I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 409 The Game Is Playing Me

Rem is very busy.

Deep within the Transportation Bureau of Anvil Fortress, in a conference room piled high with scrolls, maps, and blueprints exuding the fresh smell of ink, Diu Nirem, the Minister of Transportation of the Kingdom of Bagnia, is caught in the eye of a storm of struggle with lines, data, and land.

He looked as if he had just rolled around on a construction site, his elegant white minister's ceremonial coat casually draped over the back of his chair, revealing shirt sleeves stained with ink and what appeared to be mud.

His jet-black hair was tousled into a tangled mess, and he had heavy eye bags, but his eyes, deep in their sockets, burned with an almost fanatical light, fixed on the map that covered the entire huge oak tabletop.

At the center of the map, a line boldly drawn in bright red ink, like a vein poised to burst forth, winds eastward from the Anvil Fortress, its destination being "Tavetsky," which is transforming into an important agricultural and trade center in the eastern part of the kingdom.

Its destination, however, points directly to the kingdom's newly formed maritime lifeline, the port undergoing a dramatic transformation... Omdur.

"Where's the analysis report?"

"Damn it!" Rem slammed his hand on the table, making the ink bottle next to him jump. He roared at a young clerk next to him who was holding a thick stack of measurement reports.

"What about the soil analysis report for the section from Tavitsky to Omdur?"

Where did it go?

I need to know every inch of soil—whether it's soft or hard, whether I can lay sleepers directly or if I have to dig trenches and fill them with stones first!

The young clerk, who had just been assigned to the Transportation Bureau yesterday, was so frightened that he trembled and frantically searched his pockets.

"Here...here, sir, the surveying team just delivered it!"

"bring here!"

Rem snatched the report, his calloused and ink-stained fingers flipping through it rapidly while he muttered to himself.

"...The clay layer...is of acceptable thickness...the drainage...damn it! A bridge needs to be built over this depression, and the budget is going to go up again!"
Oh? Here… Ha, finally some good news!

His gaze fell on the pages of the report describing the vast area between Tavitsky and Omdur. His tired face instantly lit up, and he pointed to the light green area on the map that represented flat, fertile land, excitedly speaking to the engineers and planners gathered around the table.

"See that?"

This is it, the nearly 150-mile stretch from Tavitsky to the outskirts of Omdur Port—a completely flat plain, flatter than my tabletop!

He excitedly used a compass to draw the area on the map.

"Look at this terrain, the slope? The maximum slope is no more than five per thousand!"

What does this mean? It means our locomotives can haul loads heavier than mountains, running faster and with less effort than galloping horses on the grasslands. It means we don't have to toil away like on the northern route, digging tunnels and building high bridges, throwing money from the national treasury into the mountains!

He picked up a charcoal pencil and vigorously drew straight lines on the plain.

"Route planning?"
Straighten out, give me the straightest possible view of those scattered villages and farmlands?
Who cares what they're doing? Just draw it and keep the costs to a minimum!
Don't worry about the amount of earthwork; in most places here, we can just compact the ballast and lay the sleepers. Before winter, let's get the route from Anvil Fortress to Tavitsky laid out. Any problems?

The engineers and planners looked at each other, their faces showing signs of difficulty.

"If we have enough manpower..."

"Right now, I'm going to find Chris and ask him to bring over the Blue Flag Army. Do you think that's enough manpower?!"

Any other questions?

"Have."

A player with gray hair and thick glasses shrugged.

"We completely agree with your point about the advantages of the plains; taking the straight path and speeding up the progress are all fine, but..."

He hesitated for a moment, then pointed to some areas on the map that Rem had drawn with charcoal.

“Look here, about twenty miles southeast of Tavetsky, at ‘Red Mill Village’, and here, at ‘Old Oak Farm’.”

These villages and farmlands lie right on your straightest route.

Another, younger planner added.

"Yes, if we force our way through here, we'll need to requisition a lot of farmland and relocate several villages. The land acquisition compensation and resettlement work will be a huge undertaking..."

"Don't worry about it, the Ministry of Military Affairs will handle them."

With a wave of his hand, he emphasized again.

"Railway is the most important thing right now, all other issues are secondary... Brothers, don't worry too much about factors outside of civil engineering, just treat it as a mock exam, understand?"

