Episode 85: The Birth of a Typhoon
That day, it had been raining since morning. It was extremely rare given ＜The Tree＞’s location, a drizzle that had persisted for hours.
“That’s right. Rain is normally supposed to fall like this, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Ma’am. However, unfortunately, in this sea area, it’s more of an abnormal weather pattern.”
I know that, she thought, answering ＜Ringo＞’s remark with a laugh. ＜The Tree＞ was located near the equator (though more than 1,000 km away), placing it in a tropical climate.
Therefore, rain usually came in the form of squalls, accompanied by strong winds and pouring down in a short period. A calm wind and continuous rain like today was something to be wary of.
“It’s difficult to make accurate predictions because the environment is different from Earth, but it seems that rain clouds dragged along by a massive low-pressure system, what you would call a cyclone or typhoon, that formed quite far away are affecting us. If we had a weather satellite, we could observe it accurately.”
“Well, it’s good enough just being able to observe it from above. And it’s not heading this way, is it?”
＜The Tree＞ was a strategic fortress, built with the possibility of being on the front lines in mind.
Even if exposed to a cyclone with winds of 70 m/s, it could easily withstand it, but of course, all external structures would need to be made wind-resistant, and ships and drones deployed nearby would need to be stored.
Also, simple structures such as antennas installed outside would have to be abandoned. Being hit directly by a cyclone wouldn’t cause major damage, but minor damage would occur, so it was best if it didn’t come this way.
“Yes, Ma’am. The low-pressure system that formed 300km east of the sea is rapidly growing as it moves north. Judging from its course, it is expected to deviate slightly east of the Afrasia United Kingdom and make landfall on the coast of the Forest Country (Lebresta). However, since there is little weather data, the course may deviate by about 2,000km east or west.”
“…So, in other words, you don’t know where it will make landfall, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. You could say that.”
＜Ringo＞ replied calmly, but she wasn’t too worried either. Fortress Two was also on the predicted path, but the possibility of a direct hit was low.
The lack of past weather data meant that various possibilities were being considered, preventing a final course from being determined, but ＜Ringo＞ continued to revise and calculate the theoretical model.
Unless some unknown phenomenon unique to this planet occurred, the course would proceed as ＜Ringo＞ predicted.
“Hmm. But, I wonder if it’ll be alright if a storm of this scale makes landfall as is?”
For example, if it were to hit Telek Port City directly.
It was easy to imagine that it would be devastated, without even needing to run a simulation.
“I checked with Telek Port City, and it seems that there have been several major storms in the past. Both caused devastating damage, basically blowing everything away. However, they were originally prepared for this, and have taken measures such as preparing basements and sturdy storage warehouses. This summer’s low-pressure system will cause devastation, but the damage will be to the extent that they will avoid total annihilation.”
“Is that really alright…?”
“Well, that’s what natural disasters are like. If the damage is recoverable, they probably accept it as within the acceptable range. In that sense, the fact that there are many buildings with relatively easy-to-build but structurally weak structures may be due to the regional characteristics.”
In any case, the current storm had almost nothing to do with Telek Port City. Recently, trade with other countries had been impossible, and only ＜Paraiso＞ was traveling back and forth, so Telek Port City was in a state of information isolation.
Information about the storm had not been updated at all.
“Geez, it’s raining…”
She muttered, sinking into her reclining chair. ＜Ringo＞ stood by her side, watching her every move.
She (Eve) was in the all-weather terrace on the observation deck. It was manufactured by laminating thin glass films with strictly adjusted composition in order to suppress the refractive index of visible light to the utmost limit.
It was also highly durable, and even a normal cannon shell wouldn’t leave a scratch.
Also, because of the laminated structure, the entire thing wouldn’t shatter into pieces the moment it was scratched, like tempered glass. At most, the surface glass layer would shatter.
The transparency was very high, and harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays were cut to some extent, making it the perfect facility to spend time idly while basking in the sunlight.
