DOTM: Chapter 395/396

Chapter 395 New Home

"This is your 'home'?"

Returning once again to the Goddess of Dawn, everyone felt as if they had been away for ages.

They had stayed in the Marvel Universe for quite some time, over a year, living mostly peaceful and ordinary lives. They had only occasionally visited some magical places and witnessed many wondrous things, which constantly reminded them of their extraordinary nature.

Everyone had already used the new enhancement potion, and now the only person on the Goddess of Dawn who could still be called ordinary was Shirley. However, at her current growth rate, she would be ready for the next stage of enhancement in less than two years.

Joining them on this return trip were Maria Hill and Tony Stark.

They were short one temporary member, Loki, but gained another, Hill. Tony was only here to "play"; once he had his fill, he would return to his own world. So the actual number of members on the Goddess of Dawn had not changed.

Perhaps because he was usually criticized so much by Ethan, Tony, who had been holding back for a long time, finally found an opportunity. He toured the Goddess of Dawn inside and out, offering critique everywhere.

In the end, he concluded with one sentence: "It was an absolutely correct decision for you to ask me to help you build a new warship!"

At this moment, everyone was gathered on the deck. They were waiting for Ethan to take out the new ship; they were moving!

Moving is a big event in any country, region, or culture. Whether moving to a better new home or being forced to move to a worse place due to hardship, it touches the heart.

It was worth celebrating. This time, they were moving to a better place.

"Quickly, take out the new ship!"

Logan had seen the design blueprints for the Prinz Eugen but had not seen the physical ship. Only Tony and Ethan had seen the final real ship.

Ethan took the Prinz Eugen from his storage space. He had stored this ship in a specially made glass container, unlike Blackbeard, who simply used wine bottles to hold his ships.

Then he jumped directly from the deck, crouched down, opened the specially made window, and poured the water from the container onto the sea surface.

He carefully controlled the angle so that the flow of water would not be too fast, and the Prinz Eugen inside the container slid out with the water onto the sea surface.

Taking out the Prinz Eugen and restoring it to its original state was certainly not as simple as just pouring it out like this. If it were Blackbeard, there would be a series of preparatory steps, casting spells in conjunction with various rituals.

For Ethan, it was much simpler. He just needed to adjust his magic power fluctuations and then "undo" the spell cast on the object according to the predetermined spellcasting method.

As the Prinz Eugen floated on the sea surface, the magic attached to it began to slowly dissipate. This ship model, which was only the size of a palm, gradually grew larger, and then, under everyone's gaze, it returned to its original size.

A behemoth with a full-load displacement of over twenty thousand tons finally appeared on this ocean.

Seeing such a behemoth up close had a much greater visual impact than seeing it through documentaries or other video recordings.

Even Logan, who already knew most of the Prinz Eugen's parameters, smacked his lips. It was not that he had never seen real warships before, but these steel creations, no matter how many times he saw them, were always awe-inspiring.

"The brand new Prinz Eugen!"

Or it could be called the Improved Prinz Eugen. The specific data of this ship was basically consistent with the parameters of the original design. Tony had perfectly transformed the previous design into a physical object.

Although some internal equipment had been slightly adjusted, there were not many changes in the exterior shape and main weapon design. This was mainly because changes to these large structures would necessitate adjustments to the entire design plan.

Ethan's eagerness to get the new ship forced Tony to abandon some modifications he had originally wanted to attempt.

"Let's start moving!"

Tony had nothing to move. He stood by the automatic stairs of the Prinz Eugen and introduced the various data of the ship to everyone who boarded it.

He did not talk about displacement, length, weapon systems, etc., but instead elaborated on the ship's comfort, especially how comfortable the living quarters were, and what fun things were in the entertainment room. He even handed out a small booklet to everyone, detailing the Prinz Eugen's data, as well as floor plans and side views, to ensure everyone could familiarize themselves with the ship more quickly.

"You're really well-prepared."

Moving was not difficult. Although the Goddess of Dawn was also a large sailing ship, under Ethan's magic, the so-called move was just organizing things. Ethan was directly responsible for moving some of the heavier items.

During their time in the Marvel Universe, Ethan had been working hard to expand the capacity of his storage space. By now, he could easily move large quantities of things.

