Chapter 15: Ringo Deploys Spy Bots

“Language analysis is necessary.”

“Indeed.”

To secure resources in the short term, they needed to start trading. However, communication would be crucial to facilitate that trade. It might be possible to simply load up some trade goods and make contact, but there was no guarantee that this would lead to securing the primary resource they sought—iron. It was unlikely that iron, bulky and heavy, would be considered a suitable trade commodity.

Thus, Ringo’s assessment was that learning the local language to the extent they could specify desired trade items would be a faster approach.

“Do you have a method in mind?”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. I propose long-range audio collection via directional microphones and infiltration using insect-type bots.”

“Hmm?”

She glanced at the overview of the directional microphone system and insect-type bots displayed by Ringo.

“So, we have things like this too?”

The setup involved a relatively large, mobile mother device and several insect-type bot “children.” While wireless power transmission was technically possible, it was usually useless as it would immediately reveal their presence. Fortunately, in this world, electromagnetic waves weren’t in use, so they could employ them freely.

“We’ll deploy them to remote areas by submarine and begin information gathering. Once we have sufficient language data, we can send in a biological android to negotiate directly.”

“Sounds good. So, the first step is to produce these directional microphones and insect-type bots?”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. I’ll begin production immediately.”

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“Subject… comes first, then probably a verb, and maybe some adjectives… Interesting. Kind of like English?”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. That’s highly likely, though we lack sufficient samples to confirm. Words that seem to function as subjects sometimes come first, but at other times they’re in the middle or at the end. We’ve also observed variations in verb-like sounds, suggesting shifts in meaning.”

“I’m not a linguist, but… if you’re already analyzing it this far, can I expect results soon?”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. A few more weeks of observation should suffice. With three mother units currently moving, once they’re all deployed, we should have results within days.”

“Impressive speed.”

“With enough samples, it won’t be an issue.”

Ringo seemed subtly proud, making her smile as she checked on the tasks in progress.

“Everything’s moving along nicely. Meals are getting more stable too… though, I am starting to crave some land-based food.”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. In parallel with the language analysis, we’re observing the dietary practices in target settlements. Once we determine acquisition difficulty, we’ll proceed with gathering samples.”

“Please do.”

Recently, her main source of enjoyment had been meals, as other forms of leisure were scarce. Though she sometimes studied by browsing the library, it wasn’t quite entertainment, so food remained her biggest pleasure.

“Also, the biological android has nearly completed cultivation, and should be operational within a few days. If there are no functional issues, we’ll send it to an appropriate coastal settlement.”

“Any candidates?”

In response, several target locations appeared on the main display map of the northern continent. Settlements and towns east of the nation occupying the northern islands were marked as options, located several hundred kilometers away.

“Language analysis is progressing well, so if the dialects fall within expected ranges, we aim to target a relatively large port town like this one. If language differences are too significant, we’ll make contact with a smaller settlement or a nearby village.”

“Going straight to a big city, huh?”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. We’ll enter under the guise of a merchant vessel. Trade ships generally don’t require prior notice to dock at foreign ports, which should appear natural given the assumed technological level.”

From her knowledge of history, this seemed reasonable. Even if it wasn’t precisely the Age of Exploration, it was plausible that a large sailing vessel docking for trade would be accepted, even if cultural misunderstandings arose.

“But… wouldn’t they all have the same face? Isn’t that a problem?”

The biological androids on board were a concern. Since they were cultured based on her genetic material, they would essentially all look identical.

Another issue lingered.

“…And won’t they think it’s a cosplay group of fox beastkin or something?”

So far, none of the observed groups had included individuals of the beastkin category resembling her. Showing up like that might cause an uproar.

“Unfortunately, we won’t know until we try. But given the low level of civilization here, they might just accept us as a unique race.”

Ringo expected that their ship—sailing without sails to display its advanced propulsion—would be perceived as impressive and that the locals wouldn’t dare act hostile toward a technologically superior fleet.

“So, gunboat diplomacy isn’t going to be easy.”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. The northern continent is much more chaotic than anticipated. Intimidating one port might provoke nearby regions, leading to inevitable complications. If we were to pursue it, we’d need a large enough fleet to subdue surrounding areas all at once.”

Investigations into the northern continent’s southern region had revealed significant strife. Although the nation occupying the northern islands was relatively stable, neighboring areas seemed to be fragmented at the level of individual towns. Despite this fragmentation, they appeared to unite against external threats, making them extremely troublesome, according to Ringo’s analysis.

For example, establishing diplomatic relations with one port town might not extend to a neighboring settlement, as they seemed to lack national unity and had numerous separate authorities.

Such was the situation in the southern part of the northern continent.

“It’s all so unpredictable… It doesn’t look like we’ll secure iron any time soon. We’ll have to proceed steadily. I’d like to find another continent besides this northern one, but it’s nowhere in sight.”

“Yes, I’m expanding the reconnaissance range, but we haven’t located anything yet.”

“Well, keep looking.”

She changed the display to the overall map.

“It’s… so vast.”

Currently, the explored area around The Tree fortress covered a radius of about 2,000 kilometers, with 3,000 kilometers scouted northward but much slower progress southward. Most regions had only been observed from 20 kilometers above, providing limited information—only vague coastlines, elevations, and visibility of large cities. Detailed analysis was only available for a few cities along the southern coast.

“It appears the radius of this planet is around 10,000 kilometers. That would make its surface area about 2.4 times that of Earth. Without observation from satellite orbit, getting a complete picture will be difficult.”

“Can’t even imagine it… How far around would that be?”

“Estimated at about 63,000 kilometers. Our current explored area is approximately 1%.”

“Wow.”

The planet was indeed massive. Even after a month of exploration, they had only mapped 1% of its surface. Estimating the time required for full mapping seemed daunting.

“Once we secure resources, maybe we should prioritize launching a satellite?”

“For intelligence-gathering, yes. We’ll need multiple satellites to secure military advantage as well.”

“Building orbital transport rockets… The current facilities at The Tree can’t handle it. We’ll need manufacturing facilities and a launch base. I guess we’ll have to venture into ocean construction as well… there’s so much to do.”

Sighing as she reviewed the incomplete nodes on the tech tree, she felt relieved by the lack of immediate threats. Otherwise, she’d need to dedicate all resources to military efforts just to ensure defense.

“Well, no choice but to tackle the tasks in front of me, one step at a time…”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am.”