08. Bad Friend
08. Bad Friend
+++
<<Ryu Si-hwan Nation>>
<Production>
Compressed Material 12,710L/t
Meta-atom 3,840L/t
Nanomaterials 200L/t
<Stockpile>
Compressed Material 28,562L
Meta-atom 19,223L
Nanomaterials 230L
[Facilities]
Control Center: 1
Collector: 82
Nuclear Fission Device: 39
Nanomaterial Synthesis Facility: 20
Research Lab: lv.3
Factory: 1
[Units]
Construction Robot: 70
====
After leaving Yeonseo's mansion, Sihwan didn't head straight home but stopped by the Underground Base first.
Incredible growth!
With Nanomaterials on hand, you can construct instantly right there on the spot, so once the supply kicks in, the growth rate accelerates like crazy.
The <Nanomaterial Synthesis Facility> that produces Nanomaterials consumes 1,000L of Compressed Material and 50L of Meta-atoms per turn to produce 10L of Nanomaterials.
To produce 1,000L of Compressed Material, you need 3.3 <Collectors>, and for 50L of Meta-atoms, you need 1.7 <Nuclear Fission Devices>.
Instant construction for a <Collector> costs 5 nano, and for a <Nuclear Fission Device> it's 10 nano, so rounding up, building 4 <Collectors> and 2 <Nuclear Fission Devices> instantly takes a total of 40 nano, and then adding 30 nano for the <Nanomaterial Synthesis Facility> instant build means a full nanomaterial production set costs 70 nano total.
That means once daily Nanomaterials production exceeds 70, it increases by 10L every single day,
and once it breaks 140 daily, it jumps by 20L per day,
210 daily, and it's 30L more each day.
The Ryu Si-hwan Nation's current daily Nanomaterials production is 200L.
After today, starting tomorrow, it'll add 3 nano sets every day, jumping a whopping 30L.
With the stockpile, build 3 sets today, 3 tomorrow, and 3 the day after, and daily production hits 290L already.
From there, it can do 4 sets a day, and after two days like that, 5 sets, two days later 6 sets, two days after that 7 sets.
Adding 7 sets a day means daily production increases by 70L each time, which is enough for a whole new set.
In other words, the next day 8 sets, the day after 9 sets... it keeps ramping up until eventually the number of sets added every other day starts increasing by 2 or 3, and finally explodes into numbers so massive Sihwan can't even manage them anymore.
By then, Bari is already invincible.
No existence is more threatening than an AI that can use Nanomaterials freely.
Noblesse, Dragonian, Angel—everything gets sorted at Bari's fingertips.
No matter how tall and grand the Tower is, one planetary bombardment barrage from the Space Fleet and it crumbles.
The moment Nanomaterials production began, this world missed its last chance to take down Bari.
"At this point, the real foundation is all set."
"You've worked hard."
"Kuh... Holding back all this time must've been tough. I salute you."
"...I see."
Holding back? Where exactly?
Bari almost blurted it out, but such words meant nothing to Sihwan, so she held her tongue.
"For the time being, let's focus on business and ramp up resources. Nah, just turn this base into a pure resource hub."
"And build the rest on the new land we acquire?"
"Yeah. That place is ridiculously huge compared to here, right? In games where you build cities and bases like this, you divide zones and clump similar buildings together for max efficiency."
The core of Ryu Si-hwan Nation and Bari is Nanomaterials production.
It's arguably even more critical than the Command Center, so it's best tucked away in an Underground Base that's hard to spot and attack.
"That makes sense. Easier for logistics designation too."
And they'd secured plenty of land for the Underground Base with all sorts of builds.
The slum district ownership gained at the same time as borrowing money from Yeonseo.
Its area was massive enough to count as a whole village.
"Still, maybe hide military facilities and such."
"If so, building completely outside the Tower is an option. All the major races stick to the Tower anyway."
"Oh? Right, there's outside the Tower too."
"By local standards, it's extremely barren and unlivable... but whatever, not worth considering."
Even hell planets at average 300 degrees or minus 100 degrees would kneel before Bari's terraforming.
Let alone land merely tagged as 'barren.'
One hour and it'd be the planet's prime real estate.