More importantly, he felt the hope of completely controlling the storage space. When that time came, he would not even need an item to carry the space; it would be directly bound to him, making it much more convenient to use.

Unfortunately, his understanding of time was still insufficient, making it impossible to completely transform the storage space into a special space where time no longer flowed. Therefore, things stored inside still needed frequent replacement (like food) and maintenance (like equipment).

After spending half a day emptying the useful items from the Goddess of Dawn, Ethan once again collected the Goddess of Dawn into a container he had prepared beforehand.

Unlike the one used to take out the Prinz Eugen earlier, this container was specially made and even had a matching base. The Goddess of Dawn would be properly stored in this container specifically made for it, and then placed on the desk in Ethan's captain's cabin.

Looking at the Goddess of Dawn, which had become like a model, Ethan did not feel much sentimentality or nostalgia. He just felt that he had finally completed a phased goal, and the troubles during this time had not been in vain.

Although the Goddess of Dawn had carried him and allowed him to live in this area for a considerable time, it was just a ship after all. It had no self-awareness and no ship spirit. He could not really develop too much reluctance.

"However, it's better than sailing until it's scrapped and then burned, right?"

He felt that this ending was quite good for a ship, and being placed on his desk meant he could see it often. He just wondered if a ship spirit or something similar might suddenly appear.

"Probably not... After all, the Goddess of Dawn hasn't gone through any particularly magical experiences, nor was it made with special materials."

"What won't?"

Ethan was just muttering to himself by the ship's railing. Tony had just finished giving everyone a tour of the ship, introducing the function of each area in detail, and then led them to the living quarters where they could choose their own rooms freely. Now they were all busy unpacking.

Someone like Logan was quick; he just threw his things down and came out. As for the women, they would probably be busy for quite a while.

Unexpectedly, Ada was the exception. She was not staying in her room but was wandering around some corner of the ship. This was probably her habit; when she arrived in a completely unfamiliar place, she had to figure out every corner first. Otherwise, she could not sleep soundly.

Even more unexpectedly, Maria Hill was the next to finish unpacking. Even the rough O'Connell was still busy organizing his things. This former S.H.I.E.L.D. Deputy Director, who had just joined Ethan's team and was specifically sent by Nick Fury to receive special training, sorted out her personal affairs in a very short time.

"I suggest we get the ship started first. Just drifting here isn't a good idea."

Hill had only a basic understanding of this world. Ethan planned to wait until the trivial matters were finished before letting Hill learn the basic knowledge and language of this world. Anyway, the Prinz Eugen needed to cruise on the sea for a while for the final stage of testing.

Tony specifically came along to conduct more tests on the Prinz Eugen and then fix any issues on the spot to avoid future trouble.

"Then let's start it up."

If it were the Prinz Eugen from the Second World War era, starting it would be a troublesome matter.

However, starting the Prinz Eugen under their feet was much simpler. Moreover, it had already undergone many tests in the Marvel Universe. This was not the Prinz Eugen's first startup in the true sense, and many relatively cumbersome startup procedures could be skipped.

When Tony, Ethan, Logan, and Hill arrived at the bridge, Tony just needed to say: "Prinz Eugen, initiate startup."

After Tony said these words, the entire Prinz Eugen seemed to awaken from slumber. All the equipment in the bridge activated, and a very pleasant female voice rang out simultaneously.

"Startup complete. Welcome aboard the Prinz Eugen, Captain Ethan."

When installing the artificial intelligence, Tony had designed usage permissions for the ship's auxiliary intelligence. As captain, Ethan had absolute authority and complete control over the entire Prinz Eugen.

Tony Stark, as the designer, also had authority comparable to Ethan's, but he deliberately lowered his own authority by half a level. The main difference was that he did not have the authority to adjust everyone else's permission levels.

"This is Maria Hill. Register her with secondary authority. She will be the ship's commander."

Several beams of light shot out from somewhere, scanning Maria Hill: "Okay, Captain Ethan, secondary authority has been set for Commander Maria Hill."

Logan, who was nominally Ethan's first mate, also enjoyed secondary authority on this ship. The remaining crew members only had the most basic living permissions. Tasks such as commanding the ship and using weapon facilities required temporary authorization from a secondary authority holder.

(To be continued.)

