As expected, the food distribution from the various regions to the Holy Capital had stopped.
The news of the Holy Capital being suddenly attacked by a dragon had spread far and wide, and few people were aware that the rebuilding had already begun.
I was told about the urgency of restarting the food production plants; if we didn’t, the reserves would be depleted by February, leading to a severe famine affecting everyone from top to bottom. It was a chilling realization.
Currently, as far as I know, the idea of the largest city hosting a starvation festival is absurd. To make matters worse, with the regional powers seizing the opportunity created by the weakened control from the center to spark a rebellion carnival, it’s a situation that makes one want to bury one’s head in their hands.
“Master Nozomu, you’ve created another peculiar item.”
“Needed to come back for a bit.”
In order to alleviate this rather grim situation, I decided to not only mass-produce the Gear Caliber at the newly-opened three-dimensional forming factory but also to present long-distance mass transport means to the Holy Capital—something the Ancestors did not deem fit to provide.
The monstrous eight-point-two-meter-long, three-point-one-meter-wide, thirty-five-ton vehicle sitting before me resembles a giant insect with six legs. This is the main APC of the Zodiac Republic Union, the “Dicotomus-4 Type C.”
The section corresponding to the insect’s head contains the cockpit and various sensors, while the chest and body part, formed by integrating two trapezoids, can carry supplies and troops. Six legs extend downward from this section, each ending in a wheel that transforms into a tri-fingered hoof similar to that of the Cluster Wolves. Furthermore, six regular wheels are mounted beneath the main body, allowing it to traverse both flatlands and rugged terrain, with the ability to climb slopes as steep as 65 degrees.
The vehicle can comfortably fit up to fifteen fully equipped infantry personnel. If lightly equipped, around twenty people can squeeze in, and more if smaller units like the Tech Gob or Sylvanian are loaded.
This machine will greatly ease the stress of transporting the army. While riding the Cluster Wolves may suffice in principle, their unique posture isn’t particularly comfortable. These new vehicles boast a payload capacity exceeding 2.5 tons, surpassing the Cluster Wolves’ capacity fourfold. With five of these vehicles accompanied by sixteen Cluster Wolves for scouting missions, we’d be invincible!
Moreover, this Dicotomus-4 features dual anti-armor coil guns mounted on the head and a chain coil gun on the upper gunner’s seat for anti-personnel use. Unlike previous equipment, it’s armed with fire weapons, making it a reliable asset both as a deterrent and for engagements with larger foes.
The Ancestors didn’t provide such vehicles to their creations to prevent them from moving about excessively over wide areas. Humans have a conquest drive; if they were capable of traveling long distances without restriction, they might end up neglecting the Holy Capital and embarking on wars of aggression.
Our new gear creation took into account such concerns, and while the dryers have their reasons, it’s quite an unfortunate story.
For now, I intend to supply the knight regiments with five of these machines per month – albeit unarmed – to help stabilize the various regions.
There’s something off with Virgil, who seems to have headed north. His reasons for refraining from making a mercy plea and instead settling for merely hindering our efforts by controlling the largest granary are likely tied to holding a trump card, or simply refusing to admit defeat.
Personally, I’d prefer the latter, but…
“Captain.”
“Yes, Selene. How are you feeling?”
“It lacks beauty, but I think its performance is sufficient.”
Selene’s voice reached me from the nearby Dicotomus-4 as she was overseeing Peter and the lead production model of the Dicotomus-4 from within the storage hangar.
This Dicotomus-4 Type I is outfitted with a large radar dome instead of machine guns, designed for electronic warfare and remote-controlled by Selene. Equipped with a small anti-gravity unit that separates to function as a powerful radar, it’s fitting attire for the electronic-world fairy.
Although she isn’t satisfied with its rugged and purely functional structure, lacking in grace, the performance is leaps and bounds above the older drones. To me, her gaining a strong armament is heartening.
Still, even with all these equipped, without the “Titan-2,” we can’t confront the Giant Dragons properly, which is quite the conundrum.
“If we could mass produce Titan-2’s, it would be ideal. And if only we had the Type A electronic warfare prosthetics…”
“It couldn’t be helped; they were lost when the ship’s bottom was purged. Let’s hope they’re safe and search for them next time.”
And that’s the limit of what can be produced in the Holy Capital. The combat weapons production section was concentrated in the ship’s underpart and was lost when it jettisoned during descent.
If we had a larger three-dimensional forming machine, we could’ve supplied Titan-2’s to the regiments in numbers exceeding their requirements, as there were ample reserves of materials in the upper structures. Unfortunately, without the factory and the data, it’s impossible.
For now, since I can’t bring the moderately damaged – surprisingly, rapidly repairing due to neglect – Titan-2 along, I have to leave it at the “5689th Development Base,” where the smaller abnormalities are more common, with plans to establish mass production later. Once we can form ground combat armies at the regiment level with these machines, the world will have nothing to fear.
First, we must gather pieces to unravel the mysteries. The ongoing emergence of abnormalities indicates that those “Corrupted Male Deities,” or their equivalents, may still be rampant in what was once our terraforming base.
This time, our goal is capture alive. We’ll decode the confusing mess of trinary and quinary codes and exact our revenge for the thousands of comrades they’ve already taken.
