Read Novel Full Vol 24 Chapter 11
Vol 24 Chapter 11
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Chapter 11 – Negotiating With the God of Commerce-sama
Gilmas beat the magistrate senseless for his unreasonable demands. Under intense pressure from those around him, the magistrate prostrated himself and vowed to cooperate fully with the reconstruction through a contract with the God of Commerce-sama. As a result, the reconstruction began smoothly. Furthermore, with people flowing in from all over, we ended up going out to restock monsters.
“Phew, I’m really tired.”
Today, we went out to the open sea, so I collapsed onto the luxurious bed of the luxury liner for the first time in a while.
“Fufu, you worked hard, Master.”
“As expected of you, Master.”
I’m happy that Ines and Felicia offer me words of comfort like that. Well, I did work hard, but I’m being spoiled, aren’t I?
“…Rimu worked hard, too…”
“Oh, that’s right! Rimu worked hard on healing, too. You’re so good. I’m also really grateful to Pent for helping carry the cargo.”
Just as I was feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, Rimu asked for praise. Of course, I praised him and patted him thoroughly, but Pent came over halfway through, so I naturally praised him too. Being praised is nice, but praising others is nice, too.
“Ines and Felicia, you two worked hard, too. Thank you for your efforts. The real reward comes after we finish, but since we’re staying on this luxury liner, I’ll give you some spending money. After that, you’re free to do as you please.”
“Thank you, Master. Now, it’s time for revenge!”
“Thank you, Master.”
I handed Ines and Felicia three silver coins each, then lay back down on the bed.
Ines took the pocket money, declared, “Revenge!” and dashed out of the room. She was probably off to challenge the casino’s Saporabi now that their consciousness had been freed. I could already picture her returning, looking dejected.
Felicia didn’t seem inclined to go out. She sat down on the sofa and started to prepare tea. Room service could easily deliver drinks, but Felicia preferred to make tea herself.
Initially, she used tea bags purchased on the ferry, but now she occasionally brews high-quality tea leaves with care or grinds roasted coffee beans in a mill for drip coffee.
She treats me to it, too, and even I, with my non-sensitive palate, can tell that her skills have improved.
I think her dedication to tea and coffee is a good hobby.
After savoring the black tea that Felicia brewed for me, I lay back down on the bed and lost myself in thought.
Things are tough in many ways, but having something to look forward to really keeps me motivated. I’m glad I asked the God of Commerce-sama after I started wondering.
Lying on the bed, I recalled my negotiation with the god.
“Thank you for meeting with me.”
An unscheduled meeting request. Normally, that would be considered rude, but to get an appointment with the God of Commerce-sama, I have to go through either the Creator God-sama or the God of Light-sama.
I don’t fully understand the divine hierarchy, but it’s similar to needing to go through a company’s chairman or president just to get an appointment with a department head. So, I prefer to get it done in one go.
This time, going through the God of Light-sama to connect with the God of Commerce-sama went smoothly. The Creator God-sama still doesn’t seem to have recovered.
He usually has an invincible mental structure, so once a crack appears, it probably takes time to repair. The God of Light-sama’s brilliance was no joke.
“No, it’s fine. I’m grateful you’ve already started following up on the business network in the Southern Continent. So, what brings you here today?”
The God of Commerce-sama seems well aware of my activities in the Southern Continent. Thankfully, the conversation seems to be progressing smoothly.
“Yes, I requested this meeting because I have questions about the follow-up on that business network, and also because the compensation details were vague, so I wanted to confirm them.”
“Hmm, that’s right. We hadn’t finalized the compensation details. My apologies. This is a blunder unbecoming of the God of Commerce.”
After a moment’s thought, the God of Commerce-sama realized his mistake and immediately apologized.
It’s amazing how, once they recognize their own faults, the gods of this world will properly apologize even to humans—except for the Creator God-sama.
Most gods in this world probably use the Creator God-sama as a cautionary example, which is why there are few arrogant and insolent deities.
Still, even these admirable deities can become utterly useless when the Creator God-sama is involved.
Last time, my conversation with the God of Commerce-sama ended before we finalized the payment. I wondered if he cut it short because he disliked discussing the fee. However, judging by his current state, that probably isn’t the case. So then…
“You were busy with matters concerning the Creator God-sama, so it couldn’t be helped.”
He still doesn’t seem recovered, but that period was when the Creator-sama’s trauma was at its peak. No god would miss that opportunity.
They must have used every trick in the book to corner the Creator God-sama and prevent his recovery. The God of Commerce-sama seized the moment and also tried to corner the Creator God-sama. That’s probably why he was satisfied just conveying his request to me and ending the conversation.
“Well, you understand. Sorry, it’s no excuse, but all the gods were working hard to dig into the Creator God-sama’s trauma.”
The God of Commerce-sama gave a wry smile, realizing that I had seen through the situation.
The contract with the world significantly restrained the Creator God-sama’s actions. When an opportunity arose to corner the Creator God-sama further, who was plotting revenge, it’s understandable that the gods rallied.
They beat the dog (the Creator God-sama) that fell into the water with all their might. However, that dog crawled back onto the shore and bit them.
They sustained some damage from the attack (a salary reduction, for example). Still, their counterattack landed a critical hit on the dog. Naturally, they wanted to beat it senseless this time to ensure that it couldn’t climb back onto the shore.
However, given the Creator God-sama’s nature, it’s not surprising that he’ll eventually recover and climb back onto the shore. The other gods understand this, too, but trying to prolong the time before he returns is only natural.
