Chapter 75: Contemplating the Main Fleet
The East Gate City was established for trade with the Forest Country, Lebresta. It primarily collected taxes from the merchant caravans that frequented the area, imposing entrance and exit taxes on all individuals, a carriage tax on wagons, and a horse tax on steeds. However, the lord of the city was relatively fair-minded and possessed a certain level of economic awareness, keeping the tax rates low.
To facilitate tax collection, the entire town was surrounded by walls, and camping outside the city was generally prohibited. This was a necessary measure to ensure taxes were collected upon passing through the gates. That said, enforcement was not overly strict, and light-traveling adventurers were often overlooked.
Overall, it was a town that operated quite decently.
“Being able to manage this properly indicates that the economy is functioning well,” Ringo remarked.
“Yes, Ma’am. It seems there is a reasonable amount of traffic. We won’t know the details until we see it for ourselves, but there appears to be a trade route with Wheat Hill City. Previously, the only road was through Flatara City, but it seems they have opened a direct route now.”
“Interesting…”
Indeed, taking the route through Flatara City was a bit of a detour. Originally, Flatara City was a logistics hub with trade connections to West Gate City and Port Town of Terek, making it a must-pass for merchants. However, in recent years, Flatara City had lost its status as a trading hub, prompting merchants to change their routes.
“Business is quite complicated, isn’t it? Still, it’s good news that East Gate City and the Forest Country are maintaining their relations. I hope we can establish some dialogue.”
The Tree was currently developing the area around the Second Fortress, and resource acquisition was looking promising. However, the target was a lava deposit, located at the very edge of a lava flow, so the expected yield was not particularly high. If a large lava pool were to be discovered somewhere, that outlook might change, but so far, nothing had been found.
Thus, Ringo’s next focus was on conducting land surveys on the Forest Country side. It appeared that Lebresta was outside the ancient lava flows, and true to its name, it was a land rich in forests. The terrain was varied, and there were hopes of uncovering exposed mineral veins somewhere. However, they had yet to penetrate the airspace above that territory. An incursion from 20 kilometers up had already been detected, and if they were capable of launching attacks, their current equipment would not allow them to approach.
Fortunately, it seemed they had negotiation channels to rely on, so there was hope in that regard.
“It would be great if we could mine metal resources. If not, trading for metal resources would be the next best option.”
“Indeed. Trade depends on the strength of the other nation. If they rely on manual mining like Iron Town, we can’t expect much in terms of quantity.”
From what Ringo had heard in Port Town of Terek, the Afrasia United Kingdom appeared to have a significantly lower level of technology and culture compared to neighboring nations. Kuravia Terek, who had traveled to other countries, mentioned that there were nations capable of constructing battleships with rotating turrets. While their mainstay was still line ships, technology was advancing rapidly. If the concept of rotating turrets had emerged, it wouldn’t be long before upgrades were made.
While it was unlikely that ships with performance rivaling the Alpha-class destroyers would appear, if they were attacked by 50 or 100 ships at once, the sheer number could overwhelm them. Numbers were power.
Well, the current strategy was to advance diplomacy to avoid such a situation.
“By the way, since we have enough numbers now, should we approach that peninsula nation soon?” Ringo suggested.
“Yes, Ma’am. Preparations are underway. It might be time to deploy the Cruiser Tree as well.”
“Hmm… If we’re heading to the peninsula nation, then yes, it would be wise to use the cruiser as our flagship.”
The Alpha-class destroyer measured 52 meters in length, while the initial Cruiser Tree exceeded 100 meters. Given the current resource balance of The Tree, constructing a ship larger than this would be a significant burden. However, it was the largest observed ship within their reconnaissance range, making it useful for diplomatic pressure.
“This should be sufficient for intimidation,” Ringo confirmed.
“Yes, Ma’am. However, constructing this ship will require a new main gun. The current 150mm smoothbore cannon has adequate power, but it lacks the intimidation factor. To instill a sense of threat, it would be better to equip it with a larger cannon.”
“Hmm… Should we mount the prototype coilgun as well?”
“Yes, Ma’am. That is possible. I will redesign the cruiser with that in mind.”
Thus, the design for The Tree’s next flagship was set in motion. With this ship, they would surely earn the title of the strongest in the Northern Continent. However, the larger hull and the inclusion of electromagnetic weaponry would make it quite energy-hungry. Especially when forming a fleet, they would need to consider energy transmission solutions.
“With this size… I wonder if we can manage to fit a fusion reactor?”
To use the current microwave transmission system, they would likely need to deploy a large antenna, which would not only look unappealing but also be quite vulnerable. Thus, it would be better to incorporate the power source internally.
“Yes, Ma’am. If we are to include functions as a base ship… it would look something like this.”
Ringo displayed a derived route from the initial cruiser design. By widening the ship’s beam and placing the power reactor in the center, they would sacrifice some speed but gain the ability to generate their own electricity. This ship could serve as a flagship, allowing for independent operation of a fleet combined with escort vessels. If they stored flying boats, they could also provide a degree of air cover. By integrating into the power grid, they could utilize high amounts of electricity.
“Oh, I like this. Let’s proceed with development in this direction,” the Commander decided.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
After issuing the development orders for the cruiser, she returned to the main topic.
“So, we should be nearing East Gate City soon.”
“Yes, Ma’am. At this pace, we should arrive by tomorrow afternoon. However, given the example of Flatara City, we will first send out scouts.”
The personnel of The Tree had been able to grasp the situation through aerial reconnaissance. However, that information had not been relayed to the envoy. They believed that there was no particular danger, and it would be awkward to rely too heavily on them. After setting up the campsite, they would spend the night and send out scouts in the morning.
“This time, we will also send along guards and Communicator Androids,” Ringo noted.
“Yes, Ma’am. They are quite maneuverable and possess sufficient capability as scouts. However, we have decided to increase the number of guards this time and have multi-legged reconnaissance vehicles and anti-personnel attack drones on standby nearby. In the event of an emergency, we can respond immediately with multi-legged tanks.”
Ringo seemed somewhat proud as she reported this, prompting the Commander to give her a sidelong glance.
“…Sniping with a railgun?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have completed the calculations for the effective range, allowing us to target with precision down to 10 centimeters.”
The campsite was located 30 kilometers away from the town. The multi-legged tanks stationed there could fire shells and hit targets with 10-centimeter accuracy. This was likely a feat made possible by The Core’s abundant computational resources.
“…Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Still, she had no desire to occupy the town any further. Moreover, there was an embassy of the Forest Country in this town. It wouldn’t be wise to leave a negative impression. She could only pray that things would proceed smoothly.
“Ultimately, since we couldn’t utilize the offerings in Flatara City, we are discussing using them generously,” Ringo confirmed.
As she continued to observe the envoy, she noted that they were setting up camp on the southern side of East Gate City, by a massive freshwater lake. They erected tents and tarps and set up a cooking fire. Water could be drawn from the lake, but for this journey, The Tree had provided it—one of their trade items, preserved water.
As usual, they established their campsite, and night fell.
The incident occurred in the dead of night.