Logan and Laura, now dressed in warmer clothes, stepped out of the cabin and were greeted by falling snow. Logan was stunned for a moment, looking around to make sure it wasn't just his imagination, then muttered a curse under his breath before walking over to stand beside Ethan.
Logan temporarily took over for Ethan, allowing him to go change into something thicker and warmer. After that, the two of them stood there together, cautiously navigating forward.
Sailing through heavy snow required careful speed control. Due to reduced visibility, they would need to find a suitable place to anchor if necessary. Fortunately, the wind wasn't too strong, and the sea was calm. The Goddess of Dawn glided across the water as if skating across a mirror.
"How long do you think the snow will last?"
Ethan looked up at the thickening dark clouds overhead. He didn't expect the snowfall to end anytime soon, and he couldn't see where the clouds ended. It was unrealistic to think they could quickly sail out of the snowy zone.
"It probably won't be short, and there's no chance of leaving this area for now."
Encountering such extreme weather for the first time, Ethan suddenly realized a flaw in the design of the Goddess of Dawn: how to maintain a stable internal temperature under extreme conditions?
"There are temperature control systems in the cargo hold, but not in the regular cabins… I really didn't consider this at first."
The pleasant climate of the Sea of Calm had made him completely overlook the issue. Even though he had previously spent time on a snowy, windy island in this region, he had treated that as an exception and hadn't paid much attention to it.
If sudden temperature changes like this were common along the route, then he definitely needed an internal temperature control system—otherwise, even someone with a strong constitution couldn't endure repeated exposure to extreme cold and heat. Let alone someone who was only a bit tougher than average.
He took out the Book of Inheritance and opened it to the page where he recorded his ship's upgrade requirements. He had already noted some remarks before, but this time he added a genuine new entry.
It wasn't that he lacked confidence in his memory, it was just that having a detailed and organized record was more convenient for future reference, and it would also help others understand his needs more clearly.
At the moment, there weren't many entries on the page, and the existing requirements were fairly broad, like: better seaworthiness; improved resistance to wind and waves which basically implied increased displacement; a sturdier hull; enhanced firepower; more sustainable energy; and ideally, a propulsion system not reliant on sails.
Ethan stood with the Book of Inheritance open. Logan, due to his height, could just tilt his head slightly and see the page but to him, it appeared completely blank.
"What is that?"
"Want to take a look?" Ethan activated the page with a thought, and the previously blank sheet immediately revealed a chart in Logan's eyes.
"Is this... your ship upgrade plan?"
The contents were straightforward. After skimming just a few lines, Logan understood what Ethan was doing. He thought it was a solid practice and realized that Ethan hadn't entered this route expecting to reach the final destination in one go. His main goal was to test whether the ship could handle the journey, and identify any weaknesses.
"So you're recording all the issues and requirements, and once you've gathered everything, you'll know exactly what kind of ship you need."
"Exactly."
"You're going to build a new ship." Logan glanced over the list, then looked down at the sailboat beneath their feet,the Goddess of Dawn and felt that, to meet Ethan's expectations, a new vessel was indeed necessary.
"Most likely, I'll have to build a new one."
Ethan was speechless. Now he was genuinely curious, just how many ships do adventurers end up replacing along this route before reaching the final destination? He couldn't believe anyone could build a powerful warship capable of adapting to the entire journey from the very beginning. Too many problems only reveal themselves when you're actually out at sea.
Even with all of Brent's suggestions, Ethan still ran into various small issues while sailing, like the insulation problem in the cabins. No one had reminded him about that, right?
"Judging by your standards, you probably need a battleship," Logan said, glancing at the listed requirements for stronger firepower and armor. Then, realizing his wording might be unclear, he quickly added, "I mean a modern battleship, tens of thousands of tons in displacement."
"I know. I'm not talking about a sailing warship."
Of course, Ethan had already considered this. Why else would he be thinking about getting Tony Stark involved in designing his next ship? With the technology that guy had at his disposal, it shouldn't be hard to build a proper warship, assuming Ethan offered enough money or dangled some fresh tech in front of him.
"Forget tens of thousands of tons for now, we don't have the time. A few thousand tons should be manageable."
A warship in the several-thousand-ton range might only count as a destroyer or frigate in the modern world, not exactly "powerful" but here, things were different. The largest ships in this world only displaced a few thousand tons. And with full-metal construction, even ordinary magic cannons might not be able to penetrate their alloy hulls.
