“Here are some cookies and tea.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Commander (Eve) and Ringo, along with the five sisters, gathered in the dining hall to discuss future plans.
Ringo brought out newly made cookies and tea.
“You made tea?”
“Yes, Ma’am. A plant closely resembling the tea tree was discovered, so I processed it. Upon investigation, it appears that green tea is consumed in a very limited capacity. Although it is not widely distributed, I was able to gather information about it even in the port city of Telek, so I believe there should be no issues.”
Commander (Eve) nodded thoughtfully and picked up a teacup.
The five sisters watched her intently.
Due to Ringo’s characteristic of merely operating a Communicator doll, there are actually issues with her sense of taste.
Whether it’s because the neural pathways related to taste, such as delicious or disgusting, haven’t fully developed, or simply due to individual differences in the Communicator dolls she operates, there seems to be inconsistency in the range of flavors she perceives.
And Ringo seems to recognize this inconsistency as being within acceptable limits.
Well, the main reason is that Commander (Eve) spoils her. She should have clearly stated when something tasted bad. It’s too late now.
Originally, an AI should detect absolute values using taste measurement devices, but she deliberately uses the Communicator doll’s tongue to check the taste.
It seems to be an action driven by heartwarming emotions, like a child imitating their parent, wanting to taste things the same way as Commander (Eve), for her sake. Only Commander (Eve) finds it heartwarming; the five sisters were hoping she would stop.
Therefore, the five sisters were extremely wary of anything new.
Ringo is aware of this, but she seems to understand it only to the extent that they dislike unfamiliar tastes. It’s a hopeless situation.
Thus, the only victim is always Commander (Eve).
“…Hmm. Not bad.”
However, recently, there have been fewer of those bombs. It’s probably because the data related to taste is becoming more complete.
Also, the averaging of Communicator dolls is progressing, and the taste deviations that directly hit Commander (Eve)’s palate seem to be decreasing.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Ringo smiled happily, and Commander (Eve) seemed to genuinely enjoy the tea and cookies. The five sisters exchanged glances and picked up cookies.
Well, it’s the usual scene.
“Hmm. We’ve got daily meals and snacks now. Is animal husbandry going well?”
“Yes, Ma’am. The breeding of animals resembling cows and chickens is generally progressing smoothly. Pigs have not yet been found, so we are still searching. Although they are not bred in the port city of Telek, we have confirmed testimonies that such livestock exists. If we could find sheep or goats, it would add considerable variety, but it seems their habitats are different, and they do not live in this area. Also, we have captured and started breeding marine animals resembling dolphins, so that will be available soon as well.”
“Okay. Do it moderately.”
Commander (Eve) wondered about using dolphins for meat. She couldn’t remember ever eating it, or even if she had, but she concluded that it was probably okay since they were mammals.
However, she didn’t know if the meat she ate in the real world before her transmigration was really what the package said it was.
Remembering that time when she didn’t think much about it, she felt a little nostalgic. Back then, Ada took care of her, nagging her about playing games too much, praising her for earning pocket money…
“It’s about the same, I guess.”
“…? Commander, is something the matter?”
“It’s nothing. Well, it’s a waste to just laze around, so let’s continue.”
So, Commander (Eve) decided to get back to the main topic.
“About the future of Fratala City. For the time being… well, let’s decide on the future governance before that lord’s wounds heal and he comes out of the medical pod. The grace period is, let’s say, about five days?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Three days for wound healing, one day for muscle repair and overall optimization, and one day for adjusting internal organ functions and other things. Autonomous action will be possible in five days. Should the treatment for Radaeri Fratala be limited to healing the gunshot wounds?”
In response to her confirmation, Ringo gave a strange reply. Feeling a sense of unease, she pondered for a moment.
“Does that mean there’s something else that should be treated besides the gunshot wounds?”
“Yes, Ma’am. As a result of the overall scan, severe internal organ diseases, overall malnutrition, and deformities and damage to the bones and cartilage around the shoulders and waist were found. These are typical stress-related diseases, the effects of food shortages, and problems from long periods of desk work.”
“…”
Commander (Eve) thought. According to the information Ringo had gathered, Fratala City was in a very difficult situation.
Difficult enough that they had to decide to attack the external delegation that had come all the way there.
And it seems that the decision was made relatively rationally. The governance seemed to be a one-man show by Radaeri Fratala, but the surrounding environment was so bad that no one felt resentment.
“I’m starting to feel sorry for him… Heal what you can.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Radaeri Fratala’s vitals are currently very stable. He seems to be sleeping peacefully. Well, mainly due to the effects of the administered drugs.
“Commander (Sister). I also feel sorry for him… So, I don’t really want to turn it into a wasteland…”
“Yes, yes. I think it would be good to make it a supply base!”
“Me too! Let’s build a runway!”
Ichigo, Utsugi, and Erica seemed to think it would be good to continue using Fratala City for something.
“…Um, I think a supply base would be good… It would be more convenient to have a base for interactions with the Forest Country (Lebresta)…”
Olive also seemed to be of the opinion that Fratala City should be turned into a base. That leaves Akane.
“…. I think we should just leave an embassy there. Turning it into a base is too risky from an information security perspective. If we want to avoid a full-scale war with the Afracia United Kingdom, we shouldn’t engage in blatant acts of aggression.”
“I see.”
Somehow, she also thought that it shouldn’t be turned into a base, though to varying degrees.
But, when you think about it, there’s no merit in building a base in a place where people already live.
It would be faster to build one from scratch in a place where there are no people at all. After all, there’s no need to restrain ourselves. This is obvious when considering the Second Fortress currently under construction.
“That’s right. We originally contacted the port city of Telek to gather information, and well, we got a lot of iron. We owed them that, and more importantly, it was our only source of iron. We didn’t want to make a bad impression, and I had no intention of massacring them. The same goes for the Iron Town. We could have occupied it, but we decided against it from a humanitarian point of view. Besides, we understood the surrounding situation to some extent, and there was no need to rush.”
She spoke, recalling her thoughts at the time.
“The idea of not using what you have isn’t wrong. There’s even a word for it, ‘Mottainai’.”
“Ah, Commander (Sister), does that mean Fratala City is ‘Mottainai’?”
“That’s right,” she nodded.
“Yes. It’s a waste, or at least I thought so. It’s a waste to leave something we’ve worked so hard to get, but we need to think more long-term and not just about profit and loss.”
“Commander (Sister), I’m sorry… I couldn’t think that far ahead. I’m disqualified as a fortress commander…”
“Oh my.”
Commander (Eve) smiled at Ichigo, who had become dejected. Since that wasn’t enough, she stood up and went to Ichigo’s side.
“It’s okay. You’ll be able to think about it a little more from now on. Besides, Akane was able to follow up properly. I told you, the two of you will manage the Second Fortress together. If you think together, you’ll be able to do it properly.”
Commander (Eve) stroked the heads of Ichigo and Akane, offering them support.
“Besides, honestly, I was thinking the same thing as Ichigo… Well, let’s just say I learned something from Akane this time.”
After patting Akane’s head, she returned to her seat.
“Well then. Let’s think a little more about the future of Fratala City. We should also consider setting up a supply base! Even from the Second Fortress, Fratala City is more than 640km away in a straight line. Unless we lay down a railway, we’ll have to rely on air transport. Let’s decide what to do.”
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