Chapter 183: Fairy Circle
“Ma’am, we have observed significant changes in the Demon Forest, and I would like to report.”
“Please go ahead, RINGO.”
The upper-tier AI, excluding Asahi, along with Commander Eve, gathered in the dining hall for the report on the Demon Forest observations. Asahi seemed to be busy with something in Port Town of Terek.
“Akane will handle the data analysis, so I will let her present the findings. Is that alright?”
“Of course, that’s fine. Akane, please proceed.”
“Understood.”
Positioned next to her older sister, Eve, Akane remotely manipulated the projected images to display the analysis results.
“First, in the past month, we have confirmed that the activity range of the wyverns above the Demon Forest surrounding the Afrasia United Kingdom has changed.”
The video analysis revealed that the patrol areas of multiple wyverns were shifting day by day.
“It is presumed that the territory left vacant by the wyvern we recently defeated is being encroached upon by neighboring wyverns.”
“I see… Well, considering their size, their territories must be quite extensive. They are also fast movers.”
It was estimated that the fluctuations in the territories of wyverns or large flying creatures would continue for at least several months. The impact on the ground was uncertain, but it was unlikely to be without consequences.
“Additionally, what has changed significantly in the past few days is the emergence of fairy circles in the vacant territories.”
“Fairy circles?”
What Akane displayed was a circular area of vacancy that had suddenly appeared in the forest, with multiple instances confirmed.
“This circular vacant area has formed within about two weeks. I checked other forested regions, and the few that were confirmed were all located around the boundaries of wyvern or large flying creature territories.”
“So, this means it appeared because the territory became vacant?”
Akane nodded at Eve’s words and displayed another image.
“I enlarged and digitally processed the image. Are you okay with insects, sister?”
“Insects? …Hmm, probably?”
Upon confirming her response, the rough image switched to a clearer one. It depicted a green caterpillar, accented with brown, blending seamlessly into the forest.
“…Wait, isn’t that huge?”
“Indeed. According to calculations, its length is approximately 6 meters. This caterpillar is causing damage to the forest trees, leading to the formation of these fairy circles.”
The devastation caused by the super giant caterpillar was evident. A caterpillar of such size could easily consume even the thickest trunks.
“And this is what the caterpillar looks like after it metamorphoses. A butterfly-like threat creature, about 10 meters in length.”
Now, a massive butterfly was shown fluttering above the forest. Since it was captured from a satellite, it was difficult to gauge its size without a reference, but it was undoubtedly enormous.
“It is believed to be a prey target within the territories of large flying creatures. Outside of their territories, it could reach maturity in less than a month. This individual emerged in the vacant area, and it is expected to take several months for wyverns to encroach upon this region, which raises the possibility of this threat creature proliferating.”
The radius of the fairy circle affected by a single caterpillar was approximately 100 meters. With such a massive body, it would likely have few natural enemies. While it was uncertain how many eggs a single adult would lay, if it were similar to typical butterflies, it could lay hundreds at once.
If such a scenario occurred without any natural enemies, the surrounding area could quickly turn into a barren wasteland.
“Hmm… Could this be the first step towards ecological destruction?”
“It’s uncertain. The visible increase of this threat creature could accelerate the encroachment of wyverns. If that happens, they might hunt them to extinction, restoring balance. However, the increase in prey could also lead to wyvern reproduction. We lack sufficient data to make accurate predictions.”
Currently, The Tree was preparing to conduct investigations in the Demon Forest, based in North End City, the northernmost city of the Afrasia United Kingdom. If this investigation were to be affected, some measures would need to be taken.
“We are ready to deploy aerial support immediately. We need to fly low to avoid entering the detection range of large flying creatures. We also plan to deploy support weapons powered by ducted fans.”
It had been confirmed that wyverns could detect electromagnetic waves, so they could not carelessly emit radar waves. They should also avoid microwave power transmission directed towards the Demon Forest.
Thus, all flying machines dispatched to the Demon Forest would utilize chemical reaction-based power sources—internal combustion engines or fuel cells.
While fuel cells posed the problem of shorter range, they excelled in quiet operation. They also had to be cautious of sound stimuli.
“Additionally, ground exploration machines are being designed and manufactured by the local Cosmos.”
Akane displayed a multi-legged machine, approximately 2 meters in length. It had four legs for movement and two manipulator arms, resembling an unusual machine.
There was no head; instead, legs extended from the lower part of a small body, while arms protruded from the upper part.
It seemed specialized for traversing uneven forest terrain, skillfully maneuvering through the trees with its four legs and two arms.
“…Won’t it be mistaken for a new type of monster? Is that alright?”
“It won’t approach the adventurer activity zones. If collaboration with adventurers is necessary, we will use the usual Communicator Androids. This is intended for multiple units to team up and explore the deeper areas.”
The armament of this four-legged, two-armed machine consisted of a coilgun and a metal mace. They avoided using gunpowder-based firearms due to the noise. While they considered using bladed weapons like axes, they ultimately chose blunt weapons for ease of maintenance and handling.
“That said, if it has manipulators, changing weapons in the future will be easy. Also, the control AI will be mounted on the Backpacker, and this machine is expected to be operated remotely. The control components will be externalized to achieve miniaturization and weight reduction.”
The plan was to operate multiple sub-units centered around the Backpacker. The Backpacker would create paths while the sub-units would explore the surroundings and ensure safety.
By the way, the Backpacker referred to here was a heavily armed version operating in North End City. Consequently, its length had increased by about a meter, and its appearance had become more aggressive.
“Furthermore, simply increasing manpower, or rather, ensuring that we don’t disrupt their livelihoods, we also plan to support the local adventurers.”
Adventurers from North End City, who brought resources back from the Demon Forest. The Tree was cautiously advancing its exploration efforts to avoid threatening their livelihoods.
There was also the objective of gathering the wisdom and experience of the adventurers.
“We will deploy a combination of Backpackers and Communicator Androids to a certain depth and maintain a simple base. This will be utilized as a base camp, supporting the transportation of supplies and personnel between camps via Backpackers. We are also considering opening a resource purchasing station.”
By analyzing the adventurers’ activity history, they would identify optimal locations for establishing forward bases. They aimed to open these base camps to extend exploration time and distance.
“This feels like an exploration strategy game; it sounds interesting.”
And that was Eve’s perception of the situation.
However, with the establishment of base camps, the adventurers’ range of activities would likely expand dramatically.
Such concepts had not been absent before, but securing personnel and equipment to maintain those bases had proven difficult, and there were limits to transporting supplies, preventing realization.
In fact, when this plan was presented to the Adventurers Guild, they had shown reluctance. While it might be feasible temporarily, they doubted it could be sustained.
However, understanding the capabilities of the Backpacker equipment, and especially the high mobility of the Communicator Androids (from their perspective, the excellence of the Paraiso personnel), they had become enthusiastic about establishing base camps. They had even begun selecting permanent personnel.
“I wonder if the investigation into magic will progress as well.”