I sat in my mansion and pondered.
Did the villagers think I was some sort of loose cannon who would just fly off the handle without thinking?
Surely that wasn't it?
Was it really?
Had they simply wanted to settle this whole matter before it could trouble me?
While I was grateful for that sentiment, I still wished they had consulted me first.
I certainly felt a sense of relief after seeing that footage, but looking back on it now, I couldn't help but wonder if the people living in that castle were all right, or if destroying those mines was a terrible waste.
In particular, was it really acceptable to have just melted down an entire mountain range?
Wouldn't that change the climate or something?
Those were the sorts of things I worried about.
However, even if they had consulted me, the villagers' opinion—that retaliation was an absolute necessity—wouldn't have changed.
If we didn't strike back decisively now, the children would only be targeted again in the future.
Since I agreed with them on that point, I wasn't going to complain to Hakuren or Zabuton.
Instead, I apologized for making them feel like they had to walk on eggshells around me.
Besides, the fact that they hadn't changed their usual behavior at all was truly impressive.
And here I thought I’d been keeping a close eye on everyone.
Kuroichi.
You, on the other hand, were an open book.
You were being so reserved about everything.
Whenever it was time for pets, you’d slink to the back of the line.
You were even keeping your distance from me.
I didn't know the specifics at the time, but I certainly noticed you were hiding something.
I was a bit worried, but so it was about Alfred and the others after all.
I'm sorry.
Alfred and Urza probably asked you to keep it a secret, didn't they?
There, there. I'll give you a very thorough scratching.
Do you like it on your sides?
Right here?
Is this the spot?
Hahaha.
Kuroichi’s partner, Alice, also looked relieved.
I made you worry as well, Alice.
Wait your turn, now.
You're after Kuroichi.
For now, I'm going to spoil him.
The next day.
I carved a Statue of the Creator God and the God of Agriculture to be displayed inside Alfred's House.
Along with those, I made a Statue of Kuroichi to serve as a guardian for Alfred and the others.
Since they were small, all three could easily be carried together.
I planned to ask Beezel to transport them the next time he visited.
It was time for a change of pace.
The term "golem" refers to an object made of earth, stone, or other materials that is animated by Magic Power.
While humanoid shapes were the standard, other forms existed as well.
Generally speaking, there were two main types of golems.
The Instant Creation Type and the Pre-assembled Type.
The advantage of the Instant Creation Type was its superior utility and ease of storage.
Since you could manifest them in whatever shape the situation required and simply dispel them once the job was done, they were incredibly convenient.
Furthermore, the more skilled the caster, the more complex the commands they could execute.
The downsides were that they were technically very difficult to manifest and required a massive amount of Magic Power.
Because of that, there weren't many people capable of using them.
It seemed Tia was quite a rare talent.
The advantage of the Pre-assembled Type was that they consumed far less Magic Power.
The disadvantage was the sheer hassle of having to transport them to wherever they were needed.
Since golems were universally heavy, this was a significant burden.
Furthermore, because they were built with a specific purpose in mind, they were ill-suited for unexpected situations.
They were also difficult to program for complex actions.
Simple tasks were usually their limit.
Digging holes or crushing rocks, for instance.
Apparently, even ordering one to "carry these bags" was cutting it close.
Despite having quite a few weaknesses, the vast majority of golems in the world were of the Pre-assembled Type.
Their primary use was as defensive forces.
They were frequently employed as automated traps to eliminate anyone who trespassed into a specific area.
As it happened, one of those pre-assembled golems was sitting right in front of me.
It wasn't humanoid.
It was in a shape that was hard to categorize.
It looked something like a box with a rod attached to it.
One of the Mountain Elves began to explain.
"The elements that make up a golem are broadly divided into four parts:
The Power Source, the Command Receiver, the Movable Parts, and the Brain."
The Power Source was exactly what it sounded like.
It was the source of the energy that moved the golem, usually Magic Power or Magic Stones.
In the case of pre-assembled types, Magic Stones were most common.
The Command Receiver was the part that gave orders to the golem.
To put it simply, it was a switch.
There were many varieties; some used physical switches, while others responded to visual or auditory cues.
The Movable Parts were the sections of the golem that actually moved.
On a humanoid type, these would be the limbs.
This was the part that dictated the golem’s function.
