I Was Connected to Earth’s Black Market From Another World With The Skill [Market]! (WN)

Chapter 263

TN: Please read my translations only on my website since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!

Enjoy~

Chapter 263 – The Saint’s Souvenirs

While the elves were discussing, I took out my Ural, a motorcycle with a sidecar, and we set out to scout the area. Casspir remained parked in front of the village as a marker. Of course, I stored the firearms in the car because it was dangerous. The Prince and the twin guards each had a PPSh with a loaded magazine, so if there was an Imperial attack on the village, they would be able to hold out until we returned.

Fifteen minutes of driving south over the dunes brought us to the northern edge of the looming forest. The green was eroding faster than I had expected. The canopy was so high and the undergrowth so dense that it would be difficult for a person, let alone a horse, to traverse the dense forest. Motorcycles were out of the question.

We took a long detour to get to the west side, but the area stretched so far from east to west that we gave up trying to get to the south side.

It might be possible to ride through the vegetation, but we, who were neither Solbesia nor elves, might be eaten by the plants if we were not careful.

“If the forest continues to spread, it will swallow the city or fortress on the west side that the Imperial Army has occupied.”

“It would not be a bad thing if the paradise of the elves living here were to be restored.”

Well, that may be so, but to my eyes… it seems to be a terribly violent end, far from the image of ‘greening and restoring nature.’

It is not my place to criticize, nor am I against it, as an outsider.

I roamed around for about an hour, but even with my eyes, and even with Myrril’s eyes, we could see no sign of the Imperial Army. They had either fled, died, or been eaten by the forest. In addition, the sun was beginning to set even though it was not yet noon. The sky to the southwest was thick with dark clouds.

“It’s rumbling, but it’s not a distant thunder cannon…”

“It looks like a real distant thunder.”

Could it be that the sudden expansion of the forest was releasing moisture into the air? I don’t know if the weather changes that fast or not.

“Well, that’s good. People can’t live with all that sand. A little more water is not a bad thing.

That’s what I thought at first.

No way.

A few kilometers southwest of the village, we had no choice but to get off the bike. We were blocked by a swirling, muddy stream in a downpour. There was nowhere to turn, and tributaries of all sizes blocked our way back. Swimming across would be suicide, and the flat land where we were now was beginning to become swampy with water.

It’s a dead end.

“This is too extreme, Solbesia. This isn’t a river; it’s just a depression, right?”

“I only know what I read in the literature, but maybe it’s the other way around. The rivers here are just depressions during the dry season.”

“I see what you mean. Well, the result is the same.”

In a desert area with little vegetation, the land probably doesn’t retain water. Maybe that will change now that the forests are established.

Regardless, we have to get out of here now. Ural is completely stuck, so I stow it and get the Griffon out.

“Wow, a ‘hovercraft.’ It’s not afraid of water, is it?”

“Well, let’s take shelter from the rain inside for now.”

Soaking wet, we ran into the boat, took out large towels, and changed into dry clothes. After waiting in the Griffon for a while, the heavy rain stopped, and the sun came out again.

Maybe it was because the dust and dirt in the air had disappeared with the raindrops, but the sky was clear, and the air was soft, clean, and fresh.

“If the sun continues to shine like this, the river will disappear as well.”

“I suppose so.”

This is the first time I’ve been to the desert, let alone lived in it, and I’m not at all comfortable with it.

“It’s interesting… the world is full of surprises.”

Seeing Myrril’s eyes sparkle at the sights of a place she was seeing for the first time, I felt out of place, thinking that I should go on an overseas trip while I was still young.

After covering Myrril-san, who had gone to take a nap on the bench with a blanket, I decided to pay Simon a visit to report the results. I guess he had something to do with our last contact.

“Market.”

Simon was dressed like a butler, arms crossed, elbows on the desk, thinking about something.

“What’s up, Simon?”

“Brother, it’s been a long time. How are you doing after all that happened?”

“Thanks to you. I managed to get through it. I was able to witness the miraculous feat of creating a forest dozens of miles long and wide in a desert land.”

Simon laughed.

“You always seem to enjoy your experiences. Well, I’m glad you’re doing well. What can I do for you today?”

“Yes. Please think of a souvenir that will make the elves happy.”

“You’ve come up with another crazy story, haven’t you? Where are you headed?”

“I don’t know. It’s not the encounter I wanted.”

“What exactly are elves? I don’t know much about them, but they’re some kind of science fiction monsters, right?”

“Elves are not monsters. They are just like humans, only with longer ears and a longer life span. You’re being racist, aren’t you?”