"I understand, I get it..."

The road-building meeting lasted until noon. Diu Ni Rem dragged his tired body out of the gate of the Anvil Fortress Transportation Bureau. Under the scorching summer sun, he stared blankly for a while, then looked up at the blinding sun.

Suddenly, he cursed aloud.

"Holy crap, am I being played by this game?"

The moment that thought popped into his head, it immediately caused Rem to crash.

He, an ordinary college student in the real world, is now working non-stop in a terrifyingly realistic game, attending meetings and firing away. Even including his offline rest time, he doesn't get more than eight hours a day.

what is this?
Why?

It seems that he became the mayor of Beach Town because he wanted to make blacksmithing. He believed that as mayor, he could abuse his power and create a blacksmithing workshop park for himself.

Then, as he worked, he was promoted all the way up, and before he knew it, he had become the Minister of Transport, working himself to the bone.

Rem stood there, looking at the incredibly realistic fortress walls before him, listening to the distant rumble of trains from the railway, and feeling the heat emanating from the scorching stone pavement beneath his feet. A tremendous sense of absurdity and a trace of indescribable...sorrow welled up within him.

"Grass……"

"Damn it!" Rem cursed again, this time in a lower voice, with a strong sense of self-mockery.

He recalled how he had been so aggressive in the meeting room, yelling, "Whatever, just draw it!" and how he had used the lighthearted, game-like term "mock exam" to persuade his classmates to do the work.

In that instant, he truly took on the role of the Minister of Transport. For the sake of efficiency and goals, he could become ruthless and efficient, and even...enjoy the thrill of being in control and driving the steel torrent.

But now, standing in the sunlight, he suddenly realized something.

This isn't a game, it's a completely different, real world!

He, a player, was half-heartedly drawn into the grand narrative and heavy responsibilities of the real world because of his official position in the game. He was so busy that he was exhausted, and he still had to worry about budget overruns and project delays!

"I've been played by the game... I've been fucking played by the game to death..."

He shook his head with a wry smile, raised his hand and vigorously wiped his face, trying to erase the unreal dizziness and self-doubt.

However, the sense of absurdity brought about by this epiphany did not last long.

In the distance, a heavy wagon loaded with sleepers rumbled past at the soldiers' shouts, kicking up dust that choked him and made him cough.

The real, earthy dust instantly pulled him back to reality... the reality of the Kingdom of Bagnia.

"Oh shit……"

"Damn it!" Rem muttered under his breath, but his eyes gradually regained that familiar, almost obsessive glint as they shifted from confusion and self-mockery.

Absurd as it may be, we have to accept that we've been played by the game!

Who told him to be such a good "town mayor" and get promoted so quickly?

Are you going to quit now?

After thinking about it for a while, Rem realized that he was very reluctant to part with it and couldn't bear to lose face like that!
In the game... no, in this world, he's a big shot, no less!
This railway must be laid to Omdur on time, with high quality, and on the most damn straight route, under his control!

"Damn, consider this an immersive experience, the most hardcore 'SimCity' and 'Railway Tycoon' game ever!"

He spat fiercely, as if to expel all those useless sentiments, then turned around abruptly, covered in dust and still feeling exhausted, but with firm steps, and walked back towards the heavy door of the Transportation Bureau.

"Give me the report, I need to look at it again. And that damn bridge pier design, so what if the budget's over? I'm going to go cry to Chris about being broke! If the main line isn't open before winter, I'll send you guys to lay sleepers!"

Under the blazing sun, the figure of the Kingdom's Minister of Transport disappeared into the shadows behind the door.

The sense of absurdity may exist, but the fanaticism, irritability, and obsessive pursuit of the "mission objective" that belong to "Dou Ni Rem" once again prevail.

So what if the game plays you?

He's currently playing a massively real "dungeon" game that concerns the fate of the kingdom!

Liver, that's it!

However, just as Diu Ni Rem was busy with the railway, there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in!"

Without even looking up, Rem said, her voice filled with annoyance at having her train of thought interrupted.

The door opened, but instead of a clerk carrying a report or a frowning engineer, someone entered.

