Chapter 31: Telek Harbor’s Impasse

The trade fleet, Paraiso 1, was greeted with cheers as it docked at Telek Harbor.

“Oh my, they even built new piers for us. Quite the warm welcome,” the Commander remarked.

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. Given the deteriorating regional conditions, Telek Harbor has become entirely reliant on Paraiso for survival.”

“Already? After only three trips?” she said, astonished. Though it had been over six months since their initial visit, the rapid escalation in dependence was surprising.

“The surrounding situation has worsened dramatically. Without Paraiso’s trade goods and what little political leverage the town has, it might already have become a ruin.”

“Huh…,” she muttered, uneasy.

The Commander was taken aback. While Telek Harbor itself seemed peaceful, even tranquil, the surrounding areas were descending into chaos.

A Descent Into Hell

“A refugee camp has sprung up north of Telek Harbor, repeatedly raided by bandits. To summarize, it’s hell on earth. The town, unable to spare resources, turns a blind eye, though they occasionally sell food to the refugees. Of course, the refugees have no way to pay.”

“What a nightmare…”

The situation wasn’t entirely hopeless, though. The trade routes delivering cellulose textiles and other goods provided a small reprieve. Trade with the royal capital was still ongoing, which kept the town marginally afloat.

“We’re carrying salt and water, right? Should we start including food as well?” she asked.

“Let’s verify the demand. That said, we lack grains. We could provide processed fish or dried seaweed, but whether there’s demand remains uncertain.”

The region around Telek Harbor lacked farmland. It relied on imports from the royal capital to meet its grain needs. While fishing provided protein, grains were essential for survival. Ringo’s analysis suggested that the area’s mild climate might support potato cultivation.

“According to our projections, they’ll hold out for now, but their long-term prospects look grim.”

“... It might be time to decide whether to intervene seriously.”

Strategic Dilemmas

For now, the plan was to observe and extend the town’s lifespan by supplying information. Trade for iron would continue until it was no longer profitable, at which point The Tree Fortress would sever ties. This strategy minimized The Tree Fortress’s investment while maximizing returns on iron resources. However, the cold, calculated nature of this approach and the potential loss of a foothold on the continent prompted consideration of alternatives.

Intervention, if chosen, would likely involve deploying force. While defending Telek Harbor itself was feasible, advancing further inland was not. The two Alpha-class destroyers could rain iron from their 150mm cannons within a 20-kilometer radius of the harbor. If needed, they could extend their range to 40 kilometers, launching up to 270 shells per minute with their combined firepower.

However, that was the limit of their capabilities. Without a ground force, offensive operations would be impossible, leaving defense as the only viable option. The town itself was too small to muster a meaningful military force.

“We could fully integrate Telek Harbor into The Tree Fortress’s sphere and fortify it,” Ringo suggested.

“That’s a possibility. Given our resource survey results, this area is barren of mineral deposits…” the Commander replied.

Exploration for iron mines had expanded steadily, but no promising results had emerged. Either the deposits were buried deep underground or simply didn’t exist.

“The quickest and most reliable way to secure iron resources would be to seize the mining town directly. While this would expose The Tree Fortress’s presence, it would guarantee substantial iron supplies.”

“That’s true. But doing so risks drawing enemy attention. While no force capable of defeating us has been identified, that doesn’t prove we’re invincible.”

“Indeed, Commander Ma’am. We are far from fully prepared.”

“Ugh, iron really is the bottleneck here!” she exclaimed in frustration.

Resource Scarcity

The Commander had laid the groundwork for building warships, but resource constraints remained a constant issue.

“If only we had enough iron, we could solve most of these problems!”

Oil supplies were sufficient for now, but with no secure means of resupply, even this would need to be addressed eventually. Fortunately, the diesel engines on the Alpha-class destroyers and transport ships could use repurposed jet fuel from their aviation reserves, which would last several years at current consumption rates.

“No oil fields have been found yet. Unfortunately, oil exploration is far from simple,” Ringo noted.

Wide-area reconnaissance using aircraft or satellites could provide alternatives, but resource shortages made such measures unattainable.

Future Paths

“After squeezing Telek Harbor dry, our next target might be the peninsula nation. Negotiations would be ideal, but combat could be unavoidable,” she admitted.

“The nation appears highly militaristic,” Ringo observed.

“Securing Telek Harbor and the mining town would yield a significant amount of iron, though the mine’s reserves are uncertain. Developing it would take time, during which we’d be vulnerable to large-scale attacks.”

“The peninsula nation is fragmented by internal strife, but a common external threat could unite them. If that happens, we might face an army of hundreds of thousands,” Ringo warned.

The sheer volume of such a force would overwhelm The Tree Fortress’s current capabilities. Taking the mine and fortifying Telek Harbor could enable iron refining and increased military production, but failure would be catastrophic.

“It’s not impossible… but the risk is enormous. Diverting resources to the harbor’s defense would leave us exposed. If we fail, we lose everything.”

“That’s correct, Commander Ma’am. Using our current reserves for this operation leaves no room for error. Holding back resources would increase the odds of failure.”

“Ugh, this is so frustrating…”

The Commander’s Dilemma

The resources The Tree Fortress could produce independently—cellulose, seawater-extracted metals, and algae-derived synthetic oil—were insufficient for rapid warship production. Even building a single destroyer would take years at current levels.

On the display, the flagship Paraiso and the Alpha-class destroyer Alpha had docked. Telek Harbor’s guild leader, Kulavia Telek, rushed to greet them enthusiastically. The humanoid machine communicator Zwei observed from the ship’s bow, unfazed.

“They’re thrilled,” the Commander remarked.

And understandably so. In an age dominated by sailing ships, the arrival of powered vessels, particularly warships, was a spectacle. The fleet’s goodwill toward Telek Harbor only amplified their reception. Kulavia’s effusive praise extended even to the simple gangplank as she escorted Zwei and her entourage to the reception hall.

A welcome banquet was planned for that evening, with unloading postponed to the next day. Ten humanoid machine communicators would attend the banquet, while the rest remained aboard the ships.

“It’s hard to just abandon them when they’re relying on us this much,” the Commander admitted.

“I agree, Commander Ma’am,” Ringo replied.

Though the Commander had only interacted with the townsfolk through surveillance over the past six months, seeing their faces daily had created a bond. It was natural to want to help them.

“If it comes to it, we’ll defend the town, even if we have to abandon the mine. If the civil unrest settles, trade might resume,” she mused.

The unfolding events remained unpredictable. Despite numerous scenarios being outlined, Kulavia’s extraordinary goodwill alone defied expectations. The lack of reliable experience samples made accurate predictions impossible.

As a trivial aside, the guild leader’s astonishment over the gangplank—a simple stair-like structure—was later attributed to the absence of such a concept at this technological level. It underscored the difficulties of navigating a world where even the basics of innovation could not be taken for granted.