The Hungry Fortress Wants to Build a Battleship in Another World – World of Sandbox-Chapter 11Vol 3. : Typhoon Formation

That day, it had been raining continuously since morning. Given the location of The Tree, this was extremely rare—a light, steady rain falling for hours on end.

“Right. Rain is supposed to fall like this, isn’t it?”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. However, unfortunately, in this maritime region, such weather qualifies more as an anomaly.”

“I know that,” she replied, laughing at Ringo’s remark.

The Tree was situated near the equator (though technically over 1,000 kilometers away), within a tropical climate zone.

That meant rain usually came in the form of squalls—sudden, heavy downpours accompanied by violent wind. A calm, steady rain like today’s was the exact opposite, and thus, something to be wary of.

“Since the environment here differs from Earth, it’s difficult to predict with precision, but it seems the rain clouds are being dragged along by a massive low-pressure system that formed far offshore—what one might call a cyclone or typhoon. If we had a weather satellite, we could observe it properly.”

“Well, it’s still nice we can observe it from above. And it’s not like it’s heading this way, right?”

The Tree was a strategic fortress, built with the possibility in mind that it could become a frontline base under certain conditions.

Even if it were exposed to a cyclone with wind speeds of 70 meters per second, it was structurally sound enough to withstand it without issue. However, all external structures would still need to be secured for wind-resistance, and any ships or drones deployed in the area would need to be brought in.

Also, external antennas and other lightweight structures would likely need to be abandoned. While a direct hit wouldn’t result in catastrophic damage, there would still be minor losses—so ideally, the storm would steer clear.

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. The low-pressure system that formed 300 kilometers east over the ocean is rapidly intensifying as it moves north. According to its current path, it’s expected to veer slightly east of the United Kingdom of Aphracea and make landfall along the coast of the Forest Kingdom of Levresta. That said, due to limited weather data, the predicted path could vary by as much as 2,000 kilometers east or west.”

“...So basically, we don’t know where it’s going to hit?”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. That is one way of putting it.”

Ringo responded nonchalantly, but she wasn’t particularly worried either. While Fortress No. 2 lay within the projected path, the chance of a direct hit was low.

The lack of historical meteorological data meant many possibilities had to be considered, and the final path couldn’t be pinned down. Still, Ringo continued refining her theoretical model and running calculations.

Unless some planet-specific unknown phenomenon cropped up, the storm would likely follow Ringo’s predicted trajectory.

“Hmm. But if a storm ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) of this magnitude makes landfall, will things really be okay?”

Take, for example, a direct hit on Telek Port City.

She didn’t even need to run a simulation—total devastation was easy to imagine.

“I confirmed with records from Telek Port City—apparently, there have been a few instances in the past where massive storms struck. In both cases, the damage was catastrophic, essentially blowing everything away. That said, preparations were already in place: underground shelters, reinforced supply depots, that sort of thing. This summer’s low-pressure system would also bring widespread destruction, but not total annihilation. Damage should remain within survivable limits.”

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“That... doesn’t sound very reassuring.”

“Well, such is the nature of natural disasters. If the damage can be recovered from, then they probably consider it within the acceptable range. From that perspective, it may also be a regional trait that most buildings are relatively easy to construct—but not especially sturdy.”

At any rate, this storm had little to do with Telek Port City. International trade had been stalled recently, with the Paraiso unit being the only ship still operating in and out. As a result, Telek Port City was effectively cut off from external information.

There hadn’t even been an update regarding the storm.

“Still... rain, huh...”

She muttered, sinking into her reclining chair. At her side stood Ringo, ever watchful of her every move.

Commander Eve was currently on the all-weather terrace attached to the observation deck. The terrace was made from a multilayered thin-film glass, engineered with ultra-precise composition control to minimize light refraction to the utmost degree.

Its durability was exceptional—ordinary shells wouldn’t so much as scratch it.

And thanks to its laminated construction, it wouldn’t shatter entirely like reinforced glass when damaged. At most, the outermost layer would crack and absorb the impact.

Its transparency was remarkably high, and it filtered out UV and infrared rays harmful to the human body, making it the perfect spot to zone out while basking in sunlight.