Instead, they were two young people wearing strange gray robes stained with engine oil.

On their robes was embroidered a emblem with crude gear and lightning bolt patterns... the symbol of the "Cult of the Machines".

Diu Ni Rem frowned, momentarily stunned. His mind was filled with thoughts of the sleeper spacing and ballast thickness.

“Comrade!” The leader’s eyes gleamed behind his thick glasses, his tone filled with an almost reverent excitement.

"Honorable Sage, we've finally found you! You have no idea how much effort we put in and how many people we asked!"

"Honor...what the heck?"

Rem finally raised his head, looking completely bewildered. His hair was even more disheveled, and the bloodshot in his eyes was particularly noticeable in the dim light.

"The sage? Who? Me?"

"Yeah, it's you, Comrade Rem!"

Another member of the Mechanicus cult excitedly added.

"It was because you petitioned Chris to allow the Mechanicus to host the Harvest Festival that our Mechanicus was able to approve the application, and then you became our Mechanicus's Honorary Sage... Have you forgotten that!?"

Harvest Festival...Application...

A few blurry fragments flashed through Rem's mind like a slideshow.

It seems... there is such a thing?
But that was all because a friend asked him to do it. It was fun, so he played along and did it. After it was over, he forgot about it.

I haven't paid attention to how the Mechanicus has developed, because the friends who worked on it with me back then have already quit the game.

"Oh? Oh! I think I do have that title..."

Rem rubbed her throbbing temples, trying to search through the corners of her memory.

He apparently just signed his name, received a gear-shaped badge as a souvenir, and then forgot about it, continuing to immerse himself in being the Minister of Transport and developing infrastructure.

"Great Sage!"

The bespectacled young man stepped forward, holding a cheap-looking metal donation box with gears painted on it.

"We have come here today with a request. Yesterday, Chris asked our Mechanicus to form some kind of Holy Crusade Army and send us to attack Suvano... although we don't know what kind of place that is."

However, it's clear that for the Cult of Machines to expand, we need funding, we need resources, and we need your... our respected sage, your support!

"Holy Expeditionary Force?"

Diu Ni Rem was even more confused, feeling like his CPU was about to burn out.

Did Chris approve the church's plan to form an army?
This is different from what I've heard before!

Wasn't it a plan that the churches of the Earth Mother Goddess and the Goddess of Agriculture wanted to undertake, but which was then rejected by Chris?
Moreover, the Mechanicus is going to war?
How many believers and players do they have? Can they afford to do this?

"How much does it cost?"

"The more the better, wise sir!"

The bespectacled young man had a grin on his face.

“Every copper coin will be transformed into sacred machine oil, lubricating the gears of our fight against heresy; every donation will strengthen our faith in the god of machinery!”

Diu Ni Rem looked at the shabby donation box, then at the two guys in front of him who were obviously players, their eyes filled with the meaning of "Brother, it's time to spend money to support the guild activities."

Then he thought about his transportation bureau's meager budget, the one he was constantly yelling at to save money, and the family's indebtedness... referring to the expenses of the manor he had just bought in the game and the NPC servants... He felt a headache coming on.

He scratched his head in frustration and rummaged through a pile of documents on his desk. Finally, in the corner of a drawer, he found his empty pay purse... inside was his "meager" salary for this month as Minister of Transport.

He weighed it in his hand and felt it was quite heavy, probably weighing several pounds. It was likely filled with banknotes.

how many?
Diu Ni Rem wasn't included, because his house, servants, and other living expenses were all paid into the Transportation Bureau's account; his salary was just a drop in the bucket.

"Damn it... just consider it paying party dues..."

He muttered a curse under his breath, and with an indifferent attitude, slammed the entire pay bag into the metal donation box with a "thud".

"It's all here, so spend it sparingly. I'm short of money to build the railway!"

The two members of the Mechanicus stared blankly at the bulging pay bag that fell into the box with a "thud," then burst into great enthusiasm.

"Thank you, great sage. The god of all machines will remember your dedication, and your generosity will illuminate our path forward!"

After shouting their prepared platitudes, they grabbed their donation boxes and rushed out, leaving Rem standing there with a pile of unresolved bridge blueprints, feeling even more exhausted and the world even more absurd.

