Chapter 35: Full Barrage of Naval Gunfire

Cargo was steadily piling up at the pier. Strong men hauled carts filled with goods, quickly transporting them to warehouses.

"Kombu goes to Warehouse 12! Sardines to Warehouse 15! Water to Warehouse 2!"
"Move it, move it! The next shipment’s waiting! Finish by the end of the day, and there’s a bonus! Come on, hurry it up!"

The second transport ship had docked at Telek Harbor Town just a week after the first departed. Its speed left Merchant Leader Kulavia Telek stunned. When told the ship had left under the assumption an agreement would be reached, he could hardly argue. The sheer quantity of food, water, and farming tools unloaded caused his face to tighten in astonishment.

"You people… you’re unbelievable."

"Your cooperation is appreciated."

The leader of the Paraiso 2 fleet, whose appearance was nearly indistinguishable from Zwei, introduced himself as Zehn. While Ringo controlled both, Zehn’s mannerisms had been adjusted to exhibit more expressive emotions and a conversational tone, making him appear more human. In contrast, Zwei’s personality was set to be serious and rigid—a deliberate character differentiation crafted by Ringo.

"You’ve already discussed the basics with Fleet Leader Zwei, yes?"

"Yes… but do you know the details of what was agreed upon?"

"I’ve made assumptions. We exchanged signals with Paraiso 1 via flag communication. If anything deviates from expectations, inform me immediately."

"Understood… I’ll let you know."

Unbeknownst to Telek, Ringo already had reconnaissance bots gathering intelligence on the guild’s discussions and approvals. However, to maintain appearances, Zehn acted as though ignorant of Telek Harbor’s internal deliberations.

"Have you made contact with the refugees?"

"Yes, immediately after our last discussion. Thankfully, we managed to meet with their representative."

It was a stroke of luck for The Tree that the refugees were still organized. A delay of a few more weeks might have led to chaos, but they had made it just in time. With provisions supplied by Telek Harbor, a simple agreement was reached for the refugees to enlist in military service or farming.

"We couldn’t provide for everyone, but we did give them a fair amount of food—kombu and water—as a goodwill gesture. I think we’ve earned their gratitude."

"Good. In that case, let’s earn even more goodwill."

"…Huh? Are you talking about the farming tools?"

Ringo had deployed solar-powered Swift reconnaissance drones to monitor the area continuously. These drones had detected bandits approaching the refugee camp.

"Allow me to disclose something. We possess the Clairvoyance System."

"…? Clair… voyance?"

"Warning!"

Zehn suddenly shouted. At the same time, the destroyer Charlie blared an alarm across the harbor. The piercing sound, brief but sharp, created an immediate sense of urgency among everyone present.

"H-Hey! What’s going on all of a sudden?!"

"Attention. Naval artillery fire will commence shortly. Attention. Naval artillery fire will commence shortly."

"Naval artillery fire?! Zehn, what the hell is this?!"

"Merchant Leader Kulavia Telek, bandits are approaching the refugee camp. We will now eliminate them."

"What?! W-Wait a second!"

Boom!

Charlie’s main turret fired, launching a shell toward the group nearing the camp. The shell arced through the sky, taking approximately 15 seconds to reach its target.

"They… fired? Where? At what?!"

"Target confirmed near impact point."

As the alarm continued to echo, Kulavia Telek, panicked, rushed to confront Zehn. Meanwhile, the port descended into chaos as workers and bystanders reacted to the sudden artillery fire.

"Full barrage. Fire."

Ringo observed the initial impact through Swift drones and ordered Charlie’s three main guns to commence a rapid volley. The 150mm smoothbore cannons, capable of firing 45 rounds per minute, began unleashing a relentless stream of shells.

"…!"

Kulavia Telek’s eyes widened in shock at the astonishing rate of fire. It was far beyond what he had imagined. Unlike conventional cannons, which required manual loading of powder and shells, these advanced weapons used an automated system, capable of continuous fire until ammunition was depleted or the barrel overheated. The destructive power of these guns surpassed that of even a hundred traditional cannons.

"Target neutralized."

In less than a minute, the three guns had each fired approximately 40 rounds. Ringo ceased fire after confirming through Swift reconnaissance that the majority of the bandits had been annihilated.

"Our destroyer Charlie has neutralized the bandits threatening the refugees. Surveillance has confirmed their prior involvement in repeated looting. This was no accident—they were clearly a bandit group."

"Ah… ah, yes… they were bandits," Telek stammered, struggling to process the scene.

"Send a representative to the refugees immediately. They likely have no idea what just happened."

"…!" Telek quickly snapped back to reality, issuing instructions to his subordinates. His swift response highlighted his competence. The unloading operations resumed amidst the harbor’s uneasy atmosphere as everyone gradually returned to their work.

◇◇◇

Following the incident, Ringo disclosed to Telek Harbor Town that The Tree employed solar-powered Swift drones for wide-area surveillance, framing the capability as an extension of "classified magical technology." Any future threats would be intercepted at The Tree’s discretion. For now, bandit groups were the primary target. Other incursions would also be detected early, allowing for identification and precise engagement.

Telek Harbor’s military forces were also reviewed. Perhaps realizing there was no point in hiding the truth, the numbers declared matched the data Ringo had already gathered. This transparency earned them a degree of trust.

One intriguing aspect was the presence of "magic warriors" among the town’s forces—soldiers who could use magic in combat. Magic, as demonstrated, involved chanting incantations to unleash destructive phenomena. For instance, the "fireball" spell summoned an orb of fire that autonomously flew to its target, detonating on impact to scatter flames. While fascinating, further research would have to wait due to limited personnel and facilities.

The decision was also made to supply Telek Harbor with high-quality arrow components rather than firearms. Separating arrowheads, shafts, and fletching allowed refugees to assemble them as part of their labor in exchange for food. While preassembled arrows could have been provided, encouraging local involvement reduced dependency and maintained economic balance.

Next, advanced bows or compound bows equipped with aiming systems were considered as potential trial weapons. However, crossbows were deemed too risky for potential technology leaks and were withheld for now to maintain a controlled pace of innovation.

Thus, step by step, Ringo continued solidifying The Tree’s influence over Telek Harbor Town.