After getting a basic understanding of the Port, they continued forward until they reached the seaside.
Richelieu intended to demonstrate Azur Lane’s technology and the power of the shipgirls for Adam.
“Mr.
Adam, we were born from Wisdom Cubes.
We are true machines of war.” “Do you know what kind of abilities we possess?” She stepped onto the surface of the sea, her expression proud.
“I’d love to hear it.” Adam smiled at the girl standing on the water and made an inviting gesture.
Of course he already knew shipgirls had certain superhuman abilities, but in Richelieu’s eyes he was still a stranger from another world.
Might as well let her show off a little.
Click…
Richelieu raised a hand.
Her battleship-scale rigging projected into existence around her.
Two quadruple 380 mm main battery turrets stood on either side.
The bridge and conning tower sat slightly behind her body.
The pure-white turrets were engraved with golden Crosses of Lorraine…
the symbol of Iris Libre…
and further decorated with elegant gold patterns along the top and bottom.
The entire rigging was as noble and refined as its master.
At some point a long spear had appeared in Richelieu’s hand.
A golden ribbon was tied around the shaft in the shape of a beautiful iris flower.
“It’s beautiful.” Adam praised.
“‘Beautiful’ isn’t the most appropriate word for a weapon of war… but I’ll accept the compliment.” Richelieu nodded.
“Can you project your actual hull as well?” Adam asked curiously.
He had never boarded a shipgirl before.
Ahem.
He meant he had never boarded a shipgirl’s actual warship.
“We can.
But most of the time we prefer fighting in rigging form…
it’s more flexible.
We rarely use the full hull.” Richelieu dismissed her rigging, then waved her hand again.
White light flashed.
Along the coastline of the Port, a battleship roughly two hundred meters long appeared on the water.
Up close, the main guns on the deck looked even more intimidating.
The stepped conning tower rose dozens of meters high, surrounded by countless secondary batteries.
One had to tilt one’s head back just to take in the full majesty of the giant ship.
Lead ship of the Richelieu-class battleships…
Richelieu herself.
“Come aboard.
You’re the first person to set foot here.” “I almost never invite anyone onto my hull.
Consider this a special exception for you.” Richelieu invited Adam onto the deck.
“I didn’t expect I’d ever get the chance to see this ship.” Adam looked around in genuine admiration.
If the French army had thoroughly embarrassed itself by getting speed-run in thirty-nine days during World War II, then Richelieu could be called the final glory of France.
She had fought across Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific, serving alongside Iowa, North Carolina, Illustrious, Saratoga and others.
She had bombarded the Japanese home islands and even taken part in their surrender ceremony.
“You know quite a bit.” Richelieu sounded a little pleased when Adam brought up the past.
“Just a bit of interest in history.” “Still… it’s surprisingly modern in here.” Once they entered the bridge, Adam realized that neither the facilities nor the furnishings matched the outdated World War II battleship in his memory.
Her outer armor wasn’t the dull gray-black steel of early battleships, but a silvery-white metal also marked with golden decorations, giving it a luxurious, almost sci-fi appearance.
The command room was equally opulent.
Red carpets, gold-edged furniture, and European-style décor made him feel for a moment as if he had stepped into the Palace of Fontainebleau.
Advanced electronic equipment was everywhere.
He was certain none of this belonged on a World War II vessel.
“You’re underestimating me.” “My name may come from that battleship, but after the Wisdom Cube and the Port’s modifications, I’m hardly the old antique you imagine.” “In a pure naval battle, wiping out an IJN or Eagle Union carrier group by myself shouldn’t be particularly difficult.” Richelieu swung her command baton forward.
The two turrets adjusted their angle and fired a full broadside toward the distant horizon.
Boom…
boom…
boom…
Enormous waves erupted.
Range, rate of fire, and destructive power all far exceeded modern naval artillery.
“Wisdom Cubes can greatly enhance a shipgirl’s combat capabilities…
both weapon power and hull strength.” Belfast offered a brief explanation.
“I see…” Adam pondered for a moment.
“So they’re basically power amplifiers for shipgirls?” Their weapons only looked like antiques on the surface.
Richelieu’s 45-caliber 380 mm main guns, Belfast’s 533 mm torpedoes, the propeller-driven monoplanes on the carriers…
those were just the appearances.
The Wisdom Cubes had dramatically raised the energy level of their weapons.
Actual destructive power far surpassed what the designs suggested.
“You can understand it that way if you like.
But we were born from Wisdom Cube technology to begin with.
Shipgirls and the Cubes are inseparable.” Belfast thought for a moment, then explained.
“Interesting.
Magical Lane really is magical.” Adam found himself deeply interested in this thing that could so dramatically boost shipgirl combat power.
…
Richelieu’s hull carried Adam and Belfast steadily out toward the open sea.
This world was essentially an ocean planet, with only a few scattered landmasses and islands.
The population was sparse as well.
Apart from the shipgirl activity near the Port, the other islands were either dense forest or ruins.
Considering that the Crimson Axis had not yet split off from the Port, Adam felt the timeline here was still quite early.
After several hours.
He suddenly noticed the air around them drop several degrees.
On the distant horizon, dark clouds churned, forming a stark contrast with the bright skies over the Port.
“Further ahead is the deep sea where the Sirens appear.” “For safety’s sake, we shouldn’t get too close.
It would become troublesome.” Belfast cautioned.
“Mm.” Adam rested a hand on the railing and looked out.
In the distance, a formation of strangely shaped black warships was cruising across the water.
A Siren shipgirl with cyan skin and a humanoid form seemed to be watching them from afar.
That must be the enemy of the shipgirls.
“How long have you been fighting the Sirens?” “I can’t remember clearly.
The Port was already at war with them when I was first born.” Richelieu thought for a moment.
“Three years?
Five?
Longer?
We’ve fought many brutal large-scale battles, each side trying to completely destroy the other.” “But later we realized we didn’t have the strength to push deep into the abyss, and they couldn’t break into the Port either.
So the situation has been stalemated.” “Are the Sirens that strong?” Adam asked.
“Extremely.
We’ve almost never held the advantage in large-scale naval battles.
They seem to possess some unknown technology.” Richelieu fell silent for a moment.
“After discussion, we’ve concluded that the power of this world alone is no longer enough to defeat the Sirens.” “That’s why I hope you can bring more advanced technology…
or magic…
from other worlds to help us overcome our enemy.”