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This is this month's chapter.

We're finally meeting people. It seems like quite a long time to do this once a month... but I'll try to keep this up for uninterrupted posting.

- Kazuhiro Kasami

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Two full days had already passed since Asahi's crew began its voyage.

"Amagi, Katsuragi, any radar contacts?"

"This is air search radar, no response yet."

"This is surface search radar, also no response."

For the past two days, they had been sailing at a slightly increased speed of 12 knots, but anyway, nothing had happened. Except for running into wyverns on the first day, there was really nothing.

"Hnggg... could it be that the prophecy is off...?"

Fusou, standing next to Asahi, looked concerned.

"I was indeed told to head to the northwest... Did I do something wrong...?"

"Well, it's more likely that we just haven't gotten there yet, since we have enough fuel and food to last us a while longer."

In fact, taking all the vessels together, they should last at least three more days. However, food and water for the thousands of personnel aboard the Akitsu Maru and Kumano Maru (in this case, not all of them combat personnel, but also engineers and scientists who died during the war), plus more than 10.000 people aboard the special transport ships, was tight.

"Somehow, we've got to make contact with a moderately capable civilization soon... Oh, boy. Taihou? Is the Saiun back?"

"Yes, sir. It had just returned to the communication range, so if there is anything, there will be a report."

"I see. Then we will wait for the Saiun's report."

During the past two days, they have launched the Saiun many times, but there's still no contact... Perhaps they were headed in the wrong direction, because they couldn't even see land. If it had not been for the encounter with a flock of wyverns on the first day, this silence would have made Asahi wants to cry.

"Good grief... they say that good news must wait for sleep, but there's a limit to that..."

Then the radio began picking up noise.

"Oh, finally."

"The onboard radio also seems to have a higher capacity... but it's better to use telegrams?"

The aircraft of the Okura Fleet are equipped with both radio and Morse code transmitters, so they can use whichever they prefer.

"This is Recon Plane 1! A fleet of ships has been discovered 120 kilometers west of the area where the fleet is sailing, but there are three small ships clustered around one large ship! It appears that the large ship is being attacked by the small ships!"

Asahi responded with an impressed, "What a quintessential Imperial soldier" as the person across the line gave a detailed report on the condition.

"This is the Fleet Commander. What are the ships look like?"

"The small ships are very similar to a larger version of those Western galleys! I cannot see any cannons! The larger ship is black and has steel plates on it, very similar to the Japanese atakebune!"

When he heard the report, a certain entity came to mind.

"A ship like the iron-plated ships (tekkōsen) that Nobunaga Oda had Yoshitaka Kuki build to counter the Murakami navy... does that mean it has cannons and is armed with muskets?"

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