The Pablo Family's Store
The black-suited employees of various races surrounded us. I let out a sigh, utterly bewildered.
“Why the hell are you all quiet? Pay up. Pay the money.”
“How much would you like us to pay?”
“Well, around 500 ducats would be perfect.”
“That’s impossible. That’s too expensive.”
“Then you can’t go home.”
“Kumpa.”
“What is it, chief?”
“Beat these guys up.”
“B-beat them up, chief? Is that allowed?”
“It is. So beat them.”
“What? Speak in the Imperial language, you primitive bastards… ugh!”
Kumpa’s powerful punch made the man’s body bend like a bow. The employee flew more than ten meters and passed out, foaming at the mouth.
“This bastard dares to hit his brother!”
The other employees rushed forward, but against Kumpa’s overwhelming physique, they were sent flying one after another.
“What the hell are you doing, you primitives! I’m calling the security! Security! Security!”
“As you wish.”
Kumpa sat on the unconscious man’s back and waited. Sure enough, the security came running. They aimed guns at us. When we raised our hands, they cuffed us and took us to the prison, where we had no choice but to be locked in the underground cells.
However, the prison life didn’t last long. It was because the security, seeing our military uniforms, contacted the Imperial Army, and the Baron Retenberg sent his subordinate to verify our identities.
A middle-aged man in military uniform stepped forward and said to us,
“I am Lieutenant Daniel Bern. Please feel free to call me Lieutenant.”
“We are…”
“I know well. You are the famous Sihyun and Kumpa, right?”
Sihyun remained silent.
The middle-aged man smiled benevolently. Just as Sihyun tried to lower his tone, the man cut in first.
“Bad luck for you. You happened to go to a store run by the Pablo Family.”
“The Pablo Family?”
“They are quite famous in this area as a gang. They’re known for fleecing customers, so locals don’t go there, but occasionally outsiders get caught. And this time, that outsider…”
“Was us?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Thank you for resolving it well.”
Sihyun bowed his head in thanks.
The Baron shook his head.
“You don’t need to thank me. The Baron also received 10,000 ducats by pressuring the Pablo Family over this incident. The Baron got the money, and you feel relieved, so it’s a win-win.”
“Please lower your tone. We are just new recruits.”
“In terms of military law, yes, but since you are governing a planet, you are essentially like nobles. I have no intention of making a bad impression on someone who will soon rise. Hehe.”
“If that’s the case, I won’t force anything.”
“By the way, are you thinking of buying a ship?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll introduce you to a supplier that provides to our military. How about buying from there?”
“But… that would be too much of a burden.”
I knew that buying from the military supplier would be cheaper, and I had good sense. We had made a fair deal, and I didn’t want to owe anyone, fearing it would haunt me in the future.
“His Excellency the Baron wants to build a deep relationship with you, Sihyun. He was amazed that you sold wheat on Brontes much more expensively than the market price. Think of this as a gift in that regard.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll gratefully accept it.”
So we made a deal with the military supplier and bought five decent merchant ships for a mere 50,000 ducats.
We owed the Baron Retenberg. It was a debt we would have to repay someday.
After that, what we did was hire experts from various fields.
The hiring period varied from 6 months to 5 years. The types of experts were diverse as well. Dozens of experts in architecture, administration, military, science, and more boarded our ship.
Of course, there were many short-term contracts, and they would have to leave when the contract ended, but when that time came, we could hire new experts. If those experts liked our planet, they might even drive in a stake. Or not.
I intended to make these people my close aides. I planned to use them to decide the major affairs of the planet and introduce advanced technologies to develop it.
So, the way back was quite noisy.
“Captain! I really like the Imperial language, and I fell in love at first sight when I saw it on the internet. I knew I had to follow you no matter what.”
The late thirties female professor specializing in agriculture said. Then the old professor majoring in geology tried to stop her.
“Hey, Jane. You’ve had too much to drink. Please sober up.”
“Agriculture! Leave it to me! I’ll transform this primitive planet with the Empire’s advanced farming methods!”