"Damn... what kind of mess is this..."

He slumped into the chair, feeling completely drained.

The next morning, as Diu Ni Rem, with even darker circles under his eyes than the day before, was roaring at the table calculating earthwork volume, trying to find the error in the third decimal place, the meeting room door was pushed open in a solemn and cold manner.

The person who came in wasn't from the Transportation Bureau, but a clerk in a black official uniform with a blank expression.

Behind him followed two equally expressionless guards, while the scribe held a scroll stamped with the seal of the Regent of the Kingdom.

The entire conference room fell silent instantly, and all the transportation bureau officials held their breath.

"Minister of Transport, what are you doing, Lord Rem?"

The clerk's voice was devoid of any emotion.

Diu Ni Rem's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition enveloped him.

Could it be that the budget overrun was discovered?
"Yes... it's me."

He put down his charcoal pencil and stood up somewhat nervously.

The clerk opened the scroll and read it aloud in a clear and loud voice.

"By order of His Highness Regent Chris:"

In view of the unwavering faith and unique value demonstrated by the Mechanicus in maintaining the kingdom's order and eliminating the threat of heresy, approval is hereby granted for the formation of the 'Holy Expeditionary Force' to immediately proceed to the Suvano region to carry out a purification mission.

The appointments are as follows:

The Kingdom's Minister of Transport, Diu Ni Rem, is hereby appointed as the Supreme Commander of the 'Holy Expeditionary Force', effective immediately, and will be fully responsible for all combat, logistical, and purification operations of the force.

At the same time, in view of his profound understanding and outstanding contributions to the Way of Machines, he was promoted to the Great Sage of the 'Cult of Machines' and put in charge of all religious affairs and matters related to sacred discussions within the cult.

This order is effective immediately.

Regent of the Kingdom of Bagnia... Chris

After the reading was completed, the scribe handed the scroll to Diu Ni Rem with both hands.

There was deathly silence in the conference room.

Everyone stared in disbelief at their boss, their eyes filled with shock, bewilderment, and, among other things, sympathy from a few of the engineer players.

Being transferred from a civil engineering job to an overseas posting is a really tough job.

Rem stood there, as if struck by a bolt of lightning, charred on the outside and tender on the inside.

What...what did he hear?
Supreme Commander of the Holy Expeditionary Force?

The Great Sage of the Cult of Machines?
To oversee all religious affairs within the church?
Should we head to Suvano immediately?

Weren't those two guys here to solicit donations yesterday?

How did I end up becoming the supreme commander and great sage while donating so much?!

What kind of incredible move is that, Chris?!
How could someone who was in charge of railway maintenance be sent to lead troops into battle?
"Holy crap! Holy crap!!"

A shrill, devastating roar, filled with the despair of being utterly manipulated by the world, suddenly exploded from Diu Ni Rem's throat, causing dust to fall from the conference room ceiling.

Realizing his predicament, he felt a wave of dizziness and nearly fainted on the spot.

A sense of absurdity?
desolate?

Go to hell!

All he wants to do right now is smash things! All he wants to do is yell at Chris's handsome face.

"I'm the Minister of Transportation, I'm building a railway, I don't want to be some damn sage fighting snake people!!!"

The clerk, expressionless, shoved the appointment scroll into the dumbfounded Diu Ni Rem's hand and gave a standard double-headed eagle salute.

"Great Sage and Commander, the Military Affairs Department will hand over the relevant documents and personnel roster of the Holy Expeditionary Force to you within two hours."

Wishing you a successful purification process and a resounding victory.

After saying this, he turned and left with his guards, leaving behind a Minister of Transport who was completely petrified, as if his soul had left his body.

Diu Ni Rem looked down at the heavy, gold-embossed scroll in his hand, then at the pile of railway blueprints covered in red lines and the empty paycheck on the table...

Liver? What kind of liver do you mean by "livering" for a railway?

He's going to grind the war dungeon now!
Were we played by the game?
This isn't just being played; it's being repeatedly humiliated and rubbed into the ground by the game, and then given an even more ridiculous task after that!
"Chris...you son of a bitch..."

He let out a weak moan, feeling that life... no, life as a game... was utterly bleak.

(End of this chapter)