第１９１１堀：造船所の場所はどこにする (Part1)
"We need a wall, even if it's adjacent to Port Town Glass, for military secrets," Dressa stated.
"But will a wall stop them? They can just climb over," Hiiro countered, her question perfectly reasonable.
Indeed, walls were hardly a foolproof defense. Many would simply scale them. After all, if Weed announced they were building warships, anyone would be curious enough to investigate. This made building a wall seem pointless.
"Oh, but there's a point to building a wall, Hiiro-sama," Sissia chimed in.
"That's right! By declaring it military property and erecting a physical barrier, we can prevent accidental intrusions," Soana added.
"Ah, I see," Hiiro conceded.
As Sissia and Soana pointed out, the wall itself served as a deterrent and prevented intruders from claiming they stumbled in by accident.
"However, for true counter-espionage, we'll use the dungeon's system, so they won't be able to hide anything," Dressa added. With the dungeon system, it was easy to see who was where.
"That's true. But who will be in charge?" Hiiro asked.
"Should we monitor it uniformly?" Sissia suggested.
"No, it's a military facility, so we should be in charge. However, we'll make it so you can see it too," Dressa replied. While both could see what was happening, clearly delineating jurisdiction was important to prevent feelings of unfairness and discontent. Military facilities should be managed by the military.
"Besides, Dressa-onee, are you really building it right next door? Considering the scale and secrecy, wouldn't it be better to keep some distance?" Hiiro asked, looking at the map of Port Town Glass spread on the table.
Distance was indeed the simplest form of counter-espionage. However...
"I considered that, but it's difficult to be too far away when you factor in commute times, monster habitats and subjugation, and defense forces," Dressa explained.
"What about gates?" Hiiro suggested.
"We'll have them. For commuting. It's not ideal for those working in Port Town Glass to have the same access as military personnel," Dressa said.
"That's natural from a counter-espionage perspective," Sissia agreed.
"It's dangerous if it's too obvious that we're building warships," Soana added.
Indeed, such things needed to be concealed from the start to avoid danger. It could even be used to intentionally leak information and discover who was trying to obtain it. That was Yuki's method, or rather, their way of doing things.
But that was a matter for after it was built.
"Well, considering counter-espionage, as Hiiro said, somewhere far away would be ideal. But we're building warships, and Port Town Glass is the only place with a port. Also, this is partly to investigate those who try to obtain such information," Dressa explained.
"Ah, bait?" Hiiro asked.
"Yes, that's part of it. You know that for information Yuki truly wants to keep hidden, he sets it up somewhere he won't be found?" Dressa said.
"Yeah. Onii-chan is extremely thoughtful about those things," Hiiro replied.
Exactly. Yuki would first ensure that no one even suspected the existence of information he wanted to keep secret, and then he would place it in a physically inaccessible location.
"As for building warships this time, it doesn't seem like he's trying to hide it that much."
"Really?"
"Yes. Replicating those warships from Earth is nearly impossible. If we need replacements, we'll have to build them ourselves, remember?"
"Yeah. It's strange if we can just churn them out like that."
"Right. I think the technology is at an insane level. That's why if we don't try to replicate it, or even surpass it, Weed will lose its power, both physically and politically, if the warships we currently operate are lost. We have to avoid that."
Weed was undeniably a small nation, but it was the linchpin holding together larger powers. If that faltered, the Continental Exchange Alliance could crumble, and war could break out. While not the sole center, the naval power was undoubtedly a key component. Stabilizing it was not only in Weed's best interest but also for the alliance.
"I understand what you're saying. Well, Onii-chan can probably handle that much," Hiiro said.
"I agree," Sissia said.
"Yuki-sama's strength isn't physical power, after all," Soana added.
"I think that's true. Yuki's strength is his mouth," Hiiro said, referring to his ability to talk his way out of anything.
But relying solely on that wasn't enough. They also had to prepare for battles with sea monsters.
"Leviathan. Rotten fish. The Sea Dragon mentioned it," Hiiro said.
"Yes. Such monsters inhabit these seas. There are also unknown threats. To open up sea routes, powerful ships are indispensable, not just for Weed but for other countries as well," Dressa explained.
"As it is now, only Weed can venture into the open ocean," Sissia noted.
"Then there's no point in us pioneering the seas!" Soana exclaimed.
The technology to operate ports was, in a way, the method of traversing the seas. And ships were the key to that.
"We could wait for other countries to develop such ships, but for us researching routes to the new continent, they are necessary. They will also strengthen Weed's power in the future, so there's no choice but to build them," Dressa stated.
"Weed has it tough," Hiiro commented.
"That's how the world works," Dressa replied.
"Many problems arise, don't they? Though I suppose Weed's scale is quite large," Soana said.
Yes, as Soana said, the scale was large. It simply meant that what Weed was doing was far beyond others.
"Well, Hiiro is convinced. But why do you need so much land for the terrestrial facilities?" Hiiro asked.
A silence fell over everyone. The planned site on the map naturally encompassed both sea and land, but the land area secured was disproportionately large, dozens of times larger than the shipyard itself.
"…Actually, Hiiro, you know why, don't you?" Dressa asked.
Hiiro remained silent for a moment, but she understood. After all, she had been told about what Narjia was creating. It wouldn't end with just ships.
"Well, whether it's true or not, they say it's for practicing things that can be made with Weed's technology, so it will be a training ground for various things, not just ships," Dressa explained.
"In that case, wouldn't it be better inside the dungeon? The secrecy would be higher," Hiiro suggested.
"We discussed that, didn't we? Operations will be external. Not in a stable place within the dungeon. Besides, we can collect data indoors, within the dungeon, anytime. And this is also intended to make it known to the outside world," Dressa replied.