“So, about the reward. I assume you understand that compensation involving the mortal world is impossible. With that in mind, what does Wataru desire?”
Payment for the job. My payment for work related to the gods is basically skewed towards spending wonderful time with the God of Light-sama, the God of Gastronomy-sama, and the Goddess of the Forest-sama.
However, since the payment is from the God of Commerce-sama this time, I’m not sure if I can use time with the goddesses as payment. After all, the goddesses aren’t really involved in work with the God of Commerce-sama.
I can only think of obvious things, like asking for leniency regarding charity expenses or receiving a rare blessing, even if it’s minimal.
Speaking of the God of Commerce-sama, you mentioned following up on the business network. Isn’t that too much? The situation on the continent is so dire that I don’t even know what to do, and I’m anxious.”
The reward is important, but I also need to confirm the job details. Post-war reconstruction is one thing, but there are degrees to it.
It’s like being casually asked to clean a place, showing up, and finding that it’s a hoarder’s house. At the very least, I wish they had told me beforehand that it was a hoarder’s house.
“Ah, that’s a misunderstanding on your part, Wataru. What I requested was transporting supplies to support the business network. Once the supplies you transported are sold through the commercial guild, the request is complete.”
…Come to think of it, I wasn’t asked to handle postwar reconstruction. I was only asked to transport supplies. Was my effort wasted?
“But if we only transport supplies, lots of people will die, and business will suffer too, right?”
If the population shrinks, the scale of business will shrink too.
“People must bear the consequences of their actions. Even if countless innocent people lose their lives as a result, it’s their own fault. However, I asked Wataru to provide minimal support because the trouble would escalate dramatically if the business network collapsed completely.”
As expected of the God of Commerce-sama—his ruthless cost-benefit analysis was so severe, it was actually kind of cool.
“So you’re saying my actions were meaningless?”
Even knowing it was pointless, I saw it happen. I couldn’t just abandon it.
“Meaningless? Not at all. In fact, Wataru’s actions saved many lives and accelerated the recovery process. That is something to be proud of, and as a god, it brings me joy. It’s just unrelated to the task I assigned.”
Hmph. I couldn’t argue with that.
I went to deliver the requested cargo and, since the destination was dirty, I cleaned it. Asking for pay for the cleaning doesn’t make sense either. It’s commendable and admirable, but not part of the job.
I see. I misjudged the situation because of my current state of misery, but…
“The God of Commerce-sama assigned me this job knowing I’d act this way, right?”
The God of Commerce-sama is strict, but not heartless. He’s harsh in his words, but he surely cares for the people. After all, his contracts are designed to protect the weak. He can’t be unkind.
He sent me here knowing my personality. This is deliberate.
“Hmph. The job details are as I stated earlier, but I did not entirely expect your actions, Wataru. However, I cannot explicitly state that due to interference with the mortal realm. My involvement in the mortal realm is strictly limited to what is stipulated in the contract.”
It was an action that exploited a loophole in the rules, but it created a very different impression of the Creator God-sama. Still, getting dragged into it and only receiving a mediocre reward? That’s not something I can just sit back and accept.
“I understand the God of Commerce-sama’s feelings. But the reward is a different matter. Since it’s an action in line with the God of Commerce-sama’s intent, even if it’s not explicitly stated, I expect proper compensation. Specifically, I’d like to spend about a week with the God of Light-sama, the God of Gastronomy-sama, and the Goddess of the Forest-sama.”
Initially, I considered asking for compensation within the scope of the God of Commerce-sama’s duties. However, if the God of Commerce-sama used me, then it wouldn’t be wrong for me to use him and demand what I truly want as payment.
Frankly, I don’t need divine protection or anything like that. Easing the burden of charity work is practically worthless compared to spending time with the goddesses.
I can properly compensate the comrades I’ve caused trouble for, so that’s not a problem. I’ll just let my desires run wild here.
“A week is a bit long, don’t you think? The God of Light and the others have work, too—especially the God of Light.”
“I understand the God of Light-sama is busy. But isn’t most of that time spent caring for the Creator God-sama? Have the God of Commerce-sama handle that part and scold the Creator God-sama.”
The hardworking goddesses have their own troubles to deal with, but they mostly get a vacation. I’m happy spending time with them. The God of Commerce-sama gets stuck with the troublesome Creator God-sama, but hidden requests will speed up the reconstruction of the Southern Continent.
It’s a win-win-win situation: a brilliant deal that makes everyone happy. The only exception is the Creator God-sama, who ends up being taken care of by the God of Commerce-sama.
Though he frowned at my request, the God of Commerce-sama finally nodded. Yay! The best reward awaits at the end of this tough job. I’ll plan the entertainment meticulously.
“Ah, God of Commerce-sama, that contract with the Gothenburg magistrate felt forced this time. Is it really okay?”
I was so focused on my own goals that I almost forgot to ask about it. Since the contract is finished, I assume it’s fine, but I’d like to know just how close it was.
“That… While the magic circle accepting the contract means there’s no issue, as a god, I don’t particularly favor that sort of usage. Personally, though, I must say it felt satisfying. I detest fools who don’t know the basics of business. If they want money, they should earn it. Even in Gothenburg’s current difficult state, there are abundant opportunities to profit—”
Ah, it seems I’ve stepped on the God of Commerce’s landmine. Oh well, I suppose I’ll indulge his rant a little.
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