to crash into them, paying 50 yuan per boat!"

"But I saw him spending it like it was nothing; he blew several hundred yuan in one go today."

"He also said any unwanted rotten boats could be given to him, and he'd buy them all for 50 yuan. Village Chief, I remember your family has one too; hurry and bring it over!"

Chen Yonggui looked at Tang Wen, who was having the time of his life, and the children shouting excitedly around him, and several question marks appeared on his forehead.