Episode 49: The Flying Boat Takes Off! Monsters, Mysteries!
The SR-1 Flying Boat (Albatross). This flying boat, completed by ＜Ringo＞ while balancing performance and fuel efficiency, is slated to become ＜The Tree’s＞ main aircraft.
It uses jet fuel, and its engines are propfans. It has four propfan engines on the main wings, using a tractor-type contra-rotating propeller. It boasts short takeoff and landing capabilities, good fuel economy, and can also be used as a freighter. The only problem is its lack of stealth, but that shouldn’t be an issue in this world. It also has the power to take off and land even in rough seas like the open ocean.
“SR-1 (Albatross), launching.”
With those words, the four propfan engines roared to life. The eight propellers, rotating in opposite directions, greedily forced air, generating lift on the main wings.
“Ooh~”
Watching over it were six girls. ＜Ringo＞ quietly prepared tea in the background, planning an elegant tea time on the terrace overlooking the sea. She was meticulous in her preparations.
“It’s flying~”
“Amazing~”
“You two, you’ll fall, calm down! Hey!”
Leaning over the railing, two of them clapped their hands excitedly, while the eldest sister (Eve) grabbed them by the scruff of their necks to stop them from falling.
As they watched, the Albatross took off in a short distance of just over 250 meters. The takeoff was so slow that the onomatopoeia “fluffy” seemed appropriate. It was hard to believe it was a fixed-wing aircraft.
“Hmm, it’s strange…”
Commander (Eve) muttered as she watched. In her mind, aircraft were jet fighters, so she felt extremely out of place. She had never operated a propeller plane before.
“Albatross, pre-production model No. 1, climbing smoothly. Reached 400 km/h.”
The Albatross, which had taken off from the sea, was rapidly gaining altitude. The plan was to climb to its assumed cruising altitude of 10,000 meters and then fly to Telek Port City. If all went well, it would arrive in about two to three hours. If the Albatross’s operation was established, the efficiency of exploring the Northern Continent and other areas would improve dramatically. There was the problem of consuming aviation fuel, but that would be resolved eventually. To that end, they would focus on exploring for lodes.
“By the way, can the Albatross be ship-borne?”
“Yes, Ma’am. It is designed that way. We are planning to build large aircraft carriers in the future, but for the time being, we will use small ships equipped with modules for refueling and maintenance. Also, since their commissioning will still take some time, we plan to operate it with fuel supply only from transport ships for a few months. Maintenance will be performed at ＜The Tree＞ if necessary. If movement is difficult, it will be loaded onto a transport ship.”
“Hmph. What about armaments?”
“There are no fixed armaments. Mounting them is possible.”
She worried if it was okay to have no armaments right after Rain Croin appeared, but so far, there was no confirmed information about such monsters appearing in the Northern Continent. ＜Ringo＞ intended to pack it with observation equipment to the limit and quickly finish the geological survey. She was also planning to mass-produce iron and fortify Telek Port City at once.
“Albatross, all sensors normal. Flying as planned.”
“It’s fast after all, compared to a ship.”
“It’s fast!”
“It’s really fast!”
Currently, it was traveling at 500 km/h. Since the 1st (Alpha) class travels at about 40 km/h, the speed difference was obvious. On the tactical monitor, the Albatross was rapidly moving away from ＜The Tree＞ on the planar radar display.
“Unit 1 is equipped with a ground observation system, so it will enter observation duty as is. However, we can’t fly it too often because of the high fuel consumption.”
“For now, I want to identify at least the lodes.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
At the same time, a work vessel was currently sailing towards Telek Port City. The work vessel was twice the size of the transport ships currently in operation and was loaded with a lot of materials. Automatic construction machines were also installed, and they were planning to build a port exclusively for ＜The Tree＞ at full capacity. The location had already been selected, the coastline closest to Iron Town. They had also confirmed that the surrounding area was uninhabited. They would also fortify this area and eventually build a direct railway line to Iron Town. This fortress would be kept secret from Telek Port City and operated directly by ＜The Tree＞. They were finally starting to advance into the Northern Continent in earnest.
“Albatross, reached ground speed of 600 km/h. Reached altitude of 10,000 m. Cruising mode.”
Having reached the specified speed and altitude, the Albatross began cruising towards Telek Port City.
“Speaking of which, how is the investigation into Rain Croin progressing?”
She asked ＜Ringo＞ as she picked up a cookie from the plate.
“Yes, Ma’am. It’s progressing reasonably well. As I reported the other day, Rain Croin juveniles were implanted in the carcass of the whale-like monster, so we are currently observing them as is. The investigation into Rain Croin itself is ongoing, but several interesting phenomena have been confirmed.”
Rain Croin. That giant creature was currently being towed into a dock built for large ships and was being investigated. The results of the genetic analysis matched the body tissue recovered from the wreckage of the ship. Since no damage had been confirmed to migrating sea beasts since then, they concluded that this was the only Rain Croin in the surrounding waters.
However, the existence of juveniles also confirmed that it was not a unique creature. If it had a concept of territory, there might be individuals advancing from other sea areas. They would have no choice but to continue monitoring that.
“Regarding Rain Croin’s defense, it seems to be still intact even after death, and it requires considerable energy to obtain tissue samples.”
“Ah. That ridiculously hard thing…”
The robustness of the scales and skin that repelled armor-piercing shells was not limited to when it was alive, but it was just plain hard. At least, for now.
“However, once it was cut off, it changed to a scientifically consistent strength.”
“…Huh? What does that mean?”
“The Rain Croin’s main body is extremely robust. It exhibits scientifically impossible toughness. However, the phenomenon has been confirmed that when it is cut off, it becomes a structural strength within the normal range.”
They somehow managed to burn it off with high energy using a laser scalpel and cut out a block, but at the point of cutting it out, it regained the hardness, or rather softness, of normal meat. It was currently under experimentation, but in any case, it seemed to lose its hardness when physical contact with the main body was broken.
“And the cut-off tissue also gradually regained its hardness when it was brought into contact with the Rain Croin’s main body.”
“Hee… So, something that maintains that hardness is inside the Rain Croin’s main body. Or, does it need to be recognized as part of the Rain Croin?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
That was thought to be one aspect of the unknown phenomenon called magic (fantasy). Right now, they were investigating whether something that caused that phenomenon existed. However, it was just so hard.
It was difficult to cut open, so they were manufacturing a special laser scalpel, or rather a large tool that was more like a plasma cutter. Metal or ceramic blades could not even scratch it, and even when using tools like scissors, the blades would break. The only way to dissect it was to irradiate it with energy directly and burn it off.
“Fortunately, this robustness seems to be exhibited against chemical reactions as well, and it doesn’t seem to be rotting at the moment. We were considering cooling the entire dock, but it doesn’t seem necessary.”
“Haa. It doesn’t rot. It would be excellent as preserved food… but not really. We can’t cut it off.”
“Yes, Ma’am. No toxic substances were detected from the separated tissue, but it is also unknown whether it is safe to ingest.”
“I’m a little scared to eat it suddenly.”
There was also the question of the taste. She certainly had no intention of trying it herself, but ＜Ringo＞ might somehow manage it on her own. One day, Rain Croin meat might suddenly appear on the table.