Chapter 79: Utsugi and Erika
Utsugi The Tree is busy. Erika The Tree is also busy.
“Alright, it’s time for exploration!”
“Departure signal, all set!”
Using the remote control device prepared by Ringo, they maneuver the large multi-legged reconnaissance vehicle. Their destination is the Five Connected Lakes. To the south of Flatara City lies the largest of these lakes, the Furatara Sea. It spans approximately 10 square kilometers, making it a fairly sizable freshwater lake.
The large multi-legged reconnaissance vehicle is, as its name suggests, specialized for scouting. It can reach a maximum speed of 80 km/h, skillfully moving its six legs to accelerate in the blink of an eye. Unlike multi-legged tanks, it lacks a turret, resulting in a notably low profile, allowing it to crawl across rocky terrain.
“Only 800 meters to our destination!”
“Almost there!”
Despite being called the Five Connected Lakes, they are not interconnected by waterways. Each lake appears to have its own independent ecosystem, likely fed by spring water. While the Furatara Sea is the largest, it is said to only host small fish, making it unsuitable for fishing, according to the citizens of Flatara. Although raising larger freshwater fish could provide a good protein source, they have yet to attempt it due to a lack of experience in aquaculture.
“But if we can catch a lot of small fish, we might be able to use them as fertilizer!”
“If we catch enough, we could dry them and make preserved food!”
Perhaps if there were forests around the lakes, fishing might have flourished. Alternatively, if the food situation in Flatara City had not improved from the beginning, fishing could have been a viable option. However, in reality, there was a shortage of timber, making it difficult to build boats. Additionally, the ability to acquire sufficient food through trade was another reason the Furatara Sea had not been developed.
However, the current situation could not be ignored. If necessary, they could import food from The Tree, but the problem was that they had nothing left to offer in return.
“Providing support for free is not good for the future!”
“It prevents the development of self-reliance!”
Ringo intended to conduct an experimental occupation governance in Flatara City. Commander Eve and the five sisters were aware of this. Therefore, they planned to try out any ideas that came to mind.
As part of this initiative, Utsugi and Erika were personally operating the reconnaissance vehicle to survey the lake. While Ringo could have done it, this was for educational purposes. Such fieldwork would provide valuable experience for the two androids.
“Touchdown!”
“We’ve arrived!”
The remote control device was a spherical cockpit surrounded by monitors. Utsugi and Erika sat side by side, operating it through a wireless connection. Utsugi mainly controlled the movements, while Erika managed the sensors. The processing power was augmented by connecting to The Core, allowing them to achieve performance equivalent to about 500 units of Brain Unit, though it did not match Ringo’s capabilities. As they gained experience, their own Brain Unit would improve in processing information efficiently.
“The lake—”
“Is all freshwater! Amazing!”
“It’s hard to believe it’s freshwater when it’s called a sea!”
“But this is definitely a sea!”
When they first heard about the Furatara Sea, the two were puzzled as to why there was an inland sea. They speculated that there might be rock salt nearby, but Akane shared her knowledge that sometimes large lakes are referred to as seas, helping them understand that the Furatara Sea was indeed a freshwater lake. However, understanding and experiencing it were different. This distinction is both a strength and a weakness of the Brain Unit compared to ordinary AIs.
By the way, Ringo had known from the start that it was a freshwater lake through electromagnetic wave analysis but chose not to mention it. In that sense, it was information easily accessible through The Tree’s database, highlighting their lack of experience.
“All around us—”
“Water and rocks!”
The monitors displayed a synthesized view of what could be seen from the center of the large multi-legged reconnaissance vehicle. The vehicle itself was represented in wireframe. Normally, direct wireless connection would suffice for video data, but they were using both methods to aid in the growth of their visual processing.
“Well, since there are few plants—”
“Maybe there are few fish too?”
As they discussed, the two guided the reconnaissance vehicle into the lake. The bottom appeared to be covered in sand, though not fine enough to be considered mud. The water was remarkably clear, making it easy to see underwater.
All multi-legged machines from The Tree were designed to handle all terrains, allowing them to operate seamlessly underwater. While microwaves hardly penetrated the water, they could surface periodically to recharge the battery, ensuring ample time for exploration.
“Erika, did you know? There are often huge creatures lurking at the bottom of lakes like this!”
“Oh! If we defeat it, a treasure-filled cave might appear!”
“Since there’s a lot of resistance underwater, we can’t use projectile weapons! But we brought torpedoes, so we’ll be fine if a creature shows up!”
“I studied hard for this! I even got a Torpedo Master certification!”
Ringo finally understood why Erika had been glued to the submarine operation simulator yesterday. She had been training for torpedo launches. Even with Ringo’s superior computational abilities, it was hard to imagine they were preparing to use torpedoes against a creature in the lake.
This unexpected twist was rather pleasant, Ringo thought.
Unfortunately, no creature emerged from the lake’s depths. The overall depth of the lake was shallow, lacking the depth needed for a massive monster to hide comfortably. Instead, they discovered a multitude of small fish. These were not fry but fully grown fish, measuring up to about 4 cm, and they seemed to be breeding in schools everywhere.
The overall monotony of the ecosystem was likely due to the isolated nature of the lake without river inflows. Several species of aquatic plants thrived, along with plankton, small shrimp, shellfish, and the small fish. All the fish appeared to be of the same species or closely related. A detailed investigation would require bringing samples back for genetic analysis.
“This is the deepest part, huh…”
“The bottom is 42 meters from the surface. There’s a mix of mud and sand. We can confirm that spring water is bubbling up from the bottom. The water temperature is 8°C, while the average temperature of the lake is 21°C. …It’s really cold outside.”
The spring water seemed quite cold, causing the overall lake temperature to be lower than the outside air. Even with the sun shining down, the water temperature remained stable, potentially creating a good environment for biological reproduction.
“Just small fish everywhere.”
“They’re not very filling.”
By the way, the fish that the residents of The Tree usually encountered were larger varieties that made it to the dining table. Thus, the sight of small fish swimming in schools was refreshing for them.
“Fish, fish!”
“And speaking of fish—”
“Sashimi!”
“Sauté!”
“…It’s war!”
“…It’s war!”
Ringo thought that the Commander (Ma’am) preferred fried dishes.
That aside.
This lake seemed capable of providing a significant quantity of small fish. However, with Flatara City’s current technology, they could not prepare the necessary tools for fishing. They needed nets made from fine, durable threads, but they had no access to such materials. Moreover, securing timber to build boats was also a challenge. While there was a possibility that forests would grow around the lake in about 50 years, that would be far too late.
“Do you think we could catch them if we had a boat and nets?”
“Hmm, we could probably make the nets if we provided the wood and thread.”
Even small fish could significantly improve Flatara City’s food situation if they could be consistently harvested in substantial quantities. Additionally, if they could start trading with the Forest Country (Lebresta), it would add logistical significance. While stabilizing this would take time, they planned to conduct direct transactions with The Tree for a while, gradually handing over responsibilities to the local residents for city management.