Chapter 133: Reality is Too High-Tech, Like a Game
Flying through the sky, we reached the village along with the Neo-Tokyo contingent.
We landed in a section that had just barely been completed. After the Prime Minister’s command, the residents took out machines from the luggage I had produced and dispersed.
It looked like they were setting them up at regular intervals, but they returned after just placing them down without touching anything.
After waiting for a while, Takagi-san said, “It seems enough energy has accumulated to get them operational.”
The residents also seemed excited by this.
Afterwards, the installed machines took off and began developing the surrounding area.
I heard they could construct buildings completely automatically.
What in the world? It’s so amazing, it’s actually a little scary.
I was overwhelmed by their advanced technology, but for them, it was commonplace.
A meeting was being held, with the ministers at the center, as if briefing everyone.
The most heated topic was how to use materials from this world while they still contained Mana Essence.
For that, they would need to rebuild all their equipment using local materials.
They said that for some things, they had Blueprints, so they could make them.
It had been made in the past, but it wasn’t something that could be auto-generated, and the cost was too high, so it was shelved, or so I heard.
However, there was a minister who strongly argued that it was absolutely necessary if they were to put down roots and live alongside the inhabitants of this world. The others generally agreed with the direction.
And so the discussion progressed, and the talk about personnel deployment, such as establishing a research team and increasing Self-Defense Forces security personnel, continued endlessly.
Meanwhile, the development of the surrounding area was completed, and they had begun constructing buildings.
Yuri and I were surprised by this, but they were astonished that despite operating so much, their energy hadn’t depleted at all.
“Oops, we mustn’t let our joy make us idle, must we?
My apologies for the wait, Your Highness. May we come over to pay our respects now?”
I gave my consent and brought Prime Minister Aso, Defense Minister Takagi, and General Makishima, the three of them, to our mansion.
While Yuri was guiding the three of them to the drawing-room, I went to call Grandpa.
“H-Have they all arrived already?! I wasn’t informed of this!”
“No, that’s why I said it would be a week later.”
“Y-Yes, but for such a large-scale move, I assumed it would actually take much longer.”
I asked if there was some kind of problem, but he said, “That’s not the case, but…”
It seems he was just surprised because it was too soon. I wish he’d stop startling me like that.
I brought Duke Fastall, who was in such a state, to the drawing-room.
“Well, well, welcome. People of Neo-Tokyo.”
As expected of His Grace the Duke.
He showed no trace of his earlier flustered expression and greeted them with a cheerful smile befitting someone who had been eagerly awaiting their arrival.
“Your Grace, Duke Fastall. We hear that you have come all this way for our sake.
We are deeply grateful for the magnanimity of the Kingdom of Belfast.”
“Not at all, not at all. You are all great benefactors to our country.
And on top of that, you are rational people. Something of this extent is no trouble at all.”
And so, they exchanged handshakes in a cheerful atmosphere and took their seats.
Now then, I thought an important discussion was about to begin, but the words they exchanged were all about the past.
Huh? Since they just arrived, shouldn’t there be various things for both sides to confirm?
I thought, and posed a question, but apparently, they had already ironed out those details to some extent when they first visited Belfast.
All that was left was to swiftly deal with any problems that arose once they actually started, or so it seemed.
“Therefore, our biggest concern is the Monsters that spawn on the surface. We can prevent them from spawning in our location, but doing so would cause the Monsters spawning elsewhere to become stronger.”
Ah, right.
That’s how it works in principle, isn’t it?
Even if we tried to fill the entire Town with materials that don’t conduct Mana Essence, there are still fields and such.
If we did that, ridiculously strong Monsters would probably spawn in the fields.
If we were to do it underground, it would incur considerable costs, and there’s also the issue of what would happen to the Mana Essence accumulated underground.
Ah, so that’s why the Dungeon method, where Monsters spawn underground and are isolated by Mana Essence concentration, is the safest.
Hmm, then wouldn’t it be fine to just build a Dungeon?
I suggested to them.
“Yes, of course, if we have your permission, we would like to create one, but with the equipment we currently possess, it would take too much time.”
Ah, they were in a situation where even getting to the surface was difficult, weren’t they?
That makes sense.
I just assumed that since it was a Dungeon they had made, they could build one easily.
That was part of the lost technology from the spaceship, right.
“Then, shall I make one? A Dungeon.”
“A-Are you sure?!”
Yeah. Because it sounds kind of fun.
Like, “I’m gonna be the Dungeon Master!” or something.
Besides, to be frank, the Monsters that spawn here are relatively strong for this plain.
The Dungeon is to the north, and this is the south, so I guess it can’t be helped.
That said, they’re only about the level of Oldam’s 30th Floor, so they’re small fry to us, but for them, they must be terrifyingly dangerous.
“Thanks to receiving a large amount of Magic Stones, I have plenty of Magical Power to spare, so it’s fine.
Though, it will naturally be a shallow-Floor one.”
“I-I see. In that case, we will calculate what form would not disrupt the flow of Mana Essence, so could we ask you to handle it?”
Eh… The flow can be disrupted?!
Surprised, I listened and learned that Mana Essence pools are formed when the flow is disrupted.
Following that line of thought, when we talked about the Monsters’ active periods, they said it was likely that over many years, some part of the Dungeon had collapsed to a point where it couldn’t auto-repair, causing a distortion in the flow.
They said that now that they could use energy freely, they could easily investigate that sort of thing, so I decided to leave the investigation to them.
They were very apologetic, saying that it was a trivial matter compared to having me build a Dungeon for them.
