第５４７堀：世界の全貌をほんの僅か知る (Part2)
"For now, the absolute minimum cost for just a single Earth-made spacecraft is 1 billion DP. Listen, that’s 1 billion for just one ship. Then you have fuel, supplies, the satellite itself, the equipment for satellite system management, the launch pad to get it into space, the base and systems to manage that, and a whole host of other things."
"So, it’s on a completely different scale than tanks or fighter jets, then..."
"Exactly. And we can't just use the obsolete, cheap junk we've been ordering for Weed until now. You understand that I don't want to touch space unless we're using state-of-the-art technology, right?"
"I understand."
"Furthermore, there’s no guarantee it will succeed. I want to avoid a scenario where we launch, fail, and flush a trillion-budget down the drain. And if it happens to crash in the wrong place, it could damage the alliance. No matter how you look at it, space development isn't a project we can handle on our own. We have to involve others."
On Earth, research is advanced and international cooperation is well-established, so they could likely manage the support and budget for a launch as a single nation. Even so, input and calculations from experts in other countries are essential. Unfortunately, Weed, which only incorporates a fraction of current Earth technology, is not yet capable of launching such a thing.
I want to launch a satellite.
I fully understand the utility of the satellite Seraria is talking about.
If we could do it, I’d be thrilled—it would be a total win.
But as a matter of reality, it’s impossible.
"For now, it's important that we steadily expand our alliance."
"...I understand that, but... what if you get kidnapped again?"
"Well, fortunately, we found a new continent. And it’s in a location close to the opposite side of the world. We’ll build a base there and set up a radar. We’ll do the same here, of course."
"Radar? You mean an electrical one, not a call?"
"Exactly. Well, it’ll involve magical properties too, but we’ll have important personnel carry devices that emit a specific frequency of radio waves or magical energy, which we can then launch high into the air to activate. If we do that, we should be able to pinpoint locations using triangulation."
"But wouldn't that only be within the range the radar can detect?"
"Well, yes. But we aren't trying to communicate, and we won't be emitting a constant, massive amount of energy. If we can emit an incredibly strong pulse of magical energy or radio waves for just an instant, it will reach much further. Conversely, if we’re in a range where it doesn't reach, we can narrow down the location. After all, we’ve already secured a position near the back side of the world. The range it won't reach is limited. In that case, we can just send high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft to fly outside the radar detection range to pick it up."
"I see. So we just need to announce the time we'll send out the scout plane, and throw the device that emits those waves at that time?"
"That's the idea. Basically, they can only summon us through summoning rituals. We’ve experimented enough to know that they can't call us without a fixed ritual and a massive boost of magical power, so it would take something truly extraordinary for us to lose contact."
"That's true. There aren't many who can channel enough power to interfere with Weed's dungeon space, which suppresses magic and skills. We’ve put countermeasures in place after this incident, so that should be fine. Space development is indeed too high-risk. ...And the budget is far too difficult to scrape together."
*Phew.*
It seems she’s given up on it.
If I kept going with space development, I’d definitely be in over my head.
"By the way, why are you here? Did you have something to discuss with Comet or Zargis?"
"No, no, I had something to discuss with you, Seraria."
"Oh, is that so?"
"The Findahl party has arrived safely in Weed, and they're completely terrified."
"Well, that’s to be expected."
"So, the question is, what are we going to do about the audience?"
"Let's see. We already reached a ceasefire agreement at Baide, didn't we?"
"Yeah. You probably received the notification, but they definitely agreed and signed the documents."
"Then, a greeting is necessary. Should I do it first thing tomorrow?"
"The problem is whether it should be before or after the meeting with the Haiden party."
"Ah, I see... If I meet with the Findahl people first, I'll have to show my face again after the meeting between Haiden and Findahl. That sounds like double the work. We're busy enough as it is; let's have the meeting between Haiden and Findahl finished first."
"Understood. We'll go with that schedule."
"Yes. Please do."
I started to leave, but remembered something I had forgotten and stopped.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
"Is there something else?"
"Quar is furious, you know."
"Ah!? I only intended to talk for a moment, but it's already this late!? Oh no!?"
As soon as she said that, Seraria rushed past me and ran back.
Seeing that, Comet muttered with a wry smile.
"Seraria is so busy herself, it's amazing she even thought about establishing a space development department."
"Well, this incident must have been quite a shock. Even we were starting to lose our composure."
"I suppose so. But that doesn't mean I'll forgive her for stuffing knowledge into our heads via skill bestowal."
"I agree. Knowledge only has meaning when you learn it and make it your own flesh and blood. Fufufu..."
"Exactly. Kufufufu..."
...What they're saying is reasonable, but why does it sound like something a pervert would say?
Well, first, I need to coordinate the meeting between Findahl and Haiden.
Yes.
The content here is based on "pseudo-science," so I'd be in trouble if you poked holes in it.
Please just accept that it works that way.
In terms of size, the surface area is probably three to five times different, and since the rotation speed is fast, it completes one rotation in 24 hours.
Because the rotation speed is one full turn in 24 hours, the time difference longitude is multiplied by the area.
That’s just a random explanation I wrote to account for the time difference!!
As for gravity, please just accept that it’s 1G due to the gravitational pull of other planets and stars.
I’m not that smart!!