Chapter 41 – Open Sesame

I asked Seongjae as he happened to be passing by.

“Is the mint running smoothly?”

“Well, it’s just stamping coins, so what’s there to it? This isn’t even difficult. Matching the uniform alloy mixing ratio was actually harder.”

He wasn’t wrong. The mint was, at best, a press that stamped a mere four hundred coins at a time.

After that, I had carefully selected employees from among the people living in the Fortified City to inspect each coin individually and sort out the defects.

The defect rate was still on the higher side, but since they could simply be melted down and reused as material for the coins, it wasn’t a major issue. Moreover, the demand for coins wasn’t that high yet, so it wasn’t a big problem.

Meanwhile, I paid great attention to security.

I added a small amount of Adamantite and other materials into the alloy used to make the coins to make them durable and prevent anyone from counterfeiting the currency.

Furthermore, I engraved various anti-counterfeiting patterns and carvings throughout the coin designs.

Thus, unless someone put in an extraordinary amount of effort, counterfeiting would certainly be difficult—especially in this dying world.

‘I was only able to do this because I have Seongjae and the Production Facility.’

Having quickly completed the construction of the mint, Seongjae immersed himself once again in the development of the steam train. For various reasons, Seongjae seemed to be the busiest of all.

Meanwhile, Deokchan was in the midst of developing the Fortified City along with the Rough Terrain Pioneer and the Worker Bugs. He was spending his days busily repaving the roads within the city and erecting new buildings.

Lastly, Sua was equally busy, conducting combat training for the newly arriving survivors, raiding Dungeons with them, and rescuing more new residents through reconnaissance.

‘Come to think of it, I feel like I’m the most idle one here.’

I thought to myself while rolling around on my bed. Feeling a slight sense of guilt, I decided to quickly start on my tasks.

[Assault Cannon: Explosive Power Enhancement Research in progress… 13%]

I checked the attack power enhancement of the Assault Cannon I had ordered after the Worker Bug lava gland, and then analyzed the current situation once more.

Defense seemed to be somewhat complete at this point.

The problem was air superiority. For me, air superiority was so important that it could be called essential.

The biggest reason for this was the Observation Probe.

To maintain the overwhelming information advantage, which could be called one of the core functions of my ability, I had to protect the Observation Probe.

‘Now… what should I do?’

The method had actually already been decided.

It was certainly a relief that the Magitech Armor gained some anti-aircraft capability after acquiring the rapid-fire shotgun, but there was a world of difference between being able to fire responsive shots and being able to actively launch an attack.

In particular, on days when I needed to send the Observation Probe far away, the mobility of the Magitech Armor would certainly never be able to keep up.

Therefore, in the end, a counter-aerial unit was the best solution.

However, there was a problem.

‘What materials should I use…’

This was also a significant issue.

The reason was that the enemies they would fight were Monsters, not other machines of a similar technological level. In other words, it meant that while flying in the sky, they had to assume [close-quarters combat]!

They needed to be that agile, and also durable.

And to be agile, they had to be light. This directly affected the performance of the machine, not just the mana efficiency.

Assuming the output is the same, it is an obvious fact that a lighter machine will fly much more freely.

But the problem was that light materials were generally weak.

“Hmm…”

In the past, I had come across a short educational book on the history of aircraft. According to that book, aircraft materials evolved like this:

‘It started with wood and fabric. Then it went through aluminum alloys, used titanium alloys alongside them, and finally moved to carbon materials.’

For example, in the case of the latest aircraft like the Boeing 787, it was said that 50% was carbon material. But the problem, as always, was whether I could obtain it right now.

This was because various alloys used in making airplanes were not easily accessible in daily life.

‘I wish I could just raid an airfield…’

If I raided an airfield where planes made of those materials already existed, the problem would be solved. The issue was that the owners of the airfields were still intact.

Although the government and military had become fragmented cells from a centralized modern government, an airfield was still a core facility.

In particular, Incheon International Airport and Gimpo Airport near me were the largest in the country and were certainly under heavy guard even now.

In my previous life, the point at which they completely collapsed was when the Aerial Monsters began to appear, but I couldn’t wait until then.

The way the Aerial Monsters made airports useless was as follows:

There were no monsters that reached the high altitudes of 10 to 20 km where fighter jets usually operate, but the problem was takeoff and landing.

Modern aircraft were such that even “bird strikes,” where birds are sucked into the engine, occurred quite often. No matter how hard they tried, it was nearly impossible to perfectly defend the skies against monsters flying in from above.

And even if ten thousand monsters had to crash themselves just to bring down one plane, it was a gain for the monsters.

For instance, the price of a single F-15K, the mainstay of the Republic of Korea Air Force, was over 100 billion won. In a situation where military factories were being destroyed, it wasn’t something that could be made just because one had money.

Furthermore, even if they just interfered so that takeoff and landing took longer, that alone was a sufficient harvest for the monsters. Because of that, humanity had no choice but to give up air superiority.

Humanity would no longer be the [Rulers of the Sky].

‘Then I’ll just use [Mithril] for the materials.’

Of course, except for me.

* * *

Mithril. This metal, which also bore a fictional name, was a material with characteristics different from Adamantite.

Its most prominent feature was weight.

It was a material so light it was hard to believe it was a metal. If you mixed it with steel and Adamantite to create an alloy, it became a versatile material that was even tougher and stronger than steel.

While not quite as strong as Adamantite, it was comparable to carbon materials, but since it bent rather than shattered like carbon, its utility far exceeded that of carbon materials.

“Sigh.”

Still, a sigh escaped me.

