LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 239.1
Chapter 239.1. New Skill
The fortress conquest was almost over, and a few days had passed since we left the remaining dungeons and monster exterminations to the military and adventurers.
Under the cloudy sky seen through the window, as the season begins to shift towards winter, I had returned to the Amatsugahara Corporation headquarters. As usual, I was relaxing in the living room, lounging around, and checking out the functions I had obtained through the Equivalent Exchange Store.
Lying back on the sofa, a bit of a worn-out Sakimori here. The only ones with me now are Yukihana, who’s making tea, and a little girl curled up like a cat on my stomach, sleeping peacefully.
“Ah… no need for facility investments. This stands out too much. There’s no way I can say I pulled this from the Core Store.”
Looking at the facility list available through investments, I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile. It was the only response I could give.
[Facilities list… looks like you can make anything. From semiconductor plants to oil refineries. Gas stations, power plants, even schools.]
Shizuku gazed at the list, her mouth agape. It wasn’t clear whether she was impressed by the quality or just dumbfounded. Well, I get it. I understand that feeling.
“Haha, there’s no way even a real magician could pull that off, right?”
Yukihana set the tea on the table, also offering a wry smile. I responded with a thank you, nodding as I took a sip of the hot tea.
Even Dr. Tanegashima wouldn’t get away with boasting about having unlocked the Core Store’s power! Imagine cackling about being able to trade for a school—no one would buy it. Way too suspicious.
[Summon All Units]
“Here we go!”
For some reason, Shizuku was summoned in vain, spinning through the air before appearing. Why summon her?
“I want to drink tea too. Plus, I want to cuddle and laze around on Sakimori’s stomach. The effect duration of Summon All Units has been extended to 12 hours, so it’s fine, right?”
“Not much of a choice here, huh.”
Shizuku tilted her head cutely and smiled innocently, a little pampered. I shrugged my shoulders in a hard-boiled fashion as I answered. There was never more than one option with that question.
Well, as Shizuku mentioned, once you hit level 7, the summon duration for Summon All Units extends to 12 hours. I have a feeling it might go up to 24 hours by level 9 or 10.
Shizuku stole my half-finished tea, blowing on it to cool it down, as she continued.
“Honestly, this doesn’t seem like much of a benefit, does it? If we raise the level another one or two, wouldn’t we be able to build magical facilities?”
“There’s no rush to build normal factories anyway. Construction companies can handle those, which moves a lot of money. Magical facilities, though, do have a certain charm.”
Just attracting a factory would move a ton of money. As money circulates, the economy improves. There’s no real benefit to just popping up a factory on my own. After all, constructing buildings makes large sums of money flow. Amatsugahara Corporation is a diversified company, even doing construction.
“To become a company that can get anything, from missiles to bras, you need money, after all.”
Finishing her tea, Shizuku placed the cup down, snuggled up against my stomach, and nudged the little girl aside to lie down. Extra clingy today, isn’t she? I’m enjoying the warmth of the two of them.
“Exactly. Hmm? What’s wrong, Yukihana?”
“Well, Shizuku’s joke was a bit hard to follow, so I wasn’t sure if I should respond.”
I wasn’t sure what part of the conversation Yukihana was talking about, but I guess something stood out to her. Doesn’t really matter. When did Yukihana become a comedian?
Yukihana furrowed her brow in confusion, while Shizuku, shocked that her joke didn’t land, was left in stunned silence. I set aside the situation and continued thinking.
This feature… I obtained it, but it feels like a waste. Isn’t there some way to use it… Aha!
I snapped my fingers, praising myself for the great idea.
“I figured out how to use it, Shizuku, Yukihana.”
“What did you come up with?”
The two leaned in with interest as I smugly smiled and explained.
“This, right here.”
[Abandoned Steel Mill: 100 Monster Cores D]
I showed them the list from the Equivalent Exchange Store, and they leaned in closer, their faces perplexed, clearly not understanding my brilliant idea.
“Why would you build an abandoned steel mill, my lord?”
“Here’s the thing, the contents of the steel mill are built along with the facility. That means… you can get your hands on old machinery. Fix it up, and it’s still usable.”
Lathes, all kinds of machinery—even equipment for laser processing. Even if they’re outdated, as long as they can be repaired, they’re worth it.
“As expected of my husband. That way, no one would suspect a thing. Even if the machines are rusted after 20 years, we have the skills to remove the rust and restore the metals. We can use them as second-hand equipment, and open the steel mill right away.”
“Hah~. My lord truly comes up with the most crafty methods. You probably don’t even have a formal registry anymore, but I bet this plan will work just fine, Yukihana-chan.”
Their praise made me a little proud. Right? With this plan, you can cover it up as much as you want. It doesn’t have to be an abandoned site—even a rundown steel mill would work. All you’d have to do is remove the machines and take them with you.
I have to say, this is a pretty nice idea. With this, we can finally get that steel mill project off the ground. Since it’s been hard to get machinery from the Inner City, this is a big help. We can repurpose this for a lot of things too.
“I’ll quietly issue a request to adventurers. Tell them to investigate abandoned cities and find rundown steel mills. Let’s throw in a good reward too.”
I’d stick a request on the Adventurer Guild’s wall. So far, there’s been nothing up there, which has been kind of sad.
“Adventurers wouldn’t be able to find buyers for large machinery, nor would they be able to transport it. I think there will be plenty who take this request. But it’s funny how modern fantasy is about hunting machines, not herbs.”
Shizuku giggled cutely. That’s right, different places have different needs. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?
“That’s just how it is. Finding machines and earning cash. Let’s go ahead and build that steel mill after. It’ll take a week… which is pretty long. Not too bad though.”
“I’d rather they not go exploring when the snow starts falling.”
Yukihana crossed her arms, looking concerned, but that was on them. I’ll make sure to keep them distracted with other things anyway.
“Yeah, we should get started with the winter prep events. Like making mochi, or what was it? Kadomatsu? And those big fan-like things. Was it a rake?”
“I hear the price negotiations for rakes are pretty entertaining. I’ll play the shopkeeper. I never lose at price haggling.”
Shizuku, with her fierce spirit, was ready to take on the rake-selling event. Apparently, you can haggle down the price, and the amount discounted gets turned into a tip for the shopkeeper. I’ve never actually seen it, though.
“Now, next up is this.”