Chapter 132

Chapter 132

#132. Mobile Knight Pluto (2)

Right now, the Northern Region of the Republic of Lenslet had a problem: there were no problems.

The threat of barbarians, the harsh cold, the fear of disease, and hunger had all disappeared.

Now the North was as safe as any other region in Arcadia, where at most threats came from wild beasts, bandits, goblins, or kobolds.

Naturally, this led to an increase in income and population.

People had more leisure time, but lacked ways to spend it.

How else would they end up collecting Eastern porcelain, which is less pretty and more fragile than our own blue-and-white ceramics, as luxury items?

“Definitely, if we leave things as they are, we’ll rot from within. The barely-contained inflation will explode.”

They say maintaining something is harder than conquering it.

Airships and giant soldier production are important, but internal governance matters too.

“I need to boost our soft power.”

“Soft power? What’s that?”

“Ah, it’s about cultural victory.”

“??”

“Cultural victory! If we’re gonna pull off legendary lines like ‘You guys know this, right?’ at some grand opening ceremony in the future, we gotta prepare now.”

“Grand…what?”

The solution to Lensretians’ current problem is super simple.

Just give them healthy ways to spend their money.

And nothing burns through cash faster than diving deep into fandoms.

“After finishing your meal, tell the staff to prep the Golden Carriage for maintenance. Also inform Sir Valkyrie that we’ll be departing soon.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be heading to High City next week.”

“Suddenly?”

“Our priorities have shifted.”

Perhaps Mary didn’t expect me to move so proactively; her face was painted with confusion.

“What about the magic circuits, airships, and Pluto?”

“The designs are all done. From here on out, it’s just a matter of manpower and time. As long as I drop by occasionally for inspections, we’ll be fine.”

“But…”

She glanced around the dining hall.

Inside were Lensretian magicians and mages involved in airship and magic circuit production, enjoying their meals.

“Our magicians and mage engineers are super smart. With the blueprint, they can handle most things on their own. We also have magic communication devices, so they can contact us instantly if anything comes up.”

As I explained, all the major setups were complete.

“Of course, this is thanks to yours truly, the max-level master of production and manufacturing, eliminating the need for further R&D.”

All that’s left is executing mass production.

Mass-producing magic circuits and airships, preparing for mass production of giant soldiers, these are all issues of time.

After all, we only need around twenty Plutos for now, so it’s not even proper mass production.

“The current priority isn’t the giant soldiers but rather mass production of magic circuits for airships, factories, and power plants.”

And as mentioned earlier, this is a matter of manpower and time.

There’s nothing I can do immediately about this.

It’s a domain of expertise and experience that frontline workers need to develop themselves through practice.

“Hmm… If everything was ready, why haven’t you come to High City until now?”

At that moment, Ariana, who looked exactly like Mary, asked with a piercing gaze.

“Well…”

Well… Just as I was about to head over, you showed up here instead?

“…Didn’t I say? Our priorities have changed. Ideally, I’d like to stay here and wrap things up properly, but there’s a more pressing issue elsewhere.”

“…”

I deliberately avoided Mary’s eyes, which were brimming with suspicion.

“Mary, good job today. After finishing the instructions I just gave, you can go home.”

Holding my empty plate, I stood up and announced dismissal.

“Huh? It’s still evening.”

Mary blinked, clearly surprised by what she heard.

Arad Shipyard was currently in a race against time, so overtime work was standard, and all-nighters were frequent.

“There are days when we take it easy too.”

“Are… Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“I’m perfectly healthy.”

Anyway, all urgent tasks here were done.

‘This is a cliché! An otherworldly cultural hero cliché!’

My attention has already shifted to the ongoing issue in High City.

“…So you’re planning to create something alone again?”

“Correct.”

“What kind of thing…?”

“Um… How about comics?”

“Comics…? What’s that?”

Whether she understands or not, I continued explaining.

“Yes. It’s about time we start adding comics to Arad Post. By the way, wasn’t Arad Entertainment pretty idle lately?”

She responded, “Yes. Sales of portraits aren’t as good as before…”

“Tell them they’ll be busy again soon.”

“?”

Still confused, Mary furrowed her brows as I turned away and looked towards the hangar where Mobile Knight Pluto was located.

There’s a great source for fandom right there.

* * *

Republic of Lenslet.

Capital: High City.

I quickly traveled from Jin Viscountcy to High City aboard the Golden Carriage.

Upon arriving at the group headquarters in High City’s workshop district, I bypassed all welcoming ceremonies and got straight to business.

I immediately summoned executives from Arad Entertainment and Arad Media upon arrival.

“This is the goldmine that will sustain you moving forward.”

In front of the summoned executives, I unveiled the works I created on the way here.

First, I presented a thirty-centimeter robot toy.

“This knight armor design is new to me.”

And these executives, encountering such a concept for the first time, couldn’t even comprehend it as a robot.

This world doesn’t even have the concept of robots yet.

“Um… Strictly speaking, calling it knight armor isn’t entirely wrong. Mobile Suit… No, no, it’s called Knight Suit Pluto.”

Their interpretation wasn’t entirely incorrect either.

Considering that the powered exoskeleton operated directly by a pilot could be seen as more accurate than calling it a robot.

“Boys will probably like it a lot.”

“True. Even I, as an adult, can’t stop staring and my heart races. Imagine how crazy kids would go for it.”

