“It seems the Forest Country (Lebresta) is mostly stable domestically. We plan to increase trade volume while gathering information on Magic (Fantasy)-related technologies from now on.”
“We’re sending caravans, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have them going back and forth regularly.”
In the usual Command Room, Eve was receiving a recent status report from ＜Ringo＞.
And today, there was one more person. Or rather, one more unit.
The Strategic AI in charge of the East Gate city, ＜Fragalia Zero＞, was participating in the report meeting.
Although remotely operated, she was using a Communicator Doll and standing before Eve.
“The caravan consists of one Fusion Reactor Power Vehicle (Little Whale), two Multi-wheeled Transport Vehicles, four Multi-legged Tanks, and one Multi-legged Ground Carrier ＜Planner＞. Also, eight Communicator Dolls. This time, we’re including Stirling engines and Steam Engines designed for Burnstone use.”
“Thank you for the report, Fragalia Zero. So, we’re handing over heat engines. How’s the reaction?”
“Excellent.”
She had extracted information from the Repuytari Kingdom, estimated the technological level of this southern region of the Northern Continent, and deliberately manufactured monkey models of heat engines that could be reproduced at that level.
Basically, Olive’s toys.
And those were sold to the Forest Country (Lebresta) in the form of technological assistance.
“Rotational power is mostly wind or water power. The Repuytari Kingdom monopolizes the know-how for Steam Engines. They seem to be careful about technology leaks, so the Forest Country (Lebresta) doesn’t seem to have been able to reproduce it even at the laboratory level yet. However, their metallurgy technology seems to be decent, so I think they might be able to reproduce the Stirling engine.”
Eve nodded at ＜Fragalia Zero＞’s answer, intrigued.
“In that case, some kind of breakthrough might happen. If I remember correctly, they were using a box that generates a mysterious wind for power, right?”
“Yes, Sister. It seems there has been little progress for many years, but if engines are put to practical use, I believe a significant change will occur. Asahi said that as science and technology improve, Magic (Fantasy) technology will become obsolete, and technology leaks may be induced. This is part of that plan.”
“…That’s quite a ruthless idea…”
However.
In reality, as far as can be observed, the Forest Country (Lebresta) has a national structure where the ruling class has extremely high power.
Furthermore, it was understood that they seem to have long lifespans as a race.
Therefore, the control ability of the Council of Elders (Le Elphia), the political center, is very high, and the effects of political and economic invasion are expected to be limited.
If it were a nation dominated by capitalism, it might have been possible to guide public opinion through economic pressure.
But as for the Forest Country (Lebresta), that much could not be expected.
“Asahi said it’s best to think of it as ‘lucky if it hits’,”
“Well, that’s about right. Sounds good?”
Basically, even if they tried to expand trade, the items that seemed to be in the most demand and would be consumed stably were all being rejected.
At this point, the plan to control daily necessities has failed. It was a sign that the Forest Country (Lebresta) was being very cautious.
“We are able to conduct stable transactions for ＜Big Moth＞ materials. We were also able to trade other Magic Tools. The collection of magic technology is going smoothly.”
And many types of devices that do not rely on scientific technology, called Magic Tools, have also been imported.
Originally, most of the Magic Tools from the Afrasia United Kingdom were also produced in the Forest Country (Lebresta).
Most of them are common within the Forest Country (Lebresta), and they are also proactive in exporting them, so they can be exchanged without any particular negotiations.
The Magic Tools from the Afrasia United Kingdom that they obtained first had a fairly simple structure. Compared to those, the ones from the Forest Country (Lebresta) seem to be intricately made.
“There are multiple Magic Tools with the same function, but the dimensions differed for each individual. It is presumed that even general-purpose products are mostly manufactured by hand.”
“I see. So, it’s not yet the era of mass production.”
“Magic (Fantasy) technology is remarkable, but it does not surpass the scientific technology we possess. No, some of it may surpass it… At least, judging from the response to the Stampede by Monsters, the threat level of the Forest Country (Lebresta) is not that high.”
And that is ＜Fragalia Zero＞’s opinion.
In other words, if ＜The Tree＞, which is currently acquiring a large amount of resources, is strong enough, it can sufficiently compete with the Forest Country (Lebresta), which would have considerable national power.
It would be quite unreliable to fight against forces of the same level, but at least against the nations that have been confirmed in the current situation, they can be crushed without problems. That’s the story.
Of course, there are no plans to do so for the time being.
With the current situation of having acquired the vast territories of the Afrasia United Kingdom and the Prawa Theocracy, there are no factors hindering the expansion of power for years to come.
There is still a lot of land to develop.
“The domestic situation in the Forest Country (Lebresta) also seems to be quite stable. They seem to have suppressed the Stampede, and the return of evacuees and the resumption of economic activity have been confirmed.”
“Now that they have an export partner here, they must be motivated.”
For the Forest Country (Lebresta), ＜Paraiso＞ is a neighbor to be wary of, but at the same time, it is a benefactor who has extended a helping hand and an excellent business partner with whom they can continue equal trade.
While being wary, they should want to continue the relationship for a long time.
“We have also provided samples of shaped Burnstone. We have also conveyed that we can prepare large quantities of items shaped as desired.”
“Ah. It doesn’t seem to be as much as the Repuytari Kingdom, but they seem to want Burnstone. I wonder how much reserves there are…”
“It is reported as unknown, but is someone investigating?”
“Yes, yes, Asahi is. Apparently, our sensors can’t capture it. Acoustic sensors can barely distinguish it, but it seems accurate data can’t be obtained. For now, we’re measuring the output at the mining sites, so we can make predictions based on that.”
Burnstone is an important Trade Good for the Forest Country (Lebresta). Currently, they are trading various items, but it is the most valuable among them.
For now, they are trading in the form of mined natural ore, but in the future, they plan to change it to processed products of a certain size.
Of course, it is more expensive than natural ones, but the reaction from the Forest Country (Lebresta) was quite good.
“If the trade in shaped products gets on track, it may be possible to circulate Gram Currency.”
“Oh… Come to think of it, we were making such banknotes…”
What ＜Fragalia Zero＞ said was about the banknotes issued by ＜Paraiso＞, which are mainly used for transactions with western countries such as the Repuytari Kingdom.
Gram Currency.
It is a currency that guarantees an exchange rate of 1g of Burnstone for 1 Gram Note.
By the way, since Burnstone becomes more performant as the mass increases, the difference in value between 1 gram and 100 grams can be more than 1000 times.
Of course, if you collect 100 1 Gram Notes, you can exchange them for a 100g Burnstone chunk.
By guaranteeing such exchanges, Gram Notes have value.
It is expected that the value of this currency will change depending on the situation, and it will be a fairly acrobatic currency.
The fact that ＜Paraiso＞ is the only force that can guarantee the exchange will be a very advantageous currency for ＜The Tree＞.
By the way, in the Repuytari Kingdom, payments from ＜Paraiso＞ are exclusively made using Gram Notes, and they are gradually becoming widespread.
Moreover, since Duke Silverhead, who is virtually at the top of the nation, has permitted it, there is no need to worry about future regulations.
I want to give the children in the frontier some spotlight too.
So, Fragalia Zero-chan, who hasn’t appeared in a long time. She’s cute, isn’t she?