Chapter 2: A Starving 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 had woken up. She felt a thirst, and that’s when it hit her.
This fortress, ＜The Tree＞, was the initial fortress used in the game. After moving the base to a satellite orbit, almost all of its main functions had been transferred there, and it had hardly been used recently. In the first place, the game wasn’t one where you could eat, 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 unknown whether the purified water is suitable for drinking.”
“I’m counting on you. Also, let’s see. Are there any living facilities here?”
She looked around the command room. At the very 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 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’s surveillance network will allow for overall understanding.”
＜Ringo＞ proposed. In the game, the overall AI didn’t have enough resources, so it was common to give instructions from time to time. 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 do what you think is necessary. However, be very careful with the remaining resources.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Acquired various permissions. Please check the logs for execution operations.”
“I’m going to check the residential area. Can this communication window be moved?”
“Yes, it is possible. 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.
◇◇◇◇
After confirming that the Commander had started her inspection, ＜Ringo＞ immediately began working. First, it checked the facilities inside the fortress. Most of the facilities were shut down due to energy shortages. It postponed connecting to each facility and downloaded an overview first.
(Peripheral monitoring function is online. The monitoring distance is short, but it is working without problems. It is necessary to deploy patrol aircraft or launch a satellite as soon as possible. Only this fortress and internal facilities have been transferred to this world, and there is no open-air runway or observation tower that should have been right next to it. 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 plane or a satellite, fuel is needed for operation. There is not much fuel in stock, so its use must be carefully considered.)
The Commander was worried about her food, and this was an issue that ＜Ringo＞ also needed to consider. Resources for the Commander were certainly important, but it was also necessary to secure the energy needed for the fortress ＜The Tree＞ to continue operating.
(The current energy source is one nuclear 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, it was confirmed that the blueprints for various power reactors were stored. With enough resources, even a compact fusion reactor could be built.
(The resources, the machine tools, the energy, everything needed for construction is lacking.)
Securing energy was an urgent issue, ＜Ringo＞ recognized.
(For the time being, increase the heat recovery rate of the nuclear reactor. Currently… 33%. Low. Generally speaking, I want to secure 60%… What is “generally” based on…? 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 fluid. Considering the current materials and energy balance, it is more efficient to build a new nuclear reactor. A nuclear fusion reactor is worth considering if fuel can be secured. This depends on whether deuterium can be recovered from seawater. Technically possible. Considering it as an alternative to building a nuclear reactor… Due to the time issue, prioritize building a nuclear reactor. At the same time, expand the seawater purification function and build it after the required amount of deuterium can be secured is the desired plan.)
This train of thought took about 1 second in real time. Most of it was waiting time for search responses, and the bottleneck was the bus bandwidth between the library and the supercomputer ＜The Core＞. Since there was considerable room in the brain unit, ＜Ringo＞ decided that it was best to move the information stored in the library sequentially. It immediately started the work. Surprisingly, the library seemed to be stored in a huge memory device made of semiconductor memory. The capacity was only about 300 units of the brain unit, using less than 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 nuclear reactor. Since the base was transferred early in the initial fortress, there is plenty of space for equipment. If the equipment is replaced, there will be no problems for the time being. In any case, it is too inefficient to do anything without improving the energy balance. 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 salt and fresh water can be separated. Concentrated wastewater is discharged as is, but this has value. It should be stored in a tank for the time being and resources should be recovered in the future. Commander, what humans need to survive is water and food. Human — no, wait. In the first place, is the Commander even human?)
After much thought, ＜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. 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. I recognize myself as 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 — sprouted out.
◇◇◇◇
The Commander, her appearance, was a demi-human based on a human, a so-called beastman. The basic form was a human figure with beast components added, and she had added fox components. It wasn’t that she was particularly particular about it, but there was a time when she was into fox girls. When she actually made 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 the other internal organ functions should be human-based. Yeah, I don’t have human ears. The tail can be used to control posture during exercise… or was it?”
“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 the game settings that had become reality were reflected, but anyway, a lot of investigation was needed. She noticed from ＜Ringo＞’s activity log that something could be done about the water, 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 it was edible, it would be necessary to test for unknown poisons, pathogens, and viruses. Considering that, was it possible to procure food today?
It was no joke to be reincarnated without knowing why, and then starve to death. She frowned as she stepped out of the command room.