New Novel: Tokyo Ghoul: A Hunter in Tokyo
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Chapter 113 – Cities at the Port
Ocean voyages are highly unpredictable; if positioning is inaccurate, the course can easily deviate.
Even in modern ocean travel, many high-tech systems such as radar positioning, acoustic positioning, and GPS positioning are indispensable.
To ensure that the armored warships could accurately reach the shipyard port, both were equipped with small, specialized gunnery devices designed specifically for positioning.
The compass determines the general navigation route. After approaching Paradis Island, Eren uses the power of the Founding Titan to sense the position of the Titans and make minor adjustments along the way.
Fifteen days later, Levi and Mick successfully escorted the prisoners to the island.
During this journey, the marines were not idle. They learned how to operate armored warships. On the return trip, aside from leaving a few veteran Isfar marines as technical instructors, the rest of the operations were carried out by the marines themselves.
The prisoners were housed in a shipyard, and the government sent technical soldiers there to learn from them how to operate armored warships.
They used ice-exploding stones instead of oil as fuel for their steam engines, and it worked very well.
The island is rich in explosive ice stone resources. Thanks to the presence of giants in the mining area, large quantities of explosive ice stone can be extracted in a very short time, so there is no need to worry about fuel.
At the end of September 847, two armored warships returned to Isfar's border port, carrying approximately 100 tons of food and 20 tons of ice bombs.
During the month in which the ships traveled back and forth, Hange and Erwin persuaded the 47 prisoners who remained at the border port to pose as marines of the former Isfar and to recruit refugees and defeated soldiers.
After the arrival of the food, they quickly began providing aid to the displaced people.
By the end of 847, a "rebel army" camp had been established with the port as its core.
Through grain trade, they acquired a large number of steam engines from local warlords.
During the war, Isfar had prepared a large amount of equipment and weaponry for its battle against Marley. Although the country was destroyed by Marley three years ago, a considerable amount of outdated equipment still remains.
These devices, which appear obsolete on a global scale, were stored by local warlords.
Yes, this devastated country is now in a state of unimaginable chaos.
After Marley eliminated Isfar's armed forces and incorporated a large number of Isfar soldiers into its own volunteer army, it took no further action against the small country, only symbolically leaving some occupation troops in the original capital.
There are various reasons for this. For example, Isfar's territory is far from Marley's capital, and it is a very small country, located between several large nations, with limited resources.
As a result, Isfar became a land dominated by military warlords.
There were insurgents who wanted to expel the occupation forces and dictators who wanted to seize mountain strongholds and crown themselves kings.
They divided the remaining weapons and equipment of the former government and fought their own battles.
However, due to the arid terrain and the lack of farmers, local warlords faced serious difficulties in obtaining food.
Thanks to the large amount of food transported from the island, the "rebel army" camp managed to obtain steam engines—which were not weapons—from other warlords.
Using these steam engines, Paradis Island built 30 steam-powered transport ships, enabling the exchange of resources between the island and the outside world.
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January 848.
Gale looked out the window of his office and saw snowflakes gently falling over the sea at the port. More than a dozen armored transport ships were docked there.
Some had been looted, but most were transport ships originally built in the shipyards within the walls, using steam engines.
At the port, many East Asian-looking workers were unloading goods; they were refugees from Isfar who had been taken in during this period.
After nearly six months of development, they established a city centered around this port.
In reality, this area is not suitable for urban development. Its geology mainly consists of rocky terrain that cannot be used for agriculture, and it is surrounded by the sea on one side and mountains on the other two, making transportation quite difficult.
Aside from having a natural harbor, it has no other advantages.
However, it holds great strategic value, as it serves as a gateway to the outside world for Paradis Island.
The food supply for this port city comes entirely from Paradis Island. To date, the city has taken in more than 3,400 refugees, some of whom arrived earlier, such as the 149 former Isfar marines who were initially captured and have now fully integrated into Paradis Island.
After all, Paradis Island offered them excellent conditions, and they had no other choice.
These people work on the armored warships and have witnessed the island's unique "giant civilization."
The island's government held detailed discussions with these people, making it clear that they had no intention of violating Isfar's sovereignty. On the contrary, if they could assist them, they would provide support for the restoration and development of Isfar once Paradis Island became a power to be reckoned with in the future.
They did not tell them about the "nuclear production plan," but they did inform them about the "earthquakes."
For the people of Isfar, this was like an impossible dream. Since their country had already been destroyed, things could not get any worse. A glimmer of hope was better than nothing.
They are willing to assist Paradis Island and persuade newcomers to recommend trustworthy individuals each month. After evaluating these people and explaining the situation, they are invited to join the collaboration.
Recently, the number of refugees arriving here has been steadily increasing.
Aside from initially taking the initiative to gather refugees, they have not done so again for quite some time.
It seems that rumors are spreading outside that there is a safe rebel camp on the border where people will not go hungry.
Many displaced people, driven to desperation, followed these rumors and arrived nearby, where they were taken in as residents of this port city.
The refugees came here with a "nothing to lose" mentality, only to discover that it was a paradise: rich, safe, and full of kind compatriots.
Some of the refugees possessed extraordinary skills. The fact that Isfar was able to participate in the war against Marley proves that it was not weak and that there were many talented individuals among its people.
Some intellectuals joined Paradis Island, where Gale established a research base in the port city. Through the channels of the people of Isfar, he traded with other parts of the world, exchanging food and steel for materials that were not available on Paradis Island or could not be produced in the short term.
There was a knock on the office door where Gale was.
"It's me, Hange," Hange said from the other side of the wooden door. "The magnets and copper coils we purchased have already arrived."