Chapter 27: Unlocking the Destroyer Tree

“Hmmm, that’s quite the haul.”

The Commander smiled broadly as she reviewed the resource stockpiles displayed in graph form. The amount of iron in storage had skyrocketed over the past few days. Not long ago, she had been frowning at the same screen, so this shift was more than welcome.

“We’ll continue to focus on resource acquisition,” Ringo reported dutifully.

“Oh? Please do, Ringo.”

Humming cheerfully, the Commander scrolled through the skill tree, her fingers tapping on the commands with visible enthusiasm. Previously, the resource shortages had left most of the development options grayed out, but now, many were unlocked. The most exciting development was that the ship development and construction commands were now accessible. Not that she would press them herself; such tasks were left to Ringo’s expertise.

“Hmm hmm hmm, hmm… destroyers, cruisers, battleships… What’s the basis for these classifications? Role? Size?” she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. Primarily, they’re classified by size, though technological advancements sometimes lead to exceptions where ships retain their classification even after exceeding the traditional dimensions. It’s largely a matter of convention,” Ringo explained.

“I see… Is there even a point to these classifications? Around here, such terms are only used aboard The Tree Fortress.”

The Commander mused aloud as she stared at the combat ship classifications in the menu. She couldn’t help but think that strict categorization might be a bit pointless. In truth, her interest in naval vessels was still budding—born out of necessity rather than any innate passion. If she were to choose, she’d prefer spacecraft, her original fascination.

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. Classification is vital for understanding overall combat capabilities. For instance, ten destroyers and ten cruisers represent vastly different levels of threat. As the surrounding factions’ technology improves, similar classifications will likely become standard.”

“So, it’s more for my understanding right now?”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am, mostly. In the future, these classifications might also serve for external negotiations, but such considerations are unnecessary for the time being.”

“Hmm… Well, I suppose having multiple ship types does sound practical. I’m not particularly attached to historical classifications—honestly, I don’t even know much about them,” she admitted with a shrug.

The skill tree’s ship designs, likely pulled from Ringo’s vast database, would inevitably need to be redesigned to suit The Tree Fortress’s technological capabilities. She had no intention of adhering strictly to historical standards—her current fleet already included the peculiar LST-class light trade ships, after all.

“That said, classifying ships solely by length could be problematic. We’re not building large vessels anytime soon, so does that mean everything counts as a destroyer?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. That would be the case,” Ringo confirmed.

“Historically speaking, classifications seem to be relative. Battleships are top-tier, cruisers are one step down, and destroyers are smaller. Destroyers were meant to counter torpedo boats, weren’t they? Torpedo boats…”

“Commander Ma’am, a clarification: destroyers are designed for open-sea capabilities, with a minimum operational range of 5,000 kilometers. Torpedo boats are for coastal operations,” Ringo added.

“Ah… I see.” She nodded thoughtfully. “So, we classify ships with expeditionary capabilities by both size and role. That makes sense.”

“Any newly developed vessels can be categorized as we go,” Ringo suggested.

“Alright then,” she said, tapping on a specific node on the skill tree. “Destroyers! With the large transport ship almost ready, it’s time to focus on combat ships.”

The destroyer tree’s initial model was a compact vessel equipped with three main guns and six anti-aircraft guns. Its diesel-powered engine employed an all-electric propulsion system. It could optionally carry a single anti-ship missile, though this required replacing one of the main guns.

“Hmm… What about torpedoes?”

“Commander Ma’am, torpedo development has been deprioritized due to resource constraints. Furthermore, we haven’t encountered submarines so far,” Ringo explained.

Analyzing the potential threats, torpedoes were deemed excessive. Enemy ships were fragile, often sinking with just a few shells, and lacked even basic radar systems. Given the scarcity of electronic components, torpedoes and missiles were low on the priority list. Missiles, however, were partially adapted from existing aircraft stockpiles.

“That said, progress on extracting rare metals from seawater means we’ll soon be able to ramp up electronic component production,” Ringo noted.

“True. Securing enough iron to construct additional facilities has been a big help. Still, having an iron mine would be ideal,” the Commander mused.

Thanks to the recent trade haul, they now had sufficient iron to build much-needed large-scale facilities. Upgrading the rare metal extraction setup would enable practical output levels. The current setup only yielded a few grams per day, even with continuous operation.

Ringo projected that the next major goal would be increasing ship production.

“We’ve scanned about 1,000 kilometers of the northern coastline, both east and west, but haven’t found significant resources. We considered using wood from the forests, but from a cellulose production perspective, expanding the seaweed farms is more cost-effective,” Ringo explained.

“That makes sense. Transportation costs can add up quickly,” the Commander agreed.

“We’re now expanding the scan range inland,” Ringo continued.

Reports from Telek Harbor suggested the presence of an iron mine inland, which had supplied much of the iron in the recent trade. While the locals insisted the iron was reserved for weapon production, it seemed possible to increase mining output. However, smelting was limited by their supply of redstone fuel.

As such, future voyages would include plans to source iron ore. With the new large transport ship set to launch, there would be ample cargo space. Trade goods for the next trip included seaweed-derived cellulose thread and fabric, salt (both refined and seaweed-infused varieties), and sterilized drinking water stored in cellulose containers. The Commander had initially suggested filling empty cargo space with water for stability, which turned into a popular trade item.

Other goods included gold leaf, gold thread, and silver crafts, ensuring a robust selection for trade.

“When’s the next voyage?” she asked.

“In about a month, Commander Ma’am. Frequent trips could arouse suspicion. Eventually, we plan to operate multiple fleets for continuous trade,” Ringo replied.

“I see. Gradually improving ship performance would be ideal,” she said.

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. We’ll proceed carefully.”

With a steady iron supply, the Commander could now consider restarting frozen projects like building flying boats. By dismantling the existing LST-class ships to recover their duralumin, a few could be produced. Preparing ships capable of carrying the flying boats would significantly extend operational range and responsiveness.

“Alright, let’s see what we can do,” she said with excitement, diving into the skill tree and reviewing production plans and resource allocations.

For her, this was undoubtedly the most enjoyable part of her day.