"The problem is how to bring it back… and maintenance is going to be a huge issue too."
Just building a ship didn't mean you could use it forever. Even basic wooden sailing ships required tedious and ongoing maintenance to stay seaworthy over the long term.
According to his plans, Ethan didn't just need to build a new ship, he also had to solve a variety of logistical and maintenance problems. The easiest solution would be to recruit a skilled professional as a teammate, and equip the ship with some kind of "super advanced" maintenance facility. The ideal tool would be reliable, efficient, and not overly sensitive to environmental conditions.
He had thought of something, something from the Marvel world but unfortunately, it wasn't located on Earth, and he had no idea how to get it yet.
If he could get his hands on that tech and learn how to mass-produce it, many of his logistical headaches would disappear.
"Similar tech exists in other worlds, but I haven't come across it yet."
Aside from that, Ethan didn't want his ship to be just a ship. It would also serve as his home, his factory, and a mobile logistical base that could support both himself and his teammates. It would also function as his magic tower.
As a magician, of course he was interested in the idea of a magic tower, an integrated offensive and defensive facility. But unlike traditional magicians, he wanted to adapt the concept and transform it into a magic ship, capable of both offense and defense.
He had already documented these ideas in various notes, complete with priority levels. But he hadn't written down the idea for a magic tower just yet, he wasn't qualified to consider that level of complexity for the time being.
Plus, he had a strong hunch that even the ship he was using now—complete with its extensive design notes—might eventually become obsolete. He had no idea what kind of vessel would ultimately be required to meet all of his needs. If he started building a magic tower now only to find out he had to switch ships again, it would be a waste. He would wait until things became clearer before revisiting the idea.
Logan, meanwhile, was thinking along a completely different line.
"Whether it's your ship plans or just trying to live better in this world, we're going to need more people. That's always been true, right?"
"Yeah."
Ethan had always intended to recruit more teammates. But teammates weren't easy to find. It had taken considerable effort to convince Wolverine, and Laura who came with him couldn't be of much help yet.
"So what's your next target?"
Logan thought about it but wasn't sure what kind of teammate they really needed next, so he asked Ethan instead. After all, this was Ethan's ship, he just wanted to understand the kind of person Ethan was looking for.
"Aside from someone who can maintain the ship?"
Ethan had already considered a few roles. For instance, the lack of a ship's doctor had bothered him for a while, but he still hadn't found a suitable candidate. Aside from that and a mechanic, he was currently thinking about recruiting someone with sniper or reconnaissance and intelligence expertise.
"I've got a few ideas. I'm looking for someone good at long-range support and intelligence gathering."
Having such a person would improve their ability to gather information and allow someone to provide remote support during combat, keeping an eye on their surroundings from a distance.
In battle, such a teammate would be a huge asset. Although it didn't seem like a role with much relevance to sailing, Logan was curious why Ethan suddenly brought up this kind of teammate.
"Why are you looking for someone like that? Do you already have someone in mind?"
"There was a navigator I knew who picked a sniper as his partner from the very beginning. I think that kind of choice is worth learning from."
Ethan had indeed thought of a few people, but he wasn't sure if he could successfully recruit them. He responded casually when Logan asked, but now that the topic was on the table and they weren't doing anything urgent, he took the opportunity to mentally evaluate some candidates.
After thinking it over, he narrowed it down to two people.
The first was Legolas. He seemed like the more likely option. Friendly, adventurous, and with an extremely long lifespan, even if he didn't stay permanently, it wouldn't be difficult to convince him to come along for an adventure lasting a hundred years or so. However, the appearance of an elf might be a problem in many worlds. Still, that wasn't a big deal, a little magic could take care of it.
The second candidate was Ada Wong—not the icy version, though. As an elite agent, she didn't have any major weaknesses aside from being an ordinary human (?), and while her combat power wasn't on Legolas' level, she was a master of reconnaissance and infiltration. Ethan added her to his list mostly because she was a beauty. But her personality was quite strong, and the odds of persuading her to join were pretty slim.
Ethan didn't mention Ada, but he did tell Logan he was thinking about Legolas and then watched as Wolverine's expression twisted into something strange. After a long pause, Logan finally said:
"You can go to Middle-earth too?"
(To be continued.)
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