第１７８１堀：海軍も色々お手伝い (Part1)

第１７８１堀：海軍も色々お手伝い (Part1)

Chapter 1781: The Navy Lends a Hand

Side: Dressa

"Excuse me? What do you mean by 'support'?"

I voiced my confusion while standing on the deck of the ship. The reason was simple:

*“It’s a proposal from Brother.”*

On the monitor, I could see Vilia, who was currently stationed on the New Continent. More importantly, that was land, not sea. What was I, tasked with overseeing the navy, supposed to do about that?

*“He wants to investigate the effective range of drones and familiars. Of course, they’ll be testing them from Owe and Weed as well, but he wants to know if the communication remains stable and accurate from your position at sea, Dressa.”*

"Ah, I see. That makes sense. It’s a hassle to have to route everything through intermediaries every time, and while 'Call' is useful, it’s not the only solution we need."

I agreed that having more information is always better. Naturally, I didn't need low-quality data, but Yuki was clearly asking for a high volume of precise information.

*“Exactly. Also, as part of the experiment, he’s considering having the drones and familiars fly from the New Continent all the way to Weed’s Glass Port Town.”*

"Is he serious?"

That was something we hadn't attempted before. It wasn't just about the high risk of losing the drones or familiars; if things went poorly, we could end up antagonizing the factions that claimed the territories we’d be flying over. That was why Yuki had avoided it until now.

*“Brother will explain the details later, but he believes that securing air and sea routes between the New Continent and Weed will be vital for the future.”*

"That, I can't argue with. We never know when the Gates might become unusable, so having air or sea routes established is crucial."

I understood the importance of that. If the Gates were ever blocked, the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance wouldn't just fall into chaos—it could collapse entirely. Preparing alternative means of transportation was only natural. It was the same reason he was teaching each country how to produce vehicles and medical supplies. The locals were thrilled to be learning Weed’s technology, but this was the strategic foundation behind it. Well, originally, it had started as a way to resolve the dissatisfaction with the Rogari dark guilds following the Suurus incident, but that’s beside the point. The proposal itself was sound.

"I understand the situation. So, should I keep talking to you, Vilia? Or do I need to get authorization for other drones and familiars from someone else?"

*“Tori-sama will explain that part. I’ll switch over.”*

With that, Vilia moved aside, and Tori’s face appeared on the monitor.

*“Yoo-hoo! How’s the sea at Glass?”*

"It’s peaceful. Though, preparing for the party is quite a chore."

*“Are you showing off the warships, too?”*

"More of a naval port than just warships. Of course, there will also be a tour of the nearby waters to observe monster subjugation."

*“Whoa, you’re going that far?”*

"We’re concerned about how to handle sea monsters. Since every continent has plans to build ports, they’ll want to see how we handle real combat, won't they?"

*“Makes sense~.”*

As we were chatting, Vilia stepped back into the frame.

*“Tori-sama, discussing current events is fine, but let’s talk about the drones and familiars.”*

*“Oops, right you are.”*

"Can we save the small talk for later?"

*“Sure. We’ve got plenty of time while we’re moving anyway. I’m sending the drone and familiar data over now.”*

As soon as Tori said that, the data began to stream in.

"What about the management protocols?"

*“Connect them to your… let’s see, the naval port’s management system and your personal terminal, Dressa. He wants to see if both work.”*

"Understood. I’ll start the operation from my end, is that alright?"

*“Wait until you arrive. If we disconnect from our end prematurely, there’s a chance they won’t sync back up. Just monitor the feed for now.”*

"Understood. I’ll just take the feed."

I initiated the connection for the drones and familiars through the Call interface. Both required a combination of magic power, codes, and password input. It was tedious, but that level of security was necessary.

The feed flickered to life. Most of it was from high above, but two screens showed Tori directly. This was for latency testing.

"Feed confirmed. I see Tori on two screens. This is for latency, right?"

*“Yep. I’m moving my mouth now—is it synced?”*

"No issues so far. The audio matches the video. Now, about the operation..."

*“Like I said, wait until you get there. It’s hard for us to provide support for that from here right now.”*

"Understood. Anything else?"

*“Do you have time to monitor the screens?”*

"What do you mean? My jurisdiction is the sea. Are you asking me to provide support for your end, too?"

It seemed pointless to monitor the sea and the land of the New Continent simultaneously.

*“You’re constantly moving, right? Yuki-san wants to confirm when and where remote operation failures occur.”*

"Ah, I see. That is something only we can do."

So, it was about gathering unique data from the sea. Since they were collecting data from Weed and other continents as well, it wasn't as if we were the only ones bearing the burden.

"As long as you don't need me to assign a dedicated specialist, I can incorporate this into our current monitoring duties. Is that acceptable?"

Creating a specialized team would be a hassle, but adding it to our existing surveillance routine was doable. Of course, with more items to monitor, our response time would inevitably slow down.

*“Yeah, that’s fine for now. If Yuki-san says otherwise, we’ll have you change it.”*

"True. If it comes from Yuki, I’ll have to comply. I’ll handle it that way until then."

*“Thanks. Also, you’ll be receiving regular reports. You’ll need to confirm the movement of the military—or rather, the unit’s progress. I’ll send the details later.”*

"Understood."

It wasn't as if my duties were being increased by mere word of mouth. The documentation on how to monitor and the verification methods would arrive in due time. I was, after all, acting as the representative of the navy. Well, since I was told to connect it to the naval port’s management system, this was the natural outcome.

*“And what do you think of the aerial footage?”*

"What do you mean by 'what do I think'?"

Prompted by her question, I examined the footage from above. Having heard it described as a wasteland beforehand, it really was just that. Well, it wasn't entirely devoid of vegetation, but it was sparse—barren, even. I couldn't see any water sources in the vicinity, either...