The Hungry Fortress Wants to Build a Battleship in Another World – World of Sandbox-Chapter 15Vol 3. : Give Me Oil

“We’ve refined the scan range—no signs of artificial activity were detected.”

“There was a fortress-like structure near the forest-desert border. Likely a frontline outpost.”

Ichigo and Akane had returned with their analysis.

“I see. Thank you. That means if we expand operations, we’re not likely to get caught, huh...”

Eve leaned over the map, murmuring as she stared at it.

Airlifting machines wouldn’t be an issue.

As long as they flew below the horizon, they wouldn’t be spotted. Even at an altitude of 1,000 meters, the visual horizon was about 150 kilometers—more than enough distance to stay out of sight, even if the fortress had lookouts.

The real concern was whether there were any ground patrols.

“Still... why would they build a fortress there of all places?”

Technically, the desert was part of the Forest Kingdom of Levresta’s territory.

But the fortress and its walls seemed oriented toward the desert, as if designed to repel threats coming from it.

“There’s no sign of any advanced civilization out there, and we doubt any military force would land on the coast and cross the desert to attack. That suggests the fortress was built to hold back something from the desert.”

“Something?”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Most likely... some kind of monster.”

“Oh. Right. I forgot this world had monsters...”

If Ringo’s guess was accurate, it might mean the Forest Kingdom of Levresta was struggling to manage its southern desert.

And if that was true—The Tree might be in luck.

“If only we could confirm that somehow... If we had even a little intel, it’d help with the decision.”

“We could inquire with the Levresta ambassador stationed in East Gate City. If we frame it as a follow-up to a question about Levresta’s port towns, it wouldn’t raise suspicions.”

“You’re going to mention the port towns? I thought trade was supposed to go through East Gate City?”

“That was our assumption, yes—meant to stimulate economic activity. But we can reprioritize if securing oil takes precedence. And if we keep it casual, it shouldn’t raise any alarms.”

“Hmm. Alright. I’ll leave that part to you. Hopefully, we get something useful.”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am.”

—

Ringo carefully constructed the conversation and managed to extract valuable information from the Levresta ambassador.

The desert was a near-barren wasteland—almost no vegetation, scarce water, and essentially uninhabitable for humans. No valuable resources had been found there, and there was no incentive for anyone to venture into it.

On the contrary, the real issue lay in the local monsters. Based on descriptions, the desert was home to giant scorpion-like creatures that occasionally swarmed into grasslands and forests in search of food.

To defend against these incursions—or at least detect them early—Levresta had built the fortress and walls.

Naturally, they couldn’t surround the entire desert with walls, so instead, soldiers stationed at the fortress acted as bait to lure and eliminate the monsters.

“You really got a lot out of them. Even more than I expected.”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. It seems the desert is generally accepted within Levresta as monster territory. It’s not something they feel the need to hide. Occasionally, some brave types enter the desert in search of monster materials, but even then, they rarely go more than a day’s walk south.”

What exactly were monster materials supposed to be? She had that question too—but taking the conversation that far would’ve gone beyond “casual chatter,” so Ringo had wrapped it up.

They’d check with someone in Telek Port City or Fratara later for more detail.

“If we move in low or approach on the ground, we can probably operate near the oil field without being noticed...”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. It’s entirely possible they don’t even know the oil field exists. It’s over 200 kilometers from the nearest major fortress—unless someone organizes a large-scale caravan, they’re not going to reach it.”

Eve pondered.

In a world with no established international order, what did it mean for a force like The Tree to take another country’s resources?

Levresta technically claimed the desert as part of its territory—but it had no real ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) control over it. If a group occupied the region without opposition, and no enforcement followed, could anyone really say that land was governed?

“So in the end, the real question is whether the Forest Kingdom of Levresta—or any other country, for that matter—would sanction us, or go to war with The Tree.”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. In Earth’s history, international treaties only worked when enforcement was possible—meaning the imposing nation had enough military or economic might to inflict damage on the violator.

For example, if a nation had the power to stand alone against the entire world—could any treaty actually bind it?”

“No. If a country can survive with the whole world against it, no one can force it to do anything.

Because in the worst-case scenario, they could just win the war. And that threat alone is what makes diplomacy viable in the first place.”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Only those with comparable power can sit at the same negotiation table.

...To get back on track: if the odds of Levresta expanding into the desert are sufficiently low, then there’s no real issue with The Tree securing the oil field.”

“Hmm... right. To be blunt, as long as they don’t realize it’s us occupying the oil field, it’s fine. Worst case, we could just pull out after securing a decent amount.”

It might seem unethical—but what exactly was the point of ethics in this situation?

“One step forward makes the second step easier...”

“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. If you’re worried about escalation, we could install an ethics-monitor AI.”

“Mmm. Let’s see how things play out before we go that far.”

There was, of course, a structural problem in that one human—her—was making these decisions.

There should ideally be some kind of check on her power. But in this world, no such counterbalance existed. Which meant The Tree could spiral out of control.

They could develop an AI designed to monitor her behavior and issue rational warnings... but realistically, Ringo was already fulfilling that role.

“Ringo—keep an eye on things. This invasion needs to maximize The Tree’s benefit while minimizing harm to the other side.”

Eve closed her eyes for a moment. Then opened them, resolved.

“We’re going to secure the oil field in Forest Kingdom of Levresta’s territory. Ringo—deploy accordingly.”

“Roger that.

The Tree is shifting to Secondary Combat Readiness.

Fortress No. 2: Primary Combat Readiness initiated.

Ichigo will serve as the fortress commander. Akane is assigned as vice commander.

Operation objective: secure the oil field.

After establishing a beachhead, we’ll immediately construct port facilities.

Utsugi and Erika are assigned to manage those facilities.

Oil field extraction system design, construction, and operation will be entrusted to Olive.”

“Permission granted.”

“Roger that. Beginning Operation: ‘Give Me Oil’.”

“...Wait, is that really the operation name?”

From the runway, aircraft began lifting off one after another.

A line of six-engine cargo planes loaded to capacity followed soon after.

Every aircraft used in this operation was a motorized propeller plane.

They didn’t need the speed of jets, and propeller aircraft were cheaper and easier to mass-produce, making them the optimal choice.

Eight scout planes flew out first, securing the flight route.

They maintained a cruising altitude of around 800 meters, scanning the airspace and sea for anomalies.

Following them were the cargo transports and their escort fighters.

The cargo planes were loaded with multi-legged assault tanks, heavy port-construction mechs, and a massive supply of construction materials.

These aerial units would secure the beachhead—after which, sea transport would bring in more heavy equipment and supplies.

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The construction barges used for Fortress No. 2 had already departed, fully loaded and timed to arrive nearly simultaneously.