ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

Part 3: Rotom Subcontinent | The Legendary Fleet

April 30, 2027

There is a huge ship that goes to the northern sea. The name of that ship is Kojima, the third of the Shimabara-class amphibious assault ships, which takes its name from the Kojima Peninsula in Okayama Prefecture. The ship is aiming for the Rotom Subcontinent in the northern part of the Central Ocean. It was scheduled to head for Sactoa, the capital of the Lebameno Federation, one of the three countries located in the southern part of this landmass.

Kojima Bridge

On the way to Sactoa, two SDF officers are conversing on the bridge of the Kojima. The chief navigator, Commander Ryuichi Ikeda, was talking to Captain Daiki Ukita about a legend.

"...ghost fleet?" Captain Ukita asked.

"Yes. It is said that the reason for the disappearance of a large number of debris from the Altian fleet during the Battle of Iloa Sea is whispered among the crew stationed in Seiren."

This was stated by Ikeda. He speaks of a legend in this world that says, "By the power of the souls of ships and sailors sunk in the sea, a fleet of ghost ships that have risen from the wreckage of the ships appear in the present world." These ships, which are sometimes discovered by sailors of this world, are called the "ghost fleet," and are said to be led by a witch who is known as the "Farthest Witch."

"Aren't they just a legend?" Ukita snickered at Ikeda's occult talk.

"You can't be so sure. The legendary Leviathan was real, you know..." Ikeda smiled wryly.

The bridge crew, overhearing their conversation, continued to observe the surrounding sea area.

Their objective this time was not diplomatic negotiations. Diplomatic relations have already been established between Japan and the Lebameno Federation as of five months after the Altian War. The purpose of their visit to this country was for "joint development of resources in the Arctic region." The southern part of the Rotom Subcontinent, north of the territory controlled by the three countries, is a barren and uncultivated area covered with perpetual snow, where crops do not grow, and none of the three countries has indicated possession of this area. However, this extremely cold region is not only inhospitable, but has long been known to contain rich deposits of precious metals. However, with the technological capabilities of this world, it was likely that people would die of cold and starvation before they could even begin to search for deposits, and the three countries on the Rotom Subcontinent had sent large-scale development expeditions to the region, each time with great loss of life.

Then a rumor came in that a powerful country, Japan, was making vigorous efforts to develop resources overseas. The Lebameno Federation's government, which was aware of Japan's resource exploration and development technology, sent a delegation to the Governor-General of Altia, and at the subsequent negotiations to establish diplomatic relations with Japan, proposed joint resource development in the Arctic Region. The Japanese government, which was having difficulty acquiring gold and silver mines, agreed.

An hour after the talk about ghosts, the destination finally came into view.

"Land in front of us at 12 o'clock!"

A report comes in from one of the navigators who was looking through binoculars. Hearing this, the bridge instantly erupted in noises.

"We've finally arrived!"

The long-awaited news made Ikeda sound relieved. However...

"Dense fog! Poor forward visibility!"

"!?"

As the navigator reported, the view of the Rotom Subcontinent that had been visible until a few minutes ago suddenly became cloudy. As if in a blink of an eye, a dense fog surrounded Kojima. The bridge was in turmoil as it suddenly became impossible to see a single inch ahead.