Garuda Country's Answer
Rangga let out a quiet breath after making sure there were no more Mechanical Protoceratops guarding the Copper Vein.
"Alright... might as well get to work."
He leaned the Composite Alloy Spear against a nearby rock before taking out his Copper Pickaxe. Standing directly in front of the Copper Vein, Rangga swung the pickaxe.
Clang!
Metal struck stone, and Rangga immediately nodded.
"Whoa... this is way easier."
Unlike the old stone pickaxe, which had always felt heavy and sluggish, the copper pickaxe bit deep into the rock with every swing.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The sound of metal echoed throughout the rocky cliffs. Not long afterward—
Crack!
The Copper Vein collapsed and dissolved into light. Several chunks of ore appeared on the ground.
Rangga hurried over.
"Eight?"
He smiled with satisfaction.
Iron Ore ×8
"Huh? Iron ore?"
He immediately stored everything in the ship's inventory.
Ship Inventory: 23/150
He weighed the copper pickaxe in his hand. It was still perfectly intact, showing almost no signs of wear.
"Now this is what I call a proper tool."
His gaze shifted toward the bright yellow deposit not far away.
Sulfur Deposit.
"Hmm... should I mine it?"
He thought for a moment. He didn't know what sulfur was useful for yet. But so far, almost every material he had discovered had become useful sooner or later.
"Eh... might as well. It'll fill the inventory."
Rangga walked over to the Sulfur Deposit and raised his pickaxe again.
Thud!
After only a single swing—
Puff!
A cloud of yellow dust burst into the air. Standing too close, Rangga accidentally inhaled some of it.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
He quickly stumbled backward, covering his nose.
"Damn... is this stuff dangerous?"
He waited until most of the dust had settled before cautiously approaching again. This time he struck from the side instead of directly above it.
Unlike the Copper Vein, the Sulfur Deposit was much more brittle.
Thud!
Thud!
Crack!
It didn't take long before the sulfur deposit broke apart. Several chunks of sulfur appeared on the ground.
Rangga immediately picked them up and stored them inside the ship's inventory.
Ship Inventory: 48/150
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Phew... Still plenty of space left."
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Resting the copper pickaxe on his shoulder, Rangga looked across the vast rocky landscape.
"Time to find another Copper Vein."
Remaining alert, he continued exploring the island, hoping to discover more mineral deposits... Or perhaps an entirely new material he had never seen before.
Rangga continued traversing the rocky island. Before long, he spotted another glimmer of copper hidden among the rocks.
"There we go... another Copper Vein."
But before he could approach, he immediately stopped. Standing in front of the deposit was another Mechanical Protoceratops, slowly patrolling the area.
Rangga instantly crouched behind a boulder.
"...Yeah, if it's already alert, fighting it head-on is going to be a pain."
He peeked around the rock for a moment. The creature continued circling the Copper Vein without stopping.
Rangga thought for several seconds.
"Fighting from the front again would just waste energy."
Slowly, he began circling around the left side. Each step was as light as possible. Whenever the Protoceratops turned its head, he froze.
Eventually after making a wide detour, Rangga finally reached the angle he wanted.
From there, both front legs were clearly visible without being shielded by the creature's massive head.
"Now that's better."
He slowly raised his Composite Alloy Bow. One arrow was nocked. The bowstring was pulled to its limit.
The Protoceratops remained completely unaware of his presence.
Rangga took a deep breath.
Then released.
Fwoosh!
Crack!
The arrow struck the joint of the creature's right front leg perfectly.
The Mechanical Protoceratops immediately lost its balance. Its massive body collapsed forward.
Thud!
"Yes!"
Without wasting even a second, Rangga sprinted forward. While running, he slung the bow onto his back. His hand had already drawn the Composite Alloy Spear.
The Protoceratops struggled to rise. But with one damaged front leg, its movements had become much slower.
By the time it was only halfway upright—Rangga was already behind it.
"Finally."
Putting all his strength into the attack, he thrust the spear into the exposed neck joint beneath the back of the creature's shield.
CRAAACK!
The spear pierced through and Rangga twisted it with all his might.
KRAKK!
The Mechanical Protoceratops froze. A few seconds later... Its enormous body dissolved into light. Several items dropped onto the ground.
Rangga collected them one by one and stored everything inside the ship's inventory.
Stabilizer Module.
Reinforced Alloy Plate.
Along with several other materials.
After collecting everything, he glanced toward where the creature had disappeared. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Now that's the right way... No need to play matador anymore."
He chuckled, remembering how he'd nearly been flattened twice during the previous fight.
Putting away his bow again, Rangga picked up his copper pickaxe. Then he stood before the now unguarded Copper Vein.
"Back to work."
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The ringing of the pickaxe echoed across the rocky island as Rangga calmly mined the copper deposit—far more relaxed than before.
---
On Earth, several hours after Eagle Nation's president concluded his press conference, Garuda Nation finally issued an official response.
However, instead of holding it inside a government building...
The press conference took place in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace.
Behind the podium stood a giant screen displaying the livestreams of Garuda Nation's Pioneers.
At that very moment, the main screen showed Rangga busily mining a Copper Vein on the two-star Stone Island.
Hundreds of journalists from around the world filled the venue.
Dozens of live broadcast cameras were aimed at the podium.
President Prabu stepped forward calmly. He looked around for a moment before beginning.
"Good afternoon."
"Over the past several days, various accusations have emerged claiming that the Government of Garuda Nation possesses special access to the Pioneers' world."
"There have also been allegations that we provide continuous guidance to our Pioneers."
He paused briefly, sweeping his gaze across the assembled reporters.
"Therefore... Allow me to clarify several points."
The venue fell silent and President Prabu raised one finger.
"First... Communication between Earth and the Pioneers is only possible once every seven days."
"That is not a rule established by Garuda Nation... It is a rule established by the mysterious voice that introduced the world of the Pioneers."
"Garuda Nation is bound by that rule, just like every other nation."
Reporters immediately began scribbling notes and The President continued.
"Second... The selection of Pioneers is entirely random. The Government of Garuda Nation has never known how the selection process works."
"We also possess no authority to choose or replace any Pioneer."
He raised another finger.
"Third... Every piece of information we possess comes from the livestream currently available for the entire world to watch."
President Prabu pointed toward the giant screen behind him. Rangga could still be seen swinging his copper pickaxe.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
"That means... The information we possess is exactly the same information available to every other nation."
"There are no hidden communication channels. There is no manipulation of information... And there is no classified data accessible only to Garuda Nation."
The atmosphere grew even quieter and He raised his final finger.
"Fourth... The Government of Garuda Nation has no ability to dictate how our Pioneers act."
"They make their own decisions... They survive through their own abilities... And they face every danger through choices they make themselves."
He paused once more before speaking more firmly.
"A Pioneer's success is the result of that Pioneer's own efforts... Not government intervention."
President Prabu looked directly into the cameras broadcasting the conference worldwide.
"If any nation possesses evidence that the Government of Garuda Nation has violated these rules..."
"...we welcome them to present that evidence through the appropriate diplomatic channels."
"But as of this moment... The accusations being made are merely suspicions... They are not facts."
After saying those words, President Prabu stepped back.
Behind him, the giant screen continued showing Rangga tirelessly mining the Copper Vein, completely unaware that he had once again become the center of the world's attention.
The press conference immediately erupted into commotion.
Dozens of journalists shot their hands into the air, all competing for the opportunity to ask the President of Garuda Nation their next question.