Chapter 34

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Translator: Silver Dragon

Chapter: 34

Chapter Title: The Universe's Largest Amusement Park (2)

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The planet looked like it had been abandoned ages ago.

Trash rolled through the streets.

The rides were rusted over, creaking with every gust of wind.

The resort that billions had once flocked to was now cloaked in utter silence.

But what really grabbed my attention was something else entirely.

The small spaceships parked in the surface lot.

Most were in about the same shape as the amusement park itself, left to rot for who knows how long.

But some of the ships were in pretty decent condition.

As if someone had dropped by here pretty recently.

Suddenly, the high-nicks who rarely ever commented started flooding in with replies.

Devanna Planet became an abandoned world.

But that didn't mean its value had vanished entirely.

The galactic superpowers started eyeing the planet.

They came up with one clever idea.

If they just removed the Anomaly causing trouble on the planet...

Couldn't they lure back tourists and rake in the cash like old times?

The first to show interest was the Belid Empire.

The Belids kicked off operations to normalize the planet.

But it wasn't easy.

The planet was protected by its own defense systems.

To reclaim control...

The Belid Empire deployed five army groups to the surface.

But the results were disastrous.

The Belid Empire, having taken massive losses, pulled out of the planetary development project and put it up for resale.

After that, the planet's owners kept changing hands.

Each new owner tried to seize control.

But every attempt ended in failure.

That was when it hit me.

Those relatively new-looking ships belonged to settlers who'd come to fix up the planet.

I knew it was a dangerous planet.

Time to start exploring for real.

First, I secured an empty small building.

I planned to use it as a base for further scouting.

"Gotta do some recon first."

I ordered the Eggies to scout.

They scattered, searching the surroundings.

"Captain, looks like they found something."

Orca called out to me.

She sent data to my combat helmet.

"Unit 312 found the entrance to a ride called Ahoraatoom Adventure. You know, the one from that ad video."

Ahoratoom Adventure wasn't far from the landing site.

I headed there while posting to the gallery.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Now that they mentioned it, it clicked.

In the faint structural signal event, that Chiltoom warrior had shouted "For Ahoratoom!" before dying.

By the time I finished posting to the gallery, I'd arrived at the facility entrance.

I looked up.

"This is insane..."

Ever since arriving in the Alpha Universe, I'd constantly been amazed by the sheer scale of everything.

But this place? Top tier, no contest.

Ahoratoom Adventure felt less like an amusement ride and more like a massive city.

The city stretched endlessly toward the horizon.

Exotic alien buildings reached for the sky.

I strode toward the entrance.

Right then.

"Ta-da! Welcome! Welcome, esteemed guest!"

A hologram dressed as a circus ringmaster popped up.

He appeared right in front of me, blocking the way.

"We sincerely welcome you to Ahoraatoom Adventure. I'm Varatis, president of Devanna Amusement Park!"

The president bowed deeply in greeting.

"But... you weren't thinking of sneaking in without buying a ticket, were you?"

"Ticket?"

This place was long defunct—did I really need a ticket to enter?

I tilted my head, and the man clicked his tongue.

"Dear oh dear... Esteemed guest, unauthorized entry comes with a penalty of up to 100 times the fee if caught. So, why not buy a ticket legally and enjoy?"

I considered just ignoring him and walking in.

But something told me that'd end badly.

I played it cool and acted natural.

"Oh, it's been so long since I last hit up an amusement park, I totally forgot about the tickets."

"I see. No worries, esteemed guest. You can buy one right now."

A holographic payment window popped up in front of me.

'10 gold for an hour.'

Luckily, when I looted Rota Planet last time, Ragna had hooked me up with an account and some cash.

I had 100 billion gold in the bank right now.

10 gold was pocket change.

I went to hit purchase without a second thought.

That's when—

"Waaaiiit!!!"

The hologram Varatis blocked my hand.

