Chapter 321: The Report Meeting and Social Gathering
“Wasn’t the establishment of the borders completed without any issues?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We successfully reached an agreement to use the forest managed by the Forest Country (Lebresta) as the boundary. The current edge of the forest has been set as a provisional boundary, with a buffer zone of about 10 kilometers. On the Afrasia United Kingdom side, we are in the process of constructing a protective fence made of metal wire and patrol routes for the Sheriff machines.”
Fragaria Zero responded to Eve’s inquiry while simultaneously projecting a map and live footage from the work machines into the air.
“We confirmed with the Forest Country (Lebresta) that there are basically no animals or monsters that traverse between the forest and the wasteland, so we are implementing a closure using metal wire for the border. This metal wire can detect strong pressure and damage. We have deployed flying drones and railway-moving large automatons to quickly dispatch Sheriff machines to any alarm-triggering locations.”
“Interesting. Yes, railway systems do have superior mobility,” Eve mused.
Typically, weapons that move via railway are not particularly welcomed. Their restricted movement paths make them susceptible to ambushes and long-range attacks from enemies. However, wheeled vehicles, while having high mobility, suffer from friction with the ground, leading to poor power efficiency and a higher likelihood of breakdowns depending on the terrain.
In contrast, with railways, power loss is minimized, and movement is confined to a prepared route, making unexpected breakdowns less likely.
For border security, where patrol routes are predetermined and sabotage from neighboring countries is not a major concern, the operation of railway-type large automatons poses no issues.
“Logically, that makes sense, but from an outsider’s perspective, it seems like a romanticized weapon…”
Armored trains, while capable of high offensive power, are often depicted as extremely vulnerable targets, especially to aircraft. After all, they can only move along the same route, and if the tracks are destroyed, they are left stranded.
“We can strictly view it as a means of transportation to the site, and in the worst-case scenario, we can release the onboard weapons to move independently. If we consider it as a fixed artillery platform, providing supportive fire from the rear, I have determined it to be sufficiently practical.”
“To add, the railway itself will be installed about 1 kilometer inside the country from the metal wire of the border. We believe it is unlikely to become a direct target for attacks.”
“So, this all assumes there won’t be any border disputes. If you all find it useful, then there are no problems. …Still, to think that we can maintain such a high resource production rate even with all this railway infrastructure… It’s truly overwhelming…”
As Eve gazed at the displayed resource consumption figures, she murmured to herself.
Since the world transfer, The Tree had constantly struggled with resource shortages, particularly with the iron resources that were needed in large quantities, and the energy resources that powered their activities.
Now, however, these resources were being produced in abundance.
Iron ore veins were being discovered in various locations, and oil field development was progressing smoothly. The operation of the deuterium generation plant was also on track, and the stock of minor elements continued to increase alongside mining activities.
“Hmm, it seems we won’t have to worry about resource production for the time being… So, that means…”
Eve pulled closer the technology tree that Ringo had thoughtfully displayed.
“It seems we have a plan for mining natural elements. Given this progress, we should be able to produce molecular structures that can be synthesized on the surface, right?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I believe it is time to advance the technology tree by one level.”
The molecular structures available on the planet could now be gathered without difficulty.
The next step would be the artificial synthesis of useful molecular structures.
“Perhaps we should focus on zero-gravity alloys first…”
“Yes, Ma’am. With our current orbital deployment capabilities, we should be able to operate a small-scale general-purpose plant. Considering the danger posed by threat creatures, it would need to be a stealth-structured facility. Unfortunately, we will have to sacrifice some scale.”
Eve tapped to display the upgraded technology tree.
In plants built on planets, the presence of gravity creates various constraints on manufacturing activities. The constant force of gravity significantly impacts the production of delicate materials like alloys.
For instance, when attempting to mix materials of differing densities, gravity tends to separate them. By conducting this process in a zero-gravity environment, they can be evenly distributed.
Of course, launching equipment like a smelting furnace into orbit requires considerable costs. Additionally, there is the cumbersome process of transporting raw materials into orbit and bringing the produced materials back down to the surface. Overall, this results in extremely high costs for the materials.
“Hmm. If it’s just for use in core components, it might be feasible…”
When preparing such plants, it’s more efficient to consolidate energy and material transport in one location.
However, if a large-scale plant is suspended in satellite orbit, it will inevitably be visible from the ground. Moreover, the energy consumption associated with production activities generates a significant amount of electromagnetic waves.
This could provoke attacks from dangerous threat creatures, such as the notorious sniping plants.
While it is possible to create electromagnetic shielding facilities, doing so would increase the size of the installations.
“It’s quite troublesome that orbital operations require so much caution.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I recognize that this is a challenge that needs to be addressed promptly, but…”
Ringo responded with a tone of dejection to Eve’s lament.
To develop in outer space, it is essential to secure a safe area. However, at least one species capable of delivering fatal attacks has already been discovered in orbit, making it unwise to utilize the area carelessly.
“Well, that’s fine. Let’s proceed at a steady pace. Is Olive in charge? Yes, I trust her to handle it well.”
With the go-ahead for launching orbital facilities, Eve turned her attention back to Fragaria Zero.
“Apologies for the digression. Is there anything else you need to report?”
“That concludes the reports I had prepared.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you. Now, is there anything else that personally concerns you?”
At Eve’s question, the fox-eared girl in front of her tilted her head.
Fragaria Zero utilized a high-performance AI unit assigned with multiple Brain Units. Even so, it lacked the processing power to analyze everything and make accurate predictions.
Thus, it primarily acted according to the plans presented by Ringo.
However, this also meant that there were times when it would execute actions simply because Ringo was correct, even if it did not fully understand the reasoning behind them.
Such awareness could lead to small frustrations and stress accumulating over time. To alleviate this as much as possible, they regularly reported to Eve as a form of release.
“At the moment, there is nothing in particular. All the background reasons for the action directives have been disclosed by Ringo, and any unclear points are shared through interpretations from Akane and Ichigo.”
Eve nodded at Fragaria Zero’s response. It seemed that the sisters were effectively supporting one another.
The system was becoming well-organized to function smoothly even without Eve’s direct intervention, significantly reducing the mental burden on her, who often struggled with direction.
Of course, once things began to drift away from her control, that would likely become a source of concern in its own right.
“That’s wonderful to hear. I trust you, Fragaria Zero.”
And so, after the report meeting concluded, it was time for the social gathering.
Today, the Class I Brain Units were gathering for a barbecue at the artificial beach.
The initial Five Sisters were likely bustling with excitement in setting everything up.
“Come on, let’s go. If I remember correctly, you have a fondness for sweets from the Forest Country (Lebresta). While there may not be many sweets today, there will be plenty of meat. I find it hard to relax without meat in this body… You probably share the same craving. Let’s enjoy ourselves.”
And with that, Eve set off, bustling to soothe the AI companions once more.
The sound of “zero-gravity alloy” has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? We are so accustomed to living under gravity that we don’t find it strange, but the phenomenon of separation due to density is indeed fascinating.
Note: The cover for Volume 3 has been revealed in the recent updates, so feel free to check it out!