LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 242.1
Chapter 242.1. December
With the fall of the Demon Line Fortress, the Kanto region was pacified. Sakimori secured his base as a feudal lord ruling over the northeastern part of Kanto. A population of 30,000. Starting as a minor feudal lord, he aims for the whole country.
Just kidding.
If life were like that in the Sengoku era, Sakimori thought, he would be having a much easier time, as he sat reading a stack of papers, bored, in the executive meeting room. If he were a Sengoku feudal lord, he’d probably just think, “Ah, winter is coming soon,” and laze around doing nothing.
“Oh, winter is coming soon, right, Shizuku?” he might say, as he rested his head on her lap,
spending his time leisurely napping away. A moment of relaxation, as it were. A dream, really.
Well, a dream is just a dream, and the reality before him is nothing but a mess.
In the meeting room were Shingen, Katsuyori, Karin, Jun, Hana, Ryuuko, Masamune, and Ohki-kun, who were serving tea. There were also a few other subordinates skilled in administrative work. They had gathered
to handle the aftermath of the Demon Line Fortress battle and to plan their next moves.
Honestly, it’s such a hassle. The thick stack of papers was making him drowsy, and his eyes wandered across the page. Even though he thought he had a resistance to sleep, he wondered if this might be some kind of elaborate trap. He guessed many would agree with him.
Outside, the first snow of the season was falling. Powdery snow fluttered past the windows, and the rattling of the glass in the wind made the cold more apparent.
Inside the executive meeting room, the air conditioning was on, and it was warm enough that there was no need for thick clothes. It had been a while since he felt this kind of comfort. Hooray for air conditioning. Electricity is wonderful.
The little girl, beaming with a smile, had gone out to play in the snow. Hana, making sure she wouldn’t catch a cold, dressed her in a fluffy coat, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and put on woolen gloves. The sight made him smile and feel at peace. Until last year, he had only thought of snow as a nightmare that brought death by freezing, especially.
Now, holding the documents, one of his subordinates used a projector to explain the information displayed on the screen. Sakimori, no longer dressed in all black, didn’t look intimidating—just like any friendly middle-aged man. So no one was particularly tense.
“This time, regarding the Demon Line Fortress strategy, the inner city insists that the costs of support were enormous, and they’re demanding ownership of the mines. It seems they wanted to nationalize them, but they’ve given up. They’re planning to privatize the mines, sell shares through the government, and use the proceeds to cover military expenses.”
Glancing at him with a serious expression, the subordinate explained. Sakimori propped his elbow on the table and nodded slightly in return. They had lost aircraft, tanks, and some soldiers had died.
Not to mention, the cost of ammunition must have been outrageous. It was only natural to demand compensation.
The reward this time was supposed to be stirring up the residents of the special district and incorporating them into Japan, as well as a favor owed to Sakimori.
But they found an unexpected carrot, and now those guys were neighing noisily like horses. The carrot in front of them was too big to ignore.
The Three Great Houses and other families wouldn’t pass up such a delicious carrot. Of course, there was no way Sakimori would let it become national property.
Instead, he decided to loan them the funds. Japan, thinking that borrowing from someone like him was no problem, accepted the debt.
“The Amatsugahara Corporation will receive 5% of the stock for free. This has been settled behind the scenes. The government will make an official announcement later.”
Since they had also worked hard on the dungeon raid, they were given a small share of the stock as a reward. That was the interest on the loan. For a while, this would give them an advantage in negotiations.
“I think 5% of the mining rights is a good compromise. How about the investment in the refining facilities?”
“Just a little, I suppose. Keep it under 10%. Anything less and we’d have no influence, which would be risky. But we’ve just taken in a bunch of former Self-Defense Force members, so we don’t exactly have the money to spare.”
Katsuyori, now a full-fledged elite businessman, looked over the documents and asked, to which Sakimori responded wearily.
Nearly 5,000 former Self-Defense Force members. They were people Sakimori had revived. Believe it or not, he resurrected them with just 1 mana. It was probably because they were ordinary humans without any skills.
That’s right, they were humans without skills. When they were revived, a message on the board had shocked him.
“Status not found.” After their revival, they should have gained some status due to the influence of this world. They probably still didn’t have any skills, though.
From providing temporary housing to financial support, there was no issue with the people in the ruins starting from scratch. Well, there were issues, but those people had a strong will to survive, and a hungry spirit, so they could manage even without aid.
The former Self-Defense Force members, on the other hand, were mentally exhausted, having been thrown into a world that had suddenly collapsed. Their sense of identity was slipping away. Sakimori had to lend them a hand.
So, a huge amount of money was being moved around. It was enough to make Sakimori consider skipping one dish from his dinner.
“Uh, the barracks have been completed, thanks to the rush construction. I’m glad we finished before winter.”
Ryuuko timidly raised her hand and reported. Though the rush construction required a hefty special budget, they made it in time. Ryuuko smiled with satisfaction. She took pride in her work, her expression showing she’d accomplished her mission. She was a competent architect, someone he could rely on.
“A lot of people have acquired the skill crystal for [Apprentice Carpenter]. Surprisingly, it’s the most popular skill, followed by [Apprentice Farmer].”
“That’s unexpected. I thought combat-related skill crystals would sell more.”
Katsuyori explained the current sales of skill crystals, and Shingen stroked his chin, leaning back in his chair, surprised by the result.
They’d bought a large number of apprentice-type skill crystals from the equivalent exchange store.
They were making a killing, selling 10,000 yen’s worth of F-rank monster cores for 100,000 yen.
It was an unexpected bestseller.
“Apparently, [Apprentice Carpenter] is pretty useful, aniki. It’s like, even a slight grasp of the basics makes a huge difference, especially with physical labor. I hear it really changes how tired you feel.”
As Ohki-kun-kun handed out hot coffee, he shared what he’d heard from his comrades, and Hana chimed in.
“Oh, I heard that too! Those who got [Apprentice Farmer] were thrilled with how much it helped them.”