The Captain's Cabin door slammed shut, cutting off all the commotion on the deck.
Roger leaned against the door, letting out a long sigh.
In his ears, he could still almost hear the wild howls of the pirates celebrating their share of the aztec gold coin, and the unique, slightly metallic scent of the coins seemed to linger in his nostrils.
But his heart at this moment was hotter than ever.
He walked to the large desk made of fine teak and sat in his exclusive captain's chair, which was padded with velvet cushions.
He fully immersed his consciousness into his mind.
In his vision, the translucent blue panel, visible only to him, floated quietly.
Name: Roger
Era: Ancient
Technology Tree: Ancient Ship Technology (Activated)
Holy Relic: Cursed aztec gold coin (2/882)
Gold Coins: 7132
Seven thousand one hundred and thirty-two gold coins!
Looking at this number, Roger's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
This was the first huge sum of money he had earned in this world, relying on his wits and courage, through real battles!
With this money, he could finally turn the crazy ideas in his head into reality!
His gaze fell on the technology tree, which was like a vast starry sky.
Previously, due to his meager funds, he had only unlocked a few basic technologies to repair the explorer.
Now, he had enough capital to go on an unprecedented shopping spree!
"System, open all branches of Ancient Ship Technology for me!" Roger thought to himself.
Instantly, the entire structure of the technology tree was displayed before him in a clearer and more intuitive way.
It was mainly divided into four main branches:
Hull Structure, Sail Rigging System, Weapon System, and Navigation Technology.
Under each main branch, countless dense smaller branches extended.
Roger's goal was clear.
He wanted to build not just a simple pirate ship.
But a sea monster that combined speed, defense, and firepower, capable of crushing all ships of this era!
Therefore, the order of upgrades also had to be strategic.
First, survivability!
Only by surviving can there be DPS!
The ship must be tough!
Tough enough to withstand a beating from the Royal Navy!
His gaze immediately locked onto the Hull Structure main branch.
Following down from Basic Structural Mechanics, he saw a technology that made his eyes light up.
Simple Watertight Compartment Technology: Divides the hull into multiple independent compartments, ensuring the ship's buoyancy even if some compartments flood, greatly improving the ship's resistance to sinking. Unlocking requires 500 gold coins.
"Damn it!" Roger cursed inwardly.
"The crystallization of wisdom from my great Song Dynasty, and it sells for so much here?"
"Are you robbing me?!"
He grumbled, but his body was honest.
This thing was expensive for a reason.
With it, the explorer would have several extra lives!
"Unlock!" Roger didn't hesitate.
Gold Coins - 500, Remaining 6632
Watertight Compartment Technology Unlocked!
A massive stream of information poured into his mind.
Countless pieces of knowledge about cabin design, plank sealing, and structural reinforcement were instantly mastered by him.
He continued to look down.
Keel Prototype: Uses lamination technology and ironwood hybrid structure to greatly enhance the strength and toughness of the keel, allowing the ship to withstand more violent winds and waves and greater cannon recoil.
Unlocking requires 300 gold coins.
"This must be unlocked too! Only with a strong foundation can you output!"
"the explorer will be equipped with heavy cannons in the future. If the keel isn't sturdy, firing a cannon would make it fall apart first. Wouldn't that be a joke?"
"Unlock!"
Gold Coins - 300, Remaining 6332
Keel Reinforcement Unlocked!
Double-Layer Hull Plating: Adds another layer of specially treated hardwood planks outside the original hull, with a mixture of asphalt and hemp fibers filled between the two layers, effectively defending against small and medium-caliber solid cannonballs.
Unlocking requires 800 gold coins.
"Wow! Double-layer armor!"
"Buy it! Must buy it! When I'm exchanging fire with others, their ship will be shedding planks while cannonballs will be bouncing off mine! The scene is too beautiful!"
"Unlock!"
Gold Coins - 800, Remaining 5532
Double-Layer Hull Plating Unlocked!
Having spent 1,600 gold coins in one go to arm the hull to the teeth, Roger felt much more at ease.
Next, speed!
In martial arts, speed is paramount.
At sea, if you're fast, you can choose to fight or not to fight, always maintaining the initiative.
Roger turned his gaze to the Sail Rigging System.
Multi-Mast Technology: After unlocking, single-masted sailing ships can be converted into two-masted or even three-masted sailing ships, greatly increasing sail area and sailing speed.
Unlocking requires 1000 gold coins.
"This... is a bit expensive."
"I won't unlock it for now." Roger thought for a moment.
the explorer's hull was still too small; trying to fit too much power onto a small frame would be detrimental.
Forcibly converting it into a two-masted ship would disrupt the hull's balance, making it not worth the effort.
He would consider it later when he got a larger ship.
He continued to look down.
Full Sail Rigging System: An extremely complex rigging system, including the combined use of square sails, fore-and-aft sails, triangular sails, and other sail types, capable of adapting to various wind directions and maximizing wind energy utilization through precise adjustments.
