While the United States of Deneb waged war against the Telluris Assimilation, the Legion was able to focus on internal affairs.
After all, officially, the Kingdom of Lushaka and the Telluris Assimilation were unaware of each other’s existence; there had simply, by “coincidence,” been a high volume of military supplies exports.
Thanks to that, we were able to enjoy the benefits of war properly.
The United States of Deneb, which regulated food production on a national scale, chose to recklessly churn out food instead of producing more alloys to build fleets with, then used that food to trade for space whales.
They had realized that producing alloys, which required vast amounts of energy and minerals, and then running shipyards like mad just to barely pump out warships, was incomparably more expensive than simply handing over food and buying space whales.
All the food used to purchase space whales would be absorbed anyway, so it was organic matter.
As for the food the space whales consumed, we deliberately had them overeat, then collected their excrement and recovered it to Lushaka. Then, in the end, it entered my stomach, so that too was organic matter.
It was practically a legal organic-matter duplication exploit, and just like the United States and Japan during the First World War, we were able to sweetly enjoy the privileges of a neutral nation.
With the enormous amount of organic matter we gained that way, we first began changing the shaping of the planets.
By “shaping of the planets,” I did not mean only their outward appearance. I focused on creating environments that would make one accept them as planets inhabited by biological species—complete with resident individuals and habitats—rather than a hive mind.
The United States of Deneb was currently fighting a mak’gora with the fate of their species on the line, so they still could not pay much attention to us, but the war would eventually end.
When that time came, friendly exchanges would begin in earnest, and a planet where everyone except a handful of individuals simply stood around blankly waiting for orders would be clearly alien.
If the United States of Deneb lost… well, that would be unfortunate, wouldn’t it.
In any case, we needed to show an appropriate social structure. The problem was, what did the lifestyle of a biological species that did not use machines—and was not a hive mind—look like?
The moment we started, we ran into an enormous difficulty.
Hirak going to work, getting chewed out by Jarvis, clocking out, and drinking?
A TyXranid Warrior getting put through disciplinary drills by a Hive TyXrant?
The only biological species in my head were guys like these, so no solution readily came to mind.
But our Legion wanted to look like an ordinary biological species that was, surprise, actually a hive mind all along. The samples in my head were useless for that.
After continuing to ponder it, I concluded that if I, neither an economist nor a sociologist, tried to artificially construct one for no reason, it would inevitably show. So I decided to leave it to natural formation.
For the sake of a naturally formed society, I first produced a large number of individuals with strong autonomy, like Jarvis and Nongvis.
That was because I believed there had to be individuals to take on the leadership class first; only then would things remain under control even if autonomy was granted to the individuals beneath them.
After that, since I could not create billions of individuals by myself, I first created spawning individuals to lay eggs in my place, and also created evolution specialists capable of limited genetic manipulation in order to give those individuals diversity.
I appointed administrators for each planet, assigned spawning mothers and evolution specialists under those administrators, then left it to each administrator’s autonomy to produce individuals at random.
The granting of autonomy to newly born individuals on each planet was left to the discretion of the local administrator. Later, I could take a quick look around, and if it was really no good, I could just turn them back into organic matter.
After that, I observed what sort of social structures appeared on the planets.
Lushaka, the capital planet. Star System Governor Jarvis.
Because Jarvis resonated with the entire Legion and compiled reports for me, he wanted to create an even denser surveillance system. He was not merely trying to sense the Legion, but to firmly secure control over the entire territory of the star systems under our rule.
He created overseers under him, then placed reconnaissance beasts and small flying beasts beneath them and sent them all throughout our controlled star systems.
And as he created residences on Lushaka where those beasts could stay, Lushaka’s buildings took on the form of enormous skyscrapers.
Once the skyscrapers were built and the number of beasts traveling through the air increased, countermeasures against sandstorms became necessary as well. Jarvis simply covered all the sand. Just as the ZerX spread creep, he covered the ground surface of the main regions causing the yellow dust, and we were able to see clear skies.
In that way, it became a planet where air travel was easy, and beasts capable of space navigation spread throughout the entire nation, completed their missions, returned to the skyscrapers, and lived by receiving organic matter rations instead of salaries.
This was totally…
“You, do Lupang.”
“Pardon?”