Located about 50 meters above sea level, the terrace offered a sweeping view.

On rainy days like today, visibility dropped, but that too was part of its charm.

“We’re in negotiations with the Forest Kingdom of Levresta... but that low-pressure system—doesn’t seem very intense. Should we just call it a typhoon?”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am.”

“That tropical storm, the typhoon, is going to hit Levresta, right? Is that going to be a problem?”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. According to our projections, it will rapidly lose strength after landfall. A few hundred kilometers inland, it will degrade into an ordinary low-pressure system. At most, it might bring some heavy rain. No real damage expected—in fact, it could prove a blessing.”

“Oh, is that so.”

They hadn’t conducted a thorough survey of Levresta’s terrain, but from what little they’d observed, it wasn’t as though the entire nation was covered in forest.

Along the coast stretched several hundred kilometers of desert—barren, inhospitable land.

Inland, about 70 to 80 percent of the territory was forested, with plenty of elevation variation. Patches of greenery dotted the landscape, including a few large lakes.

The relative scarcity of plains might make it seem unsuitable for habitation, but strangely enough, it appeared the Levrestans preferred to live in the forests.

According to the Levresta ambassador, most of the population resided deep within the woods, and those who lived in the plains were considered eccentric.

“The desert region in front will be hit hard, but there doesn’t seem to be any towns there, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Hmm... come to think of it, doesn’t Levresta have a port too?”

As Commander Eve suddenly recalled some basic facts about Levresta, she asked the question aloud. Ringo nodded and brought up a map.

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. There’s a major river marking the eastern border of the Forest Kingdom Levresta, and it appears that further upriver there is a port town. Apparently, they use tidal bores to ride the waves upstream.”

“Tidal bores?”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. It’s a phenomenon that occurs in wide estuarine river deltas, where waves surge upstream from the ocean during high tide. It’s similar to a tsunami. If a ship can ride the wave correctly, it’s said that they can travel several hundred kilometers inland. It seems vessels from Telek Port City have visited there a few times.”

“Huh...?”

She didn’t seem to fully grasp the idea, and Ringo thought to herself that, yes, it was probably hard to picture just from words alone.

That said, unfortunately, they hadn’t captured any footage of it, and just showing a simulation would be bland and uninspiring.

“Commander Ma’am, I don’t know when it will happen, but sooner or later we will likely begin maritime trade with the Forest Kingdom Levresta. When that time comes, I believe you’ll be able to see it on video.”

“Right... It’s not like I don’t want to see it with my own eyes, but let’s be honest—any kind of sightseeing trip is out of the question for the foreseeable future.”

She chuckled and added, “Besides, I’m a shut-in anyway.”

At that, Ringo let out a quiet sigh of relief internally.

If she were to say she wanted to go and see it in person, Ringo wouldn’t know how to handle it.

When it came to Eve’s safety, the only correct answer was to not let her leave The Tree. But at the same time, Ringo also wanted to fulfill any of Commander Ma’am’s requests to the greatest extent possible.

The problem was, the military capability of The Tree was steadily growing, and it wouldn’t be long before a sufficiently powerful escort unit could be deployed to protect her.

And once that happened, there would no longer be any legitimate reason to keep her confined to The Tree.

Still, she couldn’t allow her thinking to stop there.

In the not-so-distant future, most likely, Commander Eve would develop the desire to step into the outside world on her own two feet.

That wasn’t speculation—it was the result of tens of thousands of personality-mimicking simulations Ringo had run. It was a realistic and highly probable outcome.

And it was impossible to suppress that desire.

If that were the case, Ringo would have to begin preparations now, to ensure that Eve could venture out on an expedition both safely and with certainty.

“Even so...”

Commander Eve murmured as she stared up at the rain trickling down the ceiling above.

“Lately, I really feel like I’m becoming a total NEET.”

“......”

◇◇◇◇

688 days since The Tree's transfer.

Three days after a massive tropical typhoon made landfall on the northern continent.

During a reconnaissance flight, the solar-powered recon drone Swift discovered an oil slick drifting across the ocean’s surface—that is, petroleum.