Unlocking requires 600 gold coins.
"This is good! It's like switching from manual to automatic transmission, with paddle shifters!"
"With this, the explorer will be able to drift around corners!"
"Unlock!"
Gold Coins - 600, Remaining 4932
Full Sail Rigging System Unlocked!
Hull Streamlining Optimization: By fine-tuning the lines of the bow and stern, water resistance during navigation is reduced, slightly increasing sailing speed.
Unlocking requires 400 gold coins.
"Every little bit helps. The faster, the better!"
"When you can't win a fight, even 0.1 knots faster can save your life!"
"Unlock!"
Gold Coins - 400, Remaining 4532
Hull Streamlining Optimization Unlocked!
With defense and speed taken care of, next came the most important part.
Firepower!
Justice may be delayed, but truth is always within the range of a cannon!
Roger's eyes glowed with excitement as he clicked on the Weapon System.
The previously unlocked Buffered Gun Mount was just the most basic technology.
Now that he had money, he wanted the best!
Rifling Engraving Technology (Primary): Allows simple rifling to be engraved on the inner wall of smoothbore cannons, causing cannonballs to spin upon exiting the barrel, greatly improving shooting accuracy and effective range.
Cross-technology unlocking requires 1500 gold coins.
"Rifling! Holy crap! Rifled cannons!"
Roger's breathing quickened when he saw this technology.
This wasn't just a version update; this was changing the whole game!
Others were still playing CS1.5, and he was already using a Barrett!
With this, the accuracy and range of his 12-pound cannons could completely dominate the Royal Navy's 24-pound heavy cannons!
"Unlock! Unlock it now! Unlock it immediately! Even if I have to sell my blood, I'll unlock it!" Roger roared in his mind.
Gold Coins - 1500, Remaining 3032
Rifling Engraving Technology (Primary) Unlocked!
Advanced Artillery Sight: Adds adjustable sights and crosshairs to the basic sight, allowing for fine-tuning based on distance and wind speed, further improving aiming accuracy.
Unlocking requires 500 gold coins.
"This one too!"
"Billy's brain is as straight as his muscles. Without a good assist, even the best cannon won't hit anyone! This is like buying him an aimbot!"
"Unlock!"
Gold Coins - 500, Remaining 2532
Advanced Artillery Sight Unlocked!
Delayed Fuse (Primary): Allows for the creation of simple delayed fuses, enabling explosive shells to detonate after a delay following launch, causing wider damage to enemy hulls and personnel.
Unlocking requires 800 gold coins.
"Explosive shells! Art is an explosion!"
"This thing is simply a deck-sweeping artifact! I like it!"
"Unlock!"
Gold Coins - 800, Remaining 1732
Delayed Fuse (Primary) Unlocked!
After a crazy shopping spree, Roger's gold coins instantly evaporated by over five thousand.
He looked at the remaining 1,700-plus gold coins and smacked his lips.
It felt like the aftermath of a Singles' Day shopping spree—both exhilarating and empty.
Finally, he turned his attention to Navigation Technology.
Precision Cartography: After unlocking, it can automatically draw precise sea charts containing detailed information such as latitude and longitude, water depth, and ocean currents.
Unlocking requires 500 gold coins.
"This must be unlocked. Wherever my fleet goes, the map will open up! Full map vision, it's all about information advantage! Knowledge is wealth!"
"Unlock!"
Gold Coins - 500, Remaining 1232
Precision Cartography Unlocked!
Celestial Navigation: Through observing the positions and angles of celestial bodies, more precise positioning and route planning can be achieved, completely breaking free from reliance on land and realizing true ocean-going voyages.
Unlocking requires 700 gold coins.
"This is even more important! My goal is the starry sea; how can I be confined by a small coastline?!"
"Unlock!"
Gold Coins - 700, Remaining 532
Celestial Navigation Unlocked!
Looking at the final balance of 532 gold coins, Roger let out a long breath.
Spending money felt so damn good.
However, he still needed to save some gold coins to buy materials.
Otherwise, no matter how many tech points he had, it would be useless if he couldn't apply them to the ship!
His explorer would soon no longer be that shabby piece of junk that needed constant repairs.
It would become a prehistoric giant shark, clad in heavy armor, wearing running shoes, and with teeth sharpened to a deadly point!
Just waiting to find some unlucky soul to try out those teeth.
Roger leaned back in his chair, happily fantasizing about the dauntless being riddled with holes before him.
"Thump thump thump."
A series of urgent knocks on the door interrupted his fantasy.
"Captain?" It was Gibbs's voice, sounding a bit hesitant.
"Are you in?"
Roger straightened up.
"What is it?"
Gibbs outside the door hesitated, then lowered his voice:
"Uh... Miss Swann, she seems a bit off. She's locked herself in her cabin, not eating or drinking, and not responding no matter how much we call her..."
Roger waved his hand.
"It's nothing. She'll eat when she's hungry."
"If she's not eating, then she's still not hungry!"
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