We’ll kill them if provoked. The bushido ethos, cultivated since the previous civilization, remains active today.
“But, from this frame, you look small, Captain. This perspective may not be so bad.”
“Cut it out, I’ll be crushed.”
The Dicotomus-4 rubbed its head against me like a doting cat, which I gently resisted, laughing nervously. With the machine being thirty-five tons and my own maximum carrying capacity being just under a ton, this is beyond excessive.
I don’t think she’ll mishandle the controls, but if I get crushed and have to exchange prosthetic bodies again, it’ll be far from amusing.
“Maybe it’d be better inside the cabin.”
“What’s this? Aren’t you a Tisy but averse to speed?”
“It’s too fast!”
Peter, seeing the Sylvanians’ ears flatten at the sight of the Cluster Wolves’s top speed of eighty kilometers per hour, found it amusing despite the machines reaching up to two hundred twenty kilometers per hour. Considering the potential acceleration of Alpha Type scout units at six hundred kilometers per hour, I briefly wondered about their capabilities.
But then again, riding those unruly horses is challenging even for me, so it’s probably best to avoid it.
After all, the selected scout units’ machines operate at speeds of six hundred kilometers per hour – sixteen meters per second, which equates to covering two hundred meters in the blink of an eye. The nerves of those who ride them through combat are beyond comprehension, likely having reached the speed of light.
“However, the Tech Gobs seem to like it quite a bit.”
“They are rather momentary beings.”
As we were discussing this, Galatea entered the hangar. She now wore the refined version of the Tiamat 25-based external skeletal armor that was once confiscated, fully repaired with Inanna 12’s facilities. It was more comfortable than the Gear Armor, and she decided to use it now.
Behind her were five Magius Geanaite knights.
“Ah, Galatea. Who are they?”
“Hail! We are the honorably chosen escort squad assigned by Chancellor Aurelia! By the name of the Mechanical God, we pledge to offer our lives for your protection!!”
Even before Galatea finished introducing them, the apparent squad leader performed a perfect salute. However, his beardless face seemed quite young — by mechanized human standards, he hadn’t even finished compulsory education — leading me to believe they were pulled from roles where their absence wouldn’t matter.
Well, it can’t be helped. The Northern and Western Gardens Knights have been decimated by reckless use, and the Eastern Garden Knights have been taken by Virgil. Currently, only the Southern Garden Knights and the Central Knights are functioning properly in the Holy Capital.
Even including conscripts, there are only around two hundred twenty knights, split between two units. They are attempting to organize a volunteer militia, but it is nowhere near enough to protect a city of a million inhabitants.
The Magius Geanaite knights, though worth a thousand each, have somehow managed to hold on this long. Aurelia is planning to withdraw some units from the borders where even the industrial city only accommodates a squadron. It feels like spitting on hot stones to think about what could happen in our absence.
On the other hand, we do need to take care of the bunny kingdom and the Rustiagis situation. Being away for too long causes concern, and there’s little we can do about that.
Let’s start with getting them accustomed to our way of doing things during this trial operation.
“You, what are your names?”
Responding respectfully, the man introduced himself as Falken Shank. The other four introduced themselves subsequently, and they are all members of esteemed families.
This seems less a decision of Aurelia’s thoughtfulness and more a politically motivated personnel deployment within the knight regiments. It’s not ideal, but it serves its purpose.
“I understand. I expect dedication from all of you. To each of you, I will lend a Cluster Wolf. It’s similar to the Gear Caliber, so you’ll get used to it quickly.”
“Hail! We shall strive vigorously to avoid becoming a burden to Holy Saint!”
Still, they seem motivated, so that’s good enough. If you’re familiar with the Gear Caliber, you’ll adapt to the Cluster Wolves easily enough.
“By the way, I’ll be the detachment commander and Nozomu’s subordinate. When I issue orders, please cooperate.”
“Yeah, I trust you, Galatea. Take care of them and work hard.”
After a slight air of embarrassment, she enthusiastically nodded in response.
Yes, even civilian-grade prosthetic bodies have their advantages. The solid sense of stability when striking fists with one another, even against the Grade C prosthetic Galatea wears, gives me a comforting sense of security.
“Well, shall we proceed? Let’s return.”
Let’s march home with our heads held high. Though our achievements may not be grand in scale, we managed to secure one dragon’s head as war prize. I heard we’ll also bring dragon scales back as keepsakes, and the Tech Gobs will no doubt be thrilled.
And, of course, there’s the matter of retribution for the indignity suffered from captivity in the south.
A sly smirk crept onto my face as I summoned my Cluster Wolf…..
—
Planetary Exploration Supplementary Note
Dicotomus-4 Type C: Standard APC of the Zodiac Republic Union. Type C of “C” denotes an upgraded version, indicating improvements in maintenance and mass production compared to the initial A and B types.
Still, due to its roots in the Unified Military-exported Monkey Model, its firepower has shifted from railguns to coilguns, and its main engine has been downgraded to an equivalent of 50GW, leaving an impression of a cost-effective model. Nevertheless, even this machine gained immense popularity among civilian security companies.
Updates for 08/08/2024 are scheduled for around 18:00.
