A golem uses a magic stone as its power source to execute pre-programmed commands. Magic tools, while also powered by magic stones, are items designed to manifest specific magical effects. Thus, golems and magic tools are technically distinct, though some people tend to lump them together. Not that it really causes any issues if they do.
I put out a call for anyone interested in the Vending Machine Golem project to gather in the conference room. To my surprise, a massive crowd showed up. The Mountain Elves were there as a matter of course, but the next largest group was the Civil Official Girls. There were also many beastkin girls and High Elves in attendance. Donovan the dwarf, Daga, Galf, and Draim had also made appearances.
Lu, Tia, and Ann were there as well, but... I wondered if they were actually interested in the golem.
Apparently not. It seemed they only joined because they saw how absorbed I was in the project. Well, that was fine by me. The more brains we had to think with, the better. Kuro, Yuki, and many of Zabuton's children were also present. I was counting on all of them.
After the theft incident in Village Five, the Vending Machine Golem had been recovered and installed in the Village Head's Mansion. I didn't think there was anyone left in the village who didn't know about it. The products for sale had been changed from jewels to sake-filled bamboo tubes sealed with plugs.
However, since coins—or rather, money—weren't used internally in the village, we had set up a system where a box filled with coins was placed in front of the machine. People would take a coin from the box and then insert it into the golem. Since anyone could "purchase" them, the twenty bamboo tubes I had prepared sold out in the blink of an eye.
...I wondered if it was right to say they "sold out"? Perhaps I should just consider that they were simply taken. Well, thanks to that, I was able to demonstrate the golem's function, and it even allowed Zabuton's children to mimic its movements, so I decided to look on the bright side.
First, I sliced up some watermelon. Since the turnout was larger than expected, the watermelons I had prepared weren't enough. I was glad I had chilled extra ones in advance.
I invited Zabuton's children to help themselves. As for Kuro, I had to scold him for only eating the sweet center and looking satisfied. I told him he needed to eat more than just that. In the past, he used to eat them rind and all, but he had certainly become a gourmet over the years.
Once the watermelon had been distributed, I moved on to the main topic. Personally, I wanted to discuss the installation locations and the inventory for the golems. However, the Civil Official Girls had a very strong request they wanted to address first.
They were interested in the Slider-style Coin Counter, which was a component of the Vending Machine Golem. They wanted performance improvements and mass production. As for the improvements, they wanted it to handle a larger volume of coins being poured in at once without failing.
This was easily resolved by enlarging the coin intake and attaching a stirring device to prevent clogging. Actually, it had already been resolved—the Mountain Elves had already built a prototype.
So, all that was left was mass production, but then I heard numbers like a hundred or two hundred being thrown around. I wondered if there was really that much demand. Wouldn't one machine each for the Village of the Great Tree, Village Five, and Shashato City be enough?
They emphatically argued otherwise. Apparently, checking and counting coins was a vital part of a merchant's job. Because they were handling currency, the task couldn't be entrusted to unproven apprentices; it had to be done by someone of significant standing. Naturally, those people were always busy. They claimed the Slider-style Coin Counter would be welcomed with open arms.
The same applied to nobles. Checking and counting coins was the responsibility of the head butler. Regardless of the house's size, a noble's head butler was practically a synonym for "overworked," so the counter would be a massive help. Or so they said. I supposed that made sense.
I looked toward the Mountain Elves. They were already busy producing carriages equipped with suspensions, and since the counters required high precision, they calculated they could produce one machine every three days. For now, we prioritized one for the Village of the Great Tree. That would be followed by three machines each for Village Five and Big Roof Shashato. Subsequent production would be carried out according to the Mountain Elves' schedule.
It felt as though my momentum had been blunted right at the start, but I pressed on. I explained my vision for the Vending Machine Golems.
First, the base model would be a juice vending machine. You could buy a drink anytime you wanted. It seemed very convenient. The container was an issue, but we settled on bamboo tubes for now. Disposable paper cups would have been ideal, but paper was still a luxury item.
