Procurement Inspection Part 2
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Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
In the end, Jenny and Fuyuki were the ones who chose to accompany Kou.
They were going to pay a visit to transferee-led companies.
And this was what happened while they were traveling in the transport aircraft.
「Why do I still have to wear a business suit in the far future……?」
Kou was not used to wearing a suit at all. He couldn’t even put on his necktie and needed Fuyuki to help him out. He only ever wore a tie a grand total of two times in his life thus far. He was aware it was rather pathetic, but it couldn’t be helped.
「Oh, but I quite like these clothes.」
Aki’s tall and nicely proportioned body really matched her business suit well. She looked just like a young and bright-eyed job hunter looking for employment. She sported a pencil skirt and black stockings that paired greatly with her fluffy tail.
「This is something that was brought over by the transferees from the 21st and 22nd centuries.」
Fuyuki looked quite dignified in his own suit. He usually acted as a mild-mannered uncle, but now, he was a sharp and competent-looking businessman. As expected of a true professional, Kou inwardly thought.
「There are actually plenty of instances where you have to put these on, you know? Formal suits, I mean. The Nemesis system didn’t have a formal dress culture before, so these quickly went into fashion when they were first introduced and remained really popular ever since.」
Jenny was wearing a pair of sunglasses and a dress suit that emphasized her ample chest. It was so sexy that Kou found it hard to look directly at her. She sported the aura of a successful career woman.
「Um, Fuyuki-san. Can you tell me the details of the currency used here again?」
Kou didn’t have the need to directly engage in transactions involving money previously, but he thought it would be impractical not to learn about the currency, so he asked Fuyuki to teach him about it.
「The currency system used here is fairly easy to get the hang of. The currency used to purchase weapons is called mina, and one mina corresponds to roughly 10,000 yen. So it’s about a hundred dollars per mina. You probably won’t get the opportunity to use it much, but the currency denomination used to purchase living necessities is called denari. A hundred denari is equal to one mina, similar to the dollar. The lowest currency denomination is called asu. All denominations are based on ancient Earth currency. As for mina, the Japanese just used the phonetic equivalent of the kanji character. This is how you write it in kanji.」
Using his terminal, Fuyuki showed Kou the original kanji.
「So it’s written as 僉 and read as ‘mina’ huh.」
「Hardly anyone uses the kanji though. The cheapest Work-type Silhouette costs about 50 mina. Armored vehicles start at 5,000 and go up to around 50,000 mina. Tanks go for around 80,000 to 100,000 mina.」
「I guess my own machine would go for around 150,000 mina.」
「Wow. The differences between Silhouette prices sure are stark. I heard that Work-type Silhouettes cost as much as used old-model cars back on Earth.」
「But there are all kinds of cars as well, right? If there was something like a flying luxury car, then, of course, it would be expensive. Even the small jet from MUGEN back on 21st Earth already costs about 600 million yen you know.」
「I also heard that Okeanos manages all forms of currency transactions here in the Nemesis system.」
「That’s right. Okeanos serves as both a huge database and an assurance system. You also need a verified and registered ID in order to make use of its services. It’s basically the complete form of a currency management system.」
「So there isn’t something like a black market?」
「Oh, but there is one you know? However, they employ a bartering system using real items such as certain valuable and rare materials instead of money, gold, or diamonds.」
「Materials equal to gold and diamonds?」
「Yeah. A-Spinels and A-Carbuncles. A-Spinels fluctuate in value a lot depending on the size, but even a small A-Carbuncle can still be equivalent to 1000 minas.」
「Why’s that?」
「It’s because even the smallest size of A-Carbuncle can be used to power an entire spaceship. Though you have to use a big enough reactor in order to use one as a power source.」
Kou found it surprising that there was a black market. However, he did fight a high-performance Silhouette manufactured by TAKABA on the Stone’s side.
And he remembered Bardo saying that they do manage to find some great items from time to time.
Kou realized once more that whenever there’s demand, there will always be someone who’d manage to provide supply in order to amass profit.
「Oh, it looks like we’re about to arrive.」
「Our first stop is Wangcheng Industrial Group Co. Ltd., isn’t it?」
「We made appointments with three companies, right, Jenny?」
「Yes. Just as Kou requested, their main offices are located close to the base. We’ll go visit Wangcheng Industrial Group first. They focus on vehicle development in addition to Silhouettes.」
「Oh, and one more thing. We’re apparently going to be welcomed by representatives of a Japanese trading firm as well.」
「Japanese? And why is a trading company going to the trouble of receiving us?」
Kou was surprised to hear that they’ll be encountering a company run by fellow Japanese so soon.
「It’s apparently Benshin, one of the biggest general trading firms. It’s run by several transferees and is an industry leader in the field of logistics. Have you heard of them?」
「No, I can’t say I have.」
Kou hasn’t had contact with any trading company thus far. He didn’t even pay attention to them.
「They’re gonna cry if they hear you say that in their faces you know? They are one of the top five general trading firms in Japan after all.」
「Aren’t they gonna laugh at me for being ignorant instead?」
Kou let out a self-deprecating chuckle. When he was living in Japan, a major trading firm felt like it was wholly unrelated to him.
「They were also involved in the smartphone sales industry and infrastructure projects back in Japan. They move both items and information and create a very active business environment. That remained true even after they got transferred here to the Nemesis system.」
「I think it’s really amazing that they were able to remain as a trading firm even after getting transferred here.」
「I heard that the advent of Development Engineers and Underground Forces had increased the need for logistics, so they took advantage of this and thrived.」
「I will deal with that trading firm personally. In addition to logistics, they also deal with crisis management and information. As long as you pay them enough, they will try to sniff out any information for you, no matter how trivial it may seem.」
It seemed Fuyuki was quite wary of trading companies.
They continued chatting away like this until they arrived at the airport.
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