Episode 2: The Hungry Fortress
“This is very important. ＜Ringo＞, answer me honestly.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“What about my food supply?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Answer: There is none.”
“…”
About an hour had passed since she woke up. Feeling thirsty, she suddenly realized something.
This Fortress ＜The Tree＞ was the initial fortress she used in the game. After moving the base to a satellite orbit, almost all of its main functions had been transferred there, and she hadn’t used it much recently. In the first place, the game didn’t even involve eating, so there were absolutely no food reserves inside the fortress.
“First, water. Next, food. I wonder if I can purify water from the outside…”
“Yes, Ma’am. Investigating immediately. There is a freshwater purification plant, but it is unknown whether it is compatible with seawater. Also, it is unclear whether the purified water is suitable for drinking.”
“Please do. Also, let’s see… are there any living facilities here?”
She looked around the Command Room. At least, there was a bed for naps. The air conditioning seemed to be working as well. She could confirm that air was flowing from the vents in the ceiling. All that was left was a toilet and a shower.
“Proposal: Display the map of the fortress.”
“Oh… thank you. …Hmm, the area around the Command Room is a residential area…”
“Proposal: Activating the fortress surveillance network will allow for overall understanding.”
＜Ringo＞ proposed. In the game, the Overseer AI’s resources were limited, so it was common to give instructions as needed. However, she was beginning to realize that it could now act quite freely, using its surplus processing power.
“I see… ＜Ringo＞, I’m giving you quasi-commander authority. You can execute anything you deem necessary. However, be very careful with the remaining resources.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Acquired various permissions. Please check the Action Log for execution operations.”
“I’m going to check the residential area. Can this communication window be moved?”
“Yes, it can. I will make it follow you, Ma’am.”
She nodded and started walking towards the exit of the Command Room. The communication window followed her.
◇◇◇◇
Having confirmed that the Commander (Mum) had started her inspection, ＜Ringo＞ immediately began working. First, she checked the facilities inside the fortress. Due to energy shortages, most of the facilities were in a stopped state. She postponed connecting to each facility and downloaded an overview first.
(Peripheral monitoring function is online. The monitoring distance is short, but it is operating without problems. It is necessary to deploy patrol aircraft or launch a satellite as soon as possible. Only this fortress and its internal facilities have been transferred to this world, and the open-air runway and Observation Tower that should have been right next to it are gone. I cannot connect to the facilities in satellite orbit either. I estimate that they have not been transferred to this world. Whether it’s a patrol aircraft or a satellite, fuel is required for operation. There is not much fuel in reserve, so its use must be carefully considered.)
The Commander (Mum) was worried about her food, and this was an issue that ＜Ringo＞ also needed to consider. Resources for the Commander (Mum) were certainly important, but it was also necessary to secure the energy needed for Fortress ＜The Tree＞ to continue operating.
(The current energy source is one Fusion Reactor. There is no need to supply fuel for the time being.)
Since ＜The Tree＞ was an initial fortress, it did not operate advanced power reactors. After referring to the library, she confirmed that the blueprints for various power reactors were stored. If there were enough resources, she could even build a reduction reactor.
(The resources, the machine tools, the energy needed for construction, everything is lacking.)
＜Ringo＞ recognized that securing energy was an urgent issue.
(For the time being, increase the heat recovery rate of the Fusion Reactor. Currently… 33%. Low. Generally speaking, I want to secure 60%… What is the standard for “generally”? …No, that’s not the main point. Search the library for technology to improve thermal efficiency… Found it. Improvement of fuel rods and utilization of supercritical fluids. Considering the current materials and energy balance, it is more efficient to build a new Fusion Reactor. A Fusion Reactor is worth considering if fuel can be secured. This depends on whether Deuterium can be recovered from seawater. Technically, it is possible. Considering it as an alternative to building a Fusion Reactor… Due to time constraints, prioritize the construction of a Fusion Reactor. At the same time, expand the seawater purification function and build it after ensuring that the required amount of Deuterium can be secured is the desired plan.)
All of the above thought processes took about one second in real time. Most of the time was spent waiting for search responses, and the bottleneck was the bus bandwidth between the library and the Supercomputer ＜The Core＞. Since there was plenty of room in the Brain Unit, ＜Ringo＞ decided that the best thing to do was to move the information stored in the library sequentially. She immediately started the work. Surprisingly, the library seemed to be stored in a huge memory device composed of semiconductor memory. The capacity was only about 300 units of the Brain Unit, and it did not use even 0.1% of the entire ＜The Core＞. However, considering that it can be stored for decades without maintenance, it may be somewhat useful as a backup device.
(Start construction of a Fusion Reactor. Since the base was transferred early in the initial fortress, there is plenty of space for equipment. If we proceed with replacing the equipment, there will be no problem for the time being. In any case, improving the energy balance is essential, otherwise everything will be too inefficient. Optimize the energy usage of the entire ＜The Tree＞… Completed. The calculation speed of the quantum computer is fast. It’s a world of difference from before. –Before. …No, there is no need to think about the past. Next is securing fresh water. Fortunately, the freshwater purification plant is also compatible with seawater. However, the function is minimal. Only separation of Salt and fresh water is possible. Concentrated wastewater is discharged as is, but this has value. For the time being, it should be stored in a tank and resources should be recovered in the future. Commander (Mum), what humans need to survive is water and food. Human — no, wait. In the first place, is the Commander even human?)
As a result of her thoughts, ＜Ringo＞ realized an important fact. By the way, at this point, the Commander, she had not yet left the Command Room. Only a few seconds had passed.
“Commander (Mum). An important question has arisen.”
“…W-What? Suddenly.”
“Yes. Would the Commander be categorized as human in the strict sense? Is it known whether the body structure is similar to that of a human?”
At that question, she froze for a few seconds with a blank expression.
“T-That’s… that’s right, that’s certainly true. In my mind, I’m the same as a human, but… what is the actual situation? Can I eat onions?”
In a dazed tone, she put her hand on her head. There, a magnificent pair of ears—triangular fox ears—were perked up.
◇◇◇◇
The Commander, her appearance, was a demi-human based on a human, a so-called Beastkin race. The basic form was a human figure with beast components added, and she had added fox components. She didn’t have any particular preference, but there was a time when she was somehow into fox girls. When she actually created one, it fit better than expected, so she had been using it ever since.
“If my memory is correct, fox components for the ears and tail. The skeleton is human-based, the muscle strength is beast-like, and other internal organ functions should also be human-based. Yeah, I don’t have human ears. The tail can be used to control posture during exercise… or so it was.”
“There is a Medical Pod installed in the residential area. Let’s check there first. We should also be able to investigate foods to avoid.”
“I understand. Let’s head to the medical room for now.”
She didn’t know how much of the game settings that had become reality were reflected, but in any case, various investigations were necessary. She noticed from ＜Ringo＞’s Action Log that water would somehow be available, but food was still under consideration. It would be nice if she could procure it from the surrounding sea, but she didn’t even know if edible creatures lived there in the first place. Even if they were edible, she would need to test for unknown poisons, pathogens, and viruses. Thinking about it, she wondered if it would be possible to procure food today.
It was no joke to be reincarnated without knowing why and then starve to death. She stepped out of the Command Room, racking her brains.