amaotonovel Chapter 171 Offshore Mining
Chapter 171 Offshore Mining
A ship sails across the ocean, the converted Liberty ship "Clean Sea" (hull number 114) is heading towards the deep blue. This ship is different from the conventional Liberty ship, both in appearance and in appearance.
A typical freewheel is 135 meters long, but this ship is 200 meters long, with a large extension of the hull. The bridge is located at the rear, and the engine is driven by a magic-electric output core.
Her target was a stretch of ocean deep in the sea. In fact, Amelansi's thirst for oil was no less than people's thirst for food. The cars on the streets, the tanks and airplanes of the army, the chemical industry... all needed oil.
The domestic oil fields are barely enough to meet the development needs of Amerlane, but this is not enough. If the current trend continues, the number of registered cars in Amerlane will exceed two million next year, not including the army's tanks and armored vehicles.
Finding oil abroad was of particular importance. After the war of unification, Alice remembered the Sirens and arranged to meet with them together with the head of the petrochemical industry.
The results were encouraging: the Sirens had been collecting oil in what they called the "Blackwater" for decades. To the Sirens, this black, slightly viscous liquid was useless. For them or the ocean, once inhaled, it was difficult to expel. The oil not only caused various diseases but also polluted their oceans.
From the first oil vent discovered a century ago, the Sirens have been trying to collect the liquids that seep from the ground. After the deaths of several generations, they successfully blocked most of the underground vents, but it was impossible to completely block them. So they simply created a large number of sealed containers and used special magical tools to collect the liquids that seeped out into the sealed containers.
However, the manufacture of sealed containers could not keep up with the speed of oil leaks. The Sirens retreated from the deep sea, and now the seabed is full of oil cylinders made of chitin.
The fleet led by ship 114 was there to retrieve the oil. The Sirens had no refining industry and would have no use for these things. In order to clean up the oil, they even had to pay Amerancy as a "processing fee".
The fleet stopped at the edge of the black waters, and the motorized fleet behind lowered its sails. This area of the sea was like a death zone, with floating carcasses of marine animals scattered everywhere by the ocean currents.
If the Sirens hadn't deployed ancient magical artifacts to stop the flow of the sea, the surface would probably be covered in oil.
"Guests from the land, my people will arrive soon..."
Issa Tara nodded, watching the land-dwellers' steel ships. The humid air floated on the ships, and soon ripples appeared on the calm sea as sirens emerged from the seabed one after another.
"Your Excellency the Archon!"
Isa Tara nodded amidst the incredulous gazes of the crowd. She did not reveal her position, but according to an old ocean tale, the Archon was second only to the Grand Archon in the Siren Kingdom!
"These are the helpers I've found, my kin. From now on, we can send that black liquid to land."
"Long live His Excellency the Consul!"
The Sirens loathe oil, and before Karimina, the leader of the fleet, could even give the order, the Sirens immediately sent a bunch of pink barrels to the surface of the sea.
These chitin-made oil drums are as ethereal as gel, and when opened, they are filled with a unique aroma. Sirens stroke the tops of the drums, and the drums open their lids as if they were alive.
"Wait, it's alive?"
"It is life, but not entirely life. Everything the sea nurtures is for our use; it is both a tool and a living thing."
The concept of biological equipment was too shocking for these sailors, but fortunately, Governor Issa Tara repeatedly assured them that they had no limbs or wings. Several sailors poked them with revolvers for a long time without any problems. Besides, they felt similar to turtle shells, so the crew accepted these biological barrels full of crude oil.
But simply having barrels of oil isn't enough. For the Sirens, dealing with the spilled oil is the top priority. The Sirens can extract hundreds of barrels of oil from the polluted area every day, and the seabed is now densely covered with barrels filled with crude oil.
The motorboat was soon filled with barrels of crude oil, filling the deck, cargo hold, and even the captain's cabin to the brim, but ship number 114 had its own mission.
Several sirens poked their heads out and climbed up the rope ladder that had been lowered down. In their hands they held a thick chitinous tube, an oil-separating pipe that the sirens had developed over a century, which could separate crude oil and water inside the pipe.
After all, it is light crude oil, and the separation process is much simpler than that of heavy oil on land. After being processed by the primary processing equipment on ship 114, it can be poured into the ship's oil tanks. When the second batch of ships arrives, it can be directly pumped from the ship.
The partnership between the Sirens and Amerlane was thus established. In the agreement, Amerlane guaranteed to take as much crude oil as possible, while the Sirens were responsible for ensuring the safety of Amerlane's fleet and providing some supplies for the remaining staff.
Just kidding, the Sirens themselves eat fish, so there's no reason why other species can't eat the same fish as the Sirens. The work continued into the night, and number 114 received quite a few deep-sea fish from the Sirens, including a shark that had already been processed.
Many of the people on this ship had eaten shark before. It had a strong flavor and coarse texture, and was actually not very tasty. However, the sirens' special curing process made the shark meat taste much milder.
However, some people still couldn't accept it. Fortunately, the sirens also brought a lot of tuna and salmon, which the chef cooked together, so that every crew member could enjoy protein.
"Hey buddy, I've seen you before. Aren't you from a wealthy family? What are you doing here?"
Drinking alcohol is prohibited on board, but one bottle is fine. After a hearty meal and drinks, someone asked a young engineer who was in charge of maintaining the ship's primary treatment equipment.
"Ugh, don't even mention it, it's so damn..."
The young man was reluctant to speak, but after downing a bottle of horse urine, he quickly opened up: "Damn it, have you guys heard of the Halvin Gang?"
"Harvin? You mean that commune that was formed by a group of commoners?"
"Of course, of course, nowadays everyone talks about Halvin, but Halvin used to be a stronghold of nobles! The Halvin Gang, oh, you don't know~ hiccup~ are their remnants!"
“My dad made a lot of money, and he got obsessed with it. Damn it, he wants to side with the Halvin gang!”
"If it were just relying on the power of the old aristocracy, that would be one thing, but the problem is, damn it, those remnants are going to rebel!"
"Hiccup! You guys better not... hiccup, tell everyone! Damn it, this is a job that can get you killed!"
Words tinged with the smell of alcohol drifted across the ocean, while oil was continuously transported back to the country.