“Even if you say that. I don’t even know what they eat for a living, so how can I know what they would enjoy? Oh, how about silk?”

This Mr. Monopoly suddenly has the face of a businessman. This is a business meeting, not a proposition.

“….Got it. Are those the products of the garment factory you bought?”

“Did you know that?”

The fact that he smiled without any malicious intent seemed to be a deliberate attempt by this man to create an opening. Perhaps because he was so happy, the area under his nose grew sloppily.

“Of course, I can tell. What’s that smirk on your face? Did you get on well with the female workers at the factory?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I have the best and nicest woman in the world at home. I don’t need another woman.”

“That’s great. By the way, which one is your wife?”

“So we’re back in business.”

This guy ignored my joke.

But Simon got serious, didn’t he? The angel’s blessing works even on fools, huh?

“Here, take a look.”

After rummaging through some papers, Simon pulled out a few more photos. It was a large, brightly lit place, and many people were eating in a row. They were all wearing uniforms, so I guessed it was the factory cafeteria.

“Wow, you built a cafeteria?”

“Oh, it was the sponsor’s idea to provide them with good food.”

The food in the picture looks quite tasty. The age range is quite diverse. I mean…

“Hey, there’s a kid in the picture. Do you make the kid work, too?”

“No way. I renovated a warehouse, built a cafeteria, and added a daycare center. Most of the workers in the garment factory are young women. It was a huge success, and the ratio of job applicants to those needing work went from minus one to thirty in one fell swoop.”

He was so proud of himself. That’s right. I’m sure a man who has such love for an angel would not abuse children.

“I understand. I’m sorry. I like that about you, you know?”

“No, I have a wife that I love.”

“No, I don’t like that kind of joke.”

Simon laughed as if to hide his embarrassment, and then he rummaged through the piles of clothes and fabrics and placed them on the counter.

“Take this one. We’re very proud of them.”

They are made of lightweight fabrics, as is typical in hot regions, so they might be just right for the people of Solbesia. I take them gratefully.

“I was surprised by your idea, though. It’s as one would expect from Your Majesty the Demon King. We’ve been having trouble finding workers for a long time, and you solved it all at once with the workers’ cafeteria.”

“Hmm?”

Hey, I don’t understand. I can understand if the workers who started working are happy, but more applicants? I heard it was a measure for the poor, but I don’t know how poor they are. I don’t even know what the welfare situation is like.

“Do you have a school lunch system in your country?”

“Of course, there is a school lunch system. In the Mir-Yoshua elementary school, it is free, and in the high school, it is also provided at a reasonable price. But there is no idea of feeding the workers. The restaurants in the area, which depend on the mouths of the workers to begin with, complain about this.”

“What about the garment factory there?”

“The previous owner was a scumbag, so the working conditions were pretty bad. The surrounding restaurants were also tied to the owners’ businesses, and they exploited the workers by charging exorbitant prices. After I took over the management, I cut out all the useless middlemen and kicked out the bribe-takers in the factory. After we did that, the harassment got to the point where there wasn’t a single restaurant within half a mile of the factory.”

“No, that’s not good.”

“On the contrary, it was easy, you know? It was easy to buy the land, and the local people cooperated with us. As long as you have money, you can attract new business any way you want.”

Simon chuckled at this point.

“Well, I can only say that after we’ve succeeded. Even though the management has changed, from the outside, it looks like we just painted the walls and the sign. The image of the old owner is still there, so there is no credibility, and even if we raised the wages, it would have the opposite effect because the old owner was famous for recruiting ignorant poor people and crushing them with his big lies and good treatment.”

“Oh, so that’s where the cafeteria is.”

“That’s right. It’s not that they were lured by the good food, but rather that they thought, ‘If a manager serves good food to his workers, I can trust him.'”

“And if you take care of the children with the food, that’s even better. That’s fine… but didn’t you say that the factory would be publicly owned?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I heard that your wife’s family is a family of politicians, but isn’t Simon himself just a regular businessman?”

That’s the problem with this story, the saint said, his grin clouding his face.

“If the city doesn’t improve the management to some degree before the project is turned over to the public sector, the city will be forced to bear the entire profit and loss. There’s no way they’ll agree to that. If I buy it and improve the management, it will be half private and half public. After that, we’ll start negotiating for public management.”

Why again? It’s not something a single businessman would do. Are you trying to be a patron of the state or the city or something? Or is it some kind of calculation that you can expect to make a profit in the end?

I had my doubts, but I prevented myself from interfering.

Simon seemed to have his own goals. Although he is always smiling and laughing, the goal he has in mind seems too dark to be described by words like ideals or beliefs.