The final component, the Brain, was where the golem’s actions were memorized.
For example: when the switch is flipped, move the rod.
When the switch is flipped again, stop the rod.
The more a golem was taught, the more it could do, but since Magic Stones were also used for the brain, teaching it more required a larger, more expensive stone.
The Magic Stones for the power and the brain were often shared, which was apparently why the pre-assembled types were restricted to such simple movements.
The golem before me—the box with the rod—likewise used a small Magic Stone and was only capable of basic actions.
One of the Mountain Elves placed a coin in front of the box.
A Small Copper Coin.
The golem didn't react.
The elf removed the Small Copper Coin and replaced it with a Medium Copper Coin.
Still, the golem didn't react.
The elf removed the Medium Copper Coin and replaced it with a Large Copper Coin.
The golem’s rod moved.
The elf removed the Large Copper Coin and replaced it with a Silver Coin.
The golem’s rod moved again, then returned to its original position.
"Do you understand now?"
I nodded at the elf's question.
It was apparently a golem that raised its rod only in response to a Large Copper Coin.
"So what?"
I didn't say anything like that.
I could see the potential in this golem.
The Mountain Elves felt it too.
Three days later.
The Slider-type Coin Counter was complete.
When you poured coins down the slider, golems calibrated to respond to Small Copper Coins, Medium Copper Coins, Large Copper Coins, Silver Coins, and Gold Coins would count them.
At the same time, it was a brilliant machine that sorted the coins into separate piles.
It was designed to reject anything that wasn't a coin, so it wouldn't accidentally count trash as money.
We had run about two hundred tests so far, and it hadn't made a single counting error.
Three more days passed.
We had a vending machine.
Or rather, a Vending Machine Golem.
It counted the coins inserted through the Slider-type Coin Counter and dispensed the corresponding product and change based on which button was pressed.
It was a truly fine piece of engineering.
"Village Head, we'll need a display area for the products."
"Good point."
We made further improvements to the Vending Machine Golem.
And so, we finally finished our masterpiece. However...
When I showed it to Tia and the others, they called it a frivolous waste of technology.
When they argued that you could just hire a person to do the same job... I was at a loss for words.
It was true that while the golem was relatively cheap to build, it still cost more than just hiring someone.
Even small Magic Stones were fairly pricey.
But wait!
Had they forgotten?
Golems don't need to rest!
It can sell things twenty-four hours a day!
"People are asleep at night, so they won't be buying anything anyway."
...
The Vending Machine Golem was dismissed as a useless trinket.
However, I had anticipated that to some degree.
In the Village of the Great Tree, currency wasn't in circulation.
The place where a Vending Machine Golem was truly needed was a place where coins were actually used.
In other words, Village Five.
The Mountain Elves and I set up the Vending Machine Golem in Village Five as a trial.
"Village Head, setting it up is all well and good, but what are we actually going to sell?"
When you think of a vending machine, you think of juice... but selling drinks was still technically difficult.
The same went for food.
Maintaining the proper temperature was an issue.
Perhaps we should just stick to selling vegetables?
"Wouldn't that be a nuisance to the shops that already sell vegetables?"
That was a fair point.
In that case... what would work?
I felt a bit hesitant about selling things like medicinal herbs or medicine through a machine.
Lu had mentioned that she preferred to see the buyer's face to ensure the medicine was being used correctly.
Weapons and armor required individual adjustments, so they weren't a good fit for a vending machine either.
That left... maybe gemstones?
We tried selling them.
For three days, not a single person bought anything.
People walked past it, but they never even stopped.
Was the price too high?
I’d set it at the exact price we’d paid the Goroun Company to source them...
On the night of the third day, a group of about twenty people tried to steal the Vending Machine Golem, so we apprehended them.
Idiots.
Did they really think no one was watching?
However, the fact that they saw the Vending Machine Golem as something worth stealing...
Wait, that wasn't it?
They were just after the jewels on display?
...
Security Team, take them away.
It seemed the Vending Machine Golem would require more research before it could be truly appreciated.
The Mountain Elves and I vowed to continue our studies without losing heart.
...
Ah, it’s almost time for the harvest, so let's make that the priority.
I mustn't forget my real job.
Research can wait until after the harvest is in and the next fields are prepared.