Seeing them spread throughout the star systems and then return, I immediately assigned space whales to them and had them do Lupang work as well. Spreading throughout the entire nation and then returning to the capital? That was totally a logistics network, wasn’t it?
In that way, we gained a system capable of transporting elements such as organic matter, minerals, and troops swiftly and systematically.
Lushaka had become a giant Lupang planet.
Solar Star System. Star System Governor Nongvis.
Since there were not many autonomous individuals we had previously created, Nongvis was naturally promoted to Minister of Agriculture and Forestry as well as Star System Governor.
Once he was assigned spawning mothers and evolution specialists, Nongvis began creating not living creatures helpful for farming, but living creatures helpful for environmental restoration.
Using gorilla-like fellows that dug up soil mercilessly and hippo-like creatures capable of chewing through stone, he forcibly dug waterways, brought water to devastated lands, and demolished abandoned buildings.
As for the soil of the dead land, giant toads transported soil from elsewhere to transfuse it with new earth, attempting to expand the farmland that was currently limited to East Asia.
Naturally, it became a construction-site-like planet, where hulking gorilla-like brutes set out from East Asia, performed hard labor for days on end, returned, and received organic matter rations from Nongvis.
Environmental restoration… this was totally?
“You, terraform.”
“???”
I assigned that Nongvis the task of terraforming Solar-04, Mars. We had no technology to generate an atmosphere, could not raise temperatures, and did not yet possess any related technology at all, but when those above tell you to do it, you do it.
With Nongvis, who was overflowing with drive for improvement, I had no doubt that someday he would turn Mars into a lush, blue star.
In that way, Solar-03, Earth, became a planet of hard labor and agriculture.
The third habitable planet possessed by the Legion, the planet Fermat, was a frozen world, a winter planet with a fairly low baseline temperature.
Farming did not work there, and it was not suitable for living beings either, so what could be done there was limited.
In any case, I had to appoint a star system governor, but since Hunterrak and Killerrak were Hirak, and not the sort of individuals suited to working as governors, I had to create a new individual.
“Your name shall be Einsteavis.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
Einsteavis was a Jarvis-line individual who had invested everything into brain activity. He had not inherited my knowledge, and his autonomy was stronger than Jarvis’s, making him an almost completely independent individual.
Unlike in games, which conveniently provide you with a research tree, we had to create new technologies ourselves, so in the end, someone had to do research. Since it was obvious I would not produce good results even if I did the research, I created a new individual who had not received my knowledge so that he could acquire knowledge without bias.
No spawning mothers or evolution specialists were assigned to Einsteavis. No matter how high his autonomy was, he was ultimately still a part of “me,” but since I could not pay attention to the entire galaxy at once, his high autonomy might lead to some kind of accident.
On Fermat, a Hirak connected to Jarvis would stand by. If Einsteavis requested resources, test subjects, or genetically modified individuals, Jarvis would review the request and transport them to Fermat.
In that way, Einsteavis would research new technologies on Fermat until the day his lifespan ran out.
I had designed my parts to feel happiness while doing the work I myself assigned to them, so it should be fine, but I also wondered if it was not too harsh a life.
Still, it could not be helped. If you could use the Shadow Clone Technique, then while the main body played games, the clone had to do the overdue vacation homework. That was just how it was.
The frozen planet Fermat. Star System Governor Einsteavis. Fermat became a giant laboratory.
In truth, the most important thing for state institutions was the government office. For a group to function as a “nation,” administration had to run. When I intervened directly, administration was unnecessary, but when my parts connected with one another, administration became necessary.
For example, I could give orders directly to Nongvis and Jarvis, but if Jarvis wanted to ask Nongvis for something, he had to either go through me or contact Nongvis by some means.
For that, it seemed enough to have an administrative office that handled only interplanetary requests and communications. I created a few more Hirak individuals and assigned them there.
As for other administrative offices, I could say they were near the Queen’s main body, restrict outside access, and prevent anyone from entering. I do not decorate places that cannot be seen. I am the type who values efficiency over detail.
In that way, while the United States of Deneb and the Telluris Assimilation were at war, society began to run, at least roughly.
All members had jobs suited to their aptitudes and worked diligently, received fair rations according to what they needed, and were ruled by an absolute dictator.
Hm. Should I change my title to General Secretary?