Chapter 135: The AI That Can Do Anything
After that, when I consulted Grandpa, he said that since the matter was too big, if there was time, he’d like to hold a meeting in Belfast first.
It seems he wants to consider various possible discussion flows before proceeding.
Even Duke Fastall seemed at a loss as to what to do about this.
It was decided that I would take Grandpa to Belfast, but the people from Tokyo offered to take on that role.
Oh, right.
From now on, there are vehicles, so I don’t have to do the chauffeuring!
And so, I rejoiced at the fact that I wouldn’t have to go out for every little thing anymore.
“That’s great, isn’t it? I’m also happy that Rui’s freedom is secured,” Yuri said.
“Yeah. It looks like the troubles will continue for a while, but let’s finish them quickly and go play again.”
“Yes!”
In that case, I decided to get the miscellaneous tasks out of the way today, so I gathered our technicians.
Yes, it was an introduction to their technicians.
I was told they would dispatch them, so they should be coming here. I headed to the Tokyo district to pick them up.
When I arrived, most of the buildings were already completed, and the National Diet Building I saw underground was also there, just as it was.
When I went inside, it was, as expected, rather bare, but there was someone at the reception, so I stated my business.
Then, Katsura-san immediately came running and guided me to where the technicians were.
“Oh, I’ve been waiting. You’re the prince, right? Take me there quickly!
The surface must be a treasure trove of materials, right? I can’t wait!”
Right after Katsura-san introduced me, he said just that.
Katsura-san got angry at him, saying, “That’s rude! Even if you have permission, at least state your name and bow your head first!” and he complied.
“My name is Tsukine Minato. I’d very much like to ask for your cooperation, Prince, who is said to possess many materials.”
“Oh, uh, that’s fine, but don’t forget to instruct our technicians, okay?”
“That depends on their level… If it’s too low, they won’t be able to keep up with my research.”
No, that’s why I’m asking you to teach them to raise their level!
They’re not your research assistants, you know?
And so, I looked at Katsura-san.
“I apologize. The other one is more serious, so please wait a little longer.”
From what I heard, he and another woman would be coming, and she was currently rushing to prepare.
I did say today, but maybe I should have specified a time.
As I was thinking that, I heard the pitter-patter of running footsteps.
“I’m sorry for the wait. Wha—no way, Your Highness the Prince?!”
“T-to think you were already here.”
“My apologies! I am Akita Natsumi, and I will be joining you starting today!”
She stood at attention perfectly and bowed her head with polite gestures.
Her demeanor showed no signs of sloppiness.
Seeing her, Katsura-san also showed a look of relief.
“We came unannounced without specifying a time, so please don’t worry about it.”
“More importantly, please take care of training our technicians.”
“Yes! I’ve come up with a plan, so please leave it to me.
Although, for a while, it will be lessons with an AI…”
She continued, saying it would likely be on the order of years.
Years, huh… That makes sense.
They’ve been taking classes for years since they were children, so our guys won’t be on the same level unless they do the same.
Well, conversely, if they can do that, then we’ll also have that scientific power…
As I was thinking that, Yuri next to me looked surprised.
I told her that if something was bothering her, she should ask.
“Is it alright? For us to receive your knowledge…”
“Hahaha, we’ve already received a lot from you, so that much is…
That being said, it’s only for educational curriculum materials. Things related to products are kept separate.”
Education, huh… If an AI can handle it, then by enriching the ethics-related content, it could also be used to raise the civility of Mildrad’s people.
Well, I understand that education is crucial for creating the country’s future, and I can’t just do it on my own, so if I propose it to Pops as usual, he’ll probably just toss it to me.
And so, the introductions ended, and this time I invited them to our mansion.
To the drawing-room where the representatives of our craftsmen, whom I had already put on standby, were waiting.
Well, the troublesome time has arrived.
I braced myself, thinking, ‘Those third-party guys are definitely going to be annoyingly persistent.’
As expected, the greetings were brief before the topic shifted to the Gravity Power Generation facility, and questions flew one after another.
At first, Akita-san answered them politely, but Tsukine-san, intrigued by their proposals to somehow get involved himself, also joined the conversation, and it got quite lively.
