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Chapter 332: Ground Effect Flight: No Science, Only Ninjutsu!
Chapter 332: Ground Effect Flight: No Science, Only Ninjutsu!
After more than ten minutes, the high-ranking officials of the Heavenly Fortress arrived at the shipyard.
This was an enormous offshore shipyard occupying a vast area.
Huge gates blocked the seawater, and all they needed to do to launch a ship was to open the gates and let the water in.
Although the scientific advancements in the ninja world were lacking, the ninjutsu techniques were incredibly powerful, so it wasn't surprising to see a scene so different from the past.
Several shipyards were bustling with activity.
With a large number of shipwrights brought in from the Water Country and other places, the shipbuilding capabilities of the Heavenly Fortress were exceptional.
Combined with their special management and welfare system, their efficiency and research capabilities were top-notch.
Of course, the most crucial factor was the incorporation of the skilled craftsmen from the Cloud Hidden Village, which led to a significant improvement in their construction abilities.
In terms of the number of ships produced, the Heavenly Fortress might not have been the most prolific.
However, when it came to the tonnage of ships, they completely dominated all other shipyards. Most of their current ships were now self-manufactured.
Especially in the field of ironclad ship construction, their expertise was unparalleled.
Although other shipyards were also researching this technology, the success of the Blazing Sun Fleet was evident to all. If they couldn't replicate the technology, they would surely try to copy it.
However, even if they wanted to copy it, it wasn't that easy.
From wooden ships to ironclads, there were numerous technical challenges to overcome, and they also had to tackle a colossal problem.
Steel!
Even if they could resolve the technical issues, the steel production was another matter.
The ninja world wasn't devoid of steel, but the quantity... Their backward productivity resulted in a shockingly low steel output.
It wasn't that the production was astonishingly high; it was astonishingly low.
Most of the steel was produced in small workshops, and factories were rare, perhaps only existing in the Lightning Country.
Take the Fire Country, for example, the most prosperous nation in the ninja world. Even there, the annual steel production might not reach several hundred thousand tons.
It wasn't surprising that a country of tens of millions like the Fire Country had such low production.
Apart from some prosperous cities, ordinary small villages might not even have access to steel.
Therefore, the ironclad ship technology was unique to the Heavenly Fortress.
Even the Fire Country coveted it but dared not act recklessly due to the Heavenly Fortress's formidable strength.
Today, Dong Ping, along with the other high-ranking officials, had come to see an ironclad ship, but it wasn't just any ordinary one.
"Sir, the Sunship you designed is now fully completed, and today is the day for its sea trial!"
A former Cloud ninja, now a Chunin, reported loudly.
The Sunship! This was the result of Dong Ping's discussions with the shipwrights, combined with his own black technologies. It was an 'experimental ship' built with an enormous investment of manpower and resources.
Several such ships had been built before, but all had failed. This was the first successful one.
If it were before, the construction of a two-hundred-thousand-ton ship would have taken a considerable amount of time, let alone an experimental one.
However, in the ninja world, where chakra existed, rapid construction was achievable with sufficient resources and chakra.
Using ninjas or chakra was all it took!
It was this speed that allowed them to quickly digest Dong Ping's black technologies and create the Sunship.
In terms of tonnage, this two-hundred-thousand-ton Sunship wasn't much larger than the aircraft carriers they had captured before.
But its appearance was a complete transformation.
Not only was it more exquisite and futuristic, but it was also adorned with intricate seal patterns.
These patterns were engraved with chakra metal.
Therefore, this Sunship was no ordinary aircraft carrier.
"Let's begin!"
Dong Ping gave the order.
The high-ranking officials around him remained silent, showing no signs of impatience.
It was clear that they all knew the Sunship was the centerpiece of this demonstration, and they were more than willing to take their time to 'appreciate' it.
"Hmph, it's just a metal shell!"
Ye Cang let out a snort.
Even though she had been branded with the Celestial Seal, it didn't mean she would instantly submit. It could only gradually influence her subconscious over time.
This was the difference between a seal and other divine techniques.
