How does one describe a strategy that uses money and magic to dominate so thoroughly? Whether you call it a "pay-to-win" or a "cheat run," it transforms the streets of Mynoghra in the blink of an eye. Amidst the unnaturally twisted forest, warped by the effects of the cursed land, a bizarrely designed cityscape suddenly appears, along with mountains of gold coins piled up everywhere as if daring someone to complain. The two made for a rare pair as they walked the streets, observing it all.
"Still... when buildings increase all at once like this, it even gives the feeling of having arrived in an entirely different city."
"That's what happens when you build everything you can get your hands on, regardless of the facility's purpose."
One was Elder Mortar. The other was Takuto Ira. They were currently checking the operational status of the facilities they had just constructed and giving detailed instructions to the citizens assigned to them.
The question of why they were inspecting the buildings only after constructing them naturally crossed everyone's minds, but the speed of construction—powered by an overwhelming abundance of mana—had been even faster. As for Atou, who was usually present, she was currently occupied elsewhere, surveying the city's outer perimeter. Takuto wanted to go with her, but with neither the time nor the manpower to spare, he couldn't afford to make such selfish requests.
=Eterpedia===
**Training Grounds** (Building)
New unit experience gain: +2
The Training Grounds are a necessary facility for building a nation's military strength.
When a new unit is produced, it grants experience points, enabling faster upgrades.
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**Learning Facility** (Building)
National magic power production: +5%
National crime rate: -5%
Learning institutions are facilities that teach scholarship to the populace.
By conveying the norms of society, they also have the effect of reducing crime rates.
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[Living Reed]Building
Defense +10%
Additional Damage +1
Living Reeds are a unique facility of Mynoghra, serving as an alternative to stone walls.
In addition to normal functions, during city defense, they deal +1 damage to enemy units.
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"Training Grounds""Learning Institution""Living Reed". These, along with the "Market", were the newly constructed facilities.
Every building that could currently be created had already been completed via emergency production, and operations had begun.
Given the current abundance of gold coins, why had construction not progressed beyond this? There was one reason.
"I suppose further progress requires research into new technologies. We must stop here for now."
Even the cheat playstyle, which leveraged the "Mana" obtainable in exchange for surplus gold coins, had its limits.
That limit was research and technology. With the technology Mynoghra currently possessed as a nation, these buildings were the maximum that could be constructed.
Naturally, no means existed in the present situation to complete research in an instant.
It could be said that the next facility would remain out of reach until some new technology was acquired.
"I see. Since construction of residences and such has largely settled down, we have diverted the personnel allocated to that towards research. Labor such as food production has also been entrusted to the Pseudo-Humans the King created, so we expect research speed to increase beyond what it was before."
"Yes, the knowledge base is important. Let's just keep entrusting simple tasks to the Pseudo-Humans."
As with other buildings, residences and farmlands that were previously under construction were now complete.
With the completion of these buildings, the production of Pseudo-Humans, a species unique to Mynoghra, has also begun. Currently, they only perform tasks like tending farmland and producing food, but considering they aren't tying up the hands of the Dark Elves—the knowledge class—one could say they are working sufficiently. Furthermore, with the Learning Facility providing education for children, it could be said that a sustainable form for the nation has finally been established.
"However, even with so many different buildings created, this inexhaustible gold remains... I do hope no one gets any unnecessary ideas."
While walking down the road extending from the city center, Old Mortar looks up at the mountain of gold coins with a look of resignation. It is only natural to be exasperated by the sheer quantity, which ignores the very concept of economics, but he was thinking about what might happen if word of this situation ever leaked out.
In the world of the Eternal Nations, of course, but even in this world, gold is an exceedingly precious resource that many people desperately seek. Common thieves would likely perish from the miasma of the cursed land before ever reaching the city, but it would be troublesome if the Holy Kingdom of Quolia or similar powers were to get any funny ideas.
He had briefly considered converting it all into "Mana," but it seemed that due to some restriction, the nation could not currently hold such a large quantity of "Mana," resulting in this bizarre situation. A mountain of gold, seemingly infinite, in a country where the King of Ruin sits enthroned. It was a setting like a cheap fairy tale or fable, but actually seeing it was deeply unsettling. Especially if you were among those tasked with guarding it...
"That is precisely why the expansion of our military force is an urgent matter."
Old Mortar nods at his lord's words. What Takuto had prepared using "Mana" was not limited to buildings alone. The elite forces that the nation called Mynoghra took pride in were being produced in such abundance that it could almost be called neurotic.
=Eterpedia===
[Head-Hunting Insect] Combat Unit
Combat Strength: 5, Movement: 2
"Scout""Evil"
Anti-human combat +20%
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~~Swift feet traverse foul paths, keen eyes survey distant horizons.
And that scythe harvests heads.
The insect that has grown large is now a threat that cannot be ignored~
The Headhunter Insect is a combat unit unique to Mynoghra.
In addition to its abilities as a scout, it possesses a bonus against specific races.
