“Repuytari Kingdom, 80km to Calmora Port.”
“Entering Calmora Strait.”
“No ship shadows within 50km.”
“Bearing 2 o’clock, distance 125km, a ship shadow believed to be a patrol boat detected.”
The ＜Paraiso＞ fleet continues its voyage smoothly. Currently, the flagship Panas and eight Hedgehog-class Destroyers maintain a circular formation, continuing to navigate towards Moor, the capital of the Repuytari Kingdom.
The fleet is now entering the Lafret Sea, a vast bay nestled between the continent and the Repuytari Kingdom. The sea area between Calmora Port, the westernmost point of the Repuytari Kingdom, and the peninsula on the continental side is the Calmora Strait.
“Reduce ship speed to 60km/h. Gradually continue reducing speed to 40km/h, considering the surrounding situation.”
“Patrol boat maintains course. Continuing to approach.”
“All ship statuses normal. Fleet tactical link is functioning normally.”
Utsugi and Erika, who have completely mastered unit command, are in charge of the fleet’s operations, with Olive assisting them. Akane and Ichigo are stationed at Fortress Two.
“The ＜Paraiso＞ fleet will continue to head north. We will approach the patrol boat and others, feigning difficulty due to the speed difference to shake them off. Ideally, we will enter Moor Port and the report from the coastal garrison will occur almost simultaneously.”
“Not going all out?”
“No, Ma’am. Showing too much of a technological disparity could trigger an excessive reaction. By disclosing information in accordance with the other party’s common sense, we can keep the reaction within a predictable range.”
The idea is that if an overwhelmingly advanced opponent appears, the populace may panic.
Since controlling panic is extremely difficult, the policy is to control the situation so that it doesn’t happen in the first place.
“Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be any standardized procedures for dealing with a fleet from an uncontacted nation entering our waters, so how they will respond is all speculation.
However, there are few irregular elements, so we shouldn’t be too far off.
Warning from the patrol boat, followed by a warning shot.
Dispatch of warships.
Surrounding, order to stop, warning shot, paralleling, forced boarding.
All of this can be avoided with skillful maneuvering and speed.
After entering Moor Port, we will take the port facilities hostage and demand dialogue.”
“Hmm, gunboat diplomacy to a refreshing degree. Well, I guess it’s okay even if we get shot at?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Each ship can intercept with its secondary cannons. Also, we will not allow them to approach to a position where we cannot respond.”
“Not letting them get close, is that a warning shot?”
“Yes, Ma’am. That’s right.
After a verbal warning, we will fire a warning shot.
We will use close-in weapon systems against large ships, and Doll Machine (Communicator) fire against small ships.
It seems that the concept of guns has become widespread.
If they ignore the warning, we will judge it as a hostile act and sink them.
We will have extraterritoriality recognized, so it won’t be a problem.”
“Extraterritoriality, huh…”
Naturally, the laws of the Repuytari Kingdom cannot be applied to the forces of ＜The Tree＞.
And ultimately, the laws of ＜The Tree＞ all revert to Commander (Eve).
In effect, it’s a free-for-all.
This will be a kind of unequal treaty, but we won’t make a mistake that would make the Repuytari Kingdom realize that.
“If it gets down to the details, the local Strategic AI will fabricate an appropriate story.”
“A free-for-all, huh.”
After that, we will conduct trade negotiations and supply Burnstone.
It would be good if we could procure metal resources, but it seems that domestic mines are being consumed by domestic demand, so imports are probably not possible.
The staple food, wheat, is also mainly consumed domestically or imported from the neighboring Weizenland, so this is also not an option. Industrial products are naturally unnecessary, and the development of Magic (Fantasy) technology is lagging behind.
As a result of the investigation, ＜Ringo＞ concluded that the Repuytari Kingdom itself would not be a good trading partner for ＜The Tree＞.