You can think of the Prinz Eugen AI as Prinz Eugen from Azur Lane 😆

Chapter 396 The New Home is Great

While Maria Hill gained her authority and began walking around the bridge, observing the specific layout and learning the functions of each piece of equipment, the ship's crew also arrived at the bridge one after another.

Ethan had not specifically notified anyone, but after finishing organizing their belongings, everyone came over on their own. Even Ada, who had been wandering around to familiarize herself with the environment, came to the bridge at this time.

Such a large ship could not be explored all at once. Ada had done a general tour, looked at the commonly used areas, and then, comparing them to the map in her hand, calculated distances and other data.

After everyone gathered on the bridge, Tony gestured for them to clear the central area.

"Prinz Eugen, raise the round table."

"Round table?"

Everyone was curious about what the "round table" was. It was not until a circular platform rose from the empty central area that they realized what the "round table" referred to.

"What is this thing for?"

"A multi-functional platform. It has many uses."

For example, projecting the surrounding environment for meetings was just one of its functions. Tony raised the round table to introduce the Prinz Eugen in more detail to everyone present.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce your new home: The Prinz Eugen!"

As Tony spoke, everyone gathered around the round table saw a projection of the Prinz Eugen appear on the platform.

Tony had been working with this technology for years, and the Prinz Eugen used his latest achievements. The effect was better and more realistic. What appeared before them was not just the Prinz Eugen, but even the surrounding sea area was projected, and unlike the single-color projections he used before, this was different.

Having acquired more advanced technology, Tony had refined this system. Everyone looking at the round table felt as if they were standing with a "God's-eye view" looking at "themselves."

With a wave of Tony's hand, a series of data appeared next to the image of the Prinz Eugen.

Standard displacement: 17,000 tons; Full load displacement: 21,500 tons.

Overall length: 215 meters; Beam: 23 meters.

Draft: 5.5 meters.

Propulsion system: A jet propulsion system powered by the latest model Arc Reactor.

Maximum speed: 40 knots.

Endurance... Theoretically, it can run continuously even at maximum speed.

Weaponry includes four twin-mounted 203mm multi-functional main guns, capable of energy attacks and conventional shell firing depending on the situation. The main guns can charge up for powerful bombardments, requiring a ten-minute cooldown after a charged shot, during which even normal firing should be avoided as much as possible.

Secondary armament includes six twin-mounted 105mm dual-purpose anti-aircraft/surface guns, with the same functions as the main guns.

A vertical launch system disguised as a chimney, equipped with multiple anti-ship and land-attack missiles.

Anti-aircraft weaponry includes six specially modified Stark Phalanx CIWS and six missile launch boxes.

In addition, there are four underwater bomb launchers, also specially manufactured by Tony Stark. There are various types of underwater bombs, which can be selected according to the situation.

Two new model Quinjets. These are the ones used by the Avengers in the second Avengers movie. Their wings can fold, and they are normally stored in the hangar below the elevator platform.

The aircraft's functions include landing, since such a large warship cannot anchor near islands like before, so landing must be done by flight or small boats.

The aircraft can also perform reconnaissance and lock onto specific targets, helping missiles lock onto their targets.

There are also two small boats for convenient landing, which are normally placed on the edges of the elevator platform and can be lowered to the sea surface.

Looking at this long list of data, everyone except Logan had their eyes wide open. People like Jonathan and Evelyn, who were not very knowledgeable about weapons and equipment and did not really care, simply thought it was very impressive.

Ada, Hill, and O'Connell, who were more knowledgeable, just felt this new ship was absurd.

Tony told everyone that this was nothing. The truly powerful aspect of this ship was not these weapons, but its terrifying defense.

With a snap of Tony's fingers, the Prinz Eugen's most formidable feature was finally displayed on the projection device.

The magical defense shield personally arranged by Ethan would form a spherical protective cover on the outermost layer, establishing the first line of defense for the Prinz Eugen (in reality, the first line of defense should be the Phalanx and missile launch boxes).

Then, through Tony's breakthroughs, he finally managed to understand the principle of the defense layer on the magic stone equipment that adhered closely to the gear, and installed it on this warship.

Even if the outermost magic shield was broken, it did not mean attacks could directly hit the Prinz Eugen.

