Chapter 228: The Cry of Construction Start
“At last…! At long last, we’ve made it this far…!”
She raised both her ears, hands, and tail to the heavens, shouting with uncontainable excitement.
“This is the large construction dock! It’s massive! It’s spacious!”
“Yes, Commander,” came the reply. “It took some time for the concrete to cure, but now we can construct ships of 300 meters in length.”
Commander Eve was utterly thrilled as she visited the large shipbuilding docks constructed alongside The Tree Fortress.
“After all the hardships—though I can’t say how many days it’s been—this is amazing! This will make our expansion much smoother!”
“Yes, Commander.”
The construction dock was designed to withstand all weather conditions. The entire dock, measuring 400 meters in length, 100 meters in width, and 15 meters in depth, was covered by a structural shell. Inside, colossal construction machines moved about, and the assembly of the first ship had officially begun.
“What an incredible sight!!”
“Big Sister! I want to see inside!”
“Alright, let’s go!”
Urged on by Olive, Eve firmly took her hand and began to walk. From behind, their tails wagged vigorously, both moving at quite a brisk pace.
“RINGO, what are we currently constructing?”
“We’re building the battleship, Flinghorni. It is the first ship of the Flinghorni Class.”
Following behind them, RINGO, Akane, and Ichigo strolled leisurely. Utsugi and Erika had already dashed ahead.
“Flinghorni refers to the enormous ship known as the largest in Norse mythology.”
RINGO nodded at Akane’s explanation. This was the first battleship named by Eve with great joy, marking a significant milestone for The Tree.
“It measures 321 meters in length and 68 meters in width. It is equipped with four nuclear fusion reactors and will operate multiple strategic AIs for complete autonomous action. While it is intended to serve as the fleet flagship and a dispatch force to various locations, the primary mission of the first ship will be to defend The Tree.”
“I’ve always felt that The Tree’s naval defense capabilities were lacking. Now, I can finally feel at ease.”
“I believe we have prepared ten times the estimated enemy force, but…?”
“I understand your concerns, Akane. As Ichigo mentioned, we have the necessary forces, but whether that will provide true peace of mind is another matter. Personally, I would like to recall half of the naval forces currently deployed.”
“Since you allocate forces based on numerical assessments, I can’t argue against that. Though I’m not Asahi, I think it would be wise to fear the irrationality of fantasy a bit more.”
Eve expressed her discomfort with leaving resources idle. However, it was simply the nature of a gamer. In a situation where there was no imminent crisis, utilizing a massive force solely for defense was indeed a state to be avoided.
“We are addressing this by increasing patrol aircraft, but I was still worried. Since you agreed to keep the fleet around The Tree under the pretext of experimental ships, the safety of the Commander will also be enhanced.”
Idle assets are equivalent to zero. That was Eve’s judgment.
However, defense forces are not merely about numbers; their mere presence holds significance. Currently, there was a surplus in resource balance. It was time to reconsider the defense of The Tree itself.
“That said, it seems you are also considering risk hedging for defense forces as you continue to battle monsters. Both the Second Fortress (Black Iron) and the Oil Port have seen an increase in stationed forces. While it is dangerous to delay the fortification of our main base, I understand that it is unavoidable given the resource balance.”
“At present, it has been analyzed that the likelihood of monsters colliding with us is low, as long as they do not encroach on our territory. Thus, it is true that The Tree is somewhat safer compared to other regions.”
“At the very least, there are no threats other than wandering types like the Rain Croin. If we can continue to build our defense network, The Tree will become impregnable.”
The development of mineral veins and the recovery of underwater resources within the Afrasia United Kingdom were progressing smoothly. The necessary elements were steadily accumulating. RINGO was efficiently managing the distribution of resources between the recovery platforms and the reinforcement of military forces.
On the ground, a massive disc was carving into the earth, while monstrous recovery machines crawled along the seabed. And this operation was steadily expanding.
There were sufficient prospects for recovering materials for battleship construction, estimated at over 100,000 tons per ship. All that remained was mass production.
As they stepped into the dock, they found Eve, Utsugi, Erika, and Olive huddled together, seemingly engaged in a playful scuffle, their excitement palpable.
Below them, a gantry construction machine was directly outputting the hull of the battleship. According to the schedule, the hull output was expected to be completed within a week. Following that, it would take another week to outfit the various equipment before launching.
Moreover, there were three such large construction docks in total. This meant that by operating at full capacity, they could potentially produce a battleship every week. Furthermore, there would be no need for a crew training period. It was estimated that the ship could be operational within approximately three weeks from the start of construction.
That said, operating a battleship alone would indeed be challenging. Accompanying vessels and aircraft carriers, which would serve as the main strike force, were also necessary. If there were no issues with this construction dock, plans were in place to begin constructing aircraft carriers and supply ships in the second and third docks.
“RINGO, is there any progress on the land battleship that Asahi proposed?”
“Akane is quite observant. Yes, we are currently running simulations. Unlike the Gigantia Class, the mobility of the large equipment is far superior. If we were to invade the vast Prava Divine Nation, a plan to push the front lines using a land battleship as a base is worth considering.”
“…I don’t quite understand the concept of romance that you often mention, but you did say that land battleships are romantic, didn’t you?”
As they watched the four of them spinning around while holding hands, RINGO and the others continued their conversation.
By the way, the reason they were exchanging information verbally was simply for recreation. In a professional setting, such conversations would be concluded in milliseconds.
“Indeed, there is romance in it, but from the perspective of resource acquisition, it is also quite useful. We can supply the defensive capabilities and power for the construction of defensive facilities until the land battleship moves to the next point. Additionally, it can function as a mothership, significantly expanding the operational range compared to deploying numerous small machines.”
“The issue lies in mobility. Compared to the Gigantia Class, the deployment speed is a bottleneck.”
“I see. However, conversely, it would be extremely useful as a force to advance after securing the area with the Gigantia Class. If used as a mothership, it can also maintain air superiority.”
Given the current resource balance, mass production of land battleships was indeed feasible. The challenge lay in transporting them to the Prava Divine Nation, which would likely become the main battlefield.
The base of The Tree on the Northern Continent currently existed only within the Afrasia United Kingdom. Therefore, considering overland routes, several countries lay in between. It would be quite difficult to pass through the territory of nations with which they had little interaction using land battleships. It would essentially be an invasion.
“Maritime transport will be necessary. It is too far for air transport, and there are limits to the amount that can be carried. Assembling them on-site would also be challenging, so directly sending them with a large mothership would be the most efficient method.”
“Technically, advancing via the Demon Forest is a possibility. Although Asahi warned that it carries a high degree of uncertainty.”
“Passing through the Demon Forest could provoke unknown monsters. Moving a massive machine like a land battleship through there would certainly lead to unpredictable outcomes.”
The Demon Forest stretches east to west, blocking the northern side of the southern countries on the Northern Continent. None of the nations have succeeded in developing the Demon Forest. Therefore, even if they were to carve a path through it, there would be no concern about interference.
Naturally, since they had no idea what kind of monsters might emerge, everyone, including Asahi, opposed the idea of opening that route.
“Given the high likelihood of valuable resources lying dormant, we will need to challenge it someday. However, we are not prepared at this time. We should avoid unnecessary risks.”
The three continued to chat playfully while keeping an eye on the other sisters. Their gaze fell upon Eve, who was wobbling as she carried Olive on her shoulders while holding Utsugi and Erika in each arm. Perhaps due to their beastman traits, they were far stronger than they appeared.