After establis.h.i.+ng the fundamentals, it was time for the designer to design the cruise s.h.i.+p.

To show how highly they regarded Chen Chen, the general manager of the s.h.i.+pyard personally came over and appointed ten designers to listen to Chen Chen's requests.

Like students in a cla.s.s, the ten designers sat behind their desks, each with a tiny notebook, as they jotted down everything that Chen Chen said.

“I want the hull to be as large as possible. If it's doable, the laboratories should be below the main deck of the hull. They must be sealed and well protected.

“I don't need too many laboratories — just about ten large ones and forty to fifty medium and small ones.”

Chen Chen thought for a while, pointed to a diagram of a s.h.i.+p's hull, and continued. “For everything above the deck, it can be similar to the 'Symphony of the Seas'. I want a garden at the stern. It doesn't have to take up a lot of s.p.a.ce, just enough for those working on the s.h.i.+p to get a sense of reconnecting with nature.

“On both sides of the garden, there should be two blocks of equal height. The interior of these buildings should feature a duplex structure, best constructed as suites, with two bedrooms, one living room, and a balcony with a view of the sea.

“In this manner, the residents who live here can view the garden on one side and the sea on the other. Wouldn't that be an enjoyable pleasure?

“Plus, there must be recreational venues like theatres, pools, and bars on board, along with restaurants and conference rooms. Besides, there should also be crew dormitories and training grounds.”

“The suites you mentioned — those won't be the crew dormitories?” a designer asked in surprise.

“Those suites are for the researchers. The crew and guards working for the s.h.i.+p could be arranged to be on the lowest floor, to make emergency meetings more convenient.”

Chen Chen explained, “Also, there's no need to be stingy in terms of s.p.a.ce. After all, my s.h.i.+p won't need to carry pa.s.sengers. The rooms for the crew don't need to be too fancy, but they shouldn't be too small. Just design them as standard rooms.”

These designers took down Chen Chen's main points in accordance with his planning, after which they started to design at once.

As for the size of the hull, Chen Chen first hoped that it would be more than five hundred meters in length. After all, a s.h.i.+p's stability increased proportionally along with its volume. Nonetheless, this was discouraged by the Meyer s.h.i.+pyard because if a s.h.i.+p was too ma.s.sive, it was p.r.o.ne to more hidden risks in terms of building materials.

Therefore, the final hull was set to be 404 meters long, 80 meters wide, and 60 meters tall. There would be 8 layers above the deck, each 4 meters tall.

The length was not a round number because Chen Chen had particularly favored the number 404. It was just like how Chen Chen selected Dorm 404 back then. In Chinese culture, this number had a special significance…

After this group of designers did the calculations, the weight of this customized cruise s.h.i.+p would exceed three hundred and fifty thousand tons. It was one-and-half times heavier than the Symphony of the Seas, but because there were fewer guest rooms with luxurious furniture, the final price proposed by the factory was only one and a half billion USD, which was only two hundred million more than what the Symphony of the Seas had cost.

It would take about three months for the Meyer s.h.i.+pyard to build the components of the hull. In addition to the time needed for the subsequent a.s.sembly and furnis.h.i.+ng, it would take half a year in total.

Moreover, this was because they were using the modular construction method, just like building blocks.

If they had used the conventional construction method, such a gigantic cruise s.h.i.+p would take at least two years to be completed.

Finally, Chen Chen had to name this cruise s.h.i.+p.

This was because, according to international practice, when a s.h.i.+p's construction had begun, a piece of steel plate would be cut into the shape of the hull's silhouette or the initials of the s.h.i.+p's name, marking the official beginning of the construction work.

Chen Chen thought it over and decided in the end. “In that case, I'll name it 'Blacklight'.”

Thus, a cruise s.h.i.+p named Blacklight began its construction process.

Although Blacklight was not the world's biggest s.h.i.+p, it must be the biggest cruise liner in the world as of now.

As Chen Chen walked out of the Meyer s.h.i.+pyard, he was suddenly at a loss for words.

Now he had another project under construction.

The earliest one was the Blacklight Biotechnology Namibian Nuclear Power Plant, a project which was planned to be finished in eighteen months. It was approved in March 2022 and by now, there were still 11 months left to completion.

Other than that, there was the Eco Science City, which was under the first phase of construction, along with the underground experimental base that would take four months to complete.

Today, he had another cruise s.h.i.+p in the works that would take half a year.

Even after all this, he still did not have any charging facilities he could use…

Chen Chen was rather speechless. In the next second, his phone started ringing.

He turned on the phone, only to see that it was Prince Steele calling.

Chen Chen frowned and wanted to decline the call, but answered it on second thought.

“Dear Chen, where have you been for the last two days?”

Prince Steele's voice sounded a little worn out, but he still laughed out loud. “I want to have a drink with you to properly thank you, but I've been completely frazzled the past two days because of what happened.”

“It's fine. When I helped you on the s.h.i.+p, I was also helping myself.”

Chen Chen said lightly, “I wonder if there's a reason Your Highness is calling?”

“It's nothing much. I just wanted to ask you something,” Prince Steele said, “back then, how did you know that Leo's group had contacted the pirates and got them to attack the Symphony of the Seas?”

“Naturally, I have my own channels.”

Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

“No, no, please don't get me wrong,” Prince Steele hastened to explain on the phone, “then, why did you still board the s.h.i.+p?”

“To be honest, if I had received the news earlier, I wouldn't have boarded.”

Chen Chen replied, “But unfortunately, I only learned about that when I was on the s.h.i.+p, and by that point, the s.h.i.+p had already left the sh.o.r.e.”

The voice on the other end of the phone could not help laughing heartily. “That's truly a shame, Mr. Chen Chen. Still, I want to thank you. If you need my help in any way, please let me know.”

When Chen Chen heard this, his heart leaped. “Since you've said that, there's actually something you can help me with.”

“Oh?”

Prince Steele sounded a little startled.

“Is the Symphony of the Seas still parked at Walvis Bay?” Chen Chen asked.

“Yes. The Symphony of the Seas belongs to the European Continent, which has sent over investigators to find out what happened.”

Prince Steele said helplessly, “I've been asked not to leave Walvis Bay. And they're looking for you, too.”

“Looking for me?”

Chen Chen nodded. “I got it. In that case, can you pa.s.s a message to the company that owns the Symphony of the Seas — tell them I'm willing to rent the Symphony of the Seas for half a year at the same price you did. I wonder if you can help me with this?”

“This…”

At this, Prince Steele sounded a little embarra.s.sed. “Mr. Chen Chen, you may not know this. Although I rented the Symphony of the Seas at twenty million USD a month, surely you've seen the mult.i.tude of shops on board, which are rented by other business partners. Apart from the rent, I also had to pay a sum to these partners.”

“That's fine, I can do that too.” Chen Chen was unconcerned.

“Since you've said that, things will be easier.” Prince Steele sighed in relief. “I believe that I still have a little influence in these matters.”

“In that case, I thank you, Your Highness.”

After exchanging a few more lines, Chen Chen hung up.