"Esteemed guest! Buy a 1-hour ticket and you'll be the sucker everyone laughs at!"

"S-sucker?"

Then he launched into a pro-level sales pitch.

"A 1-day ticket costs 50 gold. How many hours in a day?

"Obviously 24 hours?"

"Do the math. Oh, you might not be the sharpest species, so I'll do it for you. That's 240 gold at 1-hour rates."

The AI hologram didn't shut up for a second.

"240 gold versus 50 gold! A whopping 190 gold difference. Any smart consumer would obviously—obviously—go for the 1-day ticket, right?"

The hologram screen changed.

'If I'm spending anyway, the cheaper option per time makes sense.'

Not like I'd only be here an hour.

Weeks, months even.

Might as well grab the better deal.

As I reached to pay—

"Waaaiiit!!!!!"

Varatis blocked me again.

"Esteemed guest, if I may ask... how long do you plan to stay?"

"Nothing set in stone... but at least a week?"

Varatis let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

"Esteemed guest! Esteemed guest! You nearly made a huge mistake!"

"...?"

"Why didn't you say so sooner? I almost pushed you into a bad plan when there's a way better one!"

Varatis made a huge fuss like he'd almost done something evil.

"I'm an upstanding businessman! It's my duty to provide the best service at the lowest prices!"

"If you're staying over a week, the 1-month ticket is way smarter. Per the Galactic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Council's standard time calendar, a month is 30 days! That's 1500 gold at daily rates! But with the monthly? You save a massive 500 gold!"

I did plan to stick around a while.

The monthly seemed solid.

"Guess since I'm staying long-term anyway, might as well do the monthly."

A sly smile crept across Varatis's face.

Then, in a tiny voice, he muttered to himself.

"Oho... this guy's loaded, huh?"

"? What was that?"

"N-no! Nothing! You misheard! M-machine noise! Our rides are cutting-edge, so they make weird sounds."

He tried to play it off.

This jerk definitely just pegged me for a walking wallet.

I slowly reached for the payment window.

"Waaaiiit!!!!!"

He blocked me yet again.

"Esteemed guest, planning a month-long stay? Sounds like a regular vacation."

"Not exactly... but close enough."

"Aigoo, esteemed guest! Why didn't you mention it sooner? You could've gotten even better perks!"

"Better perks?"

Seeing my interest, he shoved a new price list at me.

A price ten thousand times higher than before.

Utterly ridiculous.

I shoved my gun in his face.

"You wanna die, you little shit?"

"W-wait! Hear me out! That's without discounts!"

Varatis continued.

"Premium service gets you hotels, museums, space safaris, and more! All free, no extra fees!"

"You bastard, even so, 10 million gold is..."

"What? Regular price too high? No worries, I have a conscience. Of course there's a discount!"

The payment window flickered, text changing.

"Ahoraatoom Adventure grand reopening discount: 50%! A massive 50% off!"

"And that's not all! Minority species special discount too?!?! As part of the species diversity program, another 50% off for minorities!"

"Wait, there's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more! Ahoraatoom Adventure special event discount! Event ends... what?! Today?!"

"Wow~! The boss is on fire today! You're the only one getting premium at this price. Sell it this cheap, and how are we supposed to eat?"

Three 50% discounts in a row brought it down to 1.25 million gold.

10 million regular price looked steep.

But 1.25 million? Doable.

'Regular 10 mil, but 1.25 mil feels fair enough.'

Those triple 50% slashes hooked me.

Felt like missing this deal would be a crime.

'Bank's flush anyway.'

Might as well enjoy the amusement park properly.

When else would I get to do this?

"Alright, I'll take it."

I finally hit purchase.

Fireworks exploded all around.

Soon, the sparks formed words in the sky.

The ringmaster doffed his hat in salute.

"Right this way, premium guest! I'll personally escort you with the finest service!"

He gestured grandly toward the entrance.

'Feels like I just got suckered.'

Still, I followed the AI's guidance into the facility.