“The weather is lovely, Onee-sama!”
“…Indeed.”
Sunbathing is crucial for daily health.
Vitamin D is produced in the body through the effects of UVB ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight.
Also, exposure to strong light promotes the secretion of serotonin.
Of course, vitamin D can be supplemented with medication. Light for serotonin secretion can also be artificially created. There is no need to force oneself to sunbathe.
However, ＜Ringo＞’s analysis was that the act of dozing in the sunlight is extremely important for Eve’s mental stability, perhaps due to her characteristics as a fox Beastkin.
Therefore, sunbathing every morning and after breakfast has become a daily routine.
And today, Asahi (she) has returned to Fortress ＜The Tree＞, so the two are acting together. Asahi (she) herself is almost entirely mechanized, so sunbathing itself has no meaning, but simply being with her Onee-sama (older sister) improves various things.
“It’s time, so I will activate the optical shield.”
The Communicator Doll operated by ＜Ringo＞, who was waiting a short distance away, announced.
The laminated crystal, with an appropriate voltage applied, blocked (shielded) light rays of wavelengths harmful to the human body. With this, even long hours of sunbathing will not affect Commander (Mum)’s precious body.
“…Time, huh?”
Eve (she), who had been curled up, slowly raised her body. She then raised both arms and stretched greatly.
Asahi (she), who had been rolling around with her, also stood up straight.
“I’ll bring you drinks and snacks, Onee-sama!”
“Thank you~”
Asahi (she) ran to the self-propelled cart, took out chilled glasses, a pot, and frozen sweets, and ran back again with a shtata.
In the meantime, Eve (she) had moved to a two-seater seat. It was a couple seat woven with nylon fibers.
“Here you go~”
“What is it today?”
Asahi (she) placed a tray on the table and poured a drink into the glasses. The contents of the pot were carbonated drinks chilled to just before freezing. It seems to be flavored with citrus fruits found in the Northern Continent.
“Mmm, delicious~”
Asahi (she) can digest fructose liquids like carbonated water, as well as ice cream and sherbet. Therefore, today’s dessert is a sherbet made from a high-sugar fruit.
The fruit, similar to a mango, is one of Eve (she)’s favorites.
The two, chattering happily, enjoyed their dessert and then began to relax, snuggling together on the couple seat.
Normally, the other Five Sisters would return to work, so Eve (she) would return with them, but today Asahi (she) is here, so they are spending their time leisurely.
“Speaking of which, Asahi (she), have you decided what you’re going to do in the future?”
“Asahi (she)?”
Hmm, Asahi (she) tilted her head. It’s not that she’s having trouble answering, she’s just being affectionate.
“Well, I’d like to land in the Theocracy for now.”
“Oh, is that so? I thought you were going to North End City.”
“＜Cosmos＞ is in charge of that area. Even if Asahi (she) goes, I wouldn’t be able to do much freely!”
North End City is being developed by the O-class Strategic AI ＜Cosmos＞. They are energetically working on setting up processing facilities for Monster Materials and testing development equipment for the Demon Forest.
She seems to have judged that adding Asahi (she) there would only lead to a competition for resources.
“I see. So, the Theocracy, huh? Certainly, the AI for base control there is undecided. ＜Iris＞ is doing the overall management, though.”
“Yes, Onee-sama. I think Ichigo (she) Onee-sama’s I-class AI will be installed there eventually, but for now, it seems like the most freedom to move around and research will be possible!”
Yakari Port, the landing base in the Theocracy. O-class AI ＜Lotus＞ is installed here, but it is only a temporary installation. It is scheduled to be moved to a production base near a large Lode further inland.
Because of this situation, the safety of the Theocracy is very high.
In fact, it may be several times safer than the Afrasia United Kingdom, which has left the local governing structure in place.
“Oh, speaking of which, you said you were developing a new escort fighter. Will Asahi (she) be using it?”
“Ah, that’s right, Onee-sama! Yes, it’s an escort fighter for Asahi (she)’s escort, and also for protecting important people! As a test, we plan to incorporate a Magic Tool called Flame Wand, which we obtained from North End City!”
“I, see.”
“This is a Magic Tool made using Magic Stones from fire-breathing lizards, and if you put your heart into it, it fires a ball of Fire! I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate this into an automatic machine!”
“Is that so…”
“That’s why I’m testing the escort fighter right now. If there are no problems, I might land at Yakari Port soon!”
“Be careful. I think it’s safe because it’s almost entirely within our sphere of influence, but we haven’t been able to completely sweep the land or sea.”
“Yes, Onee-sama!”
Eve (she) is also aware that ＜The Tree＞ is steadily expanding its sphere of influence. All human civilizations that can be observed have been dealt with, but measures against Monsters and Threat Creatures are far from perfect.
However, she cannot move forward if she is only afraid of that.
She judges the degree of threat and repeats the advance if it is within the acceptable range. She is currently continuing this process.
“The problems in the Theocracy have been almost completely resolved, but what are your thoughts, Onee-sama?”
This is probably Asahi (she)’s pure question. Asahi (she) is mainly involved in research, so she doesn’t have much access to strategic information that hasn’t been decided. She would download it if necessary, but this is just recreation.
Eve (she) understands this, so she shares the information as a chat.
“Well, I think Asahi (she) understands, but we are in the expansion phase right now. Resource acquisition has been successful, and production is increasing rapidly. We are increasing our military strength to strengthen our Defensive Power and increasing our production facilities. The Lode and land have expanded considerably with the conquest of the Theocracy.”
The Prawa Theocracy is an inland nation. By cultivating the plains, creating fields, and increasing food production, they are rapidly expanding their territory. The military strength that would normally be lacking was covered by operating loyal magical soldiers called Warrior Monks.
“The Afrasia United Kingdom’s territory is also quite large compared to the surrounding countries, but it’s not comparable to the Prawa Theocracy. For the time being, we won’t have any trouble with land or resources.”
“That’s right. There are still many Lodes that haven’t been touched, and there seems to be a large Iron deposit in the Theocracy, right?”
“Yes, yes. We found traces of it on the west side. It’s a bit far away, so I don’t know the details yet.”
The Northern Continent still stretches far to the east and west. If anything, there may be human nations even further west than the Prawa Theocracy. It hasn’t been found in satellite images, but that’s no guarantee in a fantasy world.
Besides, even if there are no countries to the west, there are still several unreached countries to the east.
Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for conflict.
The controlled area has expanded rapidly. Now, it must be fully incorporated into our sphere of influence.
For that purpose, there is still a shortage of both automatic machines and AI.
“We need to increase the number of bases in the Prawa Theocracy. Also, we need to proceed with negotiations with the western countries. We have no information about the other side of the Forest Country (Lebresta).”
“That’s right. Well, for the time being, we’ll strengthen our internal affairs! Asahi (she) will also learn magic and show you! I’ll be of service!”
“Hehe. I’m counting on you, Asahi (she).”
It feels like a short break.
It’s the expansion phase.