Van is literally the ruler of a planet. He wants money in hand, so he offered me materials with a thirty percent discount compared to the market price. We decided to accept the deal, since it was sponsored by a mechanical intelligence of the Alliance, and I sweetened the deal with some entertainment remnants of Earth to get a further fifty million yen worth of goods.
Then he actually had the nerve to tell me I have magic energy and a magic organ. There’s no way that’s true.
“But you do. My Appraisal Eye can’t be wrong.”
“Sorry, hold on. Genma came from a planet without magic energy, right?”
“I did. You know that, right Van!?”
“Yes, supposedly it didn’t have… But calm down. Genma, did you reincarnate here? Were you transported?”
“No, how should I put this…”
Saratha calms me down a little, but I’m still confused. I sit on the floor of the dock without thinking, and ask my countryman how this happened.
“Hm…? Wait. Genma, are you from Aichi?”
“I’m not, but I moved and lived there for two years because of work.”
“Wait… I remember…”
Van sits cross-legged and closes his eyes. I look around and see the stuff we just bought being taken to the ship by drones. Half of it is gone. We’ve been talking for a while.
“In my previous life… My father was a policeman. But he was pretty easygoing, and even when it came to work stuff, he’d pretty much talk about anything as long as that wasn’t a problem.”
“Yes? So?”
“Apparently there were quite a few cases of single men being kidnapped in Aichi.”
“Did… My name come up?”
“No. They were really drunk and out of it. I guess they were drowning their sorrows? These kidnappings ended up being declared cases that didn’t need solving and went cold, even though they figured out the culprit’s name…”
Going unsolved is one thing, but what do you mean not needing solving?
“Yes, Amanoiwato Frozen Distribution. It was in 2026, shortly before I died, that there was a breakthrough in cold sleep technology and it became possible to revive people in cold sleep. Sumire, look up Amanoiwato Frozen Distribution.”
“Understood. It was a delivery company that existed until the destruction of Earth. There are records of ships that were out of the star system selling themselves.”
“So I was kidnapped and put in cold sleep?”
“Yes… Hm… There are too many holes.”
Like why was I in cold sleep all that time?
“There’s no point in figuring it out now. I have magic energy, but I’m healthy, so I’ll look into it if I’m curious. Thanks for the information.”
“Well, hum, you’re welcome?”
Everything is loaded as we talk. I want to go back and cash all this in, or I’ll get worried.
“Everything’s loaded, so it’s time to go.”
“Do you wanna make money?”
“Again? I’m not spending more money.”
“How about working with me?”
There are a lot of positives. A lot, but…
“I want to be free to take it easy and accept work.”
“I see, too bad.”
“I’ll be back eventually.”
“Bring interesting stuff. I’m sure I’ll be done with the manga then.”
“I’ll be the one asking next time…”
We shake hands and say goodbye.
I didn’t expect to meet someone from Japan. I got a bad feeling when I prodded a little deeper, so I didn’t ask for details. If I don’t ask, I won’t hear. He seems like the kind of guy that would be called a demon king in a novel. I’m sure he’ll be a nice person as long as he’s in space. Probably.
▽▽▽
We get inside Tortilla Double, and use the auto-pilot to leave the dock. We leave Mishyltia and its tree that can be seen from space, and enter hyperspace.
In hyperspace, a lot of butterflies fly around in flower fields, and fairies wave sometimes, but it’s a relatively safe space. I don’t know who started calling this hyperspace, but this is a fairy space.
“Okay, feel free to rest. We’ll be in hyperspace for the next fifteen days. We couldn’t resupply our food printer cartridges, but I’m sure we won’t have any other problems on the way back.”
“Are you sure that was okay, Genma? If we’re thinking about the life you want, you could work for the ruler of a newly established planet and become his close aide. I think you’d get land there too.”
“I honestly think it’s kind of a waste too.”
I laugh a little, and hear others laughing too. Well, that’s very true. But I think things are going to be very busy there. How do they even move supplies from the surface? That’s the level we’re talking here.
You need to work seriously after starting up a business, and make the necessary arrangements. A start-up is always going to be really busy, right?
“That being said, the life of a mercenary is easier and more profitable. I’m glad I was hired.”
“It sounds convincing coming from Suzuri~.”
“You said you wanted a mothership, not a home planet, right?”
“Yes, being able to fly away is better. I want a big ship where I can farm.”
Everyone smiles after I say that… Oh? That’s scary. I want a mothership, but is farming asking for too much?
“I have a great idea darling~! Let’s buy a mechanical intelligence~!!”
Uh?
▽▽▽
I can’t escape it in the fifteen days it takes us to get back to Akul. Every day, I’m told the advantages of having a mechanical intelligence.
“First, as a prerequisite, what we need is a smart AI that will protect Genma if necessary.”
It continues as I jog in the cargo bay. I’ve been trying to do twenty laps every day. That’s about a kilometer and a half.
“A machine intelligence attendant theoretically has the combat power to wield a laser cannon and fight power armor. And since they are trained by the Alliance, they can give you the advice you need too.”
Kori has the cockpit right now, because her nature means she doesn’t need to exercise. Suzuri is better at this than I thought, and I have to be careful not to step on Saratha’s tail as I run with them.
“They also don’t typically need to sleep, so they can take care of a ship in hyperspace.”
“And you can have an AI manage one of those motherships you wish to have. It is unrealistic to maintain a big ship with a small crew.”
“True…”
We take a twenty minute break after jogging, and then it’s time for a shuttle run. The idea is to go until we can’t anymore, but the petite Suzuri runs twice as much as I do by the time I’m worn out. I feel like Saratha’s body makes this pretty meaningless for her.
“Hnfufu, it seems I am still better!”
“But I feel like my endurance’s been better later.”
I’ve been exercising every day, so I really am getting healthier. But mechanical intelligence. Mechanical intelligence.
“But won’t they be connected to the Alliance?”
“Sumire was dispatched as a consultant, so she does have strings attached to the Alliance. But that won’t be the case if you buy one.”
“Give it up already and start doing character creation.”
That’s the biggest hurdle. Who would be happy to make a sexbot that’s basically a gynoid that reflects all your kinks, especially in front of a bunch of women!?
Although Kori was really excited when she said let’s make a sexbot…
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Mei ripoff incoming
So an android🤖will join the crew/harem.
Thanks.
… there’s that one captain who made his dream maid robot for fun but got salestalked by a ball~