‘It’s just that it’s a bit hard to obtain.’

Because Mithril was so useful, if one set their mind to it, it could replace all materials such as aluminum and steel.

But there was a problem.

Because it was so useful, Dungeons with Mithril mountains capable of properly meeting that high demand were not common, and the places that did have them all had environments that made one want to swear.

‘Ugh.’

Searching through my memories, I picked out the most suitable place among the dimensions where Mithril existed.

‘With a Nest Mana Stone of this size… that place would be best, right?’

Since there weren’t that many options anyway, there was nothing to agonize over. Having quickly made up my mind, I decided to head straight for the Dungeon Rift.

* * *

Since it was a Dungeon I used to visit alone in the past, there were no large facilities nearby. However, after the Fortified City grew and the Worker Bugs became able to spew lava, everything was changing.

The City Wall had been expanded into a structure that wrapped around the external Dungeon, almost like a figure eight. This was to prepare for situations where monsters might invade from the Dungeon.

It created a funny situation where, as soon as a monster emerged from the Rift, it would be surrounded by the City Wall. Additionally, it served the simultaneous role of preventing unauthorized persons or monsters from moving from the outside to the inside.

And various shops had begun to appear around the Dungeon.

Their number wasn’t large yet—at most three or four—but it was a good thing that the economy was becoming active. It meant that people’s lives were becoming more affluent.

Mana Stones and Worker Bug Coins were used as currency, and there were already two exchange offices that converted Mana Stones brought back from the Dungeon by the city residents into Worker Bug Coins.

‘Good.’

I grinned.

The fact that Mana Stones were circulating in the market was a positive phenomenon. If the value of Mana Stones decreased, it would be easier for me to exchange them when I needed Mana Stones.

Moreover, I could simply print Worker Bug Coins, and since those were being turned into Mana Stones, it was practically the same as using a resource cheat.

‘Of course, I shouldn’t release too many.’

There was one point to be careful about.

If I released too many Worker Bug Coins into the market, inflation would occur, and the value of the coins would drop.

Then, if I ever truly needed Mana Stones, I would have to release even more coins for the exchange. In the end, it was obvious that a vicious cycle would occur where the value of the coins would drop even further.

Of course, it wasn’t as if there was no solution.

The solution was to make it so that if someone brought 100 Worker Bug Coins, I would lend them a Worker Bug for one month. Then, that money would return from the market back into my hands.

It was a system where inflation was automatically resolved and I could make easy money even while doing nothing!

‘A goose that lays golden eggs.’

That’s why I had to be even more cautious.

Especially in a case like now, where the economy had not yet fully settled. It was important to release them in small trickles, just enough for people to want.

Just like right now.

“Hmm… this looks like it’s worth about 2 Worker Bug Coins.”

“What? Miss, shouldn’t this be worth at least 3?”

“I don’t know. Let’s make it 2. If you don’t like it, go to another shop.”

The woman who opened the first exchange office stood boldly, haggling. Everyone seemed anxious to possess even a few more Worker Bug Coins.

I laughed inwardly while watching this scene.

‘It must be convenient.’

Especially for those who went out hunting. With a Worker Bug, there was no need to go through the tedious process of mining Mana Stones themselves after a hard battle.

Beyond that, they could handle various chores, and in winters like this, they could provide warm heating by spewing lava. There was truly nothing they couldn’t do.

‘They could probably even open a bottle cap.’

I had created this system based on the memory of people in my previous life clamoring that they would “pay a fortune just to have one more Worker Bug,” and people seemed to be adapting to it faster than I had expected.

‘Let’s just keep going like this.’

I felt like humming a tune.

* * *

Having arrived at the Dungeon, I took a large Nest Mana Stone and pressed it against the original Nest Mana Stone.

Vroooooom—

The Nest Mana Stone began to vibrate gently—

Swoosh—

And soon, they merged into one.

‘Good.’

Although it became one large Nest Mana Stone, there were two Nest Cores inside, allowing me to create two Rifts.

Rather than creating Rifts all over the place, this was the method I chose to utilize the existing facilities.

‘Now, shall we try connecting the dimension?’

Sliiiiide—

As I manipulated the mana, another wriggling band of light appeared in addition to the existing Mana Band pattern. Looking at that second band, I moved the mana to control the pattern of that band.

‘Tie it here like a ribbon…’

And the moment the shape was roughly set, the second band aligned with the Rift of the target dimension and began to stabilize.

And the moment that band stopped vibrating.

‘Open sesame.’

Baaaaang—!

Another Rift, connected to the Mana Stone, was created.

* * *

After composing myself for a moment, I sent the Observation Probe through the second Rift, as always.

‘Reconnaissance first.’

As I projected the screen of the reconnaissance probe in my mind, a scorching sun and vast, undulating golden waves entered my sight.

Because this Rift was none other than the [Desert].

“Sigh.”

A sigh escaped me. The maximum daytime temperature here exceeded 50 degrees, while at night it dropped close to 0 degrees. In terms of Earth, it was like the Sahara Desert.

It was the kind of place where I didn’t want to step outside for even a second.

‘I’ll endure it only because it’s a dimension overflowing with resources.’

But actually… if that was the case, I just didn’t have to go outside for a second. After all, the machines were planned to do all the dirty work.

‘Let’s see, is there an oasis or something that could be used as a starting point?’

As I flew the Observation Probe searching for a usable starting point, I was delighted to see a black pond boiling in the distance of the surface and hurried the probe forward.

Tiririri—

And upon reaching that pond.

“What is this?”

I was bewildered out loud.

“It’s oil?”

Truly, it was a place where resources were overflowing.