They would encounter an energy layer the moment they touched the hull. No matter which part was hit, the impact force from that attack would be dispersed across the entire energy layer to be absorbed. Unless this defense layer could be completely penetrated or shattered, no real damage could be done to the hull.

In a game world, this would be like a health bar. Even if you cut off a head with one strike, at most it would just lose some health (consume defense energy), and it would not instantly destroy the opponent.

Coupled with the fact that the hull itself used the most advanced warship steel technology, even if both layers of defense energy were broken, the opponent might not be able to sink the Prinz Eugen. By that point, whether the opponent even had any shells left was another question.

Maria Hill, who had the most experience with warships, felt immense pressure. If she were to sink this ship, she really should just find a place to kill herself.

Such a ship, if brought to Earth, could completely declare: Who can sink me?

It is truly difficult to sink. Looking at this exaggerated defense, even a nuclear bomb strike would probably struggle to cause real damage.

"Alright, I believe everyone now knows how amazing this new home is, but I must remind you all that the data shown here is the complete version, and the current Prinz Eugen is not yet the complete version."

Mainly because Ethan has not started setting up the magic protective shield on the ship yet. This takes time and effort, and the Prinz Eugen was still being built in the shipyard at that time. He had to wait until he truly got his hands on it and the technological issues were resolved before he could start the setup.

Otherwise, he would have spent a lot of effort setting up the magic protective shield, only for there to be a problem with the ship requiring rework and adjustments, which could potentially render all his arrangements useless.

Only after all tests are completed will the outermost magic defense system begin to be set up.

"Now, our mission is to conduct detailed tests on the Prinz Eugen."

This includes testing the effectiveness of various equipment and conducting various extreme navigation tests. These tasks need to be executed by Hill, which is why Ethan gave Hill authority right away instead of letting her stay for a while before starting work.

"If you have any objections to this arrangement, you can raise them directly. I highly respect personal wishes."

"No, this is the best arrangement for me. I am very willing to start working immediately." Maria Hill is a woman with a very strong career drive, an absolute career-oriented powerhouse. While Ada and Diana can also be called powerhouses, they are still women and will do some seemingly meaningless but enjoyable feminine things.

Maria Hill... often she did not see herself as a person, but rather as a machine, especially when performing tasks. For her, joining Ethan's team was a long-term mission.

"Then let's start directly, Commander Hill."

"Yes, Captain!"

Hill also felt more comfortable with this way of interacting, which was very similar to her previous situation at S.H.I.E.L.D.

The platform Tony called the round table did not descend, but continued to display the status of the entire Prinz Eugen to everyone. As Hill controlled the ship, the Prinz Eugen began to gradually increase speed, maintaining it for a considerable period at various speed stages.

Various data from the ship were truthfully reflected on the platform in front of everyone, allowing everyone to more intuitively understand the status of the ship and the surrounding sea area.

This also reflected how powerful the Prinz Eugen's detection capabilities were. Within the spherical range centered around the Prinz Eugen, everything was completely under control, without missing any details.

"It looks like our future life will be very comfortable."

After a period of acceleration, the Prinz Eugen had already reached its theoretical maximum speed of 40 knots, but those on the bridge still did not feel any discomfort. The stability of the Prinz Eugen exceeded everyone's imagination, which was the result of the stable equipment reverse-engineered from magic stone technology.

As things stood, when the Prinz Eugen was completely stopped on a relatively calm sea, it was almost like being on land, with virtually no sensation of shaking.

As for tests like whether the propulsion system suffered any damage during high-speed navigation, Ethan was not too concerned about that now. He sat in the captain's chair, quietly observing the various data not far in front of him, and watching the expressions of the people looking at the projection screen.

He could see that everyone was happy. Regardless of their true thoughts, at least at this moment, they were genuinely happy to have a better new home.

This meant that everyone was starting to feel a sense of belonging to this group.

"What are the plans next?"

Tony watched for a while. Based on the current performance, the subsequent tests should not pose any major problems. He would not have much opportunity to intervene, so he might as well consider this a vacation.

"First, set up the defensive magic... and then..."

Ethan looked towards the glass window in front, gazing through it at the vast, almost boundless sea ahead.

"Onward to the new world!"

(To be continued.)