Production is possible through the unlocking of "Advanced Hunting" and upgrading from the experienced "Stilt Insect."
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=Eterpedia===
[Brain Eater] Medic Unit
Combat Power: 3 Movement: 1
"Medic""Evil"
Anti-human combat +50%
Anti-human treatment +50%
Human city stability +50%
―――
~~Human! Human! Human! ~~
The Brain Eater serves as a replacement unit for the "Medic" class within Mynoghra.
It possesses the ability to heal allied units in the same stack each turn as a basic function.
Moreover, with their strong obsession toward humans, they possess powerful bonuses against humans and demi-humans, who are closely related species.
However, deploying them in Mynoghra, where the human species does not exist, requires special strategies, making their operational difficulty quite high.
---Eterpedia---
[Giant Flytrap Grass]Combat Unit
Combat Power: 5 Movement: 0
"Man-Flesh Devourer""Wicked"
Defense Bonus: +25%
*This unit cannot attack
~Long ago, there was a greedy plant that wished to eat even the largest flies.
Now it specializes exclusively in humans.~
The Giant Flytrap Grass is a combat unit specialized for defense.
It cannot move from the city or attack on its own, but it can receive higher bonuses than normal based on the city's defensive capabilities.
It also has the characteristic of having extremely low maintenance costs.
Neck-Hunting Insect ×3 units
Long-Legged Insect ×28 units
Brain Eater x15 units
Giant Flytrap x30 units
This was the defensive combat power currently swarming Mynoghra's city.
While common soldiers still couldn't be produced due to the need for sustaining food supplies and the populace to originate them from, the rest of their forces numbered in excess.
At the very least, if they remained cooped up in the city for a pure defense, reducing this number wouldn't be easy.
"However, how should I put this... one can sense an absolute resolve to exterminate humanity."
"It's rather convenient to have a type advantage against humans..."
Pulling the reference documents from his pocket once more and examining them, old Mortar paled at their savage abilities.
Still, this was largely due to the inherent bias of being Mynoghra, so there was little that could be done about it...
In any case, the virtual enemy nations currently identified were the Holy Kingdom of Quolia and the Elven El-Nar Spirit Contract Union.
Against those opponents, their abilities were truly perfect.
But it didn't end there.
There was a significant possibility that unknown forces, like the Brave Questus Demon Lord's Army, could emerge.
"Still, it's not nearly enough. You two have important work as well. When it comes to combat power, perhaps my side is the more crucial one."
"This, perhaps?"
A grin spread across old Mortar's face at those words. He drew a single book from his coat and showed it to Takuto.
It was a handmade, rough volume—just a stack of papers bound with string, with no cover.
Yet both of them understood that the information contained within that book held value incomparable to its appearance.
"The divine realm is truly magnificent. War... killing people, can be systematized to this extent."
It was a "warfare manual" that Takuto had urgently produced.
A beginner's textbook compiled by extracting and distilling the essential elements of warfare from the many books of various nations throughout history and across the globe.
A volume containing the accumulated sins of the world—a book so thoroughly comprehensive that even the most uneducated reader could conduct a proper war by studying it to the very end.
What he had handed to old Mortar was something Takuto and Atou had painstakingly stayed up through the night transcribing from countless books, copying down only the necessary information.
Takuto had even suffered a fever from the exertion—something he hardly ever experienced—yet judging from old Mortar's manner of carrying the volume with him everywhere, never letting it out of his sight, the effort had certainly not been in vain.
"However, Your Majesty, all of these advanced ideas—frightening, one might even say—what manner of place is this land of the gods, precisely..."
"Well, it's a strange place. Whether it's comfortable to live in... I couldn't say."
"I see... Is that so."
Takuto deliberately gave an evasive answer to old Mortar's words.
He could teach him to some degree about the world of the living, but only so much.
Since Takuto had already explained that world as a land of the gods, he couldn't very well reveal much more than that.
"Putting that aside—how is it? Think you'll be able to learn it?"
"To some degree. Right now I am locked in a fierce struggle with Gear and Emuru, as it were. However, since these are entirely unknown techniques, it will not happen overnight..."
"That's about what I expected."
Future technologies and concepts were complex and far-reaching.
Even if handed something abruptly, one could not put it to immediate use, and in a world where concepts of magic and racial characteristics already existed, the information would need to be broken down into its constituent elements and reconstructed from the ground up.
That said, this information would undoubtedly transform Mynoghra.
The blood spilled and the bodies piled up were of a different order entirely.
The vengeful cries of the dead whispered through the pages, demanding that comrades be handed over.
Takuto, conversely, was eloquent even without Atou present, readily exchanging words. What feelings lay hidden within his heart as he cheerfully answered old Mortar's questions one after another?
A thundering sound shook the earth.
The sound grew louder as the two approached the drill ground.
The death technology which the world called the Divine Kingdom had purchased with countless years and lives.
The lid of hell was quietly opening, seeking new victims.