Paving the Way

Endmin, Supervisor Perlica! What happened at the Valley Fort? We just heard something...

The chief of the Bonekrushers was at the Valley Fort. She blew up the bridge before she left. We were right behind her, but it was too late.

That road is our shortest way to support the Power Plateau. Air support would be difficult as our flying vehicles would be affected by the Ankhors... These people have made their goals quite clear.

I hope he can stay safe and keep us updated on the landbreakers' movements... Director Qin, is there any other way to reach the Power Plateau?

We can reach the Power Plateau by going through the Originium Science Park... But that is the longer route, and...

The Ankhorfall triggered a huge landslide. Cleaning it up will be difficult. Andre, report — what's the situation in the field?

It's bad. The road is completely blocked by a significant buildup of rocks and rubble. Our surveyors just sent us the details. Take a look!

Supervisor Perlica, we are currently occupied with the Hub Base recovery. Organizing the landslide-clearing team may take a while.

Traces at the scene match the patterns. But how did Nefarith...?

Uh, Supervisor Perlica?

Oh ... apologies. I was a little distracted. Please, make haste with the preparations. The true objectives of our opponents must be identified quickly.

I understand. These Landbreakers are far beyond ordinary bandits.

Director Qin, have we ever detected any individual in Valley IV who is ... capable of manipulating the Æther directly?

What?

No, such abilities are not possible. The Æther is simply too dangerous. Our attempts to study the Æther are severely hampered by its lethality. No human individual can make direct contact with the Æther safely...

After all, the Æther is the "side opposing the origins of life"... right?

Yes, but we're all familiar with the textbook footnote on this quote. The Terrans did not have a full understanding of the secrets held by this planet.

...That's true. In any case, there are plenty of matters on our hands that we must deal with.

Okay, is there anything we can do to help?

Yeah... Please help Andre at the Core AIC Area. We'll be preparing our supplies at that place.

According to our grand development strategy, this AIC sector is still in its infancy.

Usually, production lines can't be built overnight. But technological advancements we made in Valley IV can now speed things up. Well, things can be faster at this place, at least. The other sites might not have our more conducive environment.

We'll also need plenty of electricity and power to manufacture large machinery and equipment...

The landslide-clearing crew will be assigned a multi-purpose drill. This big boy will need plenty of Originium Ore as fuel.

We must boost our mineral mining efficiency. To do that, we should first research the right tech upgrades in our AIC Factory Plan.

Greetings, Endministrator!

Let me introduce myself. I am technician Pocus from the Endfield Engineering Division. I'm also a technical ops for the AIC!

As you can see, I've deployed plenty of Protocol Dataloggers in this area. Once enough data has been gathered, they'll behave like this — it's a special signal to retrieve the data.

This particular datalogger is ready for interaction and retrieval. Go ahead and try it out. In more complex environments, a single datalogger might generate multiple AIC Index points at once.

Endmin, do we have the required Originium Ore and Amethyst Ore?

Nicely done. Our energy problem is now history.

The landslide-clearing team has been assembled. Once the preparations are complete, the team can begin their work.

Good job. Is there anything else we're short on?

A lot. Gear, tools, overhaul kits ... but we should be able to take care of them. Vannikov is responsible for directing the work on the site. You can talk to him to learn more about the situation.

Don't worry. We still have time.

So you really are the Endministrator! Thank you so much for helping our crew mates out there. Everyone's ready to get some work done but we ... got a small problem...

There's no need for such formalities here. Given the urgency of our situation, just go ahead and tell us what you need.

Mr. Andre insists that we equip Æther counters during work. The issue is, these devices have quite a heavy load, and we haven't had time to modify our standard coveralls.

I understand Mr. Andre's concerns. Mr. Vannikov, if modifying your standard crew coveralls is a problem, we can produce new protective suits for your crew.

What...? But I don't think we can just build a garment factory right now...

Endfield has a comprehensive plan for precision manufacturing, centered around our Protocol Automation-Core. We can get started on it right away.

Hey friends, how's it going? We're almost ready — just wrapping things up.

Oh! They look wonderful! We can definitely use them! Thank you so much, Endfielders.

Brand new gear out of thin air... Incredible. You made all these with your AIC system?

I heard so many stories about you Endfielders but the real deal is just ... impressive! If things were always this effortless, life would be a breeze!

Alright! I'm ready for the job!

Everyone seems pretty pumped, Endmin!

Now that the crew is ready, our next step is to repair and modify a suitable vehicle.

The field crew can take care of the disassembly and replacement of parts. I gotta work on a suite of customized components. They will give the vehicle some essential upgrades.

Endmin, research the Parts Fitting tech on our AIC Factory Plan. After that, we'll be all set.

Okay, then. We'll be waiting for your good news.

Endmin, how are we doing with the upgrade parts?

This is it! Wonderful!

Reverse gear. Check. Stabilizing outriggers. Check. Initiating signal testing... All good!

Construction vehicle upgrades are complete. All the moving parts are in place — This efficiency is miraculous! It's like a dream!

A dream that's coming true! The AIC Factory is working far better than I expected. We gotta expand our mass production plans...

And make sure you give me the new budget as soon as you have it.

Endfield has constructed many large industrial machines, but this is our first time using the AIC to build one on the fly.

This is a first step towards our grand vision... Endmin, just imagine how many lives we can improve with our construction capacity!

Prep work seems to be going well. We finally have some good news for a change.

The Quarry suffered significant damage. We received multiple distress calls from the crews there.

We've dispatched a rescue team but it was hastily prepared. They might not be able to cover all scenarios. I hope you can check the area if you have the time to spare, Endmin.

Um... Our preparations seem complete, but...

No, sorry. It was nothing.

In any case, we should make sure all preparation work is carried out accordingly. Pocus and I are ready to help if you have questions about the AIC Factory.

If you want to add more features to our AIC, you can use this Expansion Core. It will provide a more advanced factory development plan.

There are many things we can do — expand our AIC Factory, help crew mates in the other areas, and much more.

The decision is yours, Endministrator.

No rush. Go ahead and do your thing.