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

Now, the scene shifts to Telek Port City.
Telek Port City sits at the root of two jutting peninsulas.
One peninsula curves like a lid, forming a sheltered bay.

Within that bay, calm and protected from the ocean’s rough waves, a large construction vessel dispatched from The Tree was currently anchored.
 
“To think a city could rise this fast…”

On the eastern side of Telek Port City, across a vast barren land nearly devoid of vegetation, Paraiso was rapidly expanding its hold.
The ground was being leveled, made flat, and reinforced into durable land. Buildings rose one after another within a grid of divided blocks.
And all of the work was being carried out by machines.

Heavy multi-legged equipment with high traversing ability undertook the wilderness development. For leveling, super-massive soil improvement rigs crawled along on endless tracks, injecting stabilizing agents dozens of meters underground to strengthen the base layer.
Dozens of such monsters roamed night and day, ever expanding the area fit for construction.
But after more than a month, even this sight had become ordinary. Telek’s townsfolk had lives of their own; where once crowds gathered to gawk, now things had settled.
A major factor was the opening of Paraiso’s own general store within the city.

Thanks to Paraiso’s trade, the city had survived at all, yet in truth it had been impoverished, short even of daily necessities.
The arrival of a general store left a massive impact.
Economies don’t move unless money circulates. In Telek Port City, where contact with other towns had nearly ceased, trade had stagnated to the point where most transactions were barter.

Food, to a degree, came from farmland opened by the former refugees. If short, Paraiso supplied aid.
Housing was scarce, so the construction trade had some vitality.
Even then, the refugees who needed homes couldn’t pay. Wealthier merchant houses bought up farm goods or labor, then supplied housing in return. Little money changed hands. Nearly everyone lived and worked in a mutual-aid community mindset.

In reality, Paraiso had supported much of this too. It was fair to call their daily lives an outright piggyback ride.
“Your role was no small one. We are outsiders, after all. Frankly, if you had chosen differently, this sight might look nothing like it does now.”
“Well… true enough. Ha! I’ll admit it was a bold decision. But in that situation, any sane man would have come to the same conclusion.”

Guildmaster Kuravia Telek stood beside Zwei, atop the under-construction lighthouse.

This lighthouse was being built by the hands of Telek’s people, under Paraiso’s technical guidance.
Of course, if the massive construction machines outside town took charge, it would be finished in ten days.

But Paraiso had not permitted that.
They had judged: This great work must be accomplished by our own hands.
It was, at once, a public-works project.

Naturally, they weren’t carrying stones on their backs.
Paraiso supplied neither tools nor materials, but conveyed technology.
Right now, stone for construction was being hoisted not by bare hands, but by cranes moved manually, designed to lift loads both heavy and safe in bulk.
Elsewhere, smiths had been gathered to begin fabricating rudimentary steam engines.

They were taught how to draft diagrams, build drill presses and lathes, harden by quenching, and understand the concept of alloys.
Technologies that should have taken decades, centuries to arise were being handed over by Paraiso.
“The road expansion to Iron Town is complete. We’re driving the mines there full force as well. It’s bad for the miners, but from here on we’ll be doing the extracting.”

“No bad thing. I hear conditions improved somewhat after you arrived, but before that, it was a hellhole that killed many. There were plenty of mining slaves too. After the kingdom fell apart, they were half loosed anyway.”
Iron Town too was in the middle of sweeping change. It was to become a relay city and supply hub between Telek Port City and Fortress No. 2 Black Iron.
And here too, support came not as simple handouts, but through some form of work.

“To work decently and earn decently. A meal bought with your own coin tastes better. That’s what you’re giving us. If you mean to take this kingdom, everyone will gladly stand with you.”
That was the consensus of Telek Port City and Iron Town.
The talk that Paraiso was preparing to invade the United Kingdom of Aphrasia had spread through the city in rumor.

Some felt [N O V E L I G H T] uneasy. But in the end, Paraiso were the ones who had kept them alive. And given that their outward form was young girls, no real movement to expel them had taken shape.
In truth, anyone disruptive had been culled already, in the crucible of survival.
In Iron Town, no one survived without full cooperation.

In Telek, Kuravia Telek’s vigilantes had already purged the seeds of trouble early.
“Basically, our intent is for you to be self-sufficient. In time, we will build an economic bloc centered on Telek Port City and carry out a commercial invasion. Of course, it is we who will strike down military opposition.”
“…Well, you’ll have to explain that term another time. I can’t quite picture it.”

Paraiso would invade the United Kingdom of Aphrasia.
They would strip resistance of fighting power but had no interest in ruling. What they wanted were resources; they would sweep away obstacles.
Commander Eve’s intent was, as far as possible, to avoid inhumane measures.

Even so, governance was an investment with poor returns.
Eve understood: as long as public order didn’t collapse, letting things drift was fine. That was her order.
And so, after deliberation, Ringo resolved to maintain order by expanding trade spheres while not interfering more than necessary.

Problems would surely arise, but they would solve them case by case. If need be, a Brain Unit could even be assigned in rotation as part of education.
This wasn’t a grand design, truthfully.
They didn’t want to mistreat anyone, but neither did they mean to help actively.

Hands off—live as you will.
Though in practice, if trouble came, they would probably step in.
“Now then. A different matter…”

Zwei said, turning to Kuravia Telek.
Sensing the shift in tone, Kuravia straightened.
“Within a month or so, new personnel will be dispatched as resident staff to Telek Port City.”
“Oh…?”

The girls of Paraiso came and went in Telek. A new member joining was nothing unusual.
But never before had Kuravia been formally informed.
They simply appeared one day—and disappeared another.

And the information was reliably shared among them, so Kuravia had never felt doubt or dissatisfaction.
“For you to tell me in advance, does this one hold some special position?”
“Affirmative. She is… a little too free. She may cause you some trouble. We will keep the reins on her as best we can, but I ask your forbearance.”

It was a strangely hesitant notice.
One-sided, yet deferential. Even Zwei=Ringo wore a faintly apologetic expression and tone.
“…Ah. I see. Well, I understand. Forgive me, but—there’s no malice? No tyranny?”

“In that sense, I answer that she basically has goodwill. However, she is highly curious, and prioritizes her own interests. Her behavior may diverge widely from our personnel to date.”
“…Hmm. Best assign a guide?”
“Affirmative. We will provide the salary, so if you could assign one person. Ideally, someone with broad knowledge who can answer many questions.”

In the end, Ringo was as indulgent as ever.