Chương 431: Book 7 - Chapter 27 - Passive Income

Would you like the bears to stock the kitchens for Cinnamon? Nyx asked as I paced through the halls, checking that the meeting rooms were ready. I paused and furrowed my brow.

"How do you know Cinnamon is coming? Since Mako said it was going to be just her and her friends, I assumed that meant the Sisterhood of the Noms," I replied, confused. The other AIs and I created our own personal chat room around the time the twins created one for the samurai. We've mainly been using it to, well, chat with one another, but occasionally we share things like bloopers and everyone's current plans, Nyx said.

"I don't know if I'm really comfortable with you sharing my movements with other AI without telling me," I grumbled.

"And beside that… I thought you told me that you'd never share information with me until I bought the proper Catalog to learn it myself? Why are you telling me this?" I don't mind sharing tiny tidbits that don't directly affect your combat effectiveness or give you an advantage in everyday life. This is just a little heads up, Nyx replied.

"Still… please don't share anything beyond my basic coordinates with the others. I'm not really comfortable with other people knowing what I'm doing twenty-four seven," I huffed. Oh, don't worry, it's nothing that precise, Nyx said dismissively. So, about those supplies? I shook my head.

"I know they'd cost me next to nothing, but I don't think I should be spending points so friviously right now. I nearly bankrupted myself with the upgrades," I said. That's true, but you do know you're still receiving a constant influx of points from the conflict back at Great Falls, don't you? Nyx asked. I froze.

"Uhhhhh…." Did you really forget that you left half of your squad back in an active combat zone to clean up? Nyx asked. I could practically hear the disappointment echoing around in my head.

"I didn't forget exactly," I grumbled.

"I just didn't think they'd be earning a ton of points. They're just performing cleanup duty." They're helping to clean up one of the most advanced hives that has ever developed on this planet, Nyx replied. Even though you and your friends managed to cripple the hive's core, there are still hundreds of kilometers of tunnels full of Antithesis to clear.

You're losing points due to the distance between you and the front line, and you need to share the rewards with the other Samurai in the area, but it's still a decent amount of points.

"Enough to buy a second Marsupial?" I asked Not that much. It's about thirty thousand, and you're earning around another thousand every hour, Nyx said.

"Fuck me, that much?" I muttered. That's absolutely nothing compared to what you were earning when the Antithesis were throwing themselves at your defenses. I doubt it'll last for long. A ton of samurai have converged upon the hive complex, but for now, you have a pretty healthy passive income, Nyx said. I shook my head and headed out of the meeting room. Since this was the last room in the guest area, I slowly started to wander back towards the bridge section.

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"Do you have any suggestions on what I should invest in? I can't say that I'm super impressed with my last purchase," I muttered. The aquatic bears may have gotten off to a rocky start, but they should be far more effective with the new armor, Nyx said.

"And all I had to do was give them a way to get around; armor which they typically don't need; and replace all their weapons," I grumbled.

"It cost me more to equip them than it cost me to build them in the first place." While that's not strictly true, I do understand what you mean. It did take a much larger investment to get them combat-worthy than you expected, Nyx conceded. You have already made that investment, though, so now you just need to wait for the construction cycles to finish before you can start deploying more.

"Maybe, but I feel like I could streamline the process," I said.

"Besides, I had to cancel all the jobs on the industrial machines so we could rebuild the Ursas we lost." You have more than enough machines to pick up the slack, especially after adding the additional Class III machines you purchased during the upgrades, Nyx said.

"Ehhh… still doesn't sit well with me. The current process is just so… clunky," I said.

"I know I intentionally avoided it before, trying to leverage my existing forces, but now I'm thinking I should build some more specialized troops." Are you sure?

"It's better than having my bears having to spend several hours walking back to shore the instant their scooters get destroyed," I grumbled.

"We can definitely keep both the Sharks and armor for when we need to assault either an underwater or waterside hive, you know, some place that's static, but no more aquatic skirmishes." So another bot? You have anything particular in mind? Nyx asked.

"Something that can both move and fight underwater, but that can also emerge and fight on land if the situation calls for it. Something that doesn't require the scooters to get around and that won't sink to the bottom of the ocean at the drop of a hat," I said. That'll make them a little more expensive, points-wise, than your previous bots. Trying to make something that weighs more than a compact hover car float isn't exactly cheap. It'll require a lot of tech, Nyx said.

"Will it affect the resources needed to build them?" I asked. Yes, but you'll still be able to build them with the materials available; most of that cost comes from the additional tech required, Nyx replied. They'll also be slightly less durable than the bears.

"I kind of expected that," I said.

"Will they have the auto repair function?" They'll have all the standard features; the armor is the only thing you have to compromise on, Nyx said.

"And let me guess, you already have an idea for what animal we should use, don't you?" I asked. I may have some ideas. Why don't you pop into the next meeting room and I'll show you what I cooked up, Nyx replied. As I stepped towards the door to my left, it slid open automatically, and the lights inside the room flicked on. After a second, the holo projector mounted in the roof blinked on, displaying a small fuzzy form. I raised an eyebrow as I inspected the new bot design.

"Isn't this just a thin beaver?" No, Nyx sighed. Although Beavers are also a semi-aquatic species, this is an Otter. Notice the larger, rounder tail and lack of oversized incisors.

"But it has the same oversized backpack the beavers have," I pointed out. It's not the same, Nyx said a moment before the hologram rotated to show the back of the creature. The servo pack built into the back of the beavers contains a number of extra arms and tools to help them withconstruction projects. The otters, on the other hand, have an aquapack, which propels them forward at an unprecedented speed.

"Aquapack? What the hell is that? An underwater jetpack?" I asked. Just so, Nyx replied.

"But why have it built into the bot? Won't that make them more awkward on land?" I asked Somewhat, but it will make them extremely agile underwater. By having them integrated, instead of being separate, I can fine-tune the performance, improving their speed and maneuverability by ten to fifteen percent. Nyx explained.

"That sounds pretty good," I muttered.

"Fuck it, let's get one and give it a try?" How about we wait until you reach the cargo bay, where you can deploy it from? Nyx replied. Besides, your first guest is about to arrive, and if you really want to give it a serious test, maybe Mako can help you with that.

"Is it really that awkward on land?" I asked. No, but I did give it an amazing personality, and the aquatic puns work much better when you're near water. Nyx replied.

"Of course you did," I groaned, backing out of the door and heading towards the hangar.

"I hope it fights better than it puns. I'd already feel a headache coming on, and knowing you, this thing will be extra annoying." Don't worry, Nyx replied, a trace of amusement in their voice. You won't be disappointed.