<strong>Chapter 35: Full Barrage of Naval Gunfire</strong>


    Cargo was steadily piling up at the pier. Strong men hauled carts filled with goods, quickly transporting them to warehouses.


    "Kombu goes to Warehouse 12! Sardines to Warehouse 15! Water to Warehouse 2!"


    "Move it, move it! The next shipment’s waiting! Finish by the end of the day, and there’s a bonus! Come on, hurry it up!"


    The second transport ship had docked at Telek Harbor Town just a week after the first departed. Its speed left Merchant Leader Kvia Telek stunned. When told the ship had left under the assumption an agreement would be reached, he could hardly argue. The sheer quantity of food, water, and farming tools unloaded caused his face to tighten in astonishment.


    "You people… you’re unbelievable."


    "Your cooperation is appreciated."


    The leader of the <em>Paraiso 2</em> fleet, whose appearance was nearly indistinguishable from Zwei, introduced himself as Zehn. While <em>Ringo</em> controlled both, Zehn’s mannerisms had been adjusted to exhibit more expressive emotions and a conversational tone, making him appear more human. In contrast, Zwei’s personality was set to be serious and rigid—a deliberate character differentiation crafted by <em>Ringo</em>.


    "You’ve already discussed the basics with Fleet Leader Zwei, yes?"


    "Yes… but do you know the details of what was agreed upon?"


    "I’ve made assumptions. We exchanged signals with <em>Paraiso 1</em> via gmunication. If anything deviates from expectations, inform me immediately."


    "Understood… I’ll let you know."


    Unbeknownst to Telek, <em>Ringo</em> already had reconnaissance bots gathering intelligence on the guild’s discussions and approvals. However, to maintain appearances, Zehn acted as though ignorant of Telek Harbor’s internal deliberations.


    "Have you made contact with the refugees?"


    "Yes, immediately after ourst discussion. Thankfully, we managed to meet with their representative."


    It was a stroke of luck for <em>The Tree</em> that the refugees were still organized. A dy of a few more weeks might have led to chaos, but they had made it just in time. With provisions supplied by Telek Harbor, a simple agreement was reached for the refugees to enlist in military service or farming.


    "We couldn’t provide for everyone, but we did give them a fair amount of food—kombu and water—as a goodwill gesture. I think we’ve earned their gratitude."


    "Good. In that case, let’s earn even more goodwill."


    "…Huh? Are you talking about the farming tools?"


    <em>Ringo</em> had deployed sr-powered Swift reconnaissance drones to monitor the area continuously. These drones had detected bandits approaching the refugee camp.


    "Allow me to disclose something. We possess the <em>irvoyance System</em>."


    "…? ir… voyance?"


    "Warning!"


    Zehn suddenly shouted. At the same time, the destroyer <em>Charlie</em> red an rm across the harbor. The piercing sound, brief but sharp, created an immediate sense of urgency among everyone present.


    "H-Hey! What’s going on all of a sudden?!"


    "Attention. Naval artillery fire willmence shortly. Attention. Naval artillery fire willmence shortly."@@novelbin@@


    "Naval artillery fire?! Zehn, what the hell is this?!"


    "Merchant Leader Kvia Telek, bandits are approaching the refugee camp. We will now eliminate them."


    "What?! W-Wait a second!"


    <strong>Boom!</strong>


    <em>Charlie’s</em> main turret fired,unching a shell toward the group nearing the camp. The shell arced through the sky, taking approximately 15 seconds to reach its target.


    "They… fired? Where? At what?!"


    "Target confirmed near impact point."


    As the rm continued to echo, Kvia Telek, panicked, rushed to confront Zehn. Meanwhile, the port descended into chaos as workers and bystanders reacted to the sudden artillery fire.


    "Full barrage. Fire."


    <em>Ringo</em> observed the initial impact through Swift drones and ordered <em>Charlie’s</em> three main guns tomence a rapid volley. The 150mm smoothbore cannons, capable of firing 45 rounds per minute, began unleashing a relentless stream of shells.


    "…!"


    Kvia Telek’s eyes widened in shock at the astonishing rate of fire. It was far beyond what he had imagined. Unlike conventional cannons, which required manual loading of powder and shells, these advanced weapons used an automated system, capable of continuous fire until ammunition was depleted or the barrel overheated. The destructive power of these guns surpassed that of even a hundred traditional cannons.


    "Target neutralized."


    In less than a minute, the three guns had each fired approximately 40 rounds. <em>Ringo</em> ceased fire after confirming through Swift reconnaissance that the majority of the bandits had been annihted.


    "Our destroyer <em>Charlie</em> has neutralized the bandits threatening the refugees. Surveince has confirmed their prior involvement in repeated looting. This was no ident—they were clearly a bandit group."


    "Ah… ah, yes… they were bandits," Telek stammered, struggling to process the scene.


    "Send a representative to the refugees immediately. They likely have no idea what just happened."


    "…!" Telek quickly snapped back to reality, issuing instructions to his subordinates. His swift response highlighted hispetence. The unloading operations resumed amidst the harbor’s uneasy atmosphere as everyone gradually returned to their work.


    <strong>◇◇◇</strong>


    Following the incident, <em>Ringo</em> disclosed to Telek Harbor Town that <em>The Tree</em> employed sr-powered Swift drones for wide-area surveince, framing the capability as an extension of "ssified magical technology." Any future threats would be intercepted at <em>The Tree’s</em> discretion. For now, bandit groups were the primary target. Other incursions would also be detected early, allowing for identification and precise engagement.


    Telek Harbor’s military forces were also reviewed. Perhaps realizing there was no point in hiding the truth, the numbers dered matched the data <em>Ringo</em> had already gathered. This transparency earned them a degree of trust.


    One intriguing aspect was the presence of "magic warriors" among the town’s forces—soldiers who could use magic inbat. Magic, as demonstrated, involved chanting incantations to unleash destructive phenomena. For instance, the "fireball" spell summoned an orb of fire that autonomously flew to its target, detonating on impact to scatter mes. While fascinating, further research would have to wait due to limited personnel and facilities.


    The decision was also made to supply Telek Harbor with high-quality arrowponents rather than firearms. Separating arrowheads, shafts, and fletching allowed refugees to assemble them as part of theirbor in exchange for food. While preassembled arrows could have been provided, encouraging local involvement reduced dependency and maintained economic bnce.


    Next, advanced bows orpound bows equipped with aiming systems were considered as potential trial weapons. However, crossbows were deemed too risky for potential technology leaks and were withheld for now to maintain a controlled pace of innovation.


    Thus, step by step, <em>Ringo</em> continued solidifying <em>The Tree’s</em> influence over Telek Harbor Town.