Dig up Metal No. 548

After meeting up with Glenn and the others in the scheduled space zone, Shinnosuke and the group headed toward the asteroid belt where Rare Metal No. 548 lay dormant.

This asteroid belt had been visited before by Glenn's team during a previous escort mission, but it was located deep within a complex network of asteroids—so intricate that reaching it would have been impossible without the exploration ship Seeker Eye, piloted by navigators Alisa and Merysa.

The Seeker Eye leads, followed by Tsukikage and Big Bear, with Shinnosuke's Fubuki guarding the rear.

"Huh, not bad—your piloting's surprisingly smooth."

Shinnosuke checks on Andy's piloting from the rear.

Tsukikage glides effortlessly through the asteroid belt—a region so densely packed with asteroids that navigation alone would have been nearly impossible.

Andy seems to possess piloting skills far beyond what Shinnosuke expected.

Shinnosuke nods, but right now, he isn't gripping the steering wheel himself.

"Wait... Lord Shinnosuke, please worry about me too, not just Andy!"

Mireena is currently piloting the Fubuki.

Mireena has just achieved the required flight hours to be eligible to take the exam for switching from a personal license to a commercial one, and thus, Shinnozuke is entrusting her with command of the ship as her final touch-up.

Even Mireena, though skilled, appears tense navigating through the narrow asteroid belt, her expression showing no sign of relaxation.

You're fine. I'm keeping a close eye on Milina's piloting too. There's nothing to worry about, so why don't you relax your shoulders a bit?

Honestly... I just want you to look at me.

Though the conversation seemed somewhat awkward, just as Shinnosuke said, there were no issues with Miliena's ship handling, and in the end, they reached the mining site without any trouble.

Upon arriving at the mining site, Glen and the others immediately begin their work.

"Alright, let's dig in hard!"

At Glen's command, Alisa and Merry's exploration vessels quickly located the target rare metal No. 548 buried within the asteroid, marking each discovery in turn. Two mining shuttles launched from the mother ship then attached themselves to the marked asteroids and began mining operations.

Starting now, five crew members—Randy, Allen, Mike, Todd, and Karen, the second-in-command of Big Bear—will operate the mining shuttles around the clock.

Two mining shuttles diligently collect ore and continuously load it onto Big Bear and Tsukikage.

Although the mining shuttles are small and have a limited capacity per trip, that's not an issue—thanks to the Seeker Eye pinpointing the mining sites in advance, the operations are proceeding with remarkable efficiency.

Without any interruption from pirate attacks, the crews worked tirelessly, and within just over a week, all three cargo holds were completely full.

"Great! Totaling 1,380 tons! The purity is excellent too—this is going to be a profitable haul!"

Andy's Tsukikage and Shinnosuke's Fuuki, transporting rare metals as cargo, were loaded only to their standard capacity, but Big Bear ended up slightly overloading, allowing them to mine more than the target amount of rare metal No. 548.

Glen beamed with satisfaction at the unexpectedly excellent results.

"Alright, let's pull up! Seeker Eye, keep a steady navigation!"

Understood.

"Take care of Fukibuki and Tsukikage too! Especially you, Tsukikage—protecting them is one thing, but if you go down, it'll be a huge loss. I'm counting on you!"

"Y-yes, understood."

After completing the mining operation, the four vessels exited the asteroid belt under the navigation of the Seeker Eye.

Though their plan was to head straight for the Seigul Holy Empire after exiting the asteroid belt, they first needed to reorganize their formation.

That's because Fubuki, Tsukikage, and Big Bear are fine, but Alisa and Merry's Seeker Eyes occupy most of the hull with their exploration equipment, resulting in short range and inability to perform spatial jumps.

Since the habitat is equipped with only the most basic facilities, docking with the mining mother ship Big Bear is required (not storage, but docking directly onto the underside of Big Bear).

Moreover, it has been decided that Alisa and Merisa will each transfer to Fubuki and Tsukikage, respectively.

The journey to Seigle Holy Nation takes about one month one way, but in fact, Alisa and Merisa cannot live aboard Big Bear for an entire month.

The reason is Big Bear's living conditions.

The crew of Big Bear consists mainly of muscular men like Glenn, making the interior extremely cramped and uncomfortable.

It's not that they're unclean, but Glenn and the others walk around the ship barefoot in just their underwear after showering, showing no regard for modesty at all.

Given the mental well-being of the young and innocent Aliisa and Merisa, it simply wasn't feasible to spend a two-month voyage aboard Big Bear. As a result, they ended up staying aboard Fukuki and Tsukikage, which offer a far more comfortable living environment.

Of course, the two of them aren't just guests—they'll be working as operators aboard their respective ships.

Incidentally, there are no issues whatsoever with Karen, the other woman on Glenn's team.

Karen, who possesses a physique and personality more masculine than average, lives with five men—Glen, Randy, Allen, Mickey, and Todd—unfazed by anything, freely walking around in just her underwear in front of them. While typically bold and outgoing, Karen displays feminine mannerisms, yet in a way, she is the most masculine member of the team.

Aliasa and Merisa, who transferred to Fubuki and Tsukikage under those circumstances.

"Please take care of me for the time being. Whether it's navigation control or any other errands, just let me know."

She steps aboard Fubuki and greets Shinnosuke and the others, but it's impossible to tell whether the person standing before them is Aliasa or Merisa.

Once, Shinnosuke could easily tell the two apart, but after not seeing them for a while, he's lost the ability to distinguish between them.

In the end, Alisa boarded Fuubuki, while Merisa boarded Tsukikage. With the long-term voyage setup complete, Shinnosuke and the others set off toward the Seigur Holy Kingdom.