“Well, it’s anticlimactic. The Repuytari Kingdom itself has room for development, but it’s not a resource-exporting country. Rather, the smaller countries on the continent seem to have more undeveloped mines, and it would be more meaningful to work with them.”
The Repuytari Kingdom, as a hegemonic nation, is more of a resource-consuming country. The leaders are well aware of this, which is why they were planning to invade the Afrasia United Kingdom.
“However, there is no doubt that it is the hegemonic nation at the top of the surrounding countries. It may be easier to negotiate with the Repuytari Kingdom as an intermediary than to deal directly with them. In particular, landlocked countries may not even acknowledge us if we go out of our way to visit them.”
Gunboat diplomacy is possible with countries that have ports, but it doesn’t work with landlocked countries. Importing via the Repuytari Kingdom to avoid troublesome negotiations is not a bad option.
“We will obtain currency by selling Burnstone and use it to purchase resources. The concept of bills seems to be well-established in the capital Moor, so we can use this to convert Burnstone into resources. If transactions become commonplace, resources will naturally gather.”
“Nurturing the market, huh.”
It’s a roundabout method. However, there was a chance of success. The rapidly advancing domestic railway network. Even though it uses Steam Engine, the transportation capacity of the railway is naturally incomparable to that of horse-drawn carriages. Moreover, the fact that there is no need to worry about pollution is a very big advantage.
“I hope the negotiations go well.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I will do my best.”
“Patrol boat, captured within visual range.”
“Successful detection by surface radar. Ship type measurement started. Finished. Equivalent to a frigate.”
“Radio wave reflectivity, low. Wooden ship. Number of masts cannot be detected.”
“Judgment by optical observation. Three masts. Seven broadside cannons. Estimated total length is about 40m.”
The ＜Paraiso＞ fleet has entered the visual range of the Repuytari Kingdom’s coastal patrol boat. The patrol boat’s crew seemed to be doing their job properly. It was confirmed that some of the crew members noticed and were pointing at us frequently.
“Course as is. Maintain cruising speed of 38km/h.”
“Patrol boat, speed increased. Currently 13km/h. Optical measurement, radar measurement, values match.”
“Atmospheric conditions are stable. No major fluctuations are expected in wind direction or speed.”
They will soon realize that we are moving at a considerable speed without sails. The Repuytari Kingdom’s long-distance communication method is Message Bird only.
This involves flying birds that have been given Magic (Fantasy) treatments along certain routes. The mechanism is not understood at all, but they seem to be produced within the kingdom. The distance and speed of movement depend on the type of bird, but basically any bird can be made into a Message Bird.
Small, light birds capable of long-distance flight are preferred.
“They seem to have spotted us. Patrol boat, changing course.”
“Confirming the changed course. If there are no further changes, closest approach will be in 8 minutes.”
“Distance at closest approach, approximately 800m. If the formation is changed to a single line, the approach distance will increase to 1km.”
In the enlarged image, several Message Birds could be seen being released. With this, information about ＜Paraiso＞’s approach will be transmitted to the Repuytari Kingdom. All that remains is to head for the capital Moor as planned.
In doing so, we will pass by patrol boats or warships several times, but basically, we plan to shake them all off with the difference in speed. Even if we are attacked, we will not retaliate and will only intercept Cannon Shell.
A frigate with sails is slowly approaching. The entire crew must be out, as there was a crowd of people on the deck. And soon, they will notice the scale of the fleet in a circular formation. That the ship they had been seeing until now was only one on the outer edge, and that a huge ship was sailing in the center.
“Additional Message Birds released. Flagship Panas is believed to have been sighted. Recording crew reactions.”
The total length of the Panas-class nuclear-powered Cruiser is 141m. Compared to the patrol boat, the total length is 3.5 times as long. They must be very surprised. Moreover, the speed is three times that of them.
Eventually, the ＜Paraiso＞ fleet leisurely left behind the patrol boat desperately chasing after them, and officially entered the Lafret Sea, the vast bay where the capital of the Repuytari Kingdom is located.