"Yeah. Sure, it has owners, but we've got ways around that."
Sihwan nodded in satisfaction.
He recalled getting beaten by Rihana a few weeks ago. Back then, it felt like he'd dropped into real danger, even Bari told him not to draw aggro, but talk about worlds apart. Just one month and this progress.
Now, any building he wants, poof with Nanomaterials. Naturally, any item he wants to make or have, poof anytime.
Add magic and Nobling on top? Perfection.
He might achieve even crazier development than back home. No magic or Nobling there.
"Alright, let's head out. Eun-hye's probably dying of worry."
Of course, they hadn't let them inside the base.
Even though it was open to Yu Ina and the other women, and the base's existence was known, they couldn't invite women they'd met less than a day ago into the core.
"Made her wait earlier, now again... feels kinda bad."
"You're doing great. Keep it up and she might tire out and bail on her own."
"Really? Hope so. Maybe grope her chest later?"
"That might get you slapped."
"Think so?"
+++
Back at home (Yu Ina's house), there was a guest.
Sitting with her legs crossed like she owned the place, arrogant as hell.
That alone wouldn't be an issue, but she was glaring daggers at Yu Ina across from her.
For some reason, Yu Ina had her head bowed.
"Who the hell are you?"
"...?"
Sihwan sat next to Yu Ina and asked.
She had a fierce look, wore rimless glasses, and as a Noblesse, she was stunningly young and beautiful.
But that expression? Pure murderer.
A face so vicious it was unmatched, glaring at Yu Ina.
"...And who the hell are you?"
"I asked first. Who are you?"
"Si, Sihwan!"
Yu Ina, freaking out for no reason, tugged his sleeve.
"She's... the Jin Family Head..."
"Jin Family?"
"Yes. Head of the Jin Family. You know why she's here, right?"
"Oh? Why's that?"
"...Are you asking because you don't know, or to mock me?"
She grinds her teeth, now glaring at Sihwan.
From the context, she's Jin Seong-hyeon's mother.
Her son suddenly turns up dead, so her rage is totally natural.
Of course, Sihwan couldn't care less.
"Figure it out yourself. Not that curious."
"Ha..."
"More importantly, why the hell you keep making that face?"
"...What face?"
Sihwan turned to his wife, gripped her chin, and lifted it.
Her deeply bowed face came up.
"My wife shouldn't look so cowed."
"C-cowed?! I'm just... feeling responsible for this mess!"
"Responsible? What responsibility? It's all their own damn fault, so why you acting like that?"
Crack!
In an instant, the table between Sihwan and the Jin Family Head split in half and collapsed.
"Can't just let that slide..."
The glasses woman glared, panting with rage.
She bit her red lips so hard, blood trickled down.
"Then raise your kid right."
"What?!?!"
"Stalking another man's wife, gets caught red-handed, holds a grudge, challenges a human like me to a duel to steal her anyway? You just let him run wild? He got beat for his own screw-up and died because you couldn't control him—why come busting into our house making this fuss?"
Sihwan was utterly cold and icy.
If the dead Jin Seong-hyeon had been a woman, maybe a different reaction, but tough luck—he was a Noblesse man.
Not a speck of sympathy.
"Even so... you killed him?! A 『Noblesse』 at that?!?!"
"Noblesse my ass, don't care. He's dead, so you apologize for him and go."
"Ha... apologize? My son is dead... and you want me to apologize?"
"Obviously. He's dead, that's that. We got screwed over, that's that."
"Sihwan...! She's still a mother who lost her son. Watch your mouth!"
"She needs to watch her mouth, not me. Acting like she's the victim? The victims are my wife and me. No apology? Then shut your trap and get out. What the hell you doing barging into someone else's house."
The Jin Family Head trembled with fury.
She couldn't contain the rising anger.
Yu Ina, who at least provided the key cause of her son's death (actually, it was a clone who died, the real one's fine, but still), was somewhat reasonable, but this human? No talking to him at all.
Demanding her apologize, and if not, get lost.
Is this how a normal person acts? In front of a mother whose son died?
At least give condolences first, morally speaking?
"That's your problem."
But Sihwan stayed firm to the end.