Ch. 601A Matter of Opinion
Plot points and events
- Princess Mulesina pitches Green’s Marine Armor to Princess Muer Yatis as a potential Divine Eagle Empire purchase. They discuss a per-unit cost of 2,000 gold pounds and an initial proposed sale price of 3,000.
- Muer Yatis argues that the armor is worth more and raises the price to 4,000 gold pounds per unit. Three days later, the empire places an order for 100,000 units through the newly formed shell company Green and Mulesina United Military Industries—a contract worth 400 million gold pounds.
- Muer Yatis secures 700 gold pounds per unit; Green and Mulesina each receive 550, with 200 shared among other officials. Green accepts the arrangement and focuses on rapidly launching production.
- The empire will operate the mechas with its own Necromancers and modified Undead, rather than Green’s Soul Link network. This may reduce their combat effectiveness, but offers a practical way to field them.
- In the Mist World, Green’s team and Mulesina’s supply network work at full speed. The first large production line is completed and begins turning out blue-painted Marine Armor units.
- In the Number Seven Spatial World, the Goddess of the Night’s plans are revealed: the God-Making Plan was a trap designed to produce an Outer God, which she could consume. She manipulated Akara, Grand Duke Mora, Duke Vra, and Isabelle to bring the plan to fruition.
- The Goddess moves to seize the weakened newborn Outer God. She drives off the Void Tentacle with her power, seals the spatial rift, and addresses the creature as “Cromwell’s daughter.” Her use of the name draws the attention of a powerful consciousness beyond the Void.
Character developments and interactions
- Muer Yatis proves shrewd and more commercially aggressive than Mulesina expected, recognizing that the mechas can command a higher price.
- Mulesina acts as Green’s business partner, negotiating the sale and scrambling to secure raw materials despite mining shortages.
- Green is impressed by Muer Yatis’s profit-taking but prioritizes production and fulfillment of the enormous order.
- Grand Duke Mora appears outwardly resigned to the Goddess’s plan, but a brief flash of anger and resolve suggests he may still have his own intentions—especially regarding Akara.
- The Goddess of the Night reveals herself as a patient manipulator, but her long wait has worn thin. She intervenes early when she sees an opportunity to claim the Outer God.
Significant themes
- Power and profit: Military procurement blends strategic necessity with self-interest and corruption.
- Industrial transformation: Mass production and logistics turn a novel invention into a major military force.
- Manipulation and delayed schemes: The Goddess’s plan spans generations, exploiting ambition, grief, and the desire for power.
- Hidden resistance and uncertain loyalties: Mora’s silence conceals possible defiance, while the Goddess’s apparent triumph is interrupted by the arrival of an immense presence.