The Hungry Fortress Wants to Build a Battleship in Another World – World of Sandbox

Have they, in fact, obtained information on Telek Port City—and by extension on fuelstone Tone-Mag?
The present headache for the Kingdom of Lepuitari Navy’s External Affairs bureau was that they could not probe that out.

“Why don’t we just go so far as to present our steam engine and gauge their reaction?”
“But the steam engine is among our nation’s top secrets. It would be one thing for a country with which we have established relations; it’s not something we ought to disclose to a foreign power mid-negotiation…”
“Even so, unless they inspect the thing itself, we can’t broach the subject. We cannot allow them to take advantage of us.”

They undoubtedly maintain relations with the Forest Kingdom of Levresta.
Whether that is by land or by sea is unknown, but by common sense it would be by sea.
If by land, they would have to march north across that vast desert—or else tramp the wastes via Telek Port City.
And overland takes time; tea leaves are one thing, but transporting baked confections is not realistic.
By sea, using those low-temperature rooms they call refrigerated compartments, long-term preservation would be possible.

If so, it is also possible they have not noticed the existence of Telek Port City. If they do not call there, it is reasonable that they would not know of fuelstone.
“Levresta tea leaves—and baked confections… Wasn’t there a royal-warrant something-or-other trading house for those?”
“……”
And then—
the problem that piled higher still was the trade items they had presented.

At present there is but a single trading house conducting exchange with Levresta.
Moreover, because the United Kingdom of Aphrasia has become off-limits due to civil war, the midway supply points—Telek Port City and other harbors—should be unusable, so the route ought to be cut.
Even so, in the past they monopolized distribution with Levresta.
If a pop-up mysterious fleet were to seize that ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) from them, they would not take it calmly.

Therefore, their next move could not be predicted.
Not to mention there had been a plan to sortie a fleet to Telek Port City.
With the ladder kicked away and the sales route seized—
“We will have no choice but to extend some form of guarantee.”

“Utterly troublesome…”
One could remove those items from the trade list, yes—but trade with Levresta has long been cut off, and if those goods could be obtained again, they wished to handle them if at all possible.

Levresta products are premium teas, extremely useful as offerings to the royal house as well.
“If we grant exclusive sales rights, they will grow all the more gluttonous for profit.”

“Up to now the operating costs of the trading vessels have served as the pretext…”
Depending on negotiations with Paraiso, the prices would at least be lower than what the Kingdom of Lepuitari pays to run its own merchantmen—otherwise Paraiso’s goods would not sell.
And the obvious clauses of that sort were already under discussion. In fact, the values they presented appeared reasonable.

“It is, in principle, absurd that we must account for domestic circumstances.”
“It cannot be helped. The Legendary Senate of Tradition goes without saying, and the incompetents across our domestic bureaus are no better. If we do not handle it, our country will be plunged into calamity.”
They had discreetly inquired of Paraiso regarding possible cargo volumes, and were told they could ready a merchantman larger than the flagship Panas.
Panas’s overall length is roughly 100 far. While the Kingdom of Lepuitari’s new-model battleship has only just exceeded 70 far, they appear to operate battleships—and merchantmen—far larger than that.

“They are friendly. They are conducting negotiations with a remarkably gentle hand toward us, whose civilization is clearly inferior…”
“From the outside—especially to the Legendary Senate of Tradition—that is not how it will look.”
“They will try to make the Navy take the fall.”

“And then the riffraff under their patronage will be wedged in as negotiating officers.”
“…Our fair capital could well sink into a sea of fire.”
“Perhaps we should show Paraiso’s threat directly…”
And thus a request for a live-fire exercise was made to Paraiso.

 
****
First round.

The shell fired by Hedgehog-class No. 3 flew at triple the speed they had assumed and struck the base of the rearmost mast of the target vessel—a fast clipper—shearing it off.
The shell then punched through, raising a great plume far out at sea.
According to Paraiso, it was an armor-piercing round—not a warhead using explosion magic, but a lump of metal hurled forth.

“...It was not… a fluke, was it.”
“No, sir. After that they conducted three consecutive salvos and scored direct hits on the remaining three masts. …Hit rate: 100%. I saw it with my own eyes, and still cannot believe it…”
Without any spotting fire, they placed rounds precisely where aimed.

And they did it with a ship’s main gun.

Paraiso appears to be developed primarily on mechanical technology, but perhaps some form of magic technology is also combined.
There is a magic known as One-Shot Certain Hit. It is a spell favored by the Forest Kingdom of Levresta—so much so that Levresta’s archers are said to make mastery of it their final goal.

Its effect is simple: it guarantees an arrow will hit a sighted target.
If they had said the shells applied that magic, one could have felt reassured.
“Next, against small floating targets prepared by Paraiso, they attacked with a weapon called close-in defense. Likely a type of large machine gun. Details unknown, but it appears capable of firing several dozen shells per minute. The instant the targets were pulverized, a multitude of water plumes rose around them.”

They possessed effective means not only against large warships, but also against small, fast craft.
Moreover, even the main guns had a rate of fire that took one’s breath away. Two forward, one aft—and there were eight such destroyers in total.
“With our forces, do you think there is any prospect of victory?”

“Sir. Frankly, I would say impossible. We would be annihilated within an hour.”
Major Palliard Aminas of the Navy’s Bureau of Engineering answered succinctly.
“Were this not here and now, such craven words would warrant immediate censure, Major. But if none other than you say so, then so it must be…”

“Yes. Deeply regrettable. …Next, the controlled-fire drill by three Hedgehog-class ships. Continuous fire from nine main guns. They achieved simultaneous impact on multiple sea targets being towed by another Hedgehog-class. The ammunition used was high-explosive. To be honest, my legs trembled.”
“So they do possess explosive warheads as well…”
If there had been even a single point of advantage to be found against Paraiso, they had held faint hope—
but it seems that hope was futile.

“Lastly, a direct attack on the fast clipper using the flagship Panas’s main gun. The round used was said to be armor-piercing; by Paraiso’s explanation, muzzle velocity is roughly ten times our guns. Impact followed immediately upon firing; the clipper was severed at midships. The shell penetrated and splashed down far astern. Our battleships’ armor would unquestionably be pierced.”
Even hearing it as a report made one want to throw everything aside at the sheer unfairness.
And such an outrageous foe was presently anchored in the capital’s harbor, keeping them in its sights.
Naturally, the royal palace overlooking the port lay within its range as well.

“Let us hope the dignitaries we invited are properly recognizing the threat…”
They had gone so far as to prepare an observation ship for this live-fire exercise, in order to share Paraiso’s threat beyond the Navy.
Lately, word of these negotiations with them seemed to be leaking.
They wanted to drive in a stake before any foolish interference arrived.

And the result—that the Navy itself was the most crushed—was a joke not worth laughing at.
In any case, they would need to maintain friendly relations with Paraiso going forward.
They did not want some foolish domestic faction laying a meddling hand upon them.
“We may need to form a team to keep the country in hand. We must ensure no one so much as shows intent to oppose Paraiso. The moment anyone runs wild, shells could rain on the palace.”

The Navy, once having acted thus itself, was proceeding with caution born of experience.
But there were, in truth, those who did not understand and continued to cling to past glory.
“Next, we will invite them to our own harbor. I hope we can sit and speak calmly then…”