The second model was the Large Product Vending Machine. This would use a locker-style system where items were taken from individual cubbies. By making the products visible, it would stimulate the desire to buy. I realized I should have used this style for the initial jewel sales.
The final model was the cup ramen vending machine. I wanted to replicate those machines that could even pour the hot water with the push of a button. Obviously, we didn't have cup ramen, but I wanted to believe a golem could at least manage to pour hot water.
I was prepared for the fact that these models, aside from the juice machine, would be hard to visualize from a verbal explanation alone. Therefore, I had asked Zabuton's children to perform a demonstration.
For the Large Product Vending Machine, applause broke out when one of the spiders popped out of an individual door with a "Hello!" gesture. They were certainly cute.
For the cup ramen machine, they recreated the inner workings of the box. However, instead of ramen, they were making green tea. Cheers of encouragement filled the room as Zabuton's children set a cup in the designated spot, added tea powder, poured the hot water, and stirred it.
The tea was a little hot, but it tasted good.
"Isn't this enough as it is?" Ann asked.
I had to tell her that wasn't the point. And I told Zabuton's children not to raise their legs as if to say they were ready to take over the job full-time. Although, I was happy they were so willing to work.
The juice vending machine golem was already finished. The Mountain Elves informed me that there were no technical hurdles for the Large Product Vending Machine. As for the cup ramen machine, the conclusion was that it would depend entirely on what kind of food we intended to serve. Deciding on the menu seemed like it would take forever, so I decided to shelf that for later.
"If we install these and they're targeted by thieves again, what's the plan?" Tia asked.
The Mountain Elves had already considered countermeasures for her concern. "The Vending Machine Golem will be able to defend itself using its arms." "Furthermore, by attaching legs, it will be capable of running away."
I see. If it had legs, it could even be programmed to walk back to a designated location when it ran out of stock. That would make restocking much easier. And since it had arms, maybe it could even restock itself?
"Village Head. With current golems, actions that complex are..." I had clearly overstepped and troubled the Mountain Elves. I apologized.
"Hehe. That might be true if you use the magic stones currently circulating in the Demon Kingdom... but if you use the magic stones from forest rabbits or boars, it'll be fine."
Lu spoke up, placing a magic stone of about ten centimeters—one I had given her a while ago—on the table. "With a stone this size, complex movements and even long-distance travel won't be a problem at all."
I see.
"That may be true, but... well, we lack the skill to embed such complex behaviors into the stones ourselves," Mountain Elf Ya said with a troubled expression.
While they could program simple actions, complex logic required specialized expertise. Apparently, the only ones in the Village of the Great Tree capable of that were Lu, Tia, and Flora.
"That's not a problem either. I'll assist during the experimental phase, and I have a lead for when we move to mass production." Apparently, there was an expert at embedding logic into magic stones at Ifuls Academy in Shashato City.
"Oh, in that case..." It seemed hope had been restored.
At that moment, I noticed Kuro and Yuki staring intensely at the magic stone on the table. I had to remind them that it belonged to Lu. I told them not to look at it like food. If they ate it, it would cause all sorts of headaches, so I told them to stop.
The Mountain Elves began brainstorming various ideas now that the possibilities for the golems had expanded. Amidst the excitement, the beastkin girls timidly raised their hands. I encouraged them to speak their minds without hesitation.
"Um, this isn't about vending machines, but... regarding the utilization of golems..." They proposed using the technology for processing crops—specifically, threshing and milling. After seeing the golem's dexterity in the vending machine demonstrations and hearing that complex movements were possible, they thought it might be applicable to farm work.
I didn't think it was impossible. In fact, it should be quite doable. Actually, shouldn't that take priority over the vending machines?
For now, I decided we should try to have them ready by the next harvest. By autumn, I wanted one for each village.
As for the prospect of mass production and sales... the Mountain Elves had a look of utter despair on their faces.
The meeting continued.