“While it’s still just casual talk, let’s consider a Flagship for transportation or evacuation.”
＜Ringo＞ addressed the sisters, who had gathered during their break in their usual routine.
“Flagship?”
“A ship for a VIP, in this case, Onee-sama to be aboard.”
“Isn’t the Hringhorni-class good enough~?”
Incidentally, Eve was sunbathing with Asahi and wasn’t present.
When Asahi returns, they are usually left alone during break time. The five sisters are usually together, so they yield to their youngest sister.
“The Hringhorni-class is a powerful Battleship, but it’s insufficient for the purpose of carrying and protecting Ma’am. The Hringhorni-class is, after all, an Escort Ship. It’s not designed to guarantee internal safety.”
“Compared to the surrounding forces, doesn’t it have sufficient capabilities?”
＜Ringo＞ shook her head at Ichigo’s question.
“I acknowledge that human civilization is insignificant, but the Threat Creatures are far too vicious. Also, although there are no signs yet, if an extremely advanced Magical civilization exists, it would be a clear threat. As Asahi mentioned, we need to suppress them before they rise to power… Well, that’s a topic for another time. This time, it’s about a Great Battleship.”
They held regular verbal meetings. With increasing negotiations with humanity, they were honing their face-to-face communication skills.
Of course, training could be completed in a matter of hours using a Simulator, so it was mostly a hobby, a way to kill time.
“We are doing our best to ensure the safety of ＜The Tree＞, but it’s far from perfect. Therefore, we need to prepare a means to safely evacuate Ma’am in case any problems arise.”
“…For the time being?”
“For the time being, I would still have you aboard a Hringhorni-class or Naglfar-class, with an Escort Ship fleet, and evacuate to Fortress Two (Black Iron). It’s safer than the sky.”
“Sky Monsters are scary~”
“If we’re attacked by Wyvern-class, even Titan-class or Gigantia-class ships will be shot down~”
Utsugi and Erika said, giggling, but well, it’s no laughing matter. However, if they could work together with the maritime fleet, it’s certainly not that threatening.
“…With the forces stationed at Fortress Two (Black Iron), it’s easy…?”
Olive muttered, tilting her head.
“Olive, are you saying that Fortress Two (Black Iron) has more substantial forces?”
“Yeah…”
When Olive speaks, she tends to be a bit short on words. Probably because Eve and ＜Ringo＞ spoil her.
They had been able to communicate with few words. It could be called a personality trait.
“That’s right. In terms of simple combat power, it’s true that Fortress Two (Black Iron) is higher. However, ＜The Tree＞ has many non-combat facilities. For the time being, this will remain our base.”
Fortress Two (Black Iron) is a Fortress focused on expanding military power and producing resources. ＜The Tree＞ has research facilities, medical facilities, and, above all, ＜The Core＞, an incredible Supercomputer.
If the base were to be moved to the continent side, ＜The Core＞ would also need to be relocated.
Otherwise, it would result in a fatal performance degradation for the AIs, led by ＜Ringo＞.
“The problem is that evacuation means are limited. Currently, a fleet centered on the Naglfar-class Aircraft Carrier is the only evacuation destination.”
“Is one of the reasons why Onee-sama isn’t actively expanding the defense mechanisms of ＜The Tree＞ because the continent side needs more forces? The logic is correct, but…”
“Ma’am judges resource allocation based on numbers, so there’s nothing wrong with that in itself. Rather, we should welcome the fact that she allocates them accurately.”
＜Ringo＞ lowered her gaze slightly, remaining expressionless.
“I would like to allocate more resources to the defense forces of ＜The Tree＞.”
“We agree~”
“It would be nice if we got a little more~”
Utsugi and Erika also agreed with ＜Ringo＞. Although the degree of desire varied, the sisters thought that the forces of ＜The Tree＞ should be expanded. However, the reason was just a vague sense of unease, and they couldn’t provide a basis for it, so Eve had rejected it for now.
Until now, resources had been chronically tight, so it couldn’t be helped.
However, the current resource balance has improved considerably. Even if resources were allocated to the expansion of ＜The Tree＞ itself, it would have little impact on the plan in the long term. At most, the production plan for the next few years would be delayed by a few months.
But Eve understood.
Even if she accepted this request, the AIs would not be satisfied.
It was easy to imagine that their desires would grow, given how overprotective they were.
That’s why the sisters were complaining in what seemed like casual chat.
“＜Ringo＞’s view is that we should increase the Escort Ship fleet as it is, and build a Flagship?”
“That’s right, Akane. We were originally planning to build a Great Battleship anyway. It would be realistic to make that the Flagship. We will need Ma’am’s living space and protective equipment.”
The total length of the Hringhorni-class Battleship is 321m without modification. Living space is provided, but it is modest compared to the huge hull.
However, simply expanding the living space as it is would only lead to a decrease in structural strength.
“The Great Battleship that will become the Flagship needs to be at least 400m in total length. Living space and an armored section to protect it. Anti-air equipment, underwater equipment, and a Supercomputer to carry out command and control. After accommodating all of these, combat capabilities are also necessary.”
“…If we could make a floating Fortress, that would be the best… but we don’t have the resources yet…”
What Olive was saying was to secure buoyancy by some means and float a huge facility that could be mistaken for a Fortress in the air.
Of course, a large amount of resources would be required for construction. Also, since the current energy furnace has its limits, it would be necessary to develop a furnace with a new principle.
As expected, the hurdle is too high in the current situation.
“Structural reinforcement might be possible somehow. The production of hard building materials using the structure of Big Moth has been successful.”
“If we can somehow overcome Ma’am’s aversion, it’s worth considering. If we can mass-produce Superior Reactors, we can use reinforced structures with energy fields.”
“Monster Materials are easy to use, but~”
“The problem is that the procurement method is hunting~”
High-strength structures that transcend scientific constraints using Monster Materials. By using these, even with the current technology level of ＜The Tree＞, very robust structures can be built.
However, Monster Materials had difficulty in supply.
“The procurement of Big Moth is going smoothly, but there is the problem that the absolute number is small. According to the person in charge of Forest Country (Lebresta), the number of breeding should decrease after a certain amount of time, so future procurement will become more difficult.”
“Even if we use it for Aerial Escort Ships, the amount is insufficient for a monocoque structure. We can only use it to reduce weight by using it in mechanically important parts.”
Big Moth is a huge Monster, but even so, it is only possible to manufacture structures with a length of about 5m to 7m at most. Even if these are collected and used in combination, they are insufficient as hull materials for the Aerial Escort Ship (Titan), which is 180m in total length and 393m in total width.
“…Asahi says that chemical mass production is impossible…”
Of course, light and strong materials are very useful. ＜The Tree＞ would like to mass-produce them if possible. However, according to Asahi’s assessment, Magical growth factors are indispensable. Mass production by culture or other means is currently inconceivable.
A tea party with just the sisters. It’s quiet without Asahi-chan.
Ringo-chan and the five sisters are gradually becoming more resistant to Fantasy.