I had a terrible experience last night.
How badly did it go? Sherry, Karen, and Shitan cried. No, Karen had eye drops in her hands. Damn it.
Wasn't that just punishment? Yes, that's right. Just consider it a teaching material. What kind of teaching materials? I'd die before I tell you. Let's just say that their curiosity and service spirit were relentless. To the point I was so spent I couldn't get it up anymore that night. Oh, I did protect their chastity though. I'm proud of myself.
There were countless things to do. Honestly, I wished I had a lot of hands.
Opening roads to the Kingdom of Mischronia, procuring food, making a territorial capital–no, it's only called the capital if it becomes an independent country– the development of Clover, its legal aspects, reinforcement of military equipment, developing farmland and large areas. Also the investigation of the sea of trees, the development of magic tools to counter mental magic, and uhhh, capture this and that… Did this explain why there was no time to list them all?
I've been trying to solve one of the countless pending issues. I quickly slipped out of the legislative session and headed to the site. Not because the legislative session was boring. Definitely not.
Because once they'd decided on the outline, all they had to do after was listen to the discussion. There's no need for me to stick around forever, right?
[It should be about this area…is that it?]
I was aiming for the southern part of the Great Sea of Trees and the towering chalk tower there. Around the white tower, a group of buildings made of the same material as the tower spread out. That group of buildings was the city of guardians. It was a story of the last intelligent race in the Great Sea of Trees that we had refrained from contacting until now.
[Well, there it is. It's so Sci-Fi in middle of nowhere.]
I stood still in the sky and muttered such while looking at the white city. Even though it's called a white city, it's not actually that big. I wonder if it's about the size of a small village at most. However, most of the buildings were three stories or more in size, and the white tower in the center was probably as tall as the Tokyo Tower.
The form was generally streamlined, and it looked like it was drawn as a futuristic city some time ago. What was the meaning of this recklessly round design? It's a scene that made you wonder.
Anyway, there's no point in continuing to just look at it like this, so I decided to land in the White City. I landed in front of the white tower.
When I approached the white tower and touched it, it felt as smooth as pottery, and quite hard. I hit it lightly, but it didn't appear to be metal. Was it a ceramic material? I didn't think it's a simple stone material.
While doing so, a white ball rolled out from a nearby building. It's a smooth ball that seemed to be made of the same material as this white tower, and it's about the size that I could somehow hold with both hands.
The rolling ball stopped about 10m away from me and gently floated to the surface. As far as I can see with magic eyes, it seems to be floating by magic.
If you kept looking at it, it would rotate in the air and point something like a red eye at you. I could hear something like the operating sound of a machine, but I wonder if it's focusing. It would be a problem if a beam-like thing suddenly hit me, so I immediately prepared myself, but it didn't feel particularly dangerous. When I was just looking at what was going on, confetti flew from the top of the sphere with a comical sound.
Eh? What's this?
『Congratulation! You are the millionth visitor to our facility!』
[Huh? Eeeeh?]
『Commemorating 100,000 visitors, presenting the latest space-time warehouse sale! Congratulations!』
[W, well…thank you, I guess?]
『Then please complete the procedure for picking it up. Please click here』
Before I knew it, several similar spheres appeared around me, making fanfare-like sounds and shooting confetti. Eh? What? What is this?
For the time being, I entered the interior of the white tower as I was guided by the atmosphere of the place. I was a little surprised to see a doorway suddenly open from a seemingly empty wall. Or rather, I really couldn't digest the situation.
Was it that kind of thing? The kind of visitor campaign that is often held at theme parks? What a fortune. Had I been that lucky?
『Please go ahead and enjoy yourself』
[Ahaha.]
I sat down on the chair that was moved towards me while giving them a half-hearted reply. This chair also had no legs, and only the part where I sat was floating in the air. What a waste of technology. But it's comfortable to sit on.
『Then please write your name and address here』
[O, okay… Though I don't know about address.]
I dare say it's the lord's mansion in the capital city of Clover, but I don't think this round sphere thingamajig would understand.
『Understood. Are you lost?』
[No, I know where my house is, but don't have an address yet. It's like, a new building]
『Ah, I see that the address hasn't been set for a new building. But that's ok. If it's a new building, the space-time warehouse will come in handy』
[A, alright. Good then.]