“Esther! Take this friend to the dormitory! She might make a mistake!”
“Professor, I’m fine!”
“Take her quickly.”
“Yes.”
After some noisy time passed.
After some drinking, getting to know each other.
Then the military special forces veteran PMC infantry trainer, or in short, the military expert, said,
“By the way, that bag.”
All eyes turned to the duffel bag.
“It keeps moving.”
Hearing that, I told Kumpa,
“Kumpa.”
“What is it, chief?”
“Open that bag.”
When Kumpa opened the duffel bag,
there was a person wearing a pink doll costume wriggling inside.
Kumpa took off the doll costume with a disgusted expression.
It was the part-time job with the doll who had been giving us bread for 20 days. A small, cute woman with long hair, wearing round glasses that obscured her vision due to steam, and she was sweating.
“It’s hot…”
“Why are you here?”
“I ran away…”
“You ran away, but why here?”
“Please take me too. I’ll work like a dog.”
“So why?”
“I’m majoring in linguistics. I want to learn the native language too. Please!”
She bowed her head, and her long hair, damp with sweat, hung down to the floor due to artificial gravity.
I made one suggestion.
“It’s good, but first, let’s go to the shower and wash up.”
“Okay!”
After the woman washed up, we went to the private room for a detailed conversation.
After a few weeks.
With the military ship escorting us, we were able to arrive at our planet BK-201.
The Empire people who arrived on the planet were somewhat excited.
“Wow! It’s a real primitive planet! A primitive planet! A hut! We really live in a hut!”
When the people got off and made a fuss, the Zakum tribe residents came out to see what was happening. After explaining to them that it was no big deal, I explained the situation to each expert.
“The tribe’s population is around 30,000. The territory’s area is quite large, but there’s a shortage of manpower to manage such a vast area. I think we need to bring in immigrants somehow. If anyone has ideas on this, please speak up.”
The first to raise their hand was a young man named Elliot.
“Um… From what I know, in the Cyclops Star System, the planet Atron has severe civil war over diamond mining rights, causing many refugees.”
“So?”
“How about bringing those refugees on a merchant ship? If we offer new jobs and homes, they’ll all come.”
I took out my watch, Vera, and searched for Atron. It was 60 days away from here. Farther than Brontes, but not that far.
“In that case, I also have an idea.”
Edwin, the special forces trainer, said.
“I heard that Atron is currently in conflict with many forces, and each force is recruiting mercenaries.”
“So?”
“We can train the young men among the planet’s natives into mercenaries, transport mercenaries when going and refugees when returning. It will be a good business because we can get two efficiencies per round trip.”
“Raising the natives as mercenaries.”
A new idea I hadn’t thought of before.
“But they are natives. Is that possible?”
“Any elite soldier was once a rookie… I mean, there was a time when they were new recruits. Even natives can become elites if taught.”
“To become mercenaries, they need to learn the Empire language too?”
“They don’t all need to learn the Imperial language. First, teach everyone the Imperial language and writing, and promote the quick learners to officers. Then, the officers can give orders to the regular soldiers.”
“Oh ho…”
I nodded.
“Then let’s do that. However.”
“However?”
“I cannot watch my own people die. We will start the mercenary business only after sufficient proper training. When the soldiers truly become elites, let me know.”
“Rather, thank you for saying that. Other nobles are pressuring to get results quickly.”
“I’m not a noble, after all.”
“You will soon be a noble.”
He saluted according to the Empire’s etiquette and stepped back.
“Do you have any other opinions?”
“Yes. Fabian, the geology professor. I plan to focus on exploring resources that can be used for building materials and money. If lucky, we might attract multinational corporations.”
“Approved.”
“Yes! Jane, the agriculture professor. I plan to focus on measuring commodity value through soil measurement and analysis of native plants!”
“Approved.”
“Um… Compared to the people here, it’s embarrassing, but I am Francis, who is in charge of administration…”
Then, we gathered the experts to discuss the planet’s development.
Planet BK-201 was transforming into a completely different appearance.