Information is also a commodity.

Shin nosuke decided to take a brief rest on Planet Tuum, but since he didn't know how to make good use of his time off, he had no idea what to do.

'If you don't know what to do, just do nothing,' so he decided to relax on the natural sandy beach by the sea, enjoying the sun.

Shin nosuke lies on a beach chair on the sandy shore, wearing a casually sourced shirt and half pants.

Next to him, a table holds a drink prepared by Stella.

Inside the glass is synthetic fruit tea brought by Shin nosuke.

While the usual bottle gives off a garish purple appearance, this version, garnished with vibrant fruits, complements the fruit colors and looks surprisingly delicious.

Taking a sip, you find it refreshingly cold and delicious, perfectly chilled with plenty of ice.

Meanwhile, Marks is by Shinosuke's side, inexplicably wearing swim trunks and rubbing something resembling oil all over his body.

"Markus, you usually wear clothes because it's convenient for storing various tools, right?"

"That's right?"

"Then why are you wearing swim trunks?"

"This isn't a nude beach, so wearing swimwear is natural."

"But you're a born mechanist, aren't you?"

"I'm just being mindful of the situation."

The two continued their utterly pointless conversation.

"By the way, what exactly are you rubbing all over your body?"

"It's wax for metal. Applying it gives the body a nice shine."

"What's the point of doing something like that?"

"There's no particular reason. People often apply sunscreen and intentionally get sunburned, don't they? I'm just imitating that."

"I guess that's how it is..."

"That's exactly how it is."

"By the way, Marks, don't go into the sea. Seawater is salty, so you'll rust."

"I don't have a cheap, rust-prone body. Besides, I wouldn't go into the sea even if I wanted to. My body won't rust, but I'd just sink anyway."

It was Layered, seated beside Shinosuke across the table, who finally lost patience with the two continuing their pointless conversation.

"Please stop wasting time with trivial talk. Shall we get to the main point?"

Unlike Shinosuke and the others, Layered remained in his suit, though in truth, the negotiation between Shinosuke and Layered was still ongoing.

Nevertheless, the rare metal transaction had already been completed, with delivery and payment procedures finalized, so Shinosuke’s objective had been achieved. Yet Layered had brought up a new business proposal.

"But, Mr. Layered. Even if you say you’re selling information, is it something of real value to us?"

Shinosuke, having been a soldier himself, understood the importance of information.

However, information itself is intangible and unstable, and there's no guarantee it's worth the investment.

In fact, someone who claims such assurance is precisely the one you can't trust.

"It's up to you, Mr. Kashimura, to decide whether my product holds value. But I don't believe it's entirely unrelated to you."

Relying on the fact that Layered wouldn't, here at this moment, deceive Shinosuke with fabricated information or low-value data in an attempