Chapter 251: Morning of the Fifth Day
It has been five days since the invasion of the Prava Divine Nation began. Currently, we have successfully subdued eighteen villages and towns around the landing site.
“Older Sister, we have withdrawn all but the minimum necessary forces from the subdued villages and towns. Support supplies are currently in transit. All hostile units have been tagged, but is elimination unnecessary?”
“Hmm. If their threat level is low, then it’s fine to leave them be. You’re measuring it, right?”
“Yes. We are conducting real-time measurements using the Observation Pillars.”
In the neutralized villages and towns, only the Multi-legged Ground Mother Unit and the guarding Multi-legged Tanks remain. The only other presence is the bipedal security machines (Sheriffs) patrolling for law enforcement. Since we have eliminated all forces according to the pre-measured threat levels, there will be no cracks in the control exerted by The Tree’s forces.
“You’ve informed the residents to continue their work, right? It’s helpful that there’s a temperature difference between the Monk Soldiers and the residents.”
“Yes. It seems they can calculate their gains and losses to some extent. The Monk Soldiers don’t seem to grasp the disparity in our forces.”
Ichi’s sharp observation made Eve chuckle wryly. After all, the thought patterns of zealots are not something Eve can fully comprehend; she only knows them as a concept. Fortunately, the residents, unlike the Monk Soldiers, do not seem to be devout zealots. They are at least outwardly complying with the directives from The Tree’s units, their new rulers.
That said, it’s not as if there is no animosity at all.
“There are individuals among humans who possess things more precious than their lives. They can’t always make calm judgments like you do.”
“Is it because the balance of their brain’s internal narcotics is disrupted? Indeed, our Brain Units can control external stimuli to some extent, so I don’t think we would fall into a state of fanaticism.”
“Hmm, I see…”
Eve tilted her head, pondering how to explain this to Ichi, who seemed unable to grasp the concept.
“We serve Older Sister as our supreme directive, but for units other than us, that’s not the case. If units other than us were to observe our judgments from the outside, they might interpret it as fanatic behavior. That’s what I mean.”
“…? Is that how it is?”
“That’s how it is.”
“Okay, but please don’t talk about such things in front of me.”
Due to Akane’s inadequate explanation, Eve poked her cheek with her finger.
“I un-der-stand!”
Akane nodded readily, and Eve turned her attention back to Ichi.
“Well, even if you can’t understand it, it’s enough to know. Just classify it as such. Knowledge can be updated as needed.”
“Understood.”
Akane nodded as well, and then resumed her report.
“During the four days of operations, 26 Multi-legged Tanks were damaged. All were due to attacks from hostile units. Of those, 11 are in a state of irreparable damage.”
“Hmm. Well, considering the ratio, that seems to be within acceptable losses.”
The Multi-legged Tanks participating in this operation number over 1,000 at this point. With 26 damaged and 11 lost, it can be said that there are no issues.
“The operational area is expanding, and we can now attack the maximum number of towns simultaneously. It seems the information blockade is nearing its limit.”
“Indeed. Just as planned. Now, the next target for conquest is…”
The operation is proceeding exactly as scheduled. All target villages and towns have been subdued, and no information leaks have been confirmed. All forces scheduled for landing, including reserves, have been transported, and additional forces are en route.
“The central city of Geni in the southeastern part of the Prava Divine Nation. With the conquest of this city, the first phase of the Prava Divine Nation subjugation operation will be complete, achieving all operational objectives.”
“Sounds good. Still, as I knew from the operation chart, ground operations do take time.”
Geni is located approximately 500 kilometers in a straight line from the initial landing point at Yakari Port. It has taken five days to advance 500 kilometers, meaning only 100 kilometers per day. Indeed, compared to an aerial invasion, this has taken an excessively long time.
“We have subdued all hostile forces along the way. This wouldn’t be possible with an aerial operation.”
As Akane pointed out, while aerial forces can pinpoint and eliminate enemy units, they are not suited for widespread annihilation. The limited number of deployable forces results in reduced effectiveness against dispersed enemies.
“Already, the area east of Geni is entirely under The Tree’s control. We are also constructing transport routes. Although the speed of troop movement is slow, the overall progress of the operation is going smoothly.”
We are continuously deploying forces manufactured from resources mined around the Second Fortress (Black Iron). We are landing forces in the Prava Divine Nation that far exceed those stationed in the Afrasia United Kingdom.
“Hehe. Moving such a large force feels great.”
As the satisfied Commander (Eve) enjoyed her moment, Ringo was keeping a close eye on the resource balance behind the scenes. The massive production far exceeded the resource output, causing the stockpiled supplies to dwindle at an alarming rate.
Despite feeding the Hungry Fortress plenty, it still wasn’t enough. In that sense, we want to completely subjugate the Prava Divine Nation and increase our resource production bases.
“Geni is a hub city that accumulates food and metal resources produced in the surrounding area. The conquest itself should go smoothly, but we won’t be able to prevent the spread of information regarding The Tree’s invasion.”
Even with a complete blockade, all exchanges through Geni would come to a halt. It would soon become evident that something unusual was occurring. Moreover, if individual forces like the Chimiya were to conduct reconnaissance, capturing them would be difficult.
“Even for a great nation like the Prava Divine Nation, conducting operations on two fronts is challenging. No matter how fast we are, it will take at least six months to prepare the assault forces.”
We will conquer Geni and fortify it. With six months, we can establish a solid defense. In fact, estimates suggest that about a month would be sufficient.
“Once the fortification is complete, we will proceed to the second phase of the operation: complete subjugation of the entire territory.”
Geni is a large city adjacent to a massive lake. The surrounding area is mostly flat, making it an ideal location. Using the lake, we can transport supplies via flying boats. Additionally, once the railway from Yakari Port is completed, we will be able to transport large quantities of resources.
“Upon the completion of the Geni conquest, we will lift the information blockade and begin deploying aerial forces. There are several large cities around Geni, so we will continue our conquests.”
“At last, the joint land and air operation will commence. The distance from the airbase is a challenge, though…”
The airbase constructed in the Royal Capital of the Afrasia United Kingdom is approximately 2,800 kilometers away from the current site. The conventional aerial weaponry we have currently deployed lacks the necessary range. Thus, the only forces we can effectively deploy are the Gigantia Unit and the carrier forces, which have no range limitations.
Originally, we had concealed our aerial forces out of caution towards the Prava Divine Nation, so now that we are beginning their conquest, there is no need to hide them. As a result, we will likely showcase our overwhelming forces to the Country of Wheat, the Kingdom of Reputari, and the surrounding nations.
“Construction of the second and third ships of the Gigantia is now complete. Our deployment speed will dramatically improve.”
“Once the runway planned for Geni is completed, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that the conquest of the Prava Divine Nation will be nearly complete. The known mineral veins alone are several times the reserves around the Second Fortress (Black Iron). Our resource balance will improve dramatically.”
“Indeed. Once we have some leeway, we can finally start thinking about the next steps. I’m looking forward to it.”
The conquest of the Prava Divine Nation is primarily an operation conducted for Amagio Salmon. Without him, The Tree would have likely expanded its influence starting from the Afrasia United Kingdom. After all, the Prava Divine Nation was an unknown territory, a nation of magic.
The decision to take on this risk was largely due to Eve’s change in mindset. From a passive approach, she shifted to actively promoting expansion.
The Tree is about to reach a significant turning point.
Author’s Note
Older Sister, let’s go outside!! (Expansion Strategy)
What a truly dangerous recluse you are.