Chapter 15: Ringo Spreads the Spy Bots
“Language analysis is necessary.”
“Indeed.”
In order to secure immediate resources, she wanted to initiate trade somehow. However, communication was essential for trading. While it was an option to simply load up on goods and see what happened, there was no guarantee that she would receive the desired resources, primarily iron, in return. In fact, the likelihood of heavy and bulky iron being recognized as a suitable trade item was quite low. Thus, Ringo concluded that it would be faster to make an effort to learn some language to clearly specify the desired exchange.
“Is there any way to do that?”
“Yes, Commander. I propose using directional microphones for audio collection from a distance, along with infiltration by insect-type bots.”
“Hmm?”
She leaned in to examine the overview of the directional microphone operation unit and the insect-type bots displayed by Ringo.
“These are quite impressive.”
The mother unit was a relatively large autonomous device, while the sub-units were the insect-type bots. Although wireless charging was possible, it was typically considered useless since it would immediately reveal their presence. However, in this world, where electromagnetic waves were not utilized, they could use it without worry.
“We can deploy them to the outskirts via a submarine for information gathering. Once we have a certain level of language analysis, we can send in bio-androids for direct negotiations.”
“Sounds good. So, shall we start with the production of these directional microphones and insect-type bots?”
“Yes, Commander. I will begin production immediately.”
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“The subject… comes first, likely followed by the verb. Then there are adjectives and various other elements. Hmm, so it’s the so-called English type?”
“Yes, Commander. The likelihood is high. However, we still have too few samples to make a definitive statement. Words that seem to be subjects can appear at the beginning, in the middle, or even at the end. There are also other pronunciations that closely resemble verbs, suggesting that the meaning may change based on context.”
“I haven’t studied linguistics, so I can’t say for sure… but if we can analyze it to that extent, should I be hopeful?”
“Yes, Commander. If we continue observing for a few weeks, once the deployment of the three mother units currently in transit is complete, we should have results within days.”
“Impressive, as always.”
With a smile at Ringo’s somewhat proud demeanor, she checked the ongoing tasks.
“Everything seems to be progressing smoothly, which is a relief. Our food supply is stabilizing, but… I do wish to eat something from the land soon.”
“Yes, Commander. In parallel with language analysis, I am also observing the dietary situation of the target settlement. Once we confirm the difficulty of obtaining food, we will proceed with gathering.”
“Thank you.”
By the way, her recent enjoyment was primarily centered around meals. In fact, it was the only source of entertainment she had. While she occasionally browsed the library for study purposes, it was not exactly leisure, so meals had become her main focus.
“Also, the bio-androids are nearly fully cultured, and they should be operational within a few days. If there are no issues with their functionality, I will send them to an appropriate coastal settlement.”
“Great. By the way, what are the candidates?”
In response to her question, several candidate locations appeared on the map of the Northern Continent displayed on the main screen. These were settlements and towns located several hundred kilometers east of the nation that had occupied the Northern Islands.
“Since language analysis is progressing well, we are considering targeting a relatively large port town like this one, provided the dialect falls within expected parameters. If there is a significant language barrier, we will make contact with the settlement we are currently observing or its surroundings.”
“…So we’re heading straight for a big city?”
“Yes, Commander. For now, we will enter the port under the guise of a merchant ship. It wouldn’t be unusual for a merchant vessel to arrive at another country’s port without prior notice. Given the level of civilization, there shouldn’t be established port entry procedures yet.”
Considering her knowledge of history, that seemed plausible. Whether it was the Age of Exploration or not, arriving in a foreign land aboard a massive sailing ship for trade would likely be tolerated despite cultural misunderstandings.
“However… hmm, I have a feeling everyone will look the same. Is that going to be a problem?”
Her concern was about the bio-androids that would be boarding the ship. Since they were cultured based on her genetic template, they would essentially have the same face.
Moreover, she couldn’t forget to consider this.
“…What if they think we’re a group of fox beastmen in costumes?”
So far, she had not observed any races similar to her among the groups they had been watching. Would they cause a commotion upon entering like this?
“Unfortunately, we won’t know until we try. Honestly, I think we could manage if we push through.”
Ringo speculated that due to the low level of civilization, they might easily be recognized as a different species. If they were to dock at the port, they planned to form a fleet and navigate without raising their sails to showcase their powered vessels. They expected that the more advanced ships would not take any reckless actions against them.
“In the end, gunboat diplomacy is quite challenging.”
“Yes, Commander. The Northern Continent is far more tumultuous than anticipated. Threatening a single port won’t keep the surrounding areas quiet. There will inevitably be some kind of problem. If we were to pursue that route, we would need a large fleet capable of swiftly subjugating the area.”
From their investigations, they had discovered that the southern part of the Northern Continent was embroiled in significant conflict. The nation occupying the Northern Islands (which still lacked a name) showed some stability, but the surrounding areas seemed to be fracturing at the level of entire towns. Yet, they also observed a tendency to unite against external threats, making the situation exceedingly troublesome, as Ringo assessed.
For instance, even if they established diplomatic relations with one port town, that wouldn’t necessarily apply to the neighboring settlements. The nation was not unified, and thus, there were likely countless points of contact.
That was the situation in the southern part of the Northern Continent.
“It’s quite frustrating… It seems unlikely we’ll secure iron anytime soon, so we’ll have to take things slowly. I also want to find other continents besides this Northern Continent, but they remain elusive.”
“Yes, I apologize, Commander. We are expanding our reconnaissance range, but we have yet to find anything.”
“Well, there’s not much we can do about that. Let’s continue searching.”
She switched the display to show the overall map.
“Hmm… It really is vast.”
The area within a radius of about 2000 kilometers centered around The Tree Fortress was the only region they had explored so far. Although they had expanded the reconnaissance range on the Northern Continent to 3000 kilometers, progress on the southern side was slow. Moreover, most of the locations had only been visually confirmed from an altitude of 20 kilometers, and they had not gathered detailed information. At best, they had a rough idea of the coastlines and elevations, and they could identify large cities if they were visible. Only a few cities along the southern coastline had been thoroughly investigated.
“Indeed, the radius of this planet is estimated to be around 10,000 kilometers. That means its surface area is 2.4 times that of Earth. Without observations from a satellite orbit, it is difficult to grasp the entirety.”
“I can’t even imagine… How many kilometers would it be to circle the planet?”
“Based on estimates, approximately 63,000 kilometers. The area we have explored so far is just 1%.”
“Wow.”
This planet was incredibly vast. After a month of exploration, they had only covered 1% of the area. At this rate, it was hard to imagine how many years it would take to fully comprehend the entire planet.
“Once we secure resources, the next step will be satellites, I suppose.”
“From the perspective of information gathering, yes. To ensure military superiority, I believe we need to deploy numerous satellites.”
“Hmm. Manufacturing orbital transport rockets… With the current facilities at The Tree, that’s impossible. We need manufacturing equipment and a launch base. We might also have to venture into offshore construction… Yes, there’s just too much to do.”
Sighing, she traced the unachieved nodes on the technology tree. The fact that no clear hostile entities had been confirmed was a small comfort. Otherwise, they would have to focus all resources on military matters to ensure their defense.
“Well, I suppose I’ll just have to tackle the tasks at hand one step at a time…”
“Yes, Commander.”