On the way there, pirates; on the way back, also...

Although the group stayed in the Seagull Holy Kingdom for five days, with no particular plans, Shinnosuke and the others thoroughly enjoyed touring the holy capital.

In truth, Shinnosuke had been perfectly content with just visiting the Great Temple—actually, even that felt like a chore—but he was dragged along by Seira and Milina, and in the evenings, he was forced into awkward banquets with Glenn and his muscular companions (Glenn, being a lightweight, ended up being fed far too much). Still, he had resigned himself to it, viewing it as part of employee benefits and building rapport with clients.

Just before departing from the Seigul Sacred Kingdom, Shinosuke and Seira had gone to the Merchant Ship Guild to check on the return cargo when, as they were operating their information terminals, they were approached by a guild employee.

"Captain Kasimura of the Akneria Galactic Federation's escort vessel Fukubuki, is that you?"

"That's right. What is it?"

"I'd like to speak with you. Please come this way."

Following the instruction, Shinosuke was led to the reception counter.

What was presented there was a high-value credit, referred to as a gratitude payment.

"What is this?"

This is a gratitude payment from the operators of Emerald III and the families of the crew and passengers, in recognition of your discovery of Emerald III. In fact, upon learning of the discovery, there was an expression of desire to offer gratitude to Mr. Kashimura and his team. We had originally planned to transfer the funds through the Free Merchant Ship Consortium, which Mr. Kashimura is affiliated with. However, since this is such a rare opportunity, may we deposit the payment directly?

"However, the expenses and reward for the Emerald III investigation are being covered by the affiliated guild. Even though it's a reward, receiving such a large sum feels a bit awkward."

Although the majority of the amount presented came from the operating company, it was still enough to purchase an entirely new private leisure cruiser.

Moreover, although Shinosuke and the others discovered and pinpointed the location of Emerald III, salvage operations have been deemed too difficult, and recovery efforts have been abandoned at this stage.

If that’s the case, then even more so.

Ultimately, Shinosuke and the others only discovered Emerald III stranded on an asteroid and conducted an interior inspection—wasn’t that insufficient contribution to warrant such a high reward?

While there's no legal issue with receiving the reward through the union, it's emotionally troubling nonetheless.

I didn't anticipate this situation, but I should have brought Milena from Legal Affairs along—maybe I should contact her now via terminal.

As Shinnosuke pondered this, Seira tugged at his sleeve.

"Um, Shinnosuke-san... may I speak as a crew member?"

"Hmm? Ah, of course. Go ahead and tell me."

I think it's better to accept this gratitude payment. Looking at the breakdown, most of it comes from the operating company, but a significant amount has also been contributed by the families of the crew and passengers. Refusing it might actually end up causing trouble for the union. Moreover, if we decline, the money will have to be returned to the operating company and the family members, and I can only imagine how they would feel upon receiving it back.

Seyla's words make perfect sense.

"That's true, indeed."

"Moreover, even if Shinosuke received a gratitude payment, we don't split it among ourselves but instead use it for the ship's maintenance and the operation of the trading company, right? From a practical standpoint, as a newly established trading company, we could never have too much money. And even though we're in business, the end result is that we're giving back to more people, which ultimately helps our company grow and thrive."

Though quiet in demeanor, Seyla's opinion is sound—after all, she did study not only ship operations but also the fundamentals of business at the merchant marine school, even if she did drop out midway.

Shinnosuke, having transitioned from soldier to independent merchant and accumulated considerable experience and achievements, had grown alongside Seyla, who had learned the basics at the merchant marine school and steadily grown through shared experience by his side.

ShinNosuke nodded.

"Seira's words make sense. I'll follow her advice."

As a result, ShinNosuke decided to accept the gratitude payment and informed the staff accordingly.

After completing the gratitude payment procedure, ShinNosuke and Seira asked the union staff to relay their message, and before returning to Fubuki, they visited the operating company of Emerald III. There, they promised to use the received gratitude payment to support a security vessel safeguarding space, as a merchant association that maintains such a vessel, and to repay this support to many people through their work as ship crew members.

Thus, after concluding their stay in the Sacred Kingdom of Seegul, Shinosuke and the others set out on their return journey.

Ultimately, there was no suitable job available for the return trip, so they traveled back empty-handed. Yet, despite carrying no valuable cargo, they were attacked twice by space pirates along the return route, forcing them to accumulate further combat achievements against pirates.