Episode 37 — The Flying Site Supervisor, Enthroned on the Sofa.
From far off, I could hear a sound like a low rumble in the earth.
It was either Elishua’s earth magic or Master Craftsman Garam’s golems hauling boulders. The fact that the vibrations reached all the way into my living room—my "sanctuary"—was proof of just how insane the energy at the site had become.
“…Phew. I guess I really didn't sleep a wink again today.”
I sank deep into the sofa and let some half-flat cola slide down my throat.
Yesterday, I’d run my mouth to Gustav, promising him I’d have the plans ready “by tomorrow,” and as a result, I ended up drawing blueprints until dawn.
The job itself was simple enough: grab some water and sewage templates from the web and use the Translation Printer’s hyper-tech to convert them into an “Otherworld Engineering” style. …However, the work of actually mapping those plans onto the local topography was surprisingly bone-breaking.
(…Actually, this is exactly the same vibe as those “urgent revision requests” I used to deal with.)
Listen to the client’s (the Lord’s) demands, adjust for the site (the craftsmen’s) specs, and hit the deadline (tomorrow).
What I’m doing now isn't much different from my old death marches.
The only difference is that the reward isn't a pittance of a salary, but enough “L-Points” to basically retire for life.
(…Well, it’s for the points. Gotta do what I gotta do.)
I checked my phone; my balance had increased again, surpassing forty-five million points.
Even though I’ve been on a shopping spree, the “Regional Contribution Bonuses” keep flooding in just because construction has started.
The stability of this world accelerates my sloth. …It’s the perfect system.
“Watch me, Tama. I’ve decided I’m done even standing on the balcony.”
“Mrow. (…What did you buy this time?)”
Tama, curled up on my lap, looked up at me with judging eyes.
I gave a fearless grin and typed a few words into the search bar of Lumina Shopping (Japan Edition).
—[Drone: 4K Camera Equipped, Long-Range Communication Model]
The telescope is a good tool, but the perspective is fixed, and more than anything, it’s tiring to keep peeking through it with your own eyes.
As a Project Manager, I need to be able to look down on the site from a bird’s-eye view and confirm progress in real-time.
Preferably from my air-conditioned living room sofa.
“This is the one. …And, click.”
[Purchase Complete: 180,000L]
…Cheap. Compared to the “Fifty Million L Antibiotics,” this is like buying candy.
*Ding-dong.*
As always, the delivery was explosive. I opened the front door to find a black, premium-looking box, typical of high-end precision equipment.
I excitedly opened the box and pulled out the contents.
A matte-black, lightweight, high-rigidity body molded from aerospace-grade 3K carbon fiber.
At its heart were four high-torque brushless motors and carbon propellers with a silent design to minimize air resistance.
The front featured a high-performance camera compatible with 4K/60fps, equipped with a large 1-inch CMOS sensor. The three-axis mechanical gimbal supporting it would keep the horizon perfectly level even during intense maneuvers or strong winds, delivering noise-free footage that looked like a scene from a movie.
Furthermore, it was equipped with a six-axis IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to control the aircraft’s posture in milliseconds, omnidirectional obstacle detection sensors, and the latest digital long-range transmission system with excellent anti-jamming performance.
With its range and flight time, it was a flagship pro-spec model perfectly capable of handling site inspections.
“Alright… pairing complete. Comms check, all green. …Takeoff!”
I tilted the stick on the controller, and the drone ascended with a light, buzzing hum.
I flew it out the window and boosted the altitude in one go.
The view from above was projected onto my phone screen.
“…Whoa, this is incredible…!”
The scene spreading out before me looked exactly like a real-life city-building game.
On the vast empty plain, white lines drawn by magic neatly divided the sectors, and golems—looking like tiny beans from this height—were busily moving around on top of them.
I could see exactly how the ground was swelling under Elishua’s instructions, Garam’s craftsmen were stacking stones, and Bartos was still running around clutching his camera.
(Looking from above, the bottlenecks in the flow lines are obvious. That material storage area should be moved closer to the entrance… Oh, and that curve in the waterway is too sharp; trash is definitely going to pile up there in the future.)
Lying on the sofa, I used a single finger to adjust the camera angle and hunt for “bugs” on the site.
I felt exactly like a top-tier Project Manager—the kind who never actually goes to the site.
“See this, Tama? This is the essence of ‘remote work.’ I don’t move a single step. Yet my eyes fly through the sky, grasping everything. Don’t you think this is the ultimate form of efficiency?”
“Prrr. (…You just look like a high-tech peeping tom to me.)”
“Haha, is that so? You think so too? I guess even a cat can appreciate the shine of the latest gadgets.”
I casually brushed off Tama’s meow as an affirmation and picked up the walkie-talkie.
“Bartos, do you copy? …Yeah, that’s a nice look for the camera, but I’m not talking about the filming equipment right now. …Listen, in the third sector on the north side, the material transport routes are overlapping. Shift the golem waiting area ten meters to the right. …Yeah, that alone should increase daily transport efficiency by fifteen percent.”
‘Wh-what…?! Master Zect?! From where are you watching us?!’
Bartos’s shocked voice echoed through the walkie-talkie.
He was frantically looking around, but he didn't seem to notice the tiny black speck flying a hundred meters above the ground.
‘O-Oh…! Could it be… clairvoyance magic?! What an… what an unfathomable perspective! Understood, I shall rectify it immediately!’
On the screen, Bartos began issuing orders, and the movements on the site shifted smoothly.
Good. Bug fix complete.
I took a satisfied sip of cola and adjusted the sofa cushions.
(…This is it. This is the life. Issuing orders without going to the site, watching a city take shape from the best seat in the house. …This whole otherworld thing might not be so bad after all.)
On the drone’s screen, the silhouette of the “New Felsen,” beginning to glow under the setting sun, was clearly visible.
I continued to watch it in a leisurely daze, feeling like I was tuning into my favorite livestream.
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