Following Kizaki’s shocking statement, Hisayama called for a brief recess to settle the agitated attendees and reorganize the meeting. Ten minutes later, the participants returned to the conference room, having regained a measure of composure.
"Now then, let us resume the reports. We shall begin with the mithril-related projects."
"I will go first, if I may."
Prompted by Hisayama, a middle-aged man stood up. It was Hojo, the portly individual who had been part of the earlier dispute.
"I am Hojo. The project I oversee involves the development and utilization of superconducting transistors using mithril—specifically, the development of quantum computers."
"And the progress?"
"The progress itself is steady, aside from the chronic shortage of mithril supply. We have already completed several experimental models and are currently selecting which one will serve as the basis for our prototype."
"How are the experimental models performing?"
"With the successful development of our superconducting transistors, we have produced hardware boasting several thousand qubits. The processing speeds are incomparable to current supercomputers. However..."
Hisayama saw Hojo hesitate and prompted him to continue. "However?"
"To achieve this level of performance, we must use a substantial amount of pure mithril—not an alloy—to fabricate the transistors. Given the limited supply, we simply do not have enough pure mithril to build the prototype."
"..."
"Unless the supply increases, we will be forced to build a prototype using inferior superconducting transistors made from mithril alloys."
"How significant is the performance drop?" Hisayama asked.
"Assume the qubit count will drop by an order of magnitude. Even then, its processing power would be leagues beyond any existing supercomputer, but still..."
"I see. That is a truly regrettable compromise."
A single-digit drop in qubits meant an astronomical gap in computational power. It was agonizing to know the peak of technology was within reach, only to be forced to abandon it due to a lack of raw materials.
"But we cannot wring water from a stone," Hisayama said. "We have no choice but to proceed with the prototype using mithril alloys."
"I... understand."
"My apologies."
Hisayama lowered his eyes as he broke the news that no additional mithril would be forthcoming. Hojo let out a heavy sigh, finished his report, and sat down.
Once Hojo was seated, Miyazawa—the man with glasses who had been Hojo’s verbal sparring partner—stood up to begin his report.
"I am Miyazawa. My project focuses on the construction of power storage systems using mithril. We are currently building demonstration units for a flywheel system and a coil system, both utilizing mithril alloys."
"What are their respective capacities?"
"At the size of a standard shipping container, we are aiming for a storage capacity of 10,000 kWh for both."
At 10,000 kWh, a single unit could cover the daytime electricity needs of approximately 2,500 households. This would allow for a stable supply from renewable energy sources, like solar or wind, which were otherwise prone to fluctuations. Even if Core Crystal power generation became the norm, such systems would remain vital for backup power.
"Currently, we are building these systems with mithril alloys due to resource constraints. However, using pure mithril would allow for even greater improvements in density and capacity."
"I see. So we have arrived at the same resource issue once again."
"Unfortunately, yes. So... I assume the answer is the same?"
"Yes," Hisayama replied. "There will be no additional mithril."
Miyazawa followed Hojo’s example, letting out a sigh before returning to his seat.
Following them, other attendees in charge of mithril-related projects delivered their reports: superconducting motors, power transmission, power lines, and propulsion systems. While all projects were progressing smoothly, they were all plagued by the same fatal flaw: a lack of mithril.
Heavy, mournful sighs filled the conference room.
"Next, the reports for orichalcum-related projects," Hisayama said, shaking his head as if to cast off his lingering frustrations.
A tall young man stood up in response.
"I am Tajiri. My project involves research into an orbital elevator using orichalcum. As you are aware, orichalcum is a metallic material that is far sturdier than any existing substance. Its density is comparable to copper, but its tensile strength is hundreds of times greater than even carbon nanotubes—we are talking in the terapascal range. Even if processed into an ultra-thin ribbon and suspended from geostationary orbit, it would not snap under its own weight. With orichalcum, an orbital elevator is finally feasible."
The room buzzed with excitement at Tajiri’s words. The dawn of a true age of space exploration felt imminent. The orbital elevator, long dismissed as a pipe dream, was within their grasp. The attendees couldn't help but stir—until Tajiri spoke again with a look of mounting dread.
"However, there is a problem."
"And what is it?" Hisayama asked.
"The amount of orichalcum required to build an orbital elevator is nowhere near what we have available."
"Not again..."
Hisayama clutched his head as the attendees groaned. This wasn't a technical hurdle they could solve through effort or ingenuity; it was a pure matter of resource volume.
"To produce a 100,000 km ribbon cable, we would need roughly 5,000 tons of orichalcum."
"Five thousand... That is impossible. Securing such an amount is unthinkable under current conditions."
"We are, of course, developing orichalcum alloys to minimize usage, but they are significantly weaker than the pure metal. Given the safety requirements for an orbital elevator, the primary cable—the backbone of the entire structure—really should be made of pure orichalcum. It would drastically reduce the risk of a catastrophic collapse."
"I see."
The collapse of an orbital elevator would be a global nightmare. To mitigate that risk, pure orichalcum was a necessity. But acknowledging that necessity meant facing the resource crisis head-on. Tajiri sat down with a weary expression.
Hisayama massaged his temples. He had expected the situation to be difficult, but he hadn't realized the scarcity of fantasy metals was this crippling.
"Next... hihiirokane."
"Yes. I am Nanjo. My project focuses on using hihiirokane to improve existing internal combustion engines. We are currently working on increasing the operating temperatures for jet engines and gas turbines."
"And the status?"
"It is going well. Thermal efficiency has improved dramatically across the board. Furthermore, because we have to consider the tolerances of peripheral equipment, we haven't pushed the temperatures to extremes that would require pure metal. Using hihiirokane alloys provides more than enough performance and allows for a degree of mass production."
