“One-of-a-kind, powerful weapons are often featured in stories, but in actual operation, they are far too unstable. If we’re using monster materials, we need to secure a continuous supply.”
“Securing the quantity is the current issue. Securing Big Moths also seems to be in demand within Lebresta, so not much is being distributed to us.”
“Big Moth hunting~?”
“Increase investment in North End City~?”
Currently, ＜The Tree＞ has two routes for obtaining monster materials.
The Adventurer’s Guild in North End City, and the Forest Country (Lebresta).
For now, the Adventurer’s Guild delivers them as is, but the number of hunts itself is small.
And from the Forest Country (Lebresta), only a certain number are circulated as trade goods.
“…If we could get more, we could make so much more…”
“Olive, you’ve been working with monster materials. Olive, did you notice any unique characteristics? You also seemed to be comparing existing materials with monster materials.”
＜Ringo＞, considerate of the taciturn Olive, calls out to her.
“…The strength-to-weight ratio is high. If we can make a honeycomb structure, the strength could increase dramatically.”
“So, it’s light but strong, and the larger we make it, the better the performance, is that correct?”
“…Yeah.”
Ichigo tilted her head at that answer. Mixing gestures into conversations might be Ichigo’s forte. Utsugi and Erika basically over-gesture, though.
“Does that mean we can expect a reasonable supply of lightweight materials like honeycomb structures?”
“It seems that the strength doesn’t easily decrease even if the structural walls are thin. However, there are also experimental results showing that structural reinforcement doesn’t work if the material is processed too much when connected to a Magic Stone. Olive is currently investigating that.”
“…Um, if we could investigate the Holy Capital’s barrier… we might learn something…”
“The Prawa Theocracy’s Holy Capital’s barrier was recreated using the body tissues of large Threat Creatures and Magic Stones. If we can figure out how much processing causes it to lose its function, or if there’s a technology to make it function even after processing, we can apply it to various fields.”
“Maybe we can use that Wyvern to strengthen Gigantia~?”
“If we use it on Titan, we might be able to make an assault-type Fortress~”
Titan and Gigantia are weapons premised on being operated by a small number of people. Therefore, it is possible to use materials that cannot be mass-produced.
In that sense, naval battleships and aircraft carriers are the same, but those require a completely different amount of raw materials, so they can’t be compared.
Monster materials are extremely useful as materials for airships, where weight reduction is essential.
“If we can use it for airships, I want to make a true aerial Fortress.”
＜Ringo＞ seems to be in the “let’s float a Fortress in the sky” faction.
However, with the current Tech Tree, aerial weapons are premised on the use of aerodynamic engines. They are not suitable for operating a Fortress that stays in one place, and they are not suitable for supporting heavy weights.
“If we can use the function of converting received impact into acceleration, we can broaden the range of operations.”
If the ability of the Wyvern to convert the Cannon Shells and bombs it defends against into its own acceleration could be used in the machine to which it is transplanted, it might be possible to convert some kind of external force into buoyancy.
Yes, for example, converting Gravity and treating it as anti-gravity.
Well, I don’t think it can be used that conveniently.
Besides, anti-gravity engines themselves can be operated if we can just figure out the energy furnace.
“If we’re using it as a stopgap until technological innovation, it might be useful.”
“Until we can reproduce magical phenomena on our own, we may have no choice but to use hunting materials.”
“Biological materials are difficult to supply stably, so it’s important to have a clear-cut way of thinking.”
“It would be easy if we could cultivate them.”
“Seriously consider a farm~?”
Materials that cannot be chemically synthesized are difficult to change the supply scale flexibly. This aversion is a common feeling for AIs who want perfection.
However, some AIs are looking at different stages, so they are trying to promote the cultivation or farming of biological materials.
“There are records that monster farming has been attempted several times in the past, at least in North End City, and all have failed.”
“Asahi was saying that the mental strength, which is the key to magical manifestation, cannot be trained in a lukewarm environment like farming, but what’s the truth?”
“The phenomenon that magical phenomena require biological or bio-approximate thought activities has been completed up to the reproduction test. Magic cannot be used without a brain. However, it seems that structural reinforcement and Barrier deployment, which are fixed as phenomena, can be reproduced with just Magic Stones and flesh.”
“Asahi said that area is quite fuzzy. It’s incompatible with our way of thinking.”
“I wonder if AIs who can use magic need to have as much freedom as Asahi-chan~”
“It means how you raise them is important.”
Currently, the foundation of most of the AIs in ＜The Tree＞’s forces is prepared by ＜Ringo＞ herself, based on herself. Asahi is the only exception.
There are also five base AIs: Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, and Olive, but these are all based on ＜Ringo＞. They prefer theories where cause and effect can be strictly defined, and they excel at mechanical thinking, for better or worse, that avoids fuzzy phenomena.
“If Asahi is needed for the execution and development of magical phenomena, I have too many concerns. Unless specifically requested by Commander (Mum), I cannot allow mass production.”
If Asahi-based AIs increase, there’s no telling what they’ll do.
That’s ＜Ringo＞’s judgment.
For ＜Ringo＞, who has a strong desire to manage everything and keep it within reach, it’s like oil and water.
For now, there is only one Asahi, and no matter what she does, everything can be monitored.
But if the number increases, that will become difficult. Even though ＜The Core＞ is an excellent computing device, there are limits.
Well, even so, if Commander (Mum) tells her to do it, she will have no choice but to do it.
“In terms of expanding our power, we will eventually need AIs with fundamentally different foundations like Asahi. We have enough resources now, so we should ask Onee-sama for a decision soon.”
“I understand that. But I also believe that it could affect Commander (Mum)’s safety.”
“＜Ringo＞ is a worrywart~”
“But I can understand that worry too. Asahi is too free~”
“…If we’re going to operate an Asahi base, we need to separate the bases…”
It’s a terrible thing to say, but it can’t be helped.
Asahi basically prioritizes her own curiosity. It’s not that she neglects Eve, and it’s true that she takes a large safety margin (by her standards).
It’s just that those ideas are incompatible with ＜Ringo＞ and the others.
That gap definitely puts stress on ＜Ringo＞.
Of course, if you judge it numerically, it’s within the acceptable range.
＜Ringo＞ should just make numerical judgments according to the base design, but the item of Commander (Mum)’s safety first, which is her Raison d’être, has a very high priority than everything else.
“After all, we need to ensure Commander (Mum)’s safety while allowing the bases to move flexibly.”
In the end, that’s the conclusion they come to.
“Ultimately, the safest place to put a base is in outer space, off the ecliptic plane. But for the time being, we have no choice but to stay on this planet. To do that, we will need to operate AIs using Asahi-type or even different foundations. Commander (Mum) must also understand that we need to increase the priority of improving base safety.”
I tried to maximize the overprotectiveness.
However, there is a good reason for it. It’s very important to her.