Research

Used to decide the technological advancement, it consists of multiple branching paths one can chose, each one belonging to a specific time.

Once a minimum of technologies have been researched, you can advance to the next era. Each era advancement will provide you with certain benefits.

Current technologies available for research:

Pottery – already researched

Animal Husbandry – 1800 RP (-20% discount due to title)

Archery – 1800 RP (-20% discount due to title)

Mining – 800 RP (-20% discount due to title)

Metal Casting – 2400 RP (-20% discount due to title)

Current Research Points available: 2545

Current Research Points growth: 239/day (assign people to researching a specific field in order to increase growth)

“Having both Denise and Andrea as Great Persons helps us quite a bit. We need to specialize more people. What I am incredibly conflicted about is why the hell isn’t Mining already researched? Any idea you two?”

[Very probably because only stone has been mined so far. There is a cooper reserve close by so we can move some people to mine there.](Mia)

[Will that automatically complete the Mining technology big sister?](Alexa)

“Probably not… this most likely has to do with the use of the ores. Marble? Any marble nearby Mia?”

[I can check…](Mia)

Why marble? Because is better for certain buildings and we could use it for sculptures or other stuff like that. That might help create a stonemason and who knows… maybe the works of art will increase the daily culture point gain and if not, some extra sculptors to improve the beautifying of the camp.

[I found a marble quarry but it is quite a distance away and carrying them using the carts we have at the moment is highly impractical.](Mia)

“What do you think we might require in order to facilitate an easier way to carry the cargo back to camp?”

[Oxen or horses pulling bigger wagons.](Mia)

“I see…”

[Does that mean that we will focus on Animal Husbandry for the research Michael?](Alexa)

“Not this time love! I had in mind using marble for the Shrine and the Monument, but unfortunately, that is not possible this time. I plan to smelt some copper first and create some casts. If we manage to create some weapons we might get an achievement related to Metal Casting, case in which the amount of points required to completely research the knowledge related to it will be considerably lessened.”

[That’s a good idea master!](Mia)

[Master!?](Alexa)

“… ╮(╯_╰)╭…”

Oh boy... This will be interesting to explain. Actually, it will be interesting seeing Mia try to explain this one. As for a backup plan, I could easily say that Mia was my maid and I can create a wealthy persona for my past self.

"Your move Mia..."

[...in the world from where the Chaos God saved us, I served master as his maid.](Mia)

"Pffffft!"

This girl... just how much did she took in terms of personality and personal preferences from me when she was 'installed'?

[Maid? What sort of occupation is that big sister?](Alexa)

"Now that's a description even I want to hear. What would she say I wonder..."

[A maid is a helper. A person very close to her 'master' that helps them with everything and anything.](Mia)

[I understand now! With big sister's knowledge, nobody else besides you will be able to have a similar 'maid' position.](Alexa)

Hearing the reply made me question exactly what did Mia considers herself to be in relation to me. Actually, exactly what do I consider her to be?

"An AI? Yes, but not fully... A regular girl with a shitload of knowledge? Yes, but not quite... I guess Mia's just Mia after all..."

[It does not matter how much knowledge you have Alexandra! What matters is how much you are willing to do for your master…](Mia)

"Aaaaaaand let's stop right there before you plant any stupid ideas in this girl's head. I could see a rather terrifying development in the future given her personality (100% yandere), so please abstain from future comments... Alexandra! Leaving the whole maid business aside for now (until I can actually create maid uniforms), I need you to focus heavily on training the new bloods in the dungeon unit for fights. We'll decide on a schedule while keeping in mind the minimum 10 hours per day required to be spent on building."

[...okay.](Alexa)

Safe! Almost got a three out of three there... Hmm, returning to topic at hand, isn't something different from before when looking at the technologies available? They are blinking after all.

"Alexandra, see if you can bring up the description for the available to be researched technologies."

[Hmm? All right, I will try!](A)

Animal Husbandry

Animal husbandry appears to have occurred at about the same time as the invention of agriculture. The dog appears to be the earliest domesticated animal, probably bred to assist in hunting and killing game. Evidence suggests that they were first tamed and bred in China - in fact, geneticists believe that about 95% of the dogs living today are descended from just a few common Chinese animals. Goats and sheep were domesticated in the Middle East perhaps by about 10,000 BC.

Benefits: provides knowledge about taming and rearing of wild animals

Cost: 1800 RP (-20% discount due to title) Archery

Archery is the technology by which a person uses the spring power stored in a bent stick (or "bow") to shoot a slender pointed projectile (an "arrow") a great distance at rapid speed. Throughout history bows and arrows have been employed in the hunt and in war. Their earliest use is lost in the mists of time, but probably dates from the Paleolithic era (which ended some 14,000 years ago) or even earlier (archaeologists have found stone points in Africa dating 60,000 years ago that may have been arrowheads).