“Tch, what a waste! You guys should move on to the AI curriculum immediately!
If you learn and accumulate knowledge, you’ll be talented enough to work under me!”
“Huh? I understand that it would be a waste if I don’t learn the basics, right?
But in that case, I should be the one leading, shouldn’t I?”
“Hahaha, good. That kind of spirit is also necessary for those who create something new.
However, it’s the magnitude of one’s accomplishments that speaks. It’s still too early for you.”
Tsukine-san handled it with a rather mature response, deflecting the words, and the conversation proceeded in a non-confrontational atmosphere.
“Well then, I’ll assign one soldier as an escort, so can I leave the rest to you?”
They seemed to have hit it off well enough, so I figured just assigning someone to guard the technicians would be sufficient, and I called out to Mizuki and the others.
“That’s right. We don’t see any cause for concern.”
“Oh, speaking of which, Kai-san was looking for you.”
“It’s probably about the Magic Tool of Regeneration, right?
As expected, since it’s our invention, it’s a one-of-a-kind item.”
Hearing Mizuki and Ichiro, I said, “Understood, I’ll leave the rest to you then,” and left the room with Yuri.
Alright, next is the Imperial citizens’ district, I thought. Just as I was about to fly off, I heard someone call from behind and dispelled my Maso.
“I finally found you, Your Highness! If it’s about the Imperial immigrants’ district, please say something!
What is that building?!”
Kai exclaimed with a bewildered look on his face.
“Well, the Imperial citizens need housing too, right? So I had it prepared.
It was my bad for not telling you, as it was just decided yesterday, but it’s a good thing, right?”
“B-but, where did such a huge building come from…”
I replied that Ignat should have known the building was from the Tokyo faction, but apparently, that wasn’t the issue.
“Well, just try using it, even as temporary housing. It should be comfortable once you get used to it.”
“Eh, please wait a moment. Can we really use all of it as housing for our people?”
“Well, as long as you don’t try to claim a monopoly on all the surplus, feel free to use it as you like.”
It seems he was quite flustered and hadn’t listened properly.
When it was conveyed that it was prepared as housing for the Imperial citizens, he bowed his head and said, “My apologies.”
It was the day after the residents were told, ‘This is your district,’ so when they checked, Ignat apparently explained, and Kai came running.
“If that’s the case, shall we go together? So, how’s the Magic Tool of Regeneration?”
“Ah, yes. It doesn’t consume much Magical Power, and no matter how many times I see it, it’s simply wonderful.
As a soldier, it’s an item I’d kill for.”
Hoh. That’s excellent.
“How long should I lend it out for?”
“Let’s see… At the current pace, if we also use it at night, most of them should achieve full recovery in about four days.”
“Alright then, how about a week? Anyone who isn’t healed by then, I’ll forcibly heal them myself.”
Yeah. Thanks to my Magical Power doubling, the amount I can replenish has increased tremendously.
Usually, it felt like I was using up more than half and had the remainder, but now, besides that remainder, I have a full day’s worth extra.
But he says that with a week, full recovery should be easily achievable.
“Ah… since Kai-san has confirmed it, I guess there’s no need for me to go anymore…”
“In that case, Rui, let’s definitely go subjugate the Bloody Bear! Okay?”
Yuri said, looking at me with a somewhat earnest gaze.
She’s probably worried about my Sclerosis.
It’s a condition with plenty of time, and it should be within a safe range anyway, so I’m fine, but there’s no harm in taking care of it.
If it alleviates her anxiety, all the more reason. So I replied, “Alright, let’s go there then,” but at that moment, a method to improve efficiency popped into my head.
It was… if the Tokyo faction’s technology can perform automatic interception, couldn’t I have them do automatic targeting as well?
Just to try, I mentally called out to the Ark’s AI, Mei, and a voice immediately resonated in my head.
“‘It’s possible, but currently, we lack both materials and equipment.
Would a type that incorporates My Master’s magic tool be acceptable?'”
If I requested that, how long do you think it would take?
“‘If it’s about the size My Master envisions, it can be manufactured in thirty minutes. Shall I create it?'”