“Ah, well, this isn’t exactly in exchange, but…”
So, when I consulted them about whether they could also build housing for the Imperial citizens, they immediately replied, “Yes, something of that extent is no problem at all.”
They also seemed enthusiastic, thinking that if something like this could serve as repayment, and proceeded to discuss where and how.
“Well then, since we’re at it, let’s not just build what’s necessary, but build with some leeway.
Removing the Mana Essence will naturally take some time, but as long as we keep operating, it won’t even take a week.”
“That is most welcome news. However, please do not overexert yourselves.
Please do it after all of your own things are completed.”
Grandpa, not wanting to push them too hard, interjected smoothly, though with a smile.
However, that worry was unfounded.
I want Grandpa to see it soon too. That super-technology.
They just place things down, you know?
Of course, they’d probably need to specify what to do and how, but with technology of that level, they would likely operate with broad, game-like instructions.
If it’s a pre-existing standardized product, I think they could do it without such detailed instructions.
So, the aspect we should be concerned about is their safety. That would be the best way to repay them.
However, all I can do is defeat strong Monsters.
There’s no way I can significantly contribute to protecting thirty thousand people from all the small fry.
Well, it seems Grandpa will handle that sort of thing, so it looks like I’ll just be fine with creating the Dungeon.
That too will apparently start from the design phase, so it’s still a ways off.
In that case, will we have to keep defeating Monsters spawning on the surface around the clock until the Dungeon is built?
Isn’t that, like, really tough?
When I brought that up…
“Yes. It is as you say.
Therefore, we have already received permission to block Mana Essence just inside the buildings.”
“We too can prevent infiltration and repel Monsters of the level currently spawning on the surface.
We will have drones constantly performing automated interception, so there is no need to worry.
We would only like to borrow your strength when higher-tier species appear.”
Eh…
Ah, right. The energy problem has been resolved.
Since they can fire off high-power attacks as much as they want, they can probably handle low-Floor Monsters.
When I showed my understanding, General Makishima explained various things.
“We had data showing a surplus supply, but since this is our first time on the surface, we were skeptical.
However, if we can use this much abundantly, we have no concerns.”
I see.
They were also surprised during construction that no matter how much they used, it didn’t decrease.
I thought fifty wouldn’t be enough, but if that’s the case, then it’s plenty.
And so, for the time being, the greetings and discussion of future plans ended, and we moved into a casual chat time.
At that moment, I remembered that the guys from the Third had repeatedly asked to be taught about the Blueprints.
“Um, our engineers have been pestering me to teach them how to read Blueprints…
Could we also request the dispatch of engineers that we’ve been asking for?”
“Of course. That was the plan, so the personnel selection is already complete.
If you wish, we can do it right away.”
Takagi-san replied so, but her expression was a little troubled.
When I asked if she was pushing herself, it seemed she had some concerns about the personnel.
They are a leading figure in the development research department, but they’re the type to go their own way and are apparently completely incapable of any sort of consideration for others.
It’s not that they intend to be malicious, but they seem worried about appearing rude.
“Ah, that’s not a problem at all. Everyone around me is a commoner, and I was originally a commoner myself, so everyone treats me quite casually.”
“Your Highness… not in public, you mustn’t.”
“It’s fine, I plan on basically keeping quiet over there anyway.”
When I replied that way, Gramps’ cheerful smile faltered, and he gave me an exasperated look.
At that, the Prime Minister and the General smiled, while Takagi-san said, “Your consideration is much appreciated,” looking troubled yet relieved.
Yep, that’s right. That kind of assessment is just fine for me.
Just as I was thinking that, Yuri gave me a somewhat dissatisfied look.
Apparently, she wanted to tell me to act more properly.
Hmmm. I want to stay in a comfortable position, but… should I try to be a little more proper?
And so, the time for small talk came to an end, and the acceptance of the Neo-Tokyo contingent was complete.
Honestly, it was almost anticlimactic how little trouble they were, but since their soldiers had just been through a lot, it was convenient.
With their super-technology called the Ark, repelling some small fry should be a piece of cake for them, huh.
Huh, come to think of it, I haven’t seen anything like a spaceship.
It’s not like I brought it, right?
The vehicles that were transported were mostly identical, so it’s probably not among them.
Thinking, “That’s a super important thing, isn’t it?” I asked them if it was okay that they hadn’t brought it.
“Hahaha, no need to worry. It can take the form of a spaceship, but it’s usually in a box shape.
Of course, we had it transported. Shall we show it to you?”
“Um, well, since you’re offering, yes. To be honest, I was curious.”
Yeah. I am curious what kind of thing it is.
“Well then, if you have no plans after the meeting, shall we go?”
As Takagi-san said that, Gramps cut in, saying, “Well then, everyone must be very busy, so we mustn’t take up any more of your time. Let’s conclude things here for today,” and the meeting ended.
Eh? Ah, you guys are busy, right?
You don’t have to force yourselves, you know?
Thinking that, I muttered to Yuri, asking if I should decline, but she warned me, “Interacting with you, Rui, is their lifeline, so you can’t turn them down now.”
Indeed, right now I’m the liaison, huh.
Even though Gramps is here now, position-wise, I’ve become a significant figure, haven’t I?
That kind of slightly troublesome stuff is what I’m worst at…
That said, with them, it should be okay, right?
The people I’ve interacted with so far seem nice, and they’re also in a position where they can’t afford to break off the cooperative relationship.
And so, along with Yuri, I followed them, and to have them show me this “Ark” thing, we made our way to the Neo-Tokyo sector once more.