With a bouquet of pure white roses, Mainz ignored the surprised gazes of the British officials and the voices of countless reporters chasing photographs, striding into the largest military port of the Royal Navy in Europe.
The reporters, well aware of the rules, immediately lifted their cameras as the colonel stepped into Scapa Flow, capturing this historic scene. By the next day, these pictures dominated the front pages of major newspapers.
Ignoring the reporters, Mainz surveyed the military port carefully.
Scapa Flow was much larger than he had imagined. The port, located in the northernmost part of the Orkney Islands, was a semi-enclosed natural harbor. It was surrounded by the main island of the archipelago, the island of Hoy, the southern island of Ronasay, and several smaller islands. The bay measured about 24 kilometers in length and 13 kilometers in width, covering roughly 130 square kilometers.
The geography made it a natural fortress. With three narrow exits, the Royal Navy only needed to position shore defense batteries and obstacles to prevent enemy incursions. This was why Scapa Flow had rarely been attacked. The only notable exception was during World War II, when U-47, under the command of the famed German captain Günther Prien, infiltrated the harbor and sank the battleship Royal Oak, causing considerable damage.
After a quick survey of the docks, warehouses, and supporting facilities, Mainz lost interest—the Home Fleet was not in the harbor, so there was little to spy on. He made mental notes of the layout and withdrew his gaze. Too many British police and soldiers were watching; blatant curiosity would get him kicked out.
The theme of the day was the public viewing of the sunken German High Seas Fleet, so all visitors were led to the site where the fleet rested.
There, Mainz's attention was drawn to a massive battleship—the former flagship of the High Seas Fleet, SMS Baden, partially salvaged by the British. Half of the ship remained above water, while the rest lay submerged. All other warships of the fleet had been lost to the sea.
A heavy feeling settled over Mainz. Though the German Navy had not performed brilliantly during World War I, it had nevertheless suffered far worse losses than the army. While the army retained roughly 100,000 men, the Navy had lost almost its entire fleet.
He took a deep breath, placed the bouquet of white roses down, closed his eyes, and stood in solemn silence.
Unbeknownst to the reporters capturing the moment, Mainz's stillness was also due to the reward he had received from the system.
"Is this the full set of Bismarck-class battleship blueprints?" he whispered to himself, astonished at the stack of documents before him.
[System Note: Naval design is complex. A large warship can contain thousands of compartments, each requiring detailed schematics. The system has provided a streamlined set of blueprints to avoid overwhelming the host.]
Mainz accepted this explanation. The details were for designers, not him; the more complete, the better.
[System Note: Early Bismarck-class designs faced limitations, such as incomplete artillery capabilities. Only two turrets were installed initially, with main guns of 381 mm caliber. While sufficient against ships like Hood, these ships would be outclassed by larger battleships such as the Iowa-class or Yamato-class. Host may choose to modify these designs for improved performance.]
Mainz's curiosity was piqued.
[System Note: Not only warships, but all weapons—aircraft, tanks, firearms—can be upgraded, though this requires payment.]
Ah, the system wanted a fee. Mainz smiled inwardly. If money could improve Germany's military capabilities, it was well worth it. Unlike Britain or the United States, Germany's navy had to start from scratch. Quantity was limited, so quality was paramount.
Yet the potential of an upgraded Bismarck-class battleship thrilled him. Mainz could hardly wait to see the day when the first improved vessel would sail.