Director Te and the executives gazed at the Pluto robot toy I made inside the carriage with bright eyes.

Due to the era’s limitations, instead of plastic, the robot was made from wood and metal, making it sturdy but heavy.

Which also meant it was quite expensive.

‘These days people complain about having nowhere to spend their money, leading to gambling, drinking, and inflation problems? Well, let’s make them regret saying that.’

By the way, this project won’t just happen in the Northern Region.

It’s on a continental scale.

‘Injecting industrialization into the Empire and Kingdom Alliance was a good decision.’

Industrialization has officially begun in the Empire.

Industrialization in the Kingdom Alliance will start soon too.

Before long, similar social phenomena to those in the Northern Region will occur in the Empire and Kingdoms.

Sure, unlike the North, the Empire and Kingdoms have entertainment options like literature, theaters, and arenas, but compared to a modern person like me, it’s all the same.

‘Warfare and airship production have been costing a fortune lately, but this is great timing.’

The industrialization across all of Arcadia aligns with my goals.

Just because a place has a large population and resources doesn’t automatically make it an attractive consumer market. Africa on Earth is a prime example.

‘Industrialization means the emergence of a consumer class with stable jobs and incomes.’

If only Lenslet industrializes alone, it’s dangerous.

It wouldn’t be able to sustain the goods and currency it produces.

‘Thanks to the Crown Prince Supervisor, the labor environment in this world has become slightly tougher than China or Mexico. Still better than during Earth’s Industrial Revolution era. Meaning a significant consumer class with purchasing power has emerged in the Empire.’

The Empire is now both a production base and a consumer market.

Jingle jangle.

The sound of gold coins falling echoes in my ears.

Swoosh swoosh…

Then the sound of counting banknotes followed.

Once everyone seemed to have finished inspecting the toy Pluto, I turned my gaze to one of the executives summoned here.

“Arad Post.”

“Yes, Petro, President of Arad Media.”

The executive I called out was both the editor-in-chief of Arad Post and president of Arad Media.

Currently, he’s also the most famous and popular division executive in the entire Arad Group.

“How’s everything going?”

“If you’re referring to Arad Post, it’s excellent. We might even be able to start daily publications soon.”

“Let’s hold off on daily newspapers until the magical communication network and roads are fully completed. Use this time to further train your journalists.”

“Understood.”

Lenslet’s transportation and communication infrastructure still isn’t fully developed yet. Therefore, publishing every three days like Bishop Times in the Empire is more effective.

Even that brings immense joy to the people of Lenslet in discovering the world.

“In any case, starting next week, insert this into Arad Post.”

I handed a thick booklet to Petro, who handles Arad Post.

“What is this?”

“It’s new content to bring joy to the Lensretians alongside the newspaper.”

“But printing illustrations this detailed and colorful will be difficult.”

“We’ll support you with the technology used for printing banknotes, so don’t worry.”

“Sir? Is this illustration book really worth all that trouble?”

“Illustration book? Call it Comics! Manga! And set the advertising fees for pages with this manga at three times the usual rate.”

“Three, three times?!”

“To cover the cost of color printing.”

“Is this really that amazing?”

“Have I ever done anything that wasn’t impressive?”

“Apologies!”

Leaving behind Petro, who still doesn’t fully grasp the value of this new media, I called out another summoned executive.

“Arad Entertainment.”

“Yes! Kanu, President of Arad Entertainment.”

“You should check this out too. This is a piece that needs completion by the artists working at Arad Entertainment.”

Kanu, the president of Arad Entertainment, was once a renowned northern artist known not just for his artistic skills but also his business acumen, which led to his promotion as a division executive.

“Whoa…!”

Being both an artist and a savvy businessman, he immediately entered a state of intense focus with wide eyes.

Maybe the sparks of artistic inspiration are firing wildly in his mind right now.

A stark contrast to Petro, who still wears an expression of “What is this?”

“This is a rough draft. Mostly storyboards with just sketches and basic coloring for the first episode.”

“Is this considered rough?!”

“I’ve meticulously planned the settings and plot, so there shouldn’t be any issues while working on it.”

Listening to my words, the president of Arad Entertainment, Kanu, opened his mouth wide.

I understand. My MAX-level drawing skills mean that even rough sketches reach the level of professional illustrators.

Anyway, I’ve drawn the first episode and planned out the entire series, considering my part done.

“I’ll fully transfer this to Arad Entertainment. Take it back and start copying.”

“Yes! Understood!”

“Don’t stress too much. Just follow this, exactly as it is. Contact me directly via magical communicator if any issues arise.”

Unexpectedly receiving full attention from me, the group chairman, Kanu involuntarily swallowed hard.

“Oh! One more thing.”

“Yes? Yes!”

“There’s something called merchandise business.”

“Is this about that toy?”

“That’s part of it, but I don’t plan to sell just toys.”

“Then…?”

“Take a look at the comic and you’ll see. Food eaten by the protagonist, clothes worn, armor, etc…”

“!!”

“Do you get it?”

“But, as president of an entertainment company, I deal with clothing and armor…?”

“The actual drawing will be handled by Arad Entertainment’s staff, right? As president, you should only be involved in reviews and approvals.”

“I see!”

“As president, you have other duties. You need to visit our affiliate factories and collaborate on merchandise production. That’s your job.”

“Of course, sir!”

Something, another massive something, began to stir in the north.