Luckily I managed to finish setting out the prep work for the construction before day broke. It would still be a few hours still before my employee arrived with the truck and the supplies I might have taken that time to finagle my building plans into something that would be less suspicious. For all it was on the other side of a mountain I wouldn't want the government to connect 'Me' with this sudden new company constructing a resort on the other side of a mountain. So the company appeared to have been founded and had the plans filed a few weeks before I walked into the lake, I can only hope that the fact all the money for that came into the account a few weeks later.

I spent the remaining time walking between my two mines collecting the ores that were building up in them. Investing in the transport tubes to send both to me, this also brought up the most pressing thing I realized so far. Why did I set up a monitor for the external cameras? I could just as easily as linked them to me so I would have constant view over what was happening. If I could sigh I would have as I was making my way to that monitor. Hooking up to it and installing a quickly little transmitter just for me was very helpful. Not because I could see it but because the instant I connected my research progress from the mech completed. Right I wasn't actually connected to it so with the build up of the videos getting saved to me had me finished with the scan of the mech. Well that was done I now had a blueprint for a mech the same size as me... Except while I might be built for combat I wasn't a dedicated combat machine, more of a terraforming industrial frame and this was was for someone to pilot.

I was in the middle of contemplating what I would even need with a two story tall war mech for when I saw something worrying. The sun was just coming up and the camp they built looked to be waking up. And waking up it was, I saw the few beastmen soldiers lounging under a large covered area shoveling food into their muzzles while they watched what had to be the equivalent of privates lining up outside of a few large tents. They wore different uniforms so they were definitely not part of the same faction, though I could gather that they were coalition from the logo on their uniforms. Which was probably creative for them but cliché for me, It was a stylized picture of the planet while a trail around it. But that wasn't what had me worried. It was that they were starting to roll out things into the lake just letting them continue to sink into water. I wasn't that dumb they were robots they were already starting to see if I was still hiding in the lake. I wasn't but they should easily be able to find my entrance.

The urge to sigh again was back, well at least now I had a use for that combat mech. I quickly started the construction of one, an automated one I made sure that its feet would match mine so they might believe it was me. There was something to be said about the angular design of the armor, it sure looked quite striking. But I made sure there wasn't anything too 'Groundbreaking' Technologically wise and then started wailing on it with my own fists before having it march out of my entrance and into the lake. An unknown mech should have them believe they found what they are looking for. Hopefully they would believe that it was too damaged from the fall from orbit that it was destroyed to be nonfunctional. Only issue... It wasn't actually non functional... I had sent the override signal to it once it was at the muddiest part of the lake where it's motors started wearing themselves down and the generator started overheating. No explosion though; That would be suspicious. Besides what kind of automated war mech exploded? The whole point of them is for them to not be alone... That does say a lot about my design then I guess, But having a war mech blowing up in your battle line would cause damage to other machines nearby.

Well I wasn't worried about any tech they might obtain from that mech, I was here to help them after all. While they might not know it if they used whatever I made to improve their own mechs then they would be better prepared. I set up a motion detector just inside my entrance incase they did somehow miss the giant mech in the center of the lake before heading back to link to the cameras around my construction sight. As I was walking I was thinking of how I was going to keep track of all these camera feeds I was setting up, helpfully my internal systems pushed a new priority onto my list of things. A command and control center. That would be immensely useful.

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I managed to get back just in time to watch my new truck arrive at the construction site. Out of the cab hopped out my employee. I realize I never actually looked at his name or picture... Just his background and situation. But I saw very much reminded me of a Husky man. Though instead of grey and while, a ruddy hue to his fur that made him seem more alive then the way he carried himself. He carried himself like he was constantly carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders and he just wanted the workday to be over. Though it had just started. I sent him a message telling him to open the crate of magic crystals and start slotting them into the new construction robots that were just sitting there depowered. He didn't waist time as he guided his daughter to enter the small prebuilt construction house. It was more of just three simple rooms I had plans to convert it into a garden after the building was finished. His daughter was definitely his daughter, the same ruddy red except didn't have the 'The world is so tiring' look that he had. She was adorable really, looking maybe 16-17. Though I don't have a grasp on how to judge age yet, that was just the impression I got from her.

I was hoping he would go inside once the robots started, instead he diligently watched as the construction robots started. Picking up building supplies and carried them in their 'Mouth' and welding them together before the stone and wood was sheathed over that section of wall. There was no outward sign at the weirdness of my extra thick walls, but he did do one thing I didn't think of. He directed the bots to construct the outer wall first. I believe he was worried about monster attacks, though truthfully so was I so I allowed it and set it up for the bots to follow his orders from now on. I would have preferred if he went and slacked off so I could sneak a bot out and collect a mana crystal for myself but the instant one deviated from its task while he wasn't looking. His ear twitched and he was zeroed in on it. I certainly didn't want him finding my secret entrance but I would be sweating at the close call there, maybe I should have hired someone with less herding instincts. That's an amusing thought, I could totally see this grumpy guy, who according to his file was in his mid thirties though he looked 50 from just how grumpy he was, trying to chase down a herd of escaping sheep.

I started sending him an email that he would be able to view tonight. Explaining that he doesn't actually have to watch the robots as they are a new model, that they do not have the flaws of the previous model and he was there more for maintenance and repairs as well as the legal requirement for having a supervisor of the construction. I read through his background more, he had a full background in engineering and robotics. Though his license for bot repair was quickly arriving to being expired, the cost of getting that renewed was exorbitant like... Suspiciously so. It was like they didn't want people to repair their robots... Though I quickly realized that there was a discount for 'employees' who worked at the companies they wanted all repairmen to work for them and the certification was just a way to make it legal. Luckily these were my bots so I quickly made up a certificate to work on the robots I was using and a new company that made my new robots... I had to sell another of my improved robot blueprints it was a different model of cleaning robot. Not the same ones I would be using in my resort or selling in my new robotics company. I sent my employee an explanation that I would be willing to keep him on hand as an engineer to repair the robots on sites and offer him a non expiring repair license for all robots created by Mech Inc. Classy and creative name I know, but there was nothing like it elsewhere. Besides the name fit.

Now I just had to watch with him as the place was being built... Or that's what I would have done if all the lights I had in the walls didn't go out before lighting back up in that eerie red glow indicating low power. It didn't help any but I made myself let out the noise of a sigh that echoed in the large almost empty cavern I had carved out for myself.