"Oh! Truly?"
Amidst the constant reports of shortages, this news was a ray of light for Hisayama. If alloys were sufficient, they could stretch their hihiirokane supplies much further.
"Yes. However, I must stress that this is merely an improvement of existing engines. We are not fully utilizing the inherent properties of the metal."
"I see..."
Hisayama’s brow furrowed. He felt as though he was being warned that the resource usage was only low because they were settling for modest improvements. As if to confirm this, another man stood up to replace Nanjo.
"I am Fukuhara. My project is the development of a new type of electric propulsion system for aircraft using hihiirokane."
"What is the situation?"
"Favorable. The propulsion system we are developing combines a compressor driven by a superconducting motor with a self-field coaxial MPD arcjet that uses hihiirokane for the cathode. We have completed an experimental unit that produces 2,000 kN of thrust with a 1,000 kW input."
"2,000 kN... That's 200 tons of thrust?"
"Yes. It uses the superconducting compressor to take in atmosphere, ionizes it with the MPD arcjet, and then uses Lorentz force to accelerate the exhaust. As long as power is supplied, it uses the air itself as fuel, meaning the cruising range is essentially unlimited."
The room erupted into a commotion at Fukuhara’s claim of unlimited range. Hisayama took a deep breath to steady his nerves before raising a question.
"The performance sounds incredible, but where is the power for such an engine coming from? It is extremely difficult for aircraft-mounted generators to produce power in the megawatt range."
"You are correct; that is the primary obstacle. Even using the superconducting storage systems mentioned earlier, we would only get a few hours of flight time at best."
"Then even if you complete it, is it not essentially useless?"
"Under current conditions, yes. However..."
Fukuhara operated his terminal, bringing up a video on the main monitor.
"This is a new type of thermoelectric conversion element currently under development in a separate project using hihiirokane."
"A thermoelectric conversion element?" Hisayama and the others tilted their heads, failing to see the connection.
"Traditional elements struggle to exceed 10% efficiency and are unsuitable for large-scale power. However, this new version using fantasy metals boasts a conversion efficiency of 99%. It requires pure mithril and pure hihiirokane, but it can operate across a vast range of temperatures, from ambient to ultra-high heat."
"What!?" the attendees shouted in unison.
"If we pair this element with Core Crystal power generation, we can develop a compact, ultra-high-output generator."
Fukuhara pulled up a conceptual diagram. It looked remarkably like a classic pressure cooker.
"By using an orichalcum pressure vessel with an adamantite coating, we can contain water and a Core Crystal. We maintain the water in a supercritical state, and once heat generation is confirmed, we extract electricity via the conversion elements. The orichalcum allows the vessel to be small and light despite the internal pressure, and the adamantite coating prevents corrosion from the supercritical fluid. We believe a unit the size of a household pressure cooker could generate roughly 10,000 kW."
"Is practical application in sight?"
"I cannot give a definitive timeline without building a full-scale prototype, but it is theoretically sound. However, because it requires fantasy metals..."
"Another resource shortage," Hisayama finished with a sigh. He looked around the room, and every attendee immediately looked away, sensing the weight of his gaze.
"I suppose we must put the generator on hold for now."
"It would seem so," Fukuhara agreed.
"Prepare everything so we can move to the prototype stage the moment materials become available. Sigh... I suppose I’ll have to launch yet another project."
Hisayama began mentally preparing for budget negotiations with the Ministry of Finance. The other attendees sighed as well, realizing a new rival had just appeared to compete for their precious metals.
"Wait, was your report finished?" Hisayama asked Fukuhara.
"Yes. We are also researching how to switch the propulsion system to ramjet or scramjet modes depending on speed. Once that is done, this could serve as an engine for a spaceplane."
"Again, provided we have the generator."
"Correct. With the engine and generator, a craft could take off from a standard airport, accelerate into orbit under its own power, operate in space, and then re-enter the atmosphere to land back where it started."
"I see... Then we really must develop that generator."
"Yes, sir."
Hisayama pressed his hand to his forehead to stave off a headache. Fukuhara sat down, and Hisayama called for the final report.
"Lastly, adamantite."
"I am Shinoyama. I oversee the development of adamantite coating technology."
"The status?"
"Proceeding perfectly. We have successfully produced adamantite foil and are now finalizing our plating techniques. We are on the verge of establishing several reliable methods."
"And the resource volume?"
"No issues there. While the total supply of adamantite is low, we use such a small amount per coating that it isn't a problem for us."
"I see."
Shinoyama sat back down. His project seemed to be the only one truly free of the resource crisis. Hisayama let out a sigh of relief and moved to close the meeting.
"Well then. Based on your reports, it is clear that our technological progress is excellent. Our only bottleneck is the acquisition of fantasy metals."
"Is there no way to increase the intake?" one attendee asked.
"Not at present. There are simply too few explorers capable of reaching the floors where these metals are found. If more private explorers rise through the ranks, the situation may change."
"But currently... that seems unlikely."
"Indeed. The entry restrictions have helped private explorers reach deeper levels, but it will likely be months before they reach the floors we need. Until then, mass production is out of the question."
The attendees let out sighs of resignation.
"Ensure your projects are ready for immediate mass production the moment the materials arrive. We cannot afford to let other nations overtake us in this field."
"Yes, sir!" the room replied.
With Hisayama's closing words, the attendees filed out of the room. Left alone, Hisayama took a sip of his cold coffee and exhaled slowly.
"'Cannot wring water from a stone,' indeed... Good grief. For a national project, we're being remarkably stingy."