The Hungry Fortress Wants to Build a Battleship in Another World – World of Sandbox

Utsugi of The Tree was busy. Erika of The Tree was busy too.

“Alright, time for exploration!”
“Departure confirmed—full speed ahead!”
Using the remote control system prepared by Ringo, they operated a large multi-legged reconnaissance vehicle.

Their destination was the Five-Lake Region.
To the south of Fratara City lay the largest of the five lakes, the Fratara Sea.
It was approximately 10 square kilometers in size—a reasonably large lake. Naturally, it was a freshwater lake.

The large multi-legged reconnaissance vehicle was, as the name suggested, specialized for scouting. With a maximum speed of 80 km/h, it skillfully maneuvered its six legs, rapidly accelerating across the terrain.
Unlike multi-legged tanks, it lacked a turret, making it significantly lower in height. It crawled along the rocky ground like an insect.
“Distance to destination—”

“800 meters remaining!”
Despite being called the Five-Lake Region, the lakes were not connected by waterways.
They were presumed to be fed by underground springs, and each lake had its own distinct ecosystem.

The Fratara Sea, though the largest, was said to contain only small fish, making it unsuitable for large-scale fishing according to Fratara City’s residents.
While the possibility of freshwater fish farming could provide a valuable protein source, the locals lacked the knowledge and resources to attempt it.
“But if we can catch lots of small fish, we could use them for fertilizer.”

“And if there’s plenty, we could dry them and store them as preserved food!”
If there had been forests surrounding the lake, fishing might have flourished. Alternatively, if Fratara City had faced more severe food shortages in its early days, fishing could have been a necessity.
However, the lack of timber made building boats difficult.

Additionally, the city had been able to secure enough food through trade, leaving little incentive to develop the lake.
But that was no longer the case.
Food could still be imported from The Tree in the worst-case scenario.
The real problem was that Fratara City no longer had anything of value to trade in return.

“Free aid is bad for the future!”
“Self-sufficiency is important—right?!”
Ringo planned to use Fratara City as a testing ground for occupation and governance experiments. Commander Eve and the five sister units were aware of this.

As a result, they were willing to test any idea that came to mind.
In line with this plan, Utsugi and Erika personally operated the reconnaissance vehicle to survey the lake.
Ringo could have done it herself, but this mission was meant as a learning experience.

Fieldwork like this would serve as valuable training for the two humanoid mechanical androids.
“Arrived!”
“We’re here!”

The remote control system featured a spherical cockpit surrounded by panoramic monitors. Utsugi and Erika sat side by side, connected via wireless controls.
Utsugi managed mobility and movement controls, while Erika operated the sensors.
Their processing power was boosted through a link to The Core. While it didn’t match Ringo’s capabilities, it offered performance equivalent to 500 units of brain modules.

With time and experience, their individual brain units were expected to handle tasks more smoothly.
“A lake—”
“And it’s all freshwater? That’s amazing.”

“A sea that’s freshwater? Doesn’t make sense.”
“But it definitely feels like a sea!”
Hearing the name Fratara Sea, the two initially wondered why there was a “sea” inland.

They even speculated about the possibility of nearby rock salt deposits, but Akane clarified that large lakes were sometimes referred to as seas.
This helped them grasp that the Fratara Sea was a freshwater lake.
Still, understanding and feeling are different things.

This distinction was both a strength and a weakness of their brain units compared to standard AI systems.
Incidentally, Ringo had already determined it was a freshwater lake through electromagnetic analysis but chose not to interfere.
Since this information was available in The Tree’s database, the oversight was chalked up to inexperience.

“As far as the eye can see—”
“Water and rocks!”
The panoramic monitors displayed a composite view simulating the perspective of the reconnaissance vehicle.

The vehicle itself was represented as a wireframe model.
In theory, the visual data could have been transmitted directly via wireless connection.
However, to help the androids develop their visual-processing capabilities, the system was designed to integrate both direct visuals and supplementary feeds for blind spots.

Utsugi of The Tree was busy. Erika of The Tree was busy too.
“All right, time for exploration!”
“Full speed ahead!”

Using the remote control system prepared by Ringo, they operated a large multi-legged reconnaissance vehicle.
Their destination was the Five-Lake Region.
To the south of Fratara City lay the largest of the five lakes, the Fratara Sea.

It was approximately 10 square kilometers in size—a reasonably large lake. Naturally, it was a freshwater lake.
The large multi-legged reconnaissance vehicle was, as the name suggested, specialized for scouting. With a maximum speed of 80 km/h, it skillfully maneuvered its six legs, rapidly accelerating across the terrain.
Unlike multi-legged tanks, it lacked a turret, making it significantly lower in height. It crawled along the rocky ground like an insect.

“Distance to destination—”
“800 meters remaining!”
Despite being called the Five-Lake Region, the lakes were not connected by waterways.

They were presumed to be fed by underground springs, and each lake had its own distinct ecosystem.
The Fratara Sea, though the largest, was said to contain only small fish, making it unsuitable for large-scale fishing according to Fratara City’s residents.
While the possibility of freshwater fish farming could provide a valuable protein source, the locals lacked the knowledge and resources to attempt it.

“But if we can catch lots of small fish, we could use them for fertilizer.”
“And if there’s plenty, we could dry them and store them as preserved food!”
If there had been forests surrounding the lake, fishing might have flourished. Alternatively, if Fratara City had faced more severe food shortages in its early days, fishing could have been a necessity.

