Chapter 48: The Terek Port Town Transformation Project
Terek Port Town was basking in peace.
“Surprisingly, there’s nothing here,” she murmured while gazing at the strategic map. Ringo, interpreting it as mere idle chatter, remained silent.
“Sis, is Olive’s artillery useful?”
“Ah, it seems we won’t be using it for a while.”
“I see…”
She consoled her younger sister, Olive, who wore a deeply disappointed expression. Terek Port Town and Iron Town were thriving. The influx of iron ore had brought unprecedented vitality to The Tree, and the unmanned manufacturing machines were bustling with activity. Well, they were silent, but bustling nonetheless.
“Don’t worry, Olive! Thanks to your artillery, we were able to raise the Alpha-class ship! You’re doing great! Besides, the best contribution of defense equipment is that it never gets used!”
“…Yeah, thanks, Sis.”
As she gently patted Olive’s head, she reexamined the strategic map. For now, there were no hostile forces around Terek Port Town or Iron Town. It seemed that most had disappeared during the recent turmoil. While there were still conflicts inland, it appeared that everyone had lost interest in the sea.
“I wonder if this country is going to be okay…”
“From what I can observe from above, it’s in complete disarray.”
Thanks to the increased production of the Solar-powered Scout Aircraft (SWIFT) and the dispatch of more units to the Northern Continent, the internal situation of the Afrasia United Kingdom was gradually becoming clearer. According to information gathered from Kuravia Terek, the Guild Master, this country was formed from the merger of three nations in the past. Its political system was a council of three leaders—essentially, three kings. However, for the past twenty years, they had been embroiled in a power struggle, leading to the country fracturing into three. If that were the extent of the issue, there might still be hope. However, the relationships among the three leaders had soured to the point where factions declaring independence had surged. They were exhausting themselves through repeated mergers and territorial concessions. Each faction was fighting amongst themselves, leading to battles across the land. The resulting casualties and ravaged farmlands were devastating. Water sources were contaminated, and diseases were spreading from the corpses left to rot.
“It really is hell, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Commander. The more I hear, the worse it sounds.”
As Ringo explained, a three-dimensional map was displayed.
“There are no large rivers flowing within the country, and most water sources are either springs or wells. Therefore, the arable land is limited to a very small area relative to the total landmass.”
To the north of the Afrasia United Kingdom, there were likely snow-capped mountains. The melting snow from these peaks probably fed into the underground water supply. While securing water might be relatively easy with proper excavation techniques, the overall technological level seemed quite low.
“Our investigations have not uncovered any areas where mineral veins are exposed on the surface. Thus, it is presumed that their ironworking technology is also lacking. Overall, this land is quite deficient in various resources.”
With no suitable farmland and few mines, the lack of specialty products left them with limited means to earn foreign currency.
“If I had to say, it might be suitable for livestock farming. In fact, it seems that horses were the primary means of earning foreign currency. Additionally, in some regions, herbivores like cattle were also raised.”
According to the Guild Master of Terek, other countries had generally converted open lands suitable for raising horses into farmland, leading to a surprising lack of equestrian culture. This country had managed to carve out a niche for itself. However, since they needed to import food, they were likely being taken advantage of.
“There’s no room for development, is there…?”
No matter how many horses they raised, if they had to import food, it wouldn’t yield much profit. With food prices soaring domestically, it was difficult to increase the population, and thus, industries could not flourish.
“It’s a dead end.”
“Yes, Commander. The more I hear, the more dire the situation appears.”
Amidst all this, Terek Port Town was a city opened for maritime trade. There were no settlements to the south, but the existence of the sea was known. They established a road leading to the sea and opened the port town. As a result, there were no other towns surrounding Terek Port Town.
“Terek Port Town was uniquely able to develop significantly within this country.”
This trade was apparently a national initiative. They constructed a port and spent a fortune to acquire ship designs, which they used to build ocean-going vessels. It seemed they also attempted to produce salt, but ultimately, they were driven out by cheaper salt from abroad.
“They’re holding onto a lifeline, aren’t they?”
“Yes, Commander. It’s likely a conspiracy.”
Well, setting that aside. They began trade using the ships they built, gradually increasing their trading partners, when suddenly, an internal conflict erupted.
“And that brings us to the current situation.”
The reason Terek Port Town and Iron Town had not been engulfed in flames of war was simple. Both towns were too distant from others and were at dead ends. Diverting forces to capture these towns would yield no benefits.
“Furthermore, it seems the nearby lord’s capital has also been burned in the conflict.”
The lord governing this area had reportedly been killed in battle. A merchant convoy dispatched from Terek Port Town had gathered some information. According to them, the entire territory had been plundered, and most of the important strongholds, such as the lord’s mansion and fortresses, had been burned to the ground. As a result, strategic information, including maps, had been lost, and both Iron Town and Terek Port Town were now treated as forgotten towns.
“Previously, there were bandit groups roaming the area, but they have also been eradicated.”
“Ah, those we dispatched.”
Previously, there had been refugees and the bandit groups attacking them, but the refugees had been absorbed into Terek Port Town, and the bandits had been annihilated. Thus, the surrounding area had become a complete blank zone.
“Hmm. So, does that mean it’s relatively safe without doing anything?”
“Yes, Commander. There may be sporadic incursions, but there doesn’t seem to be any substantial reason for a full-scale attack.”
If one were to point out a potential danger, it would likely be Iron Town. War, of course, requires weapons, and iron weapons are preferable. Iron Town, as its name suggests, is a precious mine capable of producing iron within the country.
“That said, I’ve heard that even their handling of iron is questionable, and bronze weapons are still prevalent…”
Truly, it was a country where industries had not developed.
“…Perhaps we should create a production plant.”
If the surrounding factions were not enemies, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make significant changes to Terek Port Town. If they could manufacture construction machinery, they could dramatically increase the speed of iron ore extraction. Currently, they were slowly constructing an underwater mining platform, but fundamentally, they were lacking in iron. It might be a viable strategy to massively increase production in Iron Town and resolve the iron shortage in one go. Initially, they had refrained from intervening out of fear of conflicts with surrounding factions, but now that they understood the situation, it seemed manageable. If they could secure resources, they could also expand their defensive facilities.
“Alright. Ringo, let’s build outside Terek Port Town. Can you draft a plan?”
“Yes, Commander.”
If there was a prospect for recovery, it would be acceptable to allocate some of the resources stored in The Tree.
“I believe there was something like a construction ship. Let’s quickly open up the port and build it. If there’s no concern about information leaking, we can even lay down a railway.”
“Yes, Commander. Let’s also strengthen our counterintelligence efforts.”
“That means… Hmm, we’ll create a plant, build a railway, and dig a mine… By the way, do you think we can detect any mineral veins?”
“Yes, Commander. We are currently observing with equipment mounted on SWIFT. It seems that the mines in Iron Town were originally discovered on the mountainside, so we are checking for similar geological layers nearby. Additionally, we are conducting magnetic surveys to determine the presence of metal veins.”
Ideally, it would be great to conduct a more extensive exploration, but due to the limitations of the equipment that can be mounted on SWIFT, it hasn’t been going smoothly. They would have to rely on the flying boat, which was soon ready for deployment.