Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1993 Sweet hell of wealth-2

”My Lady,” one of the people gathered around Emily stepped forward, his tone firm yet respectful, ”as the supervisor of Greed Crucible Number Seven, I formally request that we halt the production of military vessels and redirect our efforts toward cargo transport ships. At this moment, we are in urgent and undeniable need of logistical capacity.”

”Without a solid infrastructure capable of supporting everything else,” another person added while nodding, ”the military industry itself will inevitably slow down and eventually come to a standstill.”

”Constructing Phantom Shadow-2 vessels for the Shadow Swords and Rapid Intervention-1 vessels for the Imperial Guard-aside from being extraordinarily expensive-consumes an immense amount of time due to the sheer complexity of their internal structures and layered systems. These vessels are nothing like the Note-class ships, where we can assemble an entire fleet of 511 units within a single standard year.”

”...We are able to achieve such numbers per crucible annually only because the small and relatively uncomplicated Flood Note-4 is designed for rapid, streamlined production,” the man continued. ”What truly devours our time are the Destruction Note-4 warships and the Supremacy Note-4 command vessels.” He glanced around the gathered officials. ”As for a single Phantom Shadow-2 or Rapid Intervention-1 unit, it rivals a Supremacy Note-4 in both required resources and construction time. One vessel alone takes weeks of uninterrupted work to complete!”

He spread his hands in emphasis. ”That is precisely why the demands of the Imperial Guard and the Shadow Swords will never truly be satisfied. Each year, we can provide them with no more than ten to twenty vessels at best. Therefore, we must think in terms of strategic priorities and ensure the stability of our supply chains-this is what will sustain us in the long run. I propose that we completely suspend the production of these high-value, time-intensive vessels. As for the core Note fleets, let us limit their production to only the first four Greed Crucibles.”

”...Where is Zuha?” Emily slowly scanned her surroundings, her voice calm but weighted with authority. ”I want to hear her opinion as well.”

Zuha Burton was the originator of a major breakthrough that enabled Shapers following the Path of Fundamental Reshaping to more than double their production output while simultaneously achieving higher consistency and superior quality. Because of this, the Shapers-under Zuhaʼs direct leadership- were entrusted with the manufacturing of mid-tier epic equipment, and later with high-tier epic equipment, which demanded extreme precision and flawless control achievable only by practitioners of the Path of Fundamental Reshaping.

At this elevated position, as the individual responsible for high-tier epic production, Zuha Burton had inevitably become part of the upper echelon of Headquarters, regardless of whether she desired such status or not.

As for the ordinary craftsmen who filled the entirety of the Northern Region, their focus had been clearly divided among several key objectives: producing one full Note-4 fleet annually, while ongoing efforts aimed to raise efficiency enough to produce two fleets per year; manufacturing low-tier epic equipment, which formed the indispensable backbone of all imperial armies; producing transport vessels for personnel and cargo, along with mining, refining, and extraction equipment essential to sustained expansion.

And finally... a significant portion of the craftsmen were redirected toward upgrading old Note fleets from generations one, two, and three into the fourth generation standard.

All of these outdated generations were summoned to this region for comprehensive refitting and reconstruction, while newly manufactured vessels emerging from the Greed Crucibles were dispatched to replace them on active duty.

Although noticeable differences in size and external design existed between the various generations, the upgrades focused on integrating elemental cannons, reinforced hull frameworks, and multiple layers of defensive shielding. While these improvements could not fully compensate for the raw size advantage used to transport additional troops and heavy weaponry, they greatly enhanced each vesselʼs survivability and combat effectiveness in space -and that was the priority above all else.

Soon, every Note fleet would stand as a fourth-generation force, forged through the relentless labor and discipline of the Northern Regionʼs workforce on Nihari.

”Iʼm here.”

A woman raised her hand, barely visible from the back of the crowd, then struggled forward, weaving her way through the gathered officials until she finally stood before Emily. ”Everything is stable on my side, Headquarters Lady. There are no shortages, and we donʼt require additional support.”

”Iʼm aware of that, Zuha.” Emily offered a calm smile to the girl with striking black-and-white hair. Zuha Burton almost never asked for anything; she had a reputation for solving her own problems before they could even surface. ”Still, I want your opinion. What do you think about halting the production of war vessels in three Greed Crucibles, temporarily, in order to reinforce and expand our infrastructure?”

Zuha gave an awkward, restrained smile as every gaze in the area turned toward her at once. ”Iʼm not sure itʼs appropriate for me to comment on strategic allocation,” she said hesitantly. ”But since the Headquarters Lady specifically asked for my thoughts...” Her expression slowly shifted, and she looked directly at Emily with a trace of seriousness. ”Strengthening the infrastructure-toward what end, exactly?”

”What kind of question is that, Zuha?” Several people around them shook their heads in quiet disappointment, some exchanging looks as if her answer should

have been obvious.

”Let her continue.” Emily raised her hand, silencing the murmurs. She had noticed the way Zuha looked moments away from wishing the ground would crack open and swallow her whole from embarrassment.

”...The situation is fairly straightforward,” the Head Shaper continued after a brief pause. ”At present, we obtain our raw materials from two primary sources. The first is external procurement-through our branches in the Cradle and the Grave-where we purchase what we need from the Mid Belt via the Soul Society and other massive commercial organizations. This became our main channel after all of our close partners withdrew and declared bankruptcy on the resource front.”

”...The second source,” she went on, ”is internal extraction-drawing everything we can from the planets under our direct control. In theory, we already possess enough planets to supply up to ninety-five percent of our total needs, provided they are exploited to their fullest potential. However, that theoretical maximum has not been realized.”

She paused briefly, organizing her thoughts. ”Regarding the first source, infrastructure improvements here will not meaningfully affect it. Orders reach the Cradle and the Grave using the transport fleets of the trading parties themselves. From there, we already maintain a surplus of cargo vessels capable of moving those materials back to us efficiently. In short, that pipeline is stable and not our bottleneck.”

”As for the second source...” Zuhaʼs eyes hardened, her tone growing more focused. ”Planetary development has already reached a practical ceiling. The Headquarters Lady invested heavily in upgrading mining operations, optimizing transportation routes, and improving labor conditions. As a result, our annual raw material output surpassed one billion pearl-a figure far above the normal baseline. But that growth has now plateaued.”

”Why canʼt it be pushed further?” one of the officials interjected, frowning deeply. ”Isnʼt relying on our own planets better-and more cost-effective-than

continuous purchasing?”

”It is better. And cheaper,” Zuha replied with a nod, raising a single finger for emphasis. ”But only within certain limits. And that limit is the number-and distribution-of planets within the Nihari Galaxy itself.”

”..”

”No matter how much we refine our mining techniques, or how many additional transport vessels we deploy,” Zuha continued, her voice steady, ”the gains will be negligible as long as the planets remain spread too far apart. These infrastructure networks are only truly efficient on a galactic scale. Within that scope, our current system is already highly optimized.”

She shook her head slowly, then delivered her conclusion.

”The solution is not producing more ships, nor endlessly upgrading mines. The real answer... is relocating more planets into Nihariʼs vicinity.”