Episode 287: In the Cradle
“One-of-a-kind, powerful weapons are often featured in stories, but in actual operation, they’re far too unstable. If we’re using monster materials, we need to secure a continuous supply.”
“Securing the quantity is the current challenge. Even securing Big Moth materials seems to be in demand within Lebresta, so not much is making its way 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 materials as is, but the number of hunts is inherently small. And from the Forest Country (Lebresta), only a fixed amount is circulated as trade goods.
“…If we could get more, we could make so much more…”
“Olive has been working with monster materials. Olive, have you noticed any unique characteristics? You seemed to be comparing existing materials with monster materials as well.”
＜Ringo＞, considerate of the taciturn Olive, calls out to her.
“…The strength-to-weight ratio is high. If we could make a honeycomb structure, the strength would increase dramatically.”
“So, it’s light but strong, and the larger we make it, the better the performance, is that correct?”
“…Yes.”
Ichigo tilted her head at that response. Mixing gestures into conversation might be Ichigo’s greatest skill. Utsugi and Erika basically over-gesture.
“If it’s a lightweight material like a honeycomb structure, can we expect a reasonable supply?”
“It seems that even if the structural walls are thin, the strength doesn’t decrease easily. However, there are experimental results showing that if the material is processed too much when connected to a magic stone, the structural reinforcement doesn’t work. Olive is currently investigating that.”
“…Um, if we could investigate the Holy Capital’s defensive wall… we might learn something…”
“The defensive wall of the Prava Theocracy was reproduced using the body tissue of large threat organisms and magic stones. If we can decipher how much processing causes it to lose its function, or if there’s a technology to make it function even after processing, it could be applied to various fields.”
“Maybe we can use that Wyvern to strengthen Gigantia~?”
“If we use it on Titan, we could make a strike-type fortress~”
Titan and Gigantia are weapons premised on being operated by a small number of people. Therefore, it’s possible to use materials that can’t be mass-produced. In that sense, naval battleships and aircraft carriers are the same, but their raw material usage is on a completely different scale, 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 technology tree, aerial weapons are premised on the use of aerodynamic engines. They’re not suitable for operating a fortress that stays in one place, and they’re not suitable for supporting heavy weights.
“If we could use the function of converting received impact into acceleration, we could broaden the range of operations.”
If the ability of the Wyvern to convert the impact of cannonballs and bombs into its own acceleration could be used in the transplanted machine, 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, the anti-gravity engine itself can be operated if we can just figure out the energy furnace.
“If we’re using it as a bridge 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, though.”
“Seriously consider a farm~?”
Materials that can’t 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’re trying to promote the cultivation or farming of biological materials.
“There are records that monster farming has been attempted several times in North End City in the past, and all have failed.”
“Asahi said that the mental strength, which is the key to magical manifestation, can’t be trained in a lukewarm environment like farming, but what’s the actual situation?”
“The phenomenon that magical phenomena require biological or biological-like 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.”
“Does an AI that can use magic need the kind of freedom that Asahi-chan has~?”
“It means that 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 the five base AIs: Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, and Olive, but their origin is ＜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 Ma’am, 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 water and oil. Right now, there’s only one Asahi, and everything she does can be monitored. But if the number increases, that will become difficult. Even if ＜The Core＞ is an excellent computing device, there are limits.
Well, even so, if Ma’am tells her to do it, she’ll have no choice.
“In terms of expanding our power, we ultimately need AIs with fundamentally different foundations like Asahi. We have more resources now, so we should ask Onee-sama for a decision soon.”
“I understand that. But I also believe that it could affect Ma’am’s safety.”
“＜Ringo＞ is a worrywart~”
“But I can understand that worry~ 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’s neglecting 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 that is her raison d’être, Ma’am’s safety first, has a much higher priority than everything else.
“After all, we need to ensure Ma’am’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, away from the ecliptic plane. But for the time being, we have no choice but to stay on this planet. To do that, we’ll need to operate AIs using the Asahi type, or even a different foundation. We need Ma’am to understand that we need to increase the priority of improving base safety.”
I tried to show off her overprotectiveness to the fullest extent.
However, there’s a good reason for it. It’s very important to her.