The closest word might be “revenge.

Whether it is poverty, crime, abuse, or social discrimination, it seems that the passions he has been accumulating, thinking “if only I had the power,” are now being directed at society.

“Yeah, I think you’re right, brother.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You know, it is often said that everything you think shows on your face.”

That’s true, but… I can’t believe that my thoughts are shown to you as well. How much of what I’m thinking is visible to you?

“My grandfather was robbed of his house, his money, his wife, his position, his honor, everything, and he died by the side of the road. For two dollars.”

Simon points a gun-shaped finger at his own head.

“Shot by a thug hired by the scum.”

Simon’s dark smile turns serious, and he bows his head to me.

“Sorry, I lied to you.”

“Huh?”

“The factory is registered as the Mir-Yoshua Garment Factory, but everyone calls it Two Bucks. In our dialect, it’s two dollars. It’s been like that since the scum kidnapped my grandfather.”

“O-oh?”

“When the old factory owner… the scum who took everything from my grandfather and his cronies, tried to stop me from getting a fresh start, they got a bunch of ‘kill two dollar’ jobs.’ Isn’t that funny? Today, no one would take a two-dollar contract to kill a man.”

It’s not funny at all, but I just smile at the corners of my mouth. Simon’s condescending smile, now a gentleman’s expression, was tinged with a shadow.

“In front of the manager, who was caught, beaten, and wrapped in a bamboo mat, the old-timer of the city, who has been running the crime syndicate for many years, shows this.”

Simon makes a peace sign.

“He said, ‘You will receive two dollars for each of your murders.’ The money goes to the church. The hired killers paid it. It was a participation fee for killing these idiots. All the local killers put two dollars each in the collection box and said, “One dollar is for Her Majesty Mir. And another dollar for His Majesty Yoshua.”

“Hey, don’t make up a story.”

Simon shakes his head with his hands out like, “No, no, not at all. What is this irritating overreaction? Is he an American?

“No, if you think about it normally, when hospitals and schools and factories with people’s names on them suddenly appear, people start talking about who they think they are. It’s true that you are known as a savior. It’s true that your donation boxes are full of dollar bills. It’s also true that the previous owners fled across the border, pursued by dozens of assassins.”

“Oh, well, that’s fine. So how much of that earlier crap is true?”

“…I don’t know. I’ll tell you when I get a chance.”

Pushing a stack of papers toward me, Simon unilaterally disconnected. The inner life of the Son of God, who had supported the extraordinary economic boom, improved security, and brought the Gospel to his country, disappeared behind his grinning mask.

When Myrril-san woke up on the bench seat of the Griffon, she tilted her head when she saw the bundle of papers I was holding.

“What are these?”

“I don’t know. It was forced on me by that merchant.”

I picked it up and found it to be a letter on yellowed stationery, a scrap of wrapping paper, and the back of a flyer.

“What does it say? No, is this really a letter?”

“Maybe.”

It seemed to be from a child, and the lines, which I couldn’t tell if they were letters or drawings, danced boldly. I tried my best to decipher it, which was written in a strange alphabet, whether in English or the local language.

‘Factory.’

‘Cafeteria.’

‘Cheese toast.’

‘Fried chicken.’

‘A lot of meat stew.’

‘Mashed potatoes.’

‘Lots of meat.’

‘Chocolate milk!’

‘Hamburger.’

‘Cheese omelet.’

“The second half of the page is all about food. It seems that only the chocolate milk is very excited.”

“Is that round thing an egg? Is it the sun?”

“I don’t know.”

But I think the line-dancing daphnia-like thing below it is probably Mir and Yoshua.

The one next to it that looks like a fuzzy black scrubbing brush is, let’s see…

‘Saint.’

That’s a hell of a way to treat Simon, kid. Oh well.

And the lion-like thing that’s drawn so thickly on the paper that it sticks out of the paper is…?

‘Mama.’

“Hah, you’re smiling.”

“It’s a mother’s drawing. The child who drew it must be happy. It’s a good thing.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

If I could be a part of that happiness, a few gold coins would be a small price to pay. It was an atonement, a purification, a joyful offering to the saint.

“Hmm, what is this?”

After tilting my head for a while, I was able to decipher it. It was Japanese. Distorted and shabby hiragana characters were drawn like hieroglyphs as if Simon had taught them.

“Oh, these are the letters of my hometown.”

“What does it say?”

Thank you.

Look at it.

All right.

‘Where are you headed?’

Now I can answer Simon’s question.

“I’m going to be happy. I’m sure it’s the same for you.”