“Huh, seriously?” I blurted out unintentionally.
I hadn’t expected the Ark to auto-generate it, and thirty minutes was just too fast.
However, even though I’ve become a Grand Master, it’s still their property, so I figured I needed to consult them first. I immediately activated the pin badge I received, called the Prime Minister, and conveyed my request.
“‘Yes, of course, that’s fine. For something of that extent, please feel free to use it.
We would appreciate it if you’d notify us when moving the Ark or creating something large-scale, though.'”
“Ah, really? Then I’ll go ahead and ask Mei.”
“‘Acknowledged. Commencing manufacturing.'”
Mei, who had been listening to our phone conversation, seemed to have started production.
That was all well and good, but for some reason, Yuri was looking up at me with a lonely expression.
Wondering what was wrong, I grew anxious, quickly ended the call, and faced Yuri.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just… I’m sad that there are so many things I don’t understand and can’t keep up with…”
She said, looking down. Thinking this wouldn’t do, I quickly explained things to her, and when I asked Mei to make the audio audible to Yuri as well, she immediately connected the path.
“So, yeah, we can talk just like this, only in our heads.”
“So that’s what it was. No wonder so many topics I didn’t know about kept coming up, even though we’ve been together all this time.”
Relieved that she seemed to understand, I told her that we were having an automated targeting system built, along with a vehicle.
“S-Such a thing can be made in such a short time!?”
『It is possible. Current progress: forty-two percent.』
“Wow, if we walk, it’ll be done by the time we reach the Ark…”
As I said that, we both started walking towards the Tokyo sector, as if by unspoken agreement.
“If my assumptions are correct, we’ll be in a state where we can rake in experience points just by chatting while sending Magical Power.”
『I am reading it from the Grand Master’s thoughts, but its performance will likely exceed your expectations. Based on referencing the efficacy of Light Magic from memory data, Monsters within a two-kilometer radius can be continuously subjugated with maximum efficiency.』
“That’s… already in the realm of cheating, isn’t it? As expected of Rui.”
Ch-Cheating? It’s not cheating, you know?
No, wait, maybe it is cheating?
“Well, but our combat skills won’t improve, and it’s not like that’s all we need to do.”
“That’s… true. But our main goal this time is to prevent Rui’s Sclerosis, so high efficiency is very convenient. Besides, having higher base stats is a big deal, you know.”
Hmm. Even with that huge advantage, I still couldn’t match Yuri in close combat.
I want to start seriously working on that aspect soon too.
If possible, a situation where I’m the vanguard and Yuri is the rearguard would be preferable, but since Yuri specializes in frontline combat, that’s absolutely impossible even if I get stronger.
In that case, the most reassuring setup would be for me to become strong enough to hold my own against Yuri in close combat, so we can fight together. If we’re close to each other, I can provide support quickly too.
Well, just reaching that level seems like it’ll be tough, though…
『If you desire rapid improvement in combat skills, would you like to input the combat data of Yurisia-sama that was scanned previously?』
“”Huh?””
We both tilted our heads at the sudden proposal.
Yuri, naturally, looked completely bewildered, but I had a vague idea of what Mei was getting at.
“Does that mean implanting it as a memory?”
『Yes. You won’t gain the sensations, but it will increase efficiency when receiving instruction.』
“You can not only read memories but also transfer them to others…?”
Whoa, this super-technology is insane.
『Transferring parts related to personality formation or private information is prohibited by default. A Grand Master can change these prohibition settings, but it involves danger, so modifying parts significantly related to personality formation is not recommended.』
When I asked what kind of danger, it seems there’s a risk of causing mental abnormalities if thought patterns are tampered with, and apparently, it was a technology prohibited by law on Earth.
“Huh…? Then, who transplanted my memories?”
『Unknown. Regarding the method, it was impossible to leave data records in the Master’s era, so it is presumed that they were read from a brain preserved in some form.』
“What’s that, that’s terrifying!!”
“Preserving a brain…? That is indeed horrifying.”
I shouldn’t have asked. It’s even scarier because it’s about me.
While we were having that conversation, by the time we finished moving, the vehicle was already complete.