第１９１２堀：まとめて作る場所がある方がいい (Part1)
"Oh, so Narljia, you're building a land battleship?" I said, looking at the shipyard plans my brothers had given me. Filia, who was working with me, turned her sparkling eyes toward me.
"That's right! It's a 'Bic-k-tory'! When you think about operating a ship on land, it's the most sensible option!"
"Then wouldn't the assault landing ship 'Pegasus' type be better? It flies, after all." I wondered why. A flying battleship seemed more convenient.
"We don't have the development time for that. I want to build it in the future, but it's impossible right now."
"I see. Even though we can fly in the sky..." I realized that making large objects float in the sky was more difficult than I had imagined. Come to think of it, we haven't carried much besides weapons and armor, have we?
"We don't have the technology to make large things fly stably yet. So, we're building a land battleship that includes some hovercraft elements to float slightly. Oh, and also naval warships."
"Haha, that's the main purpose, but you and Narljia-nee-chan are only looking at it as a place for developing new weapons, aren't you?" I thought. It was originally a shipyard for maintaining and replenishing warships, but they were treating it as a new weapon development site.
"Of course. If it were for people to use, we could build it in the currently allocated area. But when it comes to large things like ships, we haven't been able to secure the space. Plus, we haven't had permission to use the materials."
"Well, there's a lot of it, isn't there?" Even if you say you'll build ships easily, the materials needed are enormous, and they take up a lot of space. In that sense, my brother hadn't built anything like a shipyard until now.
"And finally, we have our own port."
"That's because Grass Port Town was built."
"That's right. Until now, there were local residents in the ports of Sea Syphon and the ceded Aurelia Port. Undertaking a major renovation there would be difficult in many ways."
"It wouldn't be impossible to build, but many people would come to investigate, wouldn't they?"
"They definitely would. And we can't trust the local people either. Grass Port Town, on the other hand, was built from scratch, so we have a certain degree of control." I understood. To protect that kind of information, it couldn't be built easily. Aurelia Port, and the like, would surely be of great interest to Yuppia and the others. But...
"The warships you're building will eventually be sent out, right? Ah, by 'out,' I mean sold to Yuppia and the others."
"Ah, yes. With our current shipbuilding technology, we can barely sail the near seas. So, we plan to provide iron warships as a standard. Well, the primary goal is to replace the aircraft carriers."
"Replacing aircraft carriers and destroyers, huh? Can you do it?"
"We can surpass them in terms of armor. Earth technology doesn't have magic barriers, so it's weak to physical damage. We can compensate for that, so it's definitely superior. However, we're still far behind in engines and weaponry."
"I see." My brother's operation of aircraft carriers and destroyers was largely due to their maneuverability and combat capabilities rather than their defensive power.
"However, my brother isn't in a hurry about the weaponry. That's something for the future. He's focusing on the armor."
"Is that so? I thought engines and weapons were important too?"
"Fortunately, those two can be replenished with DP if necessary. The armor is the same, but repairs inevitably take time."
"Ah, because of their size?"
"That's right. The engines are also quite large, but using the power of monsters and the like, as well as having work machinery, makes it not much of a problem. However, the armor is different. It's not something that can be done on the spot. We can only do emergency repairs."
"That's true." If damaged, emergency repairs are possible, but full repairs are a bit difficult.
"That's why securing a place for maintenance is important. As long as the ship doesn't sink, we can repair or replace engines and weapons internally, but complete armor repair is impossible."
"Because it's underwater, right? But weren't you experimenting with the cooperation of monsters?"
"We were, but working underwater still brings about anxiety. The checks are insufficient."
"I see." It's not that the monsters' repairs and checks are unreliable, but there's no input from craftsmen. Well, no problems have been reported so far regarding flooding, so I think it's fine.
"Besides, the paint will eventually peel off. We're constantly removing barnacles, so damage to the hull is accumulating."
"Ah, indeed. If you're going to paint it, you have to bring it ashore."
"That's right. We also need to replace parts that wear out, like propellers. In fact, even though the warships are protected by magic, we've been operating them for several years with almost no replacement of such consumable parts. The durability is fine, but from Filia's and Narljia-nee-chan's perspective, it's an unbelievable level of durability. And that's the same on Earth, of course. I understand they're specially made to match the warships, but..." I truly admired something that Filia and Narljia-nee-chan, who could be called the best in manufacturing, declared so definitively.
"Therefore, investigating and maintaining the deterioration of such things will also lead to the development of new battleships by Filia and the others. Of course, it will also extend the lifespan of the currently operating warships."
"I see." So, a shipyard is necessary both for maintenance and for building new warships.
"Speaking of which, are there enough blacksmiths to build the shipyard? Are there any volunteers?" I had forgotten something important. Even if you want to build ships, it's meaningless if there are no people to build them.
"Ah, about that, there's a proposal to do the fishing boat construction at the shipyard as well. They seem to appreciate having an environment where they can operate on-site. Well, I understand the logic."
"Is that so? The people who used to build fishing boats were floating them in the Weed Dungeon's sea, weren't they?"
"That's right. Even so, operating them is surprisingly difficult. Without someone with an item box like Filia's, they can't be transported."
"Indeed, ships are large and heavy." Unless you have the skill for an extraordinary item box, you can't easily transport a ship. My brother has created routes for physically moving and transporting ships, but they've never been used once.