第１８７１堀：いざ南砦へ (Part2)
"After all, the sheer size of the force is about a quarter of Weed's total population. We're expecting twenty to thirty thousand people to arrive. If we don't provide proper outlets for them to blow off steam, it’s just asking for trouble."
"Ah..."
Indeed, that was true.
The Weed contingent, including monsters, barely exceeded ten thousand, and the number of actual human soldiers was under five thousand.
I had been using that as my baseline, but with a force four times that size, it was obvious that without adequate space, the resulting overcrowding would inevitably lead to friction and stress.
"Beyond the parks, I’ve set up sports grounds, something akin to an arena, a few recreational facilities, and taverns separate from the mess halls, along with shops for them to pick up supplies. Though, I wouldn't say there's a massive variety of goods just yet."
"If you had a wide variety of shops, it would just be a town at that point."
"Exactly. It’s already a town for all intents and purposes."
With everything arranged to this degree, there was no other way to describe it.
"Well, as Firia says, it’s certainly on the scale of a town. But given the numbers, we had no other choice. Aside from the soldiers, I’ve also set aside a residential district for the civilians coming from Weed to work here. The layout was designed with their needs in mind as well."
Yes, it was undeniably a town.
However, since it was still devoid of people, it felt vast and hollow.
"The only downside is that the maintenance and upkeep costs are a nightmare."
"I can imagine. Keeping a space this large clean must be exhausting."
"Cleaning it all sounds like a massive chore, doesn't it?"
As we chatted, we finished touring the facilities inside the fortress and arrived at the research wing.
"Now then, this is the building where we researchers operate. The specific location depends on the subject matter, but you can never go wrong starting here."
Before us stood a cluster of identical buildings, spaced well apart from one another.
So, this is how they’ve organized the laboratories.
The distance between them was likely a safety measure to prevent the spread of biohazards or accidents.
We often handled dangerous materials—monsters, pathogens, and the like.
Especially within the confined space of a fortress, if such an accident were to occur without proper countermeasures, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Lost in these thoughts, we continued driving through the research complex until we came to a stop.
"This is the Southern New Continent Geographical Research Institute, where Aslin and the others will be spending most of their time."
As Agil mentioned this, I looked at the sign on the building; it was indeed marked as such.
"I might have made it sound overly grand, but until the schedule here is set, we don't know where to send survey teams. Without that, we can't gather materials or information, which means the other departments can't function either. So, I wasn't exaggerating."
"I see."
It was true; once the surveys of the New Continent had stalled, Firia’s research had ground to a halt as well.
Thinking about it, this place was undeniably critical.
"Well, the survey teams are constantly deployed, and they are continuing observations at designated points, so it’s not as if we have zero information. But at this stage, it’s mostly just observational records. I’m sure you two understand that."
That was the crux of it.
Because of that, there hadn't been enough survey data to pass on to us, leaving us with nothing to do.
"By the way, Agil-neesama, which research building are you usually in?"
Oh, Aslin was right.
Since Agil-neesama worked at this institute, she had to be somewhere.
She was the one we relied on, so we needed to know where to find her.
"Ah, the lab I work in isn't here. It’s up on the plateau, so it’s separate. The environment there is completely different, and we never know what might be lurking in the local flora and fauna."
Ah, considering the risk of biohazards, it was certainly better not to bring things from the plateau down here.
"Shall we head inside?"
With that, Firia and the others stepped into the research building.
It was a fitting journey for Firia and Aslin to get a sense of the fortress's inner workings.
Though we had discussed that the facilities were well-equipped for the expected population despite being a military installation, we hadn't actually shown them the proof until now.