It was located at a height of about 50m above the sea, and the view was very good.
The visibility was poor on rainy days like today, but that was part of the charm.
“We’re in negotiations with the Forest Country (Lebresta), but… that low-pressure system… it doesn’t feel very powerful. Is it okay to call it a typhoon?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“That tropical storm (typhoon) is likely to make landfall in Lebresta, right? Will it be a problem?”
“Yes, Ma’am. My prediction is that its strength will rapidly weaken after making landfall, and it will turn into just a low-pressure system after entering a few hundred kilometers inland. At most, there will be some heavy rain. There will be no damage, and it will rather be a blessing.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The land conditions of the Forest Country (Lebresta) had not been well investigated, but as far as she could observe from a distance, the entire country was not covered in forest.
The coast was lined with a desert zone for hundreds of kilometers, a completely barren land.
The inland area was covered with forest for about 70 to 80 percent of its area, and was full of undulations. Green plains were scattered throughout, and a large lake was also confirmed.
The lack of plains seemed to make it unsuitable for living, but it seemed that the Lebresta people actually lived in the forest.
According to the Lebresta ambassador, most of them lived in the forest, and those who lived on the plains were considered oddballs.
“The desert area in front will be very rough, but there don’t seem to be any towns there in the first place, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“Hmph… Come to think of it, didn’t Lebresta have a port too?”
Suddenly, she (Eve) recalled some basic information about Lebresta and asked, and ＜Ringo＞ nodded while displaying a map.
“Yes, Ma’am. There is a large river that forms the eastern border of the Forest Country (Lebresta), and there seems to be a port town located upstream. Apparently, they use the waves generated during a tsunami to travel upstream.”
“Tsunami?”
“Yes, Ma’am. It is a phenomenon in which waves travel up a river from a wide estuary, starting at high tide. It’s like a tsunami. If they can ride the waves well, they can travel hundreds of kilometers. It seems that they have visited Telek Port City several times.”
“Hee…?”
＜Ringo＞ thought that it was hard to imagine with just words, as she seemed to be unable to get a clear picture of it.
However, unfortunately, she had not been able to take any videos, and it would be uninteresting to just display it in a simulation.
“Ma’am. I don’t know when it will be, but we will be able to trade with the Forest Country (Lebresta) by ship someday. At that time, you will be able to see it in a video.”
“Well, it’s not that I don’t want to see it in person, but well, tourist trips are out of the question for the time being.”
＜Ringo＞ inwardly sighed in relief at her (Eve) laughing and saying that she was a shut-in anyway.
She wouldn’t know what to do if she said she wanted to go see it.
Considering her (Eve)’s safety, the right thing to do was to not let her out of ＜The Tree＞. However, she wanted to fulfill her (Ma’am)’s wishes as much as possible.
The good news was that ＜The Tree＞’s strength was steadily increasing, and it would be possible to prepare a necessary and sufficient escort force in the near future.
If that were the case, there would be no reason to keep her (Ma’am) inside ＜The Tree＞.
However, she couldn’t just stop thinking here.
In the not-too-distant future, the Commander (Eve) would probably feel the desire to go out into the outside world on her own.
This was a realistic prediction derived by ＜Ringo＞ through tens of thousands of personality imitations (simulations).
And it was impossible to suppress that desire. If so, ＜Ringo＞ had to start preparing now to ensure that she could go on a safe foreign expedition.
“Even so…”
The Commander (Eve) muttered while looking at the rain flowing down the ceiling.
“I feel like I’m becoming more and more of a NEET lately.”
“……”
◇◇◇◇
688 days after the transfer of ＜The Tree＞.
Three days after a huge tropical storm (typhoon) made landfall on the Northern Continent.
The Solar-Powered Reconnaissance Aircraft (Swift), during its reconnaissance flight, discovered an oil slick floating on the sea—in other words, petroleum.