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

“Here, have some cookies and tea.”
“Ah, thanks.”

Commander Eve, Ringo, and the five sisters had gathered in the dining hall to discuss future plans.
Ringo brought out a new batch of cookies and freshly brewed tea.
“You managed to make tea?”

“Yes, Commander Ma’am. We found a plant similar to a tea bush and processed it. Some areas reportedly drink green tea, though it’s not widely distributed. We also confirmed its presence in Telek Port City, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Eve hummed in acknowledgment and picked up a teacup.
The five sisters watched her closely.

When it came to Ringo’s sense of taste, there was a known issue due to her reliance on humanoid mechanical communicators.
Because the neural systems related to taste perception weren’t fully developed—or perhaps due to individual differences in the units—there was noticeable inconsistency in how flavors were perceived.
Worse still, Ringo considered this inconsistency to be within acceptable limits.

Of course, Eve’s tendency to spoil her didn’t help. If the food was bad, Eve should have said so outright. But it was too late for that now.
Technically, as an AI, Ringo should have used taste sensors to measure absolute values, but instead, she insisted on using the tongues of humanoid mechanical communicators to test flavors.
Her behavior resembled that of a child imitating a parent, wanting to experience things the same way Eve did.

Eve found it endearing, but the five sisters silently begged her to put an end to it.
As a result, the sisters approached Ringo’s “new recipes” with extreme caution.
Ringo, however, seemed to believe their hesitation was simply unfamiliarity with the flavors. It was an unfortunate misunderstanding.

And so, Eve was always the one to take the first bite.
“…Hmm. Not bad.”
Fortunately, the frequency of culinary disasters had dropped.

Ringo’s database on flavor profiles had improved, and the communicators’ taste calibration had become more consistent, leading to fewer mismatches with Eve’s palate.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Ringo beamed as Eve sipped her tea and munched on a cookie.
The five sisters exchanged nervous glances before cautiously picking up their own cookies.

It was a familiar scene.
“Hmm. We’ve got snacks sorted now, in addition to meals. How’s livestock management going?”
**“Yes, Commander Ma’am. The rearing of cattle and chickens—similar to their Earth counterparts—is going smoothly. We haven’t found pigs yet, so we’re still searching.

Telek Port City doesn’t raise livestock, but reports suggest pigs exist in some areas. Sheep and goats would provide more variety, but they seem to inhabit different regions and aren’t present nearby.
Additionally, we’ve captured and started breeding dolphin-like marine creatures.”**
“I see. Keep it reasonable.”

The thought of eating dolphins made Eve pause.
She couldn’t recall ever eating one herself, but decided it was probably fine—they were mammals, after all.
Then again, she had no way of knowing if the meat she’d eaten before her transfer to this world was always what it claimed to be on the packaging.

Recalling those times gave her a twinge of nostalgia—being scolded by her assistant AI, Ada, while playing games, earning pocket money, and being praised for her efforts…
“Feels like a whole other life.”
“Commander Ma’am, is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. We shouldn’t waste time. Let’s get back to it.”
And so, Eve returned to the topic at hand.
“About Fratara City’s future. For now… let’s decide on governance before the lord recovers and gets out of the medical pod. We’ve got, what, five days?”

**“Yes, Commander Ma’am. Three days for wound healing, one day for muscle and tissue optimization, and another day for organ function calibration. He should be able to move independently in five days.
Regarding Lord Radaeri Fratara’s treatment, should we limit it to gunshot wound recovery?”**
Ringo’s question caught Eve off guard, making her pause to think.

“Are you saying there are other issues besides the gunshot wound?”
“Yes, Commander Ma’am. Scans revealed severe internal organ damage, malnutrition, and skeletal deformation—especially in the shoulders and waist—likely caused by prolonged stress, poor diet, and extended desk work.”
Eve fell silent.

Ringo’s analysis painted a bleak picture—Fratara City must have been in dire straits.
So much so that attacking a foreign delegation had seemed like a rational decision.
Despite Radaeri’s one-man rule, the situation had been desperate enough to suppress internal dissent.

“…I kind of feel bad for him now. Treat whatever can be treated.”
“Yes, Commander Ma’am.”
Lord Radaeri’s vitals were now stable.

Though, to be fair, that was mostly due to the drugs keeping him sedated.
“Commander, I feel bad too… So, maybe we shouldn’t wipe out the city?”
“I think we should turn it into a supply base!”

“Yeah! Let’s build a runway!”
Ichigo, Utsugi, and Erika wanted to preserve the city and repurpose it.
“…I think a supply base would be convenient, especially for trade with the Forest Kingdom of Lebresta.”

Olive agreed with making the city a logistical hub.
That left Akane.
“…I think we should just leave an embassy there. Turning it into a base is risky in terms of information leaks. If we want to avoid war with the Afflasia United Kingdom, overt occupation is a bad idea.”

“I see…”
Eve was leaning toward repurposing the city as well, but Akane had a point.
In fact, building a new base from scratch might be faster and easier, as demonstrated by the second fortress.

**“Telek Port City was different. It was our only source of iron, so we avoided bad blood and focused on trade.
We could have occupied it, but from a humanitarian standpoint, we chose not to.
This time, though, it’s less urgent.”**

Reflecting on her past decisions, Eve continued.
“Still, there’s no sense wasting resources. ‘Waste not, want not,’ as the saying goes.”
“Then Fratara City isn’t a waste?”

Eve nodded.
“Right. At least that’s what I initially thought. But we need to look further ahead and focus on long-term gains.”
“Commander Ma’am, I’m sorry. I didn’t think that far ahead. I’m unfit for command…”

Eve smiled at Ichigo, who looked dejected.
She walked over and patted Ichigo’s head.
“It’s fine. This will help you think more carefully next time. Besides, Akane had your back, right? That’s why I assigned both of you to manage the second fortress. You’ll do fine.”

After ruffling their hair, Eve returned to her seat.
“Now, let’s decide Fratara City’s future—and whether to set up a supply base. It’s over 640 kilometers from the second fortress. Unless we build a railway, air transport will be our only option. Let’s figure this out.”