Benefits: provides knowledge of how to create and operate ranged weapons

Cost: 1800 RP (-20% discount due to title) Mining

Mining is the process of extracting various useful substances from beneath the earth's surface. The earliest mined elements include copper, iron, diamonds, gold, silver, salt and coal. Since one can't eat any of that stuff, miners must be part of a community that grows enough excess food to support them and their families.

Benefits: provides knowledge of how to mine and use different types of stones, metals or minerals

Cost: 800 RP (-20% discount due to title) Metal Casting

Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process. Casting materials are usually metals or various time setting materials that cure after mixing two or more components together; examples are epoxy, concrete, plaster and even clay. Casting is most often used for making complex shapes that would be otherwise difficult or uneconomical to make by other methods.

Benefits: provides knowledge of how to smelt and mold different materials

Cost: 2400 RP (-20% discount due to title)

I found it quite intriguing how there were so many new details added. Just from those descriptions, I could gather sufficient data, which would allow me to do some experiments. Based on those experiments (if successful) I could develop the new techs way faster, without having to spend no more time than actually needed on them. Not only that, but a proper experiment done with the specific elves, would certainly make it easier to pick up new Jobs for them.

"Speaking of Jobs, what's going to be mine? In addition, will I qualify as a Great Person? I should probably already be given such a title due to the inventions and stuff. So, in conclusion, that means that I get the opportunity to only focus on dungeons with a specialization as Adventurer first and maybe a General after. If not, I could pick a lifestyle profession for the second option instead and try to help as much as I can with the technological advancement."

"Okay! That is it for tonight girls! We have much to do in the morning so we should sleep early..."

[What about the order in which we will research?](Alexa)

"We will first restructure the units tomorrow and try to go with as many improvements in all technologies at once. For example, the mining unit will try to grab some copper for us to melt which then we will have Denise and her unit try to mold into things. That might bring us some achievements, which like previously stated, might drop the overall cost of the present ones. That will happen tomorrow and the day after, therefore days 12 and 13. The following two days we will also try to design and construct some bows and slingshots. I hope that that will bring us closer to the actual tech. Then, irrelevant of which way they go, we'll acquire whatever tech we can on day 14 and decide then if either on that day or the following, we'll start trying to create paper and teach people how to write and read!"

[Oh, wow! That is a great idea master!](Mia)

[Will that be helpful?](A)

"Big time!"

[Then I am glad to hear that!](A)

"Alright! Let us leave it to that for today. Let's get some shut eye!"

The night passed (uneventful by the way) and morning was upon us. I realized at that point just how important a clock was back on Earth. Now that the notion of time was abstract, to say in the least, to the elves and in return that made me very hesitant when thinking about re-adding it in my civilization.

Time is required for organizing chores - or at least in the society as I know it - and to deny time, would be quite impossible to do. Teaching them about it and if possible creating some primordial clocks, might help my civilization advance faster.

"Maybe an hourglass... but I have no glass or a way to create that yet. So maybe a sun dial instead. In addition, I could create some calendars by carving the months and days on wooden boards. It will make the notion of time easier to grasp for everyone."

[Master, you are awake already. Haven't you sleep yet?](Mia)

"Is not required, therefore I used the time to contemplate the changes we need to make. First and foremost we two need to talk. You changed quite a bit and the fact that you didn't notice a simple mistake I made when calculating something, tells me that either you are concerned about something, therefore you mind is somewhere else, or that you're becoming more of a human opposed to an AI."

[A mistake in calculation? When!? How!?](Mia)

"Calm down. Both scenarios are good news for us both. The math related to the Lumber Mill and the Stone Works. We had 50 people in each unit, right?"

[...right.](Mia)

"And the buildings provide an increase of 50% to the respective resources, right?"

[...yes.](Mia)

"Then, when only 25 will be left on each unit with the building boost in effect, what is the production rate going to look like compared with the current one?"

[...it will operate at 75% master. Oh!](Mia)

"Yup. You overlooked it at that point. That in my eyes isn't a mistake, but a sign of growing as a person."

[Nevertheless, it was a mistake...](Mia)

"Not a relevant one. We would have seen the actual output eventually, therefore making the previous math irrelevant. After all, is just resources we are talking about and we have plenty of those to pick from our surroundings. However, there is only one you around and as I said, I like the fact that you are slowly developing your personality. Your own! Not one created because of my tastes or made up because of the knowledge you have. Your own!"

[I understand. I will do my best... Alexandra is waking up.](Mia)