NABC Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 31
Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 31
Chapter 31: Telek Harbor’s Impasse
The trade fleet, Paraiso 1, was greeted with cheers as it docked at Telek Harbor.
“Oh my, they even built new piers for us. Quite the warm welcome,” the Commander remarked.
“Yes, Commander Ma’am. Given the deteriorating regional conditions, Telek Harbor has become entirely reliant on Paraiso for survival.”
“Already? After only three trips?” she said, astonished. Though it had been over six months since their initial visit, the rapid escalation in dependence was surprising.
“The surrounding situation has worsened dramatically. Without Paraiso’s trade goods and what little political leverage the town has, it might already have become a ruin.”
“Huh...,” she muttered, uneasy.
The Commander was taken aback. While Telek Harbor itself seemed peaceful, even tranquil, the surrounding areas were descending into chaos.
A Descent Into Hell
“A refugee camp has sprung up north of Telek Harbor, repeatedly raided by bandits. To summarize, it’s hell on earth. The town, unable to spare resources, turns a blind eye, though they occasionally sell food to the refugees. Of course, the refugees have no way to pay.”
“What a nightmare...”
The situation wasn’t entirely hopeless, though. The trade routes delivering cellulose textiles and other goods provided a small reprieve. Trade with the royal capital was still ongoing, which kept the town marginally afloat.
“We’re carrying salt and water, right? Should we start including food as well?” she asked.
“Let’s verify the demand. That said, we lack grains. We could provide processed fish or dried seaweed, but whether there’s demand remains uncertain.”
The region around Telek Harbor lacked farmland. It relied on imports from the royal capital to meet its grain needs. While fishing provided protein, grains were essential for survival. Ringo’s analysis suggested that the area’s mild climate might support potato cultivation.
“According to our projections, they’ll hold out for now, but their long-term prospects look grim.”
“... It might be time to decide whether to intervene seriously.”
Strategic Dilemmas
“Securing Telek Harbor and the mining town would yield a significant amount of iron, though the mine’s reserves are uncertain. Developing it would take time, during which we’d be vulnerable to large-scale attacks.”
“The peninsula nation is fragmented by internal strife, but a common external threat could unite them. If that happens, we might face an army of hundreds of thousands,” Ringo warned.
The sheer volume of such a force would overwhelm The Tree Fortress’s current capabilities. Taking the mine and fortifying Telek Harbor could enable iron refining and increased military production, but failure would be catastrophic.
“It’s not impossible... but the risk is enormous. Diverting resources to the harbor’s defense would leave us exposed. If we fail, we lose everything.”
“That’s correct, Commander Ma’am. Using our current reserves for this operation leaves no room for error. Holding back resources would increase the odds of failure.”
“Ugh, this is so frustrating...”
The Commander’s Dilemma
The resources The Tree Fortress could produce independently—cellulose, seawater-extracted metals, and algae-derived synthetic oil—were insufficient for rapid warship production. Even building a single destroyer would take years at current levels.
On the display, the flagship Paraiso and the Alpha-class destroyer Alpha had docked. Telek Harbor’s guild leader, Kulavia Telek, rushed to greet them enthusiastically. The humanoid machine communicator Zwei observed from the ship’s bow, unfazed.
“They’re thrilled,” the Commander remarked.
And understandably so. In an age dominated by sailing ships, the arrival of powered vessels, particularly warships, was a spectacle. The fleet’s goodwill toward Telek Harbor only amplified their reception. Kulavia’s effusive praise extended even to the simple gangplank as she escorted Zwei and her entourage to the reception hall.
A welcome banquet was planned for that evening, with unloading postponed to the next day. Ten humanoid machine communicators would attend the banquet, while the rest remained aboard the ships.
“It’s hard to just abandon them when they’re relying on us this much,” the Commander admitted.
“I agree, Commander Ma’am,” Ringo replied.
Though the Commander had only interacted with the townsfolk through surveillance over the past six months, seeing their faces daily had created a bond. It was natural to want to help them.
“If it comes to it, we’ll defend the town, even if we have to abandon the mine. If the civil unrest settles, trade might resume,” she mused.
The unfolding events remained unpredictable. Despite numerous scenarios being outlined, Kulavia’s extraordinary goodwill alone defied expectations. The lack of reliable experience samples made accurate predictions impossible.
As a trivial aside, the guild leader’s astonishment over the gangplank—a simple stair-like structure—was later attributed to the absence of such a concept at this technological level. It underscored the difficulties of navigating a world where even the basics of innovation could not be taken for granted.