"What is it? Did you run into some kind of problem?"
Roland frowned slightly as he looked at Mudor.
Mudor gave an awkward smile and explained, "Yes. As you know, my main research focus isn't on giant mechs, so… when it comes to building and calibrating some of that equipment, I'm not very familiar with it."
"I see… I'll handle it," Roland said, nodding. "By the way, do you have anyone you'd recommend?"
He recalled the personnel files he'd seen earlier—most of them organized by Lissandra. Still, asking Mudor directly made more sense. After all, Mudor was the real colleague here.
"Of course. I recommend Moket. He was our primary researcher for giant war weapons back then, and he was also responsible for developing giant soldier mechs and high-intensity warfare arms."
"High-intensity…" Roland's expression sharpened. "What exactly do you mean by high-intensity?"
Mudor scratched his head. "Let me think… roughly speaking, weapons capable of destroying a city or more."
Roland nodded slightly. That sounded powerful, and still within acceptable limits. But then something occurred to him.
"The cities you're talking about… are they cities in this world, or…?"
"Of course, cities in our world," Mudor replied, scratching his head again, clearly puzzled by the question.
Roland's expression stiffened. If he remembered correctly, even a small city on PROJECT's side was probably as large as two or three cities here. And if it was a major one…
"…That actually sounds promising."
Roland fell into thought. In any case, if he was going to build it, he wasn't afraid of the power being a bit excessive.
With that decided, he stopped hesitating and began searching the system for Moket. Before long, an image appeared—a scruffy, bearded old man who looked frail, as if he didn't have long to live.
"…System, do you offer after-sales service?"
"?"
"I'm worried he'll drop dead before finishing the job."
"…Host, please rest assured. Moket is currently at his peak. He only looks lacking in vitality because of his appearance."
"I'll trust you on that."
Roland shook his head and finalized the exchange, bringing Moket out.
"At your service, Boss."
Moket stood up slowly, leaning on a cane as he spoke.
Only then did Roland notice that one of Moket's legs was a mechanical prosthesis.
"Boss, you seem concerned about my leg. Don't worry—it won't affect my research efficiency."
Moket rested both hands on the cane and continued speaking at his leisurely pace.
Roland twitched at the corner of his mouth but didn't comment. Instead of wasting time, he had Lissandra project the rough outline of the Overlord-class mech he'd previously described.
With just one glance, Moket rushed forward to examine it closely, then frowned.
"Boss, are you planning to design a war machine like this?"
"Yes. That's the idea. Is it very difficult?" Roland asked.
"It is difficult—quite difficult," Moket replied. "We'd need to consider the structure of the frame, energy distribution, and more. Given enough time, it can be done. But I wouldn't recommend it. The time required for design and manufacturing doesn't match the returns."
After running calculations in his head, Moket gave his honest assessment.
"That's not a problem. Time is what I have the most of right now," Roland said with a smile.
After all, strength was temporary. Style was forever.
"I understand. I'll do my best to complete this masterpiece."
Moket nodded and accepted the rough design. He could already see traces of technology that differed from the PROJECT world, which greatly piqued his interest.
After having Mudor escort Moket to the Nevada base, Roland returned to his office.
Even though he hadn't spent long in the virtual world, it was still worth checking on the situation here—especially the Twelve Angels who hadn't left yet.
"What's Jamil been up to lately?"
"He's been having a great time at nightclubs in Night City," Kelly replied after glancing at the intel.
"And the custom equipment we made for him? How's the progress?"
Roland nodded. The Crystal Palace had its own pleasures, but they were different from what could be found on the ground. Going wild at nightclubs was perfectly normal.
Speaking of nightclubs… he wondered how things were going with the Mox. He hadn't paid attention to them in a long time. Maybe it was because he'd moved up a level—many things no longer required the Mox's involvement.
Still, it was an asset he'd secured here. He could check on it later.
"Production is basically finished. The final program upload has already been handed over to Lissandra."
"Since when did you two get so close?" Roland asked, suddenly curious.
"…A long time ago," Kelly replied, avoiding the topic.
"Heh, never mind," Roland said with a chuckle. "Once Lissandra finishes, let Jamil know he can come over. He'll probably bring some people along to watch the whole process…"
"Should we refuse?"
"No, let them watch. It's just the installation process—nothing sensitive will be revealed."
Roland shook his head. Even if they saw it, they'd only be able to make rough guesses about the technology. It wasn't like they could dismantle it afterward just from watching.
...
"Has PROJECT Corporation contacted us yet?"
Jamil asked lazily, one arm around each of two high-end sex dolls, as he turned to his entourage.
"Not yet. It's probably not finished. If they're aiming for top-tier quality, it'll take some time."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Jamil nodded, an image of Apocalypse briefly flashing through his mind. He quickly laughed and shook his head.
Anyone with half a brain knew PROJECT would never actually hand over something on Apocalypse's level.
Truthfully, Roland would have loved to deliver it—but his ambition exceeded his current capabilities. Even though they now had some grasp of PROJECT technology, the gap between them and the real PROJECT Corporation was still enormous.