LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 255.2
Chapter 255.2. Hakata Meeting
With a slight scrape, Yoko pulls out a chair and casually sits down. Just because there’s an open seat doesn’t mean Yoko can join the negotiations, but since Konoha will take responsibility, I’ll let it slide. Karin also sits down as if it’s nothing. They’re both so sly.
It’s probably just to emphasize that Amatsugahara Corporation holds control, but both of them exploiting this for personal gain really makes Yoko a typical fox girl. As for Karin the cat girl, she’s probably not thinking of anything at all.
Otomo Sorin and his group glance at Yoko and Karin briefly, but quickly regain focus, turning back to Konoha to speak.
“It seems everyone is here. Let us introduce ourselves again. I am Otomo Sorin, the city leader overseeing this Kyushu area.”
Otomo Sorin, who introduces himself as the city leader, is not a mayor. Calling himself a “city leader” implies that his jurisdiction is limited to Hakata City, not the entire Kyushu area.
It’s easy to criticize him for only focusing on the city, but apparently, it’s the same in other cities. Tokyo’s no different, so it’s hardly worth complaining about.
He seems conniving enough to move discussions forward without me, but I wonder what kind of person he really is. Based on the info I bought from Karin, he seems ambitious but has a conservative personality.
He’s flexible enough to ask for help from other cities and mobilize locals when Hakata City was close to falling, so he’s probably competent enough.
“I introduced myself earlier, but let me greet you again. I’m Konoha Taira, the second daughter of the Taira family and leader of the Jester Knights, leading this Kyushu expedition volunteer force.”
After taking a small breath, Konoha stands tall and proud, greeting everyone with confidence. I’m impressed by her stance. Facing us, she holds herself with dignity—she’s clearly not here to just be a figurehead.
“Heh. I am the one and only, the miracle tactician who fights evil alongside Taira Konoha, the Flame Haze, Jugemu Jugemu Go, Ai… Duh. Ray, the Vice-Captain of the Jester Knights. Nice to meet you.”
Ray takes a small breath and also stands tall, puffing out her flat chest as she introduces herself. I’m exasperated. Don’t compete with the Captain’s lengthy title. And the last part—she just improvised it to make it sound longer. So I casually throw a lump of mana at her head.
This mischievous fairy pixie seems to prioritize fun no matter the setting. It’s cute, but there’s a time and place for that.
“I’m Amano Sakimori, President of Amatsugahara Corporation. I’ve come here with Hijiri Sei from Narashino Special Ward, to support the Jester Knights and bring relief.”
I narrow my eyes as I return Otomo Sorin’s greeting. The air grows tense and silent for a moment, but then, everyone else begins to introduce themselves as well, and the round of introductions comes to an end.
“Now then, I’d like to start by presenting our proposal.”
With folded arms, I address Otomo Sorin and his group with a calm expression. Konoha’s group has already been briefed, so there’s no need for them to intervene.
Otomo Sorin and his group look wary, curious about what I’ll say. But no matter their suspicion, I’m going to push this through.
“We’re seeking permission to open an Adventurers’ Guild branch and a monopoly on purchasing monster cores. Ideally, we’d like exclusive rights to monster materials too, but I’m willing to concede on that point. Standard purchases will be fine.”
“We already have a Core Store. There’s no need to grant exclusivity over cores, right? And buying monster materials? I recall it being tried in the past but quickly abandoned due to lack of use.”
“Of course, we won’t monopolize Core Store usage. They’re everywhere, after all. But cores purchased by the Adventurers’ Guild will have more versatile uses. When it converts to cash, we see a flood of sellers and a massive accumulation of cores—Tokyo’s proof enough of that. With an organization operating across regions, core distribution also runs smoothly.”
Like water flowing over a smooth board, I explain to Otomo Sorin’s group. I believe an Adventurers’ Guild is necessary. For me, it’s a must-have. I won’t budge on this point.
“I hear that Hakata relies mainly on bread rolls and sweet potatoes as staples. But isn’t securing cores for bread rolls a challenge? Our group can supply them at a low cost.”
Or rather, a massive number of cores used in Core Stores are stocked in my Equivalent Exchange Store.
Right now, F-rank cores sell for 30 yen each. Bread rolls need five cores, so that’s 150 yen. The retail price is around 300 yen. The profit margin is slim, but with cheap cores, I plan to go with low profit but high volume, so this works fine.
“How much can you provide? Here, even bread roll distribution is running thin.”
“We can provide one million F-rank cores immediately. Since this is an initial donation from the Adventurers’ Guild, it’s free. Afterward, we can supply up to ten million more at the purchase rate.”
“One million! That many… and ten million more…”
Otomo Sorin’s group reacts with a stir, surprised by the unexpected proposal.
Of course. I have an excess of purchased cores. Or rather, the exchange store has way too many. By all means, use them. When they’re used in Core Stores, I get about 30% back.
“Well then, I hope this clarifies the utility of the Adventurers’ Guild a bit. Shall we continue the discussion?”
Now, how will the talks unfold? Smiling slyly, I lean back in my chair.