City Lord Chapter 298

"Shipbuilders?" Dahlia's eyes flickered with curiosity as she pondered Lucas's intentions. It truly caught her off guard—why would he want shipbuilders?

"I don’t quite understand, Lord Lucas. Are you planning to build your own ships?" She asked, finding that to be the only logical explanation.

But it didn’t make sense. Shipbuilding wasn’t something that could be done with just a few skilled workers. It required significant funding, blueprints, and technical expertise. Starting from scratch would be far more expensive and time-consuming than simply purchasing ships from a coastal shipyard.

"Yes, I want to establish my own shipyard. I need large ships." Lucas nodded slightly, speaking plainly. There was no reason to hide it—he had long been thinking about shipbuilding but had always lacked the necessary workers.

While Lucas possessed blueprints, he had no hands-on experience. Shipbuilding wasn’t just about having plans; it required seasoned carpenters—true shipbuilders who understood the properties of wood, how different materials fit together, and the structural integrity of a vessel.

The only reason he hadn’t started sooner was the lack of shipbuilders. But now, with this opportunity, if Dahlia could provide him with some experienced craftsmen, he could finally begin constructing his own ships.

"A large ship? There are already twelve docked at the pier, Lord Lucas. Isn’t that enough?" Dahlia frowned slightly, feeling like she couldn’t quite grasp the way this noble thought.

"No, no, I believe Miss Dahlia may have a slight misunderstanding about what I mean by 'large ship,'" Lucas chuckled. The so-called large ships of this era were still too small. The ships he envisioned were true giants—like the 100-meter-long treasure ships from Earth's history.

"A misunderstanding? What do you mean?" Dahlia straightened up, intrigued. She wanted to hear what made this noble’s perspective so different.

From the very beginning, Lucas had given her an unusual impression. He had an inexplicable presence that drew attention—his demeanor, his words, even the way he carried himself.

To use a phrase from Earth, he was the very definition of tall, rich, and handsome. The clothes he wore were the most exquisite she had ever seen—finer than even those worn by Princess Lucy.

"The ships I’m talking about aren’t just 30-meter-long vessels," Lucas shook his head. A ship of that size, considering its structure, would be slow, and more importantly, it wouldn’t have nearly enough cargo capacity.

"If you think 30 meters is too small, you could commission a 50-meter ship from a shipyard." Dahlia suggested.

Dahlia said seriously, "A 50-meter-long ship is too expensive, and the technology is not yet mature. Out of ten ships, eight would sink or fall apart halfway through the voyage."

This was also the reason why her family's fleet didn't have any 50-meter ships. A single one cost hundreds of gold coins, and aside from a few kingdoms that might buy one or two, no one else would purchase them—they simply weren’t worth the price.

"I don’t want ships that could sink at any moment." Lucas rolled his eyes.

The technology for large ships in this era was still underdeveloped, mainly due to structural issues. If the design were sound, a 50-meter ship wouldn’t just fall apart and sink so easily.

"Uh…" Dahlia's eyes twitched. She wanted to say, If even the ships built by proper shipyards aren’t good enough for you, do you really think you can build something better? That’s way too ambitious.

"Can you spare me a few shipbuilders?" Lucas asked. He didn’t want to explain too much—once the ships were built, the results would speak for themselves.

Besides, he wasn’t planning to build 100-meter-long ships right from the start. He would first construct a few medium-sized 50-meter ships to gain experience, then gradually build larger ones. His ultimate goal was to create massive 100-meter ships.

As for ironclad ships, the technology required was far beyond reach. He would have to wait until his territory developed hundreds of times more before even considering them.

"No problem. How many do you need, Lord Lucas?" Dahlia gazed at him with her eyes before nodding. "The shipbuilders in my fleet all come from small coastal shipyards. Right now, they mainly handle ship maintenance for us."

"Mm!" Lucas understood what Dahlia meant—she couldn’t spare too many workers since her fleet also needed shipbuilders.

"I want twenty people." Lucas stated.

"What? That’s impossible." Dahlia immediately refused. Her entire fleet had only about twenty shipbuilders in total.

"How about fifteen?" Lucas frowned. If there were too few, progress would be too slow, and he wanted to see ships launched by next year.

"How much are you paying?" Dahlia didn’t immediately refuse this time. If the salary was too low, the shipbuilders wouldn’t agree to leave.

"Five hundred copper coins per person. For skilled workers, one silver coin per month," Lucas said casually. When it came to skilled labor, he was always generous and willing to pay well.

Poaching workers? That was just how business worked. If someone tried to poach his people, they wouldn't be able to, but he could always lure away others.

"This… Lord Lucas, are you serious?" Dahlia’s mouth opened slightly in shock. What kind of business strategy is this?

A shipbuilder earning five hundred copper coins, with skilled ones getting a whole silver coin—that was several times higher than what workers in even the largest shipyards made!

She wore a complicated expression—this was completely different from her usual business strategy of carefully calculating profits. It was the first time she had seen someone as reckless with money as Lucas.

"Of course not," Lucas affirmed. The shipyard was a necessity, and with winter keeping extra labor idle, he could use them for lumbering—perfect for shipbuilding.

"Alright then, I’ll have fifteen shipbuilders sent to meet Lord Lucas." Dahlia said softly. Those fifteen slots would likely be highly sought after.

With such high wages, the shipbuilders would fight for the opportunity, and there was no way she could stop them. She could only plan to hire more shipbuilders when she next traveled to the coastal regions.

"Excellent." Lucas smiled. Now that he had shipbuilders, along with his blueprints, some woodworking knowledge, and the tools he would provide…

The launch date of the first large ship was already within sight. With such ships, the cities along the Whispering River would become Sedona City’s greatest trade hubs.

As for the distant ocean and foreign nations, those would have to wait for even larger ships. Otherwise, long-distance trips would be too inefficient.

Once he connected all the cities along the Whispering River into a trade network, this river could become a golden waterway.

In the early stages, Dahlia’s fleet would be sufficient, but in the mid-term, its capacity would be limited. The royal capital’s market would reach saturation sooner than later.

Lucas had to plan ahead. Even before tapping into the royal capital’s market, he was already setting his sights on all the cities along the Whispering River. While no single city could match the capital in demand, their combined volume would be enormous.

Once past Sakura City, the Whispering River’s waters widened significantly, making it perfectly suited for 100-meter-long ships. Plus, with its many tributaries reaching various kingdoms and duchies, it held the potential to become the greatest trade route of all.