I don't know what a space-time warehouse is. Judging from the wording, it's probably something like an item box.
『Then, when you go home, let the staff accompany you and set it up directly.』
[Okay. By the way, what kind of place is this?]
『This facility is a technology museum that exhibits and sells the latest technology of Breakthrough. From daily necessities, buildings, and the latest home appliances to military technology. All of Breakthrough Inc. is here.』
[I see.]
While responding appropriately, it used its head to the maximum.
Kusuha and the others didn't seem to be able to understand it, but I, who has knowledge of the original world, could understand it. This guardian was definitely a kind of mechanical doll. They seemed to have the intelligence to be able to have a conversation to some extent, but I didn't think they could think of something and act spontaneously.
[How long has it been since this place started working?]
『Now is the new calendar 13,521 descala, 11,856 』
[I see…won't there be mobs or dangerous creatures rushing in at this facility ?]
『With Breakthrough's latest military technology, the safety of our facility and our guests is perfectly safe. Please be rest assured!』
[That's a relief. By the way, would it be possible to meet and talk to the manager of this facility?]
『I beg your sincerest apologies. The connection with the person in charge at the head office has been lost since 11,848 years ago. In addition, senior staff members other than those in the Moribito series have not come to work, and it is currently impossible to deal with them. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience』
[I see…that must be difficult]
Morito――No, Moribito's answer makes me sad.
This was a graveyard. It was the remains of an unknown civilization that perished 10,000 years ago.
The machine dolls that called themselves the Moribito series had probably lost their creators and masters, but they continued to protect this place according to their mission. No one would reward them, but they'd continue to work endlessly until their body rotted away. I don't know when that would be.
[Hey, how long are you guys going to maintain this facility? You can't contact the head office anymore, and there aren't any staff with senior authority, right?]
『This facility was built by bringing together the latest technology of Breakthrough. Due to automated maintenance, semi-permanent power, and a complete circulation system, the facility will operate semi-permanently.』
[I see… Do you accept cooperation and partnerships with external organizations?]
『We cannot without settlement of the head office or senior staff』
[Of course.]
They had no room for negotiation. That's because they had no permission to do so. If you tried to steal something by force, they'd counterattack with the latest military technology. I didn't know how strong it would be, but at the moment I don't think it's something I want to even try to find out.
My goal was to negotiate with the guardian to obtain that power, but it seems that I can't achieve that goal. Just take what you can get and leave it alone.
But well, I need to know how much I could ask.
[What kind of people are selling Breakthrough's military technology?]
『Our military technology is widely used throughout Forestin Orimus. The shield against the False God Alliance』
[False God alliance?]
Some disturbing words came out.
『The disrespectful people who put down the power of Gods on human bodies and pretend to be Gods. We are followers of the True God』
[The power of God in a human body, hey… how do you counter it?]
『Our Breakthrough Company has developed the technology of the protect the people. Immortal building materials using space-time manipulation technology, base defenses operable by Moribito series, semi-permanent energy supply nodes using space-time seismic engines.』
[And the weapons?]
『The collaborative business between Kagutsuchi Biotechnology and our Breakthrough company is responsible for the development. An epoch-making project that cultivates a space-time seismic engine installed in a different dimension as an energy source, to make a biological weapon, and throw it at the base of the False God Alliance to destroy it.』
That's gross.
Biological weapons, maybe like Kusuha? She said that a lot of time passed before she gained reason, and by that time a lot of damage had been done. I don't know why the creators of these Guardians and the False God Alliance were fighting, but it must've been a bloody battle.
But a biological weapon that appeared from another dimension, huh? It sounds like something I heard somewhere. It unloads the power of a god into the body of a human being?
God. God, huh? I don't know. What was God? Sometimes there were self-proclaimed gods who pestered me, but I hadn't heard from them again recently. I know it's not an ordinary existence because it gives me a lot of power, but now?
There was a strong trend that such things did not exist in the original world. No one puts it into words, but I think a lot of people think that God doesn't exist. On the contrary, I think there were many people who saw the conflicts that started in the name of gods as fires on the other side of the river and thought that they were not good things. At least in my country.
I still had that awareness. It's supposed to be a story about being invited to this world by none other than the Gods of this world. Maybe I need to know exactly what it is like to be a God in this world.
One must know what one was doing and for what purpose. That's how it felt.