During the Crimson Vow's holiday, Mile travelled alone, without telling Reina and the other companions, to the ruins on this continent where the Little Mecha-Bird belonged. The only people accompanying her were her guide, Little Mecha-Bird, and Nanomachines, who were always sticking to her and were always everywhere. The method of movement was a special one that Mile only used when she was alone, and it was a cheating technique that involved "Changing the direction of gravity from vertical to horizontal and falling horizontally relative to the ground" which she didn't intend for Reina and the other companions to experience. …Yes, this was what was known as the "Cheating against gravity."
"I think we've almost traveled the distance we were told to..." (Mile)
[Heading 2.3 degrees starboard[1].] (Bird)
"Roger, 2.3 degrees starboard... hold and steady!" (Mile)
And then they flew (fell) for a while...
[There. In the shadow of that rocky mountain...] (Bird)
Apparently, there was a camouflaged entrance in the rocks ahead. Well, if humans were to find out, it would probably cause a lot of trouble, so it's only natural that they would hide it.
"So this is it... Wait, there's a greeting... Well, Little Mecha-Bird-chan does have communication capabilities, I guess..." (Mile)
Mile remembered what Little Mecha-Bird said the other day. It had been more than half a year since the Slow Walker obtained the means of intervening in the outside world—its limbs, the Scavengers, and a means of communication with the outside world—and learned that the Administrator (Mile) had lifted the restrictions on their range of movement, the scope of work they could do, and the number of robots that could be produced. ...Naturally, like a fish in water, they worked and created as much as they could. Preparing for the next global crisis. And to serve the Administrator (Mile)...
Thanks to the Little Mecha-Bird's behind-the-scenes work, Mile landed safely without being mistaken for an intruder and intercepted and was guided underground through a gap in the rocks by the robots—not Scavengers, but Mecha-Kobolds and Mecha Horned-Rabbits that appeared to be modeled after monsters—that greeted her. If their main role was to be used for unobtrusive surveillance and reconnaissance rather than as a work-use Scavenger, then it would certainly be logical to model them after monsters that could be found anywhere and pose little threat.
Mile thought that the Mecha Horned-Rabbit also had a cute appearance and that it could probably shoot beams from its horns. And of course, as a final weapon, it would surely fire horned-missiles[2]...
Mile said in her heart that the Mecha-Kobolds and Mecha Horned-Rabbits were cute, but this was merely a "considerate expression." As expected, the Mecha-Kobolds and Mecha Horned-Rabbits seemed to be designed by the same creator as the Mecha-Wolf and Little Mecha-Bird...
"Ah……" (Mile)
And then, Mile found it. Near the entrance, there was the Mecha-Wolf, glaring resentfully at Mile and Little Mecha-Bird... Mile gently lowered her face, and Little Mecha-Bird also pulled its head back and crawled into the nearly empty space. ...Actually, it seemed a little awkward...
[Administrator-sama, we welcome you!]
Compared to the slow walker (Slow Walker), Little Mecha-Bird's superior was at a much shallower depth.
"...Um, isn't this a bit too shallow to overcome a long period of time? How about intruders, tectonic movements..." (Mile)
Mile was the type of person who couldn't help but be bothered by things like this, so these were her first words.
[This is a facility for the Administrator-sama, built near the surface to make it easier for the Administrator-sama to visit. In addition to this command room, there are living quarters, food storage warehouses, and many other facilities. I am merely an input/output terminal here; my real body is located further underground. Of course, the regular battle command room is also located there.]
"Whaaaaat?!" (Mile)
...It seemed that the facilities on this floor were newly built for the convenience of Mile...or rather, simply to make it easier for Mile to come.
"...So, what is your relationship with the Slow Walker?" (Mile)
[We are both part of the same Time Traveler project, and are equal beings. This time, fulfilling the Creator-sama's orders and restoring myself and this base, which had been almost completely shut down, are now my top priority...]
"Ah, so there's a concept of 'debt' that comes from borrowing and lending... But, well, I guess you are equal in existence. So what is your relationship with me?" (Mile)
[As KANRISHASAMA, I am a Supreme Commander in this solar system.]
"Oh, ooh... Did you say, 'This solar system'...?" (Mile)
Mile had predicted it would be something like this planet, but it seemed a little larger.
[Yes, after the lost security satellite network is rebuilt, we plan to build bases on this planet's moon, other planets and their moons, and carry out various other activities within the solar system...]
"What?! I understand that we're preparing for a second invasion from another dimension, but isn't that something that only happens on this planet? Why on other planets..." (Mile)
Mile raised many questions, but she was told that because the ancient civilizations used various resources on this planet, it was difficult to efficiently mine large amounts of mineral resources. As long as the dwarves continued to mine it sparingly through open-cut mining, there were still a number of small veins with low metal content remaining, so it seemed like it would be no problem to support a civilization of this scale. However, it was something that the ancient civilizations ignored as being "Inefficient and unprofitable," and it seemed that it was not capable of supporting full-scale industrial development. Although it was possible to produce a small amount of weapons, armor, knives, pots, kettles, and other things, it would be difficult to develop heavy industry.
It seemed that if it was deep underground, it might still be there. However, it did not seem like it could be easily extracted by hand using primitive methods. The labor involved in mining and hauling. The high temperatures. The air pumping. The fracture zone. Certainly, this was not impossible for the Time Travelers and their minions, as they never tired, did not need air, and did not need profit. However, that didn't mean that they continued to mine more and more. The future for intelligent life on this planet was completely closed...
Suppose that to extract ordinary ores, it was necessary to dig from about 4,000 meters underground. Even today on Earth, no one would mine coal or iron ore from such depths, let alone gold or rare metals. It's not the length of the tunnel, but the depth that was several thousand meters. How long would the tunnel be? And there's no air and it's super hot. If the Time Travelers and their minions were to completely extract all the resources near the planet's surface, the people of this world would never be able to experience an Industrial Revolution.
"...So that's why you mine resources on other planets... Certainly, you don't need water or oxygen, you can withstand temperature changes, you can make repair parts and companions with resources mined locally, and you can procure power sources locally... You don't need to worry about the eyes of humans or the destruction of the environment..." (Mile)
Mile was convinced by the explanation given by the Time Traveler.
"Oh, that's right! Before we continue, there's something I want to ask you." (Mile)
[Yes, please ask.]
"What should I call you? 'Time Traveler' is the name given to all beings on the same level as you, right? I want you to tell me what to call you as an individual. The individual on the eastern continent is called the Slow Walker, but that's not really the individual's name. ...But it's become a name that's stuck in my mind..." (Mile)
[......]
The Time Traveler seemed to be deep in thought. And…….
[Please call me 'Administrator Mile-sama's number one servant!']
"Rejecteeeeeed!!" (Mile)
Author's Note
Announcement!
A spin-off comic of my work, "I'll Survive on Potions!", "Hanano and Lotte's Journey Together" (https://x.gd/hCuzu) by Sukima-sensei, the illustrator of the novel version... Currently serialized in the free web comic magazine "Wednesday Sirius" on Niconico Seiga... will be available for free from May 22nd in its entirety!
For those who missed it, take this chance to read all the way to the latest chapter!
Thank you very much! (^^ゞ
Translation Note
[1] In marine terms, port = left, starboard = right.
[2] 角ミサイル (kaku misairu) = horned missile, has the same pronunciation with 核ミサイル (kaku misairu) = nuclear missile.
Translator's Comment
And now, this becomes space Sci-Fi...
Fantasy in Sci-Fi's clothing.