So, even though the Sunship's appearance was astonishing, she could only belittle it.
After witnessing the various aspects of the Heavenly Fortress, all she could do was remain defiant.
Her stubbornness amused the others, but they didn't say anything more. They, too, were curious to see what made the Sunship so special.
Whoosh!
The gates opened, and a torrent of seawater rushed into the dry dock, submerging the oddly-shaped metal battleship.
(The wings were devoid of letters and red stars.)
On the flat metal warship, the crew was already in position, and now, the Sunship was activated.
Vrrrr!
A deafening roar reverberated.
Numerous jet nozzles provided the massive vessel with forward propulsion.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dong Ping and his team leaped onto the Sunship.
The metal deck was clean and tidy, and also several times wider than a standard warship's deck.
The Sunship slowly departed from the dry dock.
"Accelerate!"
The captain, a ninja, gave the order.
Whoosh!
With the sudden intensification of the roar, the Sunship's speed increased steadily.
A powerful gust of wind abruptly blew the seawater beneath the ship's hull, creating lift and reducing the vessel's draft.
Finally, this colossal, two-million-ton metal warship rose from the water, hovering several meters above the sea's surface and accelerating rapidly.
Flight!
This was not the original aerial fortress mode of the Cloud Ninjas but a flight mode devised by Dong Ping based on the simple principle of 'ground effect'.
No science, just ninjutsu! Of course, if one could measure it at this moment, they would discover something extremely bizarre.
The originally two-million-ton metal hull now weighed only a few thousand tons, and with the ground effect flight principle, it was able to fly so high and fast.
This was made possible by the technology acquired from the aerial fortress.
The complete technology could directly make a city-sized fortress float in the air.
The simplified technology, with an unknown number of modifications, could only reduce weight.
But the advantage was its simplicity and low consumption.
Otherwise, it would have taken the Cloud Ninjas decades and countless manpower to build an aerial fortress, and he certainly couldn't afford to spend that much time.
Weight Reduction Barrier!
This was the name of the technology.
Once activated by chakra, it directly reduced the weight of the ship to a fraction of its original mass.
In combat, this ability held little significance for ninjas.
But in transportation, it was a revolutionary technological achievement.
Take the Sunship, for example; it could carry tens of thousands of tons of cargo and fly.
It was utterly unscientific but very much in line with ninjutsu.
Note that ground effect flight doesn't necessarily require a sea surface; it's just that the sea's flatness is most suitable for ground effect flight.
If the land is a flat area, flight is still possible.
Imagine carrying tens of thousands of tons of cargo and flying at hundreds of kilometers per hour; the implications are terrifyingly clear.
In the ninja world, where carriages can only carry a few tons and travel at speeds of a few dozen kilometers per hour, the Sunship is a monstrous innovation for transportation.
Aside from the Weight Reduction Barrier, another technology is the heart of the Sunship.
Power!
Both the Weight Reduction Barrier and ground effect flight require immense chakra to drive them.
Mini Nine-Tails!
The name itself indicates that it is a weakened version of the Nine-Tails.
The primary materials used in its creation are Katsura Tree, Hakueki, and Divine Tree Fragments, making it far less bloody and cruel than the original, and also less complicated.
Naturally, its power and reserve capacity are far inferior to the original, not even reaching one percent.
If the original could support a floating city, this Mini Nine-Tails might only support a maximum of ten million tons of vessels.
But the manufacturing difficulty has also decreased geometrically.
Furthermore, this Mini Nine-Tails does not have the ability to 'absorb dark emotions'; it only has the effect of 'converting dark emotions into chakra' for storage and output.
Dong Ping intentionally limited its functions.
He used the original Nine-Tails to collect dark emotions from the River Country, compressed them into a solid 'Black Rod', and fed it to the Mini Nine-Tails, allowing it to stabilize its chakra input, convert it into Wind Style, and expel it from the jet nozzles to gain propulsion.
The principle sounds simple, but the execution is far from easy.
A single Black Rod is sufficient to power the Sunship for half a year, and the effect is astonishing.
(End of Chapter)
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