"What do we do next?"
Sara looked at Ryuji, whose face was covered in blood, a flicker of timidity in her eyes. But thinking of her duty as Queen, she mustered her courage to ask, "I mean the follow-up arrangements. You said you would renovate and expand based on Roran's existing structures. When will the people of Sunagakure move here? And what should we do?"
Sara's worry was that Ryuji would be like Anrokuzan, forcing her people to continue hard labor.
So she wanted to clarify beforehand.
If it really was as she feared, that he was only keeping them because of a lack of labor, she would rather lead her people to wander the desert.
The young girl had no guile; all her thoughts were written on her face.
Ryuji saw it at a glance and couldn't help but smile lightly, reassuring her, "The specific arrangements still need to be discussed with Kazekage-sama. But you can rest assured, after the people of Roran merge into Sunagakure, they will be true villagers of Sunagakure, treated the same as everyone else, without discrimination."
"That's good."
Sara sighed in relief. Although she didn't completely trust Ryuji, everything in this world carried corresponding risks.
"I've given you authority. If you need help, you can call on the puppet troops for assistance."
Due to Anrokuzan's actions, the people of Roran forced to live in the underground edge areas had many misunderstandings about this Queen.
Although Ryuji believed this Queen could explain clearly and regain their trust, it was better to be cautious and have some insurance measures in place.
Sara nodded and turned to leave the room.
Watching from the window as she left with the young and middle-aged adults of Roran, Ryuji nodded with satisfaction.
Trust takes time to witness. Although Sara didn't completely trust him yet, she was trying to trust him.
Since that was the case, there was no need to worry too much.
After all, he wasn't planning any behind-the-scenes schemes; things would naturally improve over time.
As the group's figures disappeared up the spiral staircase, Ryuji withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to the machines in the room.
The room was small, about thirty square meters.
In the center of the entire room was a metal box with a control lever installed on it. Presumably, this was the machine controlling the flow of the Dragon Vein Chakra.
Ryuji conducted a simple test. It only changed the direction of the Dragon Vein Chakra output, and there were too few output channels… only two.
One channel led to the production equipment instruments, and the other supplied energy to people.
"To build a city, we need more equipment and instruments. Also, different types of production equipment need to be placed in different areas. One channel is too few."
It wasn't just an equipment issue; there was also the need for puppet troops.
Currently, it was the time of the Third Shinobi World War. The entire world was in chaos. The construction of the Mechanical City couldn't possibly proceed smoothly without obstacles. Guarding forces were needed to prevent neighboring countries from coveting it.
In the original work, Sunagakure was destroyed during the war, indicating that war would inevitably reach here. Forces capable of preventing this were necessary.
Shinobi from the Land of Wind could naturally protect this place, but Ryuji couldn't mobilize a large-scale force of Sunagakure's Shinobi to guard here.
Not only would the cost be too high, but it could also easily cause problems for the main Sunagakure's base.
The best method was, of course, for the entire Sunagakure to relocate here and build the city together.
But this would also create a series of problems.
For example, clients with outdated information wouldn't be able to find the Sunagakure's new location... Although generally, not many people came to Sunagakure to issue commissions… they were mostly accepted through commission reception offices Sunagakure established in various cities of the Land of Wind.
But moving to a location with no natural defenses would also likely attract enemy invasions... In short, relocating before the Mechanical City was established posed too great a risk and potential loss.
After all, this wasn't something that could be accomplished in a day or two; it was a plan that would take one year, two years, or even longer to complete.
Therefore, this area needed to build the Mechanical City independently, requiring separate forces to guard the construction process.
The puppet troops left behind by Mukade were sufficient for this task.
These puppets, due to their massive steel bodies, could fight both long-range and close-quarters, with astonishing destructive power. Their sheer strength far surpassed that of average Chunin. After gaining self-awareness, they could even hold their own against average Jonin for a few rounds.
With five thousand of them, they could completely rival any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
However.
Although these puppet troops had artificial souls implanted and could act autonomously, they lacked flesh-and-blood bodies and couldn't generate Chakra on their own, requiring external replenishment.
Moreover, Ryuji planned to create even more autonomous mechanical puppets for city construction.
After all, Sunagakure had a small population, and work efficiency couldn't compare to tireless puppets.
At that time, it would only be necessary to hire some technical workers for supervision and direction. This would not only save a large amount of labor costs but also accelerate city construction speed and improve confidentiality.
Therefore, several Dragon Vein channels supplying puppets were also needed.
However...
'Better to inquire about the situation there first, then make specific plans.' After brief contemplation, Ryuji contacted the Third Kazekage through the Sea of Consciousness. "Kazekage-sama, are you available to talk now?"
"I just finished a meeting. I'm alone in my office now."
"Good. I've handled things here, but the specific situation has some changes that need discussion with you."
"Let's hear it."
Thus, Ryuji began reporting the situation here.
After completing a mission, team leaders needed to submit mission reports. Ryuji was well-practiced at this and quickly summarized the Dragon Vein, the Roran's people joining Sunagakure, and the encounter with Konoha's Shinobi using concise language.
After listening, the Third Kazekage fell into thought.
He picked up a pen and made plans on paper. After a good while, he made a decision. "Your plan is fine. It's the most suitable for the current situation."
"It's good that it's fine. So, when will you send people to carry it out?"
City construction couldn't be overseen by Ryuji alone. He had many other things to do. He needed more people who could understand blueprints to take the lead; he only needed to have the final check.
"As for people, there's no problem. It's the money..."
"What's wrong? Couldn't Granny Chiyo get sponsorship from the Daimyo?"
Ryuji was somewhat puzzled.
This wasn't later times; the Daimyo hadn't yet lost trust in Sunagakure's capabilities, and military funding and other sponsorships hadn't been reduced at all.
With a technology that could change the foundation of the Land of Wind, Chiyo should definitely have been able to get sponsorship.
"It's not that she couldn't get it, but the budget you provided is simply too large. Daimyo-sama can't provide it all at once. His finance minister calculated the national income and said it would need to be given to us over six years."
"... I miscalculated." Ryuji fell silent for a moment before speaking.
He was a novice in matters of national governance, so he had taken it for granted that the Daimyo of one of the Five Great Nations could produce such a large sum all at once.
But the Daimyo couldn't use all his funds to build a single city. He also needed to consider the livelihood of his citizens and other expenses.