Chapter 3: The Hungry Commander
After a thorough examination by the Medical Pod, it was confirmed that her health was in perfect condition. Her internal functions were comparable to those of a human, and she could consume anything that a human could eat without issue. No allergies were detected, and she was, quite simply, in excellent health.
“I’m glad we have a stockpile of nutritional supplements…”
Noticing the inventory of nutrient IVs within the Medical Pod, she decided to administer one. Given that the expiration date was fixed and the stock was more plentiful than she had anticipated, she resolved to continue this treatment for the time being. At least, it seemed she could avoid starving to death.
“Still, I can’t shake off this hunger…”
As she became aware of it, her stomach began to growl. With a sigh, she stood up from the Medical Pod. Interestingly, her tail didn’t get in the way at all, even when she lay down. It seemed her skeletal structure had been adjusted just right. “How unnecessarily intricate,” she thought to herself.
“Ringo, do you have any reports?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Response: Currently activating the facilities within the fortress sequentially. A drone is conducting surveys around the fortress, and there is no land visible within the range from the fortress’s apex. A higher-altitude survey will be conducted once the High-altitude Drone is prepared. In the surrounding reef waters, seaweed and fish have been confirmed, so we will proceed with collection and investigation. The Work Bots are being activated.”
“Thank you, Ringo. No issues there. I’ll continue to inspect the living quarters…”
“Yes, Ma’am. Leave the operation of The Tree to me.”
“Sounds good. I’m counting on you, Ringo.”
For now, her task was to assign work to Ringo. It seemed that Ringo was in a rather unstable mental state. She could only imagine that it was akin to a human experiencing amnesia. Until now, Ringo had merely been a computational device in the game, but with the acquisition of the Brain Unit, it had gained the capacity for complex thought. The emotions it had developed during that process seemed to be spiraling out of control. In the real world, one could expect care from specialists, but unfortunately, she was the only one present at the moment. Therefore, it was up to her to somehow take care of Ringo.
(If only I could have someone take care of me too…)
But she couldn’t afford to think that way. If Ringo went out of control with its abilities, it would be disastrous, and if it withdrew mentally, it could threaten her life. She had no confidence in her ability to survive in this desolate place.
(If I had known, I should have played some survival games…)
Regretting that she had only played real-time strategy games, she realized that such a situation was beyond her expectations, so there was no point in dwelling on it. Ringo had mentioned that various information was stored in its library, so she could only hope that survival knowledge could be searched from there.
She walked through the corridor illuminated by bright white lights. The passage was immaculate, appearing as if not a speck of dust had settled.
(It’s as if it was just built moments ago… No, it must be true. I don’t quite understand the reasoning, but both The Tree and Ringo, and likely I as well, just appeared here. This means that without a doubt, this place has just come into existence.)
As she realized this, a wave of fear washed over her, as if the ground beneath her feet was crumbling away. The thought that everything around her, including herself, could vanish like a mirage was terrifying. The sudden appearance also raised the possibility of a sudden disappearance.
(…No. If I falter here, what will happen to Ringo…? I must stay strong!)
She shook her head vigorously, steeling herself. She would not dwell on the unknown. She would focus on what she could do now. First, she needed to secure a place to sleep. While she could potentially live in the command room, it felt unsettling. It was best to separate her workspace from her living quarters. Without delay, she opened the door to one of the nearest residential rooms.
With a click, the lock disengaged, and the door slid open.
“……It’s empty, huh?”
Stepping inside, she let out a disappointed sigh. She had hoped for something more, but her expectations were dashed. The room contained only a closet and a wall-mounted table, with no bed in sight. Judging by the size, it was likely a single room, but it was clear that she couldn’t sleep here. While the air conditioning was functional, sleeping in a room devoid of a bed or sheets would be far too uncomfortable.
“At this rate, the other rooms are probably just as suspicious…”
She opened the doors to the other rooms she could see, but they were all in the same state. Aside from the built-in furniture, there was nothing else. Naturally, the closets were completely empty as well. There was a room that seemed to be a dining area, but aside from a table, it had nothing. The absence of even chairs seemed a bit much, but they likely didn’t fall under the category of built-in furniture. It felt as though no movable furniture had been provided at all.
“I wonder if there’s a kitchen…”
As if responding to her voice, a map appeared in a window that followed her. It seemed to be located on a different floor. Deciding to check it out, she made her way to the elevator.
Upon arriving at the elevator hall, she found the doors already open. Ringo had likely anticipated her need to move. It seemed that the fortress’s facilities were indeed under its control.
“To the 16th floor.”
“Moving to the 16th floor. The doors will close.”
Upon giving the voice command, the elevator began its ascent immediately. There was likely a simple AI dedicated to the elevator. It was hard to believe that the Control AI would directly manage such minute details. While resource-wise, it shouldn’t be an issue…
The elevator moved silently and arrived at the designated floor. The layout of each floor appeared to be the same; aside from the large number “16” displayed prominently, there were no distinguishing features. After walking down the corridor for a while, she finally reached the kitchen.
(As I expected… there really is nothing here…)
The kitchen, equipped with cooking counters, sinks, heating stations, and a large refrigerator, was completely devoid of any cooking utensils. Even if she managed to obtain ingredients, she wouldn’t be able to cook anything… However, it seemed that automatic cooking equipment was indeed installed.
(For now, if I can just get my hands on some ingredients, I should be able to cook something…)
That said, whether she could accurately cook unknown ingredients remained a mystery. She hoped to find familiar food items.
After wandering around the same floor for a while, she found nothing particularly useful. Just a series of empty rooms. Feeling a chill, she decided to return to the command room. She headed back to the elevator hall and boarded the waiting elevator. After descending to the floor where the command room was located, she suddenly remembered and headed to the restroom. She also needed to search for a shower room.
(…Ugh. Of course, there’s no toilet paper…)
She felt this was a rather important issue, but as expected, the absence of consumables made her shoulders slump. It seemed that the toilet had a bidet function, so she could avoid the worst-case scenario. Given the current lack of food, it was a small relief that her visits would likely be infrequent.
(I wonder if it’s possible to manufacture such consumables… If only I had a Universal Printer, but I would need a Material cartridge. It seems unlikely that there’s a stock of Material cartridges, and if I have to manufacture them… it feels overwhelming…)
The shower room also appeared usable, but of course, there were no soaps or towels provided. Thinking about it, it felt like a miracle that there was a bed in the command room. For the time being, she would have to make do with that towel blanket.
(Speaking of which, if there are hostile civilizations around this place, I’d be in serious trouble… I might need to deploy a reconnaissance drone or a High-altitude Plane. A strategy meeting will be necessary later.)
For now, she decided to return to the command room to share information with Ringo. Upon reflection, she realized she could converse with Ringo right there, but she was still stuck in the mindset of issuing commands through the Integration Console.