Chapter 21: The Rising Fleet of Peculiar Sailing Ships

Following the flagship Paraiso, the second and third ships rolled out.

“There were no structural issues with Paraiso during its voyage, so we maintained almost the same design. The third ship, however, is equipped with a multi-barreled 20mm machine gun instead of a 150mm smoothbore cannon. Based on local observations, this armament might be more practical.”

“Oh… how magnificent!”

She leaned eagerly over the railing, her excitement clear on her face as she watched the two ships float side by side. One of the humanoid machine communicators under Ringo’s control quickly grabbed her by the waist.

“Commander Mam, that’s dangerous.”

“I’m fine!”

She thought Ringo was being overly protective again. The deck height was only about two meters, and below was the calm sea. Even if she fell, she could be easily rescued. A little more freedom wouldn’t hurt.

Unaware of how overly enthusiastic and reckless she seemed to those around her, she continued to watch.

“With these ships, we’ll be able to start serious trading soon.”

“Yes, Commander Mam. Once we can secure a steady supply of iron products, stability will increase significantly, allowing us to construct larger vessels.”

At the mention of large ships, she turned her gaze toward the offshore area, where a large sailing ship was under construction.

“We don’t have enough steel yet, so we’re using duralumin, right?”

“Yes, Commander Mam. The main structural components are designed with duralumin or steel, while basic materials are cellulose-based. For high-stress areas, duralumin is still used. Once sufficient iron is secured, the plan is to dismantle and recover the duralumin for aircraft use.”

“Duralumin is best saved for aircraft, after all.”

“Yes. With large flying boats, we could greatly increase deployment speed.”

Currently, the fortress The Tree only had a short runway that cut through its interior. Only planes compatible with a catapult launch system could be operated, and the runway itself was small, limiting the use of larger aircraft. However, large seaplanes capable of taking off and landing on water could be built on a larger scale. While they’d need a loading dock, it would be more feasible than constructing a full runway. That said, building such a dock would also require substantial resources.

“That’ll have to wait until we can secure a steady supply of iron…”

With sufficient iron, they could begin exchanging materials by the ton and build steel-based structures. Installing large multi-purpose ship-building printers would also speed up construction significantly.

“I’ve prioritized gathering information on iron sources, so I expect to report back soon.”

“No worries, I trust you’ve got it covered.”

As commander, she made a point of regularly reviewing Ringo’s activity logs to stay informed. Lately, Ringo had been scanning for exposed iron oxide deposits along the coast. If they could locate a place for open-pit mining, they could deploy an excavation fleet rather than relying solely on trade.

“Also, we’re preparing to withdraw Paraiso. We’ve secured favorable trade terms and obtained various spices and foods.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!”

After the raid on Paraiso, a large-scale cleanup operation had reportedly taken place at the harbor. The guild that had meddled with Paraiso had been entirely wiped out. Ringo mentioned they could have pressed for more but had accepted the harbor’s show of goodwill, which had been appreciated by the locals.

Still, as a show of force, they had destroyed the enemy guild’s building with a precisely calculated 150mm smoothbore cannon shot. Ringo had carefully aimed, and the explosive shell demolished only the target structure. Fortunately, a prior warning minimized any unintended casualties, leaving only the guild leader affected. Although she had thought it might be overkill, Ringo’s smug demeanor made her quickly brush off any concerns.

The merchant guild leader of Telek Harbor—essentially the city’s ruler—had promised to secure the requested quantity of iron ingots by the next trade. It was clear that “gunboat diplomacy” was highly effective. He’d be even more surprised next time, with their fleet now increased to three ships.

“Once we deploy the large transport ship, our cargo capacity will be three times the combined total of these three ships.”

The large transport ship prioritized carrying capacity and stability, with a shallow and broad hull. While wind power would be its primary propulsion for now, they planned to switch to hydrogen gas turbines once resources were available. The hydrogen fuel would be generated by electrolysis of seawater using solar panels.

“We’ll have a full trade fleet soon… and eventually, I’d love to build a battleship.”

“A battleship, Commander? What size?”

“Hm… I don’t know much about it, maybe around 300 meters?”

At her offhanded answer, Ringo paused in thought.

“Understood. We’ll continue The Tree project to make battleship construction possible.”

“Really? I look forward to it.”

Adding a massive battleship to the fleet had now become a goal.

About ten days later, Paraiso returned safely.

While it didn’t come back fully loaded, it carried a substantial haul of iron products, preserved foods, spices, various crafts, and precious metals.

“We secured about one ton of iron, not quite enough for an entire ship.”

“Better than nothing. And we’ll get even more next time, right?”

“Yes. We’ve placed the orders. This time we traded raw thread and cloth, but next time we’ll include dyed fabrics as well. We also obtained several patterns, so it would be ideal to showcase some fashion samples.”

Perhaps due to the ongoing war, their culture seemed somewhat underdeveloped. They had learned that textiles had a market in the capital city.

She mused over the list of clothing and crafts, wondering if this was what “cultural influence” looked like. Lacking any design sense herself, she had no further comments on the aesthetics.

“Weapons, too, seem to have a high exchange rate. We acquired some of their weapons as well, so we’ll adjust the quality of what we offer accordingly. We told them what we traded this time was our best quality, so slightly above-average mass-produced items should be enough.”

“Yes, Commander. I’ll take care of it.”

At present, she was seated on a table set on the observation deck, receiving refreshments from Ringo. The recently rolled-out humanoid machine communicators attended to her, creating a scene of leisurely dependence, though thankfully, she was blissfully unaware.

Watching the communicators unloading cargo, she sipped carbonated water through a straw, courtesy of Ringo.

“...Delicious!”

“I refined the sugar we acquired and made soda.”

“...It’s… the taste of civilization…”

As she contentedly mumbled nonsense, Ringo served her sugar-preserved fruit and continued gathering information through the bots, all in pursuit of expanding their menu.

Meanwhile, a fortified fleet set sail from the northern islands.

Their destination: the unexplored southern continent.

Though wooden sailing ships, they were optimized for long-distance voyages. Outfitted with the latest magic-powered paddle wheels as auxiliary propulsion, they primarily relied on sails. The fleet consisted of three large ships, along with two battleships and four cruisers as escorts, totaling nine ships.

Their mission was to investigate the hegemonic nation on the southern continent, based on information from castaways. They hoped to establish peaceful relations if possible. The inspection of seized vessels suggested that the technological gap wasn’t insurmountable, though the main concern was that their flagship battleships couldn’t cover the required range.