However, the lack of timber made building boats difficult.
Additionally, the city had been able to secure enough food through trade, leaving little incentive to develop the lake.
But that was no longer the case.

Food could still be imported from The Tree in the worst-case scenario.
The real problem was that Fratara City no longer had anything of value to trade in return.
“Free aid is bad for the future!”

“Self-sufficiency is important—right?!”
Ringo planned to use Fratara City as a testing ground for occupation and governance experiments. Commander Eve and the five sister units were aware of this.
As a result, they were willing to test any idea that came to mind.

In line with this plan, Utsugi and Erika personally operated the reconnaissance vehicle to survey the lake.
Ringo could have done it herself, but this mission was meant as a learning experience.
Fieldwork like this would serve as valuable training for the two humanoid mechanical androids.

“Arrived!”
“We’re here!”
The remote control system featured a spherical cockpit surrounded by panoramic monitors. Utsugi and Erika sat side by side, connected via wireless controls.

Utsugi managed mobility and movement controls, while Erika operated the sensors.
Their processing power was boosted through a link to The Core. While it didn’t match Ringo’s capabilities, it offered performance equivalent to 500 units of brain modules.
With time and experience, their individual brain units were expected to handle tasks more smoothly.

“A lake—”
“And it’s all freshwater? That’s amazing.”
“A sea that’s freshwater? Doesn’t make sense.”

“But it definitely feels like a sea!”
Hearing the name Fratara Sea, the two initially wondered why there was a “sea” inland.
They even speculated about the possibility of nearby rock salt deposits, but Akane clarified that large lakes were sometimes referred to as seas.

This helped them grasp that the Fratara Sea was a freshwater lake.
Still, understanding and feeling are different things.
This distinction was both a strength and a weakness of their brain units compared to standard AI systems.

Incidentally, Ringo had already determined it was a freshwater lake through electromagnetic analysis but chose not to interfere.
Since this information was available in The Tree’s database, the oversight was chalked up to inexperience.
“As far as the eye can see—”

“Water and rocks!”
The panoramic monitors displayed a composite view simulating the perspective of the reconnaissance vehicle.
The vehicle itself was represented as a wireframe model.

In theory, the visual data could have been transmitted directly via wireless connection.
However, to help the androids develop their visual-processing capabilities, the system was designed to integrate both direct visuals and supplementary feeds for blind spots.
“Hmm, there aren’t many plants here—”

“So maybe there aren’t many fish either?”
Discussing the terrain, the two guided the reconnaissance vehicle into the lake.
The lakebed was covered in sand rather than mud.

The water was exceptionally clear, making underwater visibility excellent.
All of The Tree’s multi-legged machines were amphibious and capable of operating underwater.
Although microwaves could not penetrate water well, periodic surfacing to recharge the batteries ensured sufficient time for exploration.

“Hey Erika, did you know? Lakes like this always have a giant boss monster lurking at the bottom!”
“Wow! And if we defeat it, we’ll find a treasure-filled cave, right?!”
“Projectile weapons won’t work underwater because of the resistance! But don’t worry, we brought torpedoes, so we’re ready for the boss!”

“I even practiced! I got my Torpedo Master certification yesterday!”
Ringo finally understood why Erika had been glued to a submarine simulation the day before.
It turned out she’d been training to fire torpedoes.

Even with Ringo’s computational abilities, she hadn’t anticipated that they’d prepare for an underwater boss fight during a routine lake survey.
Yet, this kind of unexpected readiness wasn’t entirely unwelcome.
Unfortunately, no giant boss monster emerged from the lake.

The lake was shallow overall, lacking the depth needed to conceal a massive creature.
Instead, what they found was an abundance of small fish.
Not fry, but mature fish averaging around 4 cm in length, densely packed into schools.

The isolated nature of the lake, with no inflowing rivers, likely contributed to its simple ecosystem.
A few types of aquatic plants thrived, along with plankton, small shrimp, shellfish, and the tiny fish.
Whether the fish were a single species or closely related variants required genetic testing on samples brought back for analysis.

“This is the deepest spot…”
“42 meters from the surface. The lakebed is layered with mud and sand. Springs are bubbling up from below. Water temperature is 8°C. The average temperature of the lake is 21°C… Pretty chilly, huh?”
The cold springs kept the lake’s temperature low despite sunlight exposure, creating an ideal environment for aquatic life.

“Just small fish, huh?”
“Not much meat on them.”
For The Tree’s crew, who were used to larger fish served at meals, the sight of tiny fish swarming in schools was novel.

“Fish~ Fish~”
“Fish means—”
“Sashimi!”

“Sautéed fish!”
“…War!”
“…War!”

Ringo mused that Commander Eve preferred fried fish above all.
Jokes aside, the lake seemed capable of yielding a substantial supply of small fish.
However, Fratara City lacked the means to manufacture fine, durable fishing nets or wooden boats.

“If we had nets and boats, could we fish here?”
“Hmm, we could supply the nets and materials, I guess.”
Stable harvesting of these fish could significantly improve Fratara City’s food supply.

Combined with trade relations with Levresta, the city could evolve into a logistics hub.
It would take time, but the plan was to gradually transition local governance while relying on The Tree’s support in the short term.