第１５９８堀：港町の設計について (Part2)
After all, earthquakes are an everyday occurrence; a magnitude one or two barely registers as a nuisance.
"Well, it’s only natural that the two of you wouldn't understand. That is why I am going to show you this footage."
With those words, Yuki-san projected images onto the monitor—footage of the earthquake and tsunami disasters that had struck Japan. They were a collection of infamous clips I had seen many times before. The screen displayed the harrowing sight of towns being swallowed whole by the sea in the wake of a massive tremor. Naturally, Taizo-san, Sota-san, and I had all been involved in selecting this particular footage.
"..."
It wasn't just Sisua-san and Sona-san who were rendered speechless; even Prol and the others who had accompanied Yuki-san as escorts were struck dumb. Well, that was to be expected. This wasn't a matter of mere monsters. These kinds of disasters, quite literally, cannot be "exterminated." More importantly, this was a tragedy that had occurred in the very lands—Yuki-san’s and our own—that they looked up to as the pinnacle of civilization. It must have driven home, however unpleasantly, that even with technology far surpassing their own, natural disasters are an insurmountable force.
"So, while I’m sure you have many thoughts, I want you to build a port town capable of either evacuating from or resisting such calamities."
"No, no..."
At Yuki-san’s words, everyone, including Prol and her group, wore expressions of disbelief, rejecting the notion as an impossibility. I understood their feelings all too well. But, you see...
"Disasters will come eventually. In fact, in this world, we have creatures known as monsters, and we’ve confirmed the existence of massive entities like Sea Dragons in the ocean. There is even testimony of something called a Leviathan—a rotting fish of even greater scale—lurking out there. The possibility that such things could intentionally trigger a tidal wave is not zero. Regardless of whether it’s possible to stop them or not, we are building this port. That is decided. The real question is whether we remain defenseless or take precautions."
"..."
Yuki-san’s sharp retort—or rather, his statement of fact—left them with no choice but to fall silent. That was the truth of it: no matter what we do, disaster will arrive on its own terms. The only choice we have is how we respond. Will we be mercilessly trampled, or will we take what measures we can?
"...My apologies. I had heard of the concept of 'disaster,' but seeing it on screen was beyond my imagination; I was simply stunned."
"Yes. I’m sorry. Seeing this, it’s clear that not taking precautions would be foolish. The cost of reconstruction is not trivial, and above all, nothing can replace human life."
Having regained their composure, the two answered clearly. Yes, as expected of subordinates under Qual-san. They realized this wasn't a matter of whether they could understand it or not. Having fought against monsters and bandits, they were accustomed to making such pragmatic judgments. If this were a Japanese politician, they’d likely be arguing about whether the port should be built at all.
"I’m glad you understand. Now, let’s discuss how we will go about constructing this port. Before we get into the necessary buildings, we need to decide where to establish the town. Sisua, Sona, where do you think we should build?"
"...Let’s see. Watching the footage earlier, I had a question: is it correct to assume that was a disaster of the maximum possible scale?"
"Yes, it is recorded as the largest scale."
"I see. In that case, the goal isn't necessarily to prevent that entirely, is it?"
"Preventing it completely would be ideal, but that would be difficult."
Indeed, preventing a disaster of that magnitude would require meddling with the Earth’s very tectonic plates and crust.
"If so, I believe it would be best to establish our base as far from the sea as possible, place multiple walls to mitigate the tsunami, and focus on buying time for people to escape or evacuate."
"Agreed. That said, for the sake of port operations, facilities for ships and marine products must be placed near the water. For now, I suggest this layout."
Sisua-san and Sona-san then mapped out the land usage for the port, separating the residential areas from the fishing and military docks. Watching them, we began to push the discussion forward in earnest. When it comes to tsunami countermeasures and evacuation planning, there truly is no one better than those who have lived through the Japanese experience. And, with monsters in the mix, it just goes to show that this other world is a terrifying place indeed.