"Have we traced the source of the message from the Haro yet?"
Before Lacus stood the Haro that He Kui had replicated. The pink, round figure rolled around on the floor, its AI behavior language settings deleted, continuously repeating in a mechanical voice, "June City Seven, nuclear bomb."
"Not yet," came the reply.
"Hmm."
As she looked at the Haro, Lacus furrowed her brows.
Could it be Orb? Or the East Asia Republic? Although the Oceania Alliance and the South American Confederation had both shown pro-PLANT stances, neither of those countries had a reason to assist PLANT or the capacity to predict the Atlantic Federation's military plans. As for the Eurasian Federation, their antagonism towards PLANT was almost as strong as that of the Atlantic Federation, making it unlikely they would aid them.
Given that Orb had a neutrality declaration, they would likely not want the situation to escalate. The East Asia Republic, too, would prefer to continue utilizing their resources rather than resorting to actions that would harm their own interests.
But what if they had infiltrated May City so thoroughly that no information remained undiscovered?
It seemed she needed to investigate further, as this was crucial to the foundations of the five major design bureaus.
"Then let the Haro stay here. Thank you for your hard work."
Gently patting the Haro's head, Lacus smiled.
"No, it's my duty!"
The suited man was visibly excited by Lacus's praise, bowing respectfully before he exited.
[You gifted Lacus Klein a present, MS Operation Skill +6]
[Lacus Klein Current Favorability 0]
[Experience Bonus 0]
[MS Operation Skill D-level: (256/500)]
Watching the sudden notification on the virtual panel, He Kui, who was working on a machine, paused momentarily as sparks flew from the circuits, nearly causing another malfunction.
"What's going on this time?"
Sule glared at him from her station, visibly annoyed.
"Sorry."
"Next time, I'll dock your pay!"
[Sule Favorability 77]
[Experience Bonus 3]
He Kui felt a headache coming on, realizing he was truly disliked. Sule was clearly very invested in this research.
Determined not to get distracted again, He Kui focused intently on adjusting the internal structure of the flow hood detection device alongside the other assistant engineers.
This detection device was designed for the long-range reconnaissance GINN, equipped with a powerful data processing system that could swiftly relay battlefield intelligence back to the command center.
In simpler terms, it served as a scout. Their task was to optimize the circuit paths through meticulous adjustments.
After the initial excitement wore off, He Kui quickly composed himself.
Even though he knew that Lacus could influence his piloting skills, he had no means to get closer to her.
He was just a lowly assistant engineer, light-years away from PLANT's princess. Besides, Lacus had surely received his message, and he didn't want to present himself to her just yet. Perhaps he should attend her fan club events to deliver gifts; that could work, albeit slowly, and it wouldn't necessarily increase his favorability.
But now wasn't the time to wish for such things. For now, it was enough that he felt safe here and had a reliable path for steady growth. Still, was his original piloting skill only at 250? That was rather disheartening.
After a smooth day of work and presenting Sule with a plate of cucumber salad to appease her anger, boosting her favorability back to 85, He Kui finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hmm, this Haro is well-made. What's this?"
Sule asked, glancing at the four-legged transport robot.
"It's a transport robot."
"I knew you made it."
Sule shot him an annoyed look.
"Yes."
"Is the system also yours? I remember that this type of robot has a more complex system than the Haro, right?"
While the ordinary Haro had hands, He Kui's version was a replica that had been simplified to cut costs, lacking hands altogether. It could only say two phrases and jump around, nowhere near as sophisticated as the four-legged transport robot he'd created.
"Yes."
"C-level?"
"Yes, thanks to you, Director Sule."
"Just make sure you don't slack off on your micro-manufacturing skills. I won't worry about anything else."
"Understood! Well then, I'm off!"
Having happily collected a decent amount of experience points from Sule, He Kui didn't head home just yet. Instead, he took his creations to a shop that specialized in second-hand goods.
In May City, known for its engineering, such shops were plentiful. Only after reaching B-level could he expect better returns; otherwise, C-level and D-level engineers might sell their creations, but usually at a much lower price. This was one of the reasons He Kui had not visited before.
"Boss, do you buy second-hand homemade robots here?"
"Uh-huh."
The shop owner, noticing He Kui's Helan Design Bureau assistant engineer uniform, stood up excitedly, a warm smile spreading across his face.
"Of course! What do you want to sell?"
It was well-known that items crafted by B-level engineers were always of good quality.
"These: ten radar-equipped Haros and five transport robots."
He Kui began pulling his items from his heavy backpack.
The shop owner inspected each item carefully.
"The quality is fine. For the buyback price: five hundred credits per Haro and eight hundred for each transport robot."
Although the factory price for a transport robot was six hundred, products made on the assembly line were less effective than those crafted directly by a B-level engineer. Handcrafted items were typically the most expensive, but they were only suitable for those with strong hands. C-level and D-level creations were often considered inferior, comparable in price to mass-produced items. Only B-level engineers could genuinely be called artisans.
"Okay."
He Kui accepted the offer without argument. Although the price for the Haros was about the same as when he was C-level, he knew that if he tried to sell them at a higher price, he might not find buyers. Plus, selling them saved him time and effort. While he could possibly sell the transport robots for around a thousand credits if he took the time, selling them now would still earn him a decent profit, allowing him to make more robots in less time. It was a worthwhile trade-off.
Before long, He Kui left the shop feeling satisfied, his wrist filled with credits. He made sure to exchange contact information with the owner for future transactions, eliminating the need to visit the shop in person.
With the time saved from selling, he could focus on gaining experience alongside Shi He!
He smiled at the thought.
However, his good mood vanished when he arrived home and saw PLANT police officers waiting at his door.
"Mr. He Kui, hello."
Faced with the stern faces of the officers, He Kui nodded in confusion.
"Hello?"
"Don't worry, we just want to ask you about Kazama."
"Kazama Naruki?"
He Kui repeated uncertainly.
"Yes."
He exchanged a puzzled glance with Shi He, who shook her head in response, clearly just as confused.
"What would you like to know?"
He made a gesture indicating for the two officers to enter his home.
"Thank you for your cooperation."