Chapter 234: Conversations Between AI and Humans
“It’s truly a headache-inducing topic, isn’t it?” Amagio Silverhead sighed, his expression troubled.
“I’d like you to direct your complaints to Fenrir,” Ayame Zero replied.
Having just received a report about the appearance of Fenrir from Ashidancera = Ayame Zero, Amagio couldn’t help but feel the weight of the situation. The offensive from the Prava Divine Nation was already a colossal headache, and now he was handed an even more outrageous bombshell. It was no wonder his brow was furrowed.
“However, the Demon Forest, huh? It remains as treacherous as ever,” he mused.
“The reason for Fenrir’s sudden southward movement is unclear. Do you have any ideas?” Ashidancera inquired as she gazed at the enlarged satellite photo.
Yet, Amagio shook his head. “I can’t even begin to imagine. This Fenrir is a monster I’ve never seen before. The countries directly involved might have some oral traditions or information, but we have no connection to the Demon Forest at all.”
He added with a wry smile, “I might understand a bit about the circumstances from 120 years ago, though.”
“I’ve lost quite a bit of my memories from back then as well. It might be archived in the Expanded Memory Field, but there’s not enough decoding space. It’s the limit of the Biological Computer,” he continued.
“Indeed. RINGO has determined that providing you with an expansion module is premature. I hope you can build trust over time,” Ashidancera stated.
“…Well, it seems I’ll have to be patient since this will be a long-term relationship,” Amagio replied, shrugging his shoulders. He had casually requested parts, only to be swiftly denied. RINGO had been consistently refusing such requests. It was understandable, given the circumstances.
“…So, while it’s something to keep an eye on, what I’m most concerned about is whether the Prava Divine Nation will deploy forces to contain this Fenrir. That will significantly alter the pressure on the front lines moving forward.”
“I agree. Will they reroute forces, ignore it, or directly confront Fenrir? The intelligence network within the Divine Nation is still incomplete, so information is scarce.”
“Wow, you’re casually dropping some serious information there… an intelligence network…?”
Recently, the Paraiso faction had given up on hiding things from Amagio. In a sense, it was a testament to their growing trust.
That said, while Amagio himself was not particularly concerned, over 30% of the current economy of the Kingdom of Reputari relied on trade with Paraiso, and that percentage was steadily increasing. If Paraiso were to sever ties with the Kingdom of Reputari, the consequences would be catastrophic. Thus, Paraiso made demands as they pleased, and the Kingdom complied without question. The only saving grace was that Paraiso generally acted out of goodwill.
“Well, that’s fine. I’ve given up on that. Will the support for weapons and ammunition continue as is for the time being?”
“Affirmative. As per your request, the production facilities have begun operations. The second factory is also under construction. Although it will be a Deteriorated Mass Production Type (Monkey Model), we can provide 20,000 rifles in the next shipment. Ammunition will, of course, exceed that amount.”
“…That means the number of rifles in the army will increase tenfold…”
“War-time exceptions. It can’t be helped.”
“You’re probably misusing that term, aren’t you?”
Twenty thousand assault rifles, eight hundred light machine guns, and one hundred heavy machine guns. The number of bullets was so vast that counting them felt like a chore, all detailed on the paper handed to him.
“Do you know the term ‘self-restraint’?”
“I do. It means to avoid acting recklessly. The support for weapons and ammunition may be unfortunate for you, but we are keeping it to a necessary minimum. I hope you understand.”
Ashidancera replied, a hint of pride in her voice. Amagio sighed again, leaning back in his chair. Their perspectives on matters were fundamentally different. It seemed he had decided not to press the issue further.
“Well, that’s fine. The next topic is transportation means. I suppose you can’t provide that Burning Stone Engine, can you? A carriage… well, since it’s outside the country, it’s only natural…”
Next, Amagio brought up the means to transport the weapons and ammunition they had provided to the front lines. For the time being, Paraiso planned to prepare vehicles for this purpose.
“We will use large multi-wheel vehicles made of high tensile steel, incorporating resin and cellulose for weight reduction. Naturally, they will be equipped with a powerful suspension system. They can traverse even the roughest terrain, pulled by horses.”
“Airless tires, right? I heard they can adjust ground pressure as well?” Amagio recalled.
“Affirmative. We’ve incorporated a mechanism that allows for some adjustment of the ground contact area. Even in soft ground, we can prepare it for movement in advance.”
Amagio pressed his forehead, feeling the weight of the over-technology being casually mentioned.
“We’ve designed special structure spokes that allow for changes in tire width. While it requires stopping the carriage and adjusting each wheel, it should be sufficient for transportation in the meantime.”
“…That’s true. Rubber tires haven’t even become widespread yet, so I can easily imagine the scramble for them…”
The merchants’ guild would likely be the first to raise a fuss. After all, with this carriage (?), they could drastically reduce logistics costs. Additionally, the vibrations during transport would be minimized, allowing for safer transportation of delicate items.
“With your technological prowess… you should be able to achieve mass production in about 200 years. Until then, you’ll have to wait.”
“Ordinary humans can’t live for a hundred years, you know?”
That said, the vehicles provided by Paraiso did not have any specific usage restrictions. They were merely handed over as one means to deliver supplies to the front lines. Once their purpose was fulfilled, the contract stated they would not concern themselves with further use.
Once this war settled down, the Kingdom of Reputari and its neighboring nations would likely experience a dramatic civilizational awakening.
“However, to think such a mass of over-technology is being pulled by horses… it’s oddly charming, or rather picturesque…”
Moreover, the vehicle would be loaded with a vast array of firearms.
“If you’re feeling the atmosphere of trial and error from the dawn of scientific technology, I agree. Alternatively, it could be seen as a relic of a declining civilization, used without understanding its mechanisms. It’s fascinating to see artifacts being used in ways far removed from their original purpose.”
“Oh? You understand that? What kind of educational policy does Eve-chan have? I don’t get it.”
“If you’re interested, I can prepare various bound documents for you.”
“Ah, well, that’s true. I don’t want to circulate them just yet… but it’s fine to add them to my library, right? Can you arrange that?”
“No problem. I’ll deliver them directly to your residence.”
It was a complete mix of public and private matters, but Amagio was, after all, a duke at the pinnacle of the nation. It was more akin to royal diplomacy, perhaps.
“Well, for the time being, it seems we can buy some time. By the way, how far can you Paraiso go if you were to deploy forces to that front line?”
“…At least with the current distribution of forces, we could pacify everything. RINGO has calculated that. However, if we were to execute that, we would need to act as conquerors. The Commander does not wish for that.”
“Huh… you’re quite the soft-hearted bunch. Well, knowing you’re backing me up allows me to relax. At least, my country is safe.”
“The uncertain factor is that monster. While we have some experience fighting different types of monsters, we fundamentally judge that they are beings to be avoided.”
“Oh… that’s news to me. Unfortunately, I don’t have any memories of what monsters are, but I do have all the data up until just before abandoning the base. There might be some interesting information left.”
“We are currently considering that. We will contact you later.”
“Business communication, huh?”