“So the point value is increasing?”
“That’s the only way I can see it.”
At the first regular all-hands meeting of the Kawashima General Trading Company’s Asteroid Division that was established concurrently with the division itself…in a huge conference room that could probably fit 20 or 30 people, only seven of us had gathered. Wearing a fur-lined flight jacket over her pantsuit, Section Chief Iida answered my question.
Attending this meeting as executives and experts of Kawashima General Trading Company were myself, Mars, Sierra, Princess joining remotely, Division Head Iida, Manager Yoshikawa, and from the newly established Asteroid Division, Abukuma and Kaneki.
The drone delivery and buyback system that had just started was also hashed out in detail at this meeting.
[So you’re saying buyback requests are increasing?]
“Of course, but people have also started asking about the yen exchange rate when making requests.”
[Ah, so there are people who want to exchange yen for points.]
“By the way, do you have any plans regarding that, Vice President?”
[No, points are just for collecting monster materials.]
While Iida addressed me as the vice president, no one really minded – we all recognized that Princess was the true head of operations and the core of this company.
“Come to think of it, the president previously mentioned a ‘Kawashima Point Economic Zone’ plan…”
“Ah, no Division Head Iida…that was just an idea for the future, or…”
[We don’t have the people or resources to expand that plan right now, so let’s just forget about it for now.]
“I see, yes.”
My bad…
The ‘Kawashima Point Economic Zone’ was a grand concept of using Kawashima Points as a substitute for cash – to trade for goods, travel, communications, and even as a payment system. It sounds impressive phrased like that, but the reality is that our current Kawashima General Trading Company is far too small-scale to implement something like that. At minimum, we’d need to be a nationwide organization – truly just a pipe dream.
But I certainly didn’t expect the point value to suddenly surge before we’d even seriously considered pursuing something like that. Well, I suppose that’s just how things go. I feel like I’ve grown a bit myself in the year since meeting Mars – I can at least distinguish what I can and cannot do now.
[Anyway, we’re going to maintain the status quo. After all, the drone delivery system is a service for adventurers.]
“I understand. And some adventurers have also requested that we expand the range of items we buy…”
[No way, thinking about places to offload those would just create more work for us.]
“The demand for it really is high, huh.”
“Well, I guess you could say…the drone delivery system is just too convenient.”
Abukuma, who had become the head of the Kawashima Asteroid, seemed to have regained some of the dark circles under her eyes as she muttered those words.
“Well, that’s true. If we were still active adventurers, any monster materials we obtained would be our top priority to convert to points. Active adventurers are just sensitive to things like that.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Really?”
I asked, and the former adventurer duo of Abukuma and Iida nodded deeply.
“Part of the reason we targeted that was because with just the Kawashima Points and a smartphone, your survival rate skyrockets when you really need it, right?”
Abukuma said while fiddling with the Kawashima Points smartphone app, and Iida chimed in from the side.
“Even if you break a bone or fall deep in a dungeon, they can bring you food, medicine, and alert the association if you’re in serious danger. From their perspective, it’s like having an extra lifeline.”
“I see.”
“Come to think of it, there was this one time when Kumiko had an acute appendicitis while we were exploring, and we all had to desperately carry her back to base.”
“Yeah, I remember that…we had run out of painkillers, so we had to gag her to avoid attracting monsters.”
“I really thought I was going to die back then.”
I guess being an adventurer really is a tough job…
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
[Weren’t there also parties that delivered an insane amount of stuff?]
“Yes, there were groups that clearly aimed for points, using the drone buyback service to stay in dungeons for about a week.”
“A week in a dungeon? That’s crazy.”
Mars seemed incredulous, but Abukuma and the others had a different perspective.
“For corporate requests, it was normal to be in there for two weeks.”
“Right, we couldn’t leave until we had all the requested items. So the difficulty and reward increased for perishable materials.”
“Two weeks is too much for me. I need to see the sky, you know?”
Well, Mars was a spaceship pilot. But I wouldn’t want to stay in a dungeon either. I can only handle day trips.
[As long as the point system is working well, I think we should maintain the status quo for now? The main concern would be misuse…but the terms state that only the owner can use the points.]
“You think misuse will happen?”
[It definitely will. For now, the drones are programmed not to hand over items if someone other than the owner tries to retrieve them. Consecutive attempts will result in an account ban.]
“A ban is more serious than a regular service suspension…”
[If we ban a couple of people to set an example, account selling might happen for a while until the rumor spreads. But I can leave handling those complaints to you?]
“Of course.”
Iida casually agreed, but former adventurers are reliable. If I had to deal with intimidating adventurers, I’d probably freeze up.
[I guess that’s it for today?]
“Yeah.”
“boss, the samples.”
“Oh right, wait a sec.”
Just as Hime was about to wrap up the meeting, Abukuma, who had been nudged by Kaneki, stopped her.
“Tonbo, this is what you asked for before.”
She took out three ziplock bags from her suit pocket and placed them in front of me.
“These are samples of the delivered magical alloy materials. Passing them to you.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
With monster materials accumulating, the alloy manufacturer finally sent some samples. It will still take time before we have enough for a spaceship, but having the real thing is important.
“Magical alloy is crazy expensive, the invoice really surprised me.”
“Well, for now the plan is to operate unmanned spacecraft, but there’s a chance people may ride them in the future…so it’s better to use durable materials.”
I said that as I stored the alloy samples in the junkyard for now. Oh, I should KEEP them so Hime can analyze them later, like she mentioned.
“Alright, let’s wrap this up for real. Anything else?”
“I’m good.”
“Me too.”
“I’m goo…”
At that moment, music blared from my supposedly silenced smartphone.
[In the vastness of space, speedy delivery is here!]
“Eh?”
And then the music abruptly cut off.
[…Tonbo, come straight back without touching your phone.]
“Are you serious…”
“What’s wrong, Tonbo?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
“It’ll be okay.”
Mars, Hime and I recognized that music. It was the ringtone of the troublesome Goldhead Dragon Company that has crossed paths with the Kawashima family many times before.
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