Chapter 31: Port Town of Terek is Cornered
The trading fleet, Paraiso I, was welcomed into the Port Town of Terek with cheers and excitement.
“Oh, amazing, amazing! They’ve even built a new dock; what a warm welcome!”
“Yes, Ma’am. The situation in the surrounding areas has deteriorated significantly, and Terek’s lifeline is now heavily reliant on Paraiso.”
“Really? Is it that bad?”
She was astonished that the situation had changed so drastically after just the third trading voyage. Indeed, it had been over six months since their first visit.
“The regional situation is worsening at an alarming rate. Without the goods from Paraiso, and with the lack of political power in this town, it might have turned into a wasteland.”
“Wow…”
She was taken aback. The Port Town of Terek itself was relatively safe and peaceful, hardly resembling a war zone, yet it seemed the surrounding areas were in dire straits.
“A refugee camp has sprung up to the north of Terek, and it’s been repeatedly raided by bandit groups. To put it simply, it’s hell on earth. Terek has no resources to spare, so they are turning a blind eye to the refugee camp. They seem to be selling food, but since they are refugees, they have nothing to offer in return.”
“Goodness… it really is hell.”
It seemed that lavish transport caravans were making round trips seeking cellulose-based threads and fabrics, which was a small silver lining. Trade with the capital was still ongoing.
“We’re carrying salt and water, but should we also pack some food next time?”
“Let’s check. However, we can’t prepare grains, so it would have to be fish products or dried seaweed. It’s uncertain if there’s a demand for those.”
There were no granaries in the vicinity of Terek. Essentially, they relied on imports from the capital as payment for their trade goods. Fishing was being conducted, but staple grains were essential. Given the relatively warm climate, Ringo speculated that it might be possible to cultivate root vegetables.
“As predicted, we should be able to hold out for a while. However, it’s expected to become difficult afterward.”
“…We need to seriously decide whether to intervene soon.”
For now, the plan was to observe. Provide information and prolong survival. Continue iron trade and cut ties when returns ceased. The intervention from The Tree would be minimized, maximizing iron resources. However, this plan felt devoid of humanity, and even though it was a thin lifeline, they would lose their channel to the continent, prompting the need to consider alternative plans.
So, what would they bring to the intervention? Currently, the only option available was to send in military force. In other words, a solution through strength. For instance, it wouldn’t be too difficult to defend the Port Town of Terek. The range of the 150mm smoothbore cannon extended 20 kilometers from the port. By adjusting the amount of explosives and conducting precision fire, they could hit targets within that range on the first shot. If considering the cannon’s range alone, it could likely reach up to 40 kilometers. With a firing rate of 45 rounds per minute, deploying two Alpha-class destroyers, each equipped with three cannons, would unleash a rain of iron totaling 270 rounds per minute.
However, that was all they could do.
They couldn’t prepare ground forces, so while they could defend, they couldn’t launch an invasion. They would have to rely on local forces. But Terek was a small town, making it difficult to muster a significant military presence.
“For example, we could completely place the Port Town of Terek under The Tree’s control and fortify it.”
“…Considering the current resource exploration situation, that’s a viable option. There haven’t been any significant mineral deposits found in the area…”
The exploration range for iron mines was gradually expanding. However, no promising responses had been detected. It was uncertain whether they were buried underground or if there was simply no iron to be found.
“We could quickly secure that iron mining town. If we’re not afraid of exposing The Tree, it’s likely the fastest and most reliable way to acquire a large amount of iron resources.”
“True. But that could also trigger hostile forces. So far, we haven’t identified any groups with lethal military strength against us, but that doesn’t prove we are invincible.”
“Yes, Ma’am. To be honest, we are far from prepared.”
“Ugh! We really are short on iron!”
They had made some progress in manufacturing combat ships, but now they had to consider another issue.
“If only we had iron, most of our problems would be solved…!”
The stockpile of petroleum-based fuel was still sufficient. However, since there was no prospect for resupply, they needed to consider extraction and development. The diesel engines mounted on the Alpha-class destroyers and transport ships could fortunately be repurposed from jet fuel intended for aircraft. Since they didn’t plan to use aircraft for the time being, they could use it without issue for several years.
“We haven’t found any oil fields. However, oil exploration isn’t easy, so it can’t be helped…”
This too would require aerial exploration or possibly satellite-assisted wide-area surveys, but both options were challenging due to resource shortages.
“Should we squeeze what we can from Terek and then aim for that peninsula nation? It would be great if we could negotiate, but worst-case scenario, we might end up in a combat situation.”
“I suspect they are quite a belligerent nation.”
“Securing the Port Town of Terek and the iron mine is essential. We don’t know the reserves of the iron mine, but it could provide us with a large quantity of iron all at once. However, development will take time, and there’s a risk of facing a large-scale raid during that period.”
“After all, we’re dealing with a nation. Even in a state of internal strife, they might unite against an external enemy. If that happens, we could be facing hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers.”
If they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers, it would be impossible to defend. They would need to use all of The Tree’s strength to seize the iron mine, fortify the Port Town of Terek, and ramp up iron refining and military production. It wasn’t impossible.
“Not impossible, but… the risks are significant. If we neglect the defense here, a single failure could lead to losing everything. After that, the chances of recovery…”
“Since this is based on using The Tree’s current resources, a failure would leave us with nothing. If we leave resources behind, the risk of failure increases accordingly.”
“Hmm, it’s quite a dilemma.”
The resources that The Tree could produce independently were cellulose, metals extracted from seawater, and algae that had successfully produced oil at a laboratory level. It would take years to produce even a single destroyer due to the resource shortage.
In the display, the flagship Paraiso had docked, and the Alpha-class destroyer, Alpha, was already being approached by Guild Master Kuravia Terek. The Communicator Android, Zwei, was looking down from the bow but seemed completely unconcerned.
“It’s quite the excitement, isn’t it?”
Yet, it was understandable. In this age of sailing ships, they had arrived on a powered vessel without sails. Moreover, it was clearly a warship. Additionally, this fleet had a very favorable disposition towards the Port Town of Terek. There was no reason not to give them a warm welcome. With an attitude that was nothing short of reverential, they praised even the simple stairway gangway as they guided Zwei and her entourage to the reception hall. It seemed that unloading would be postponed until the next day, and a welcome party was planned for today. For now, they decided to send ten Communicator Androids to participate, leaving the rest on the ship to stand guard.
“Being relied upon this much makes it hard to abandon them.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I agree.”
Even through the screen, they had seen the faces of these people almost daily for over six months (mainly through surveillance). It was only natural to want to help them as much as possible.
“Worst case, even if we have to give up on the iron mine, we can still protect the town… If the internal strife in this nation settles down, trade might resume again.”
In reality, they had no idea how the situation would unfold. They had devised various scenarios, but even Guild Master Kuravia Terek’s friendliness had fallen outside of any of those scenarios. In other words, they simply lacked absolute experience (samples) to make accurate predictions.
Moreover, it was revealed later that the concept of a stairway gangway was entirely new to them, as they had no prior experience with such ascending and descending equipment. The technological level was so low that they couldn’t predict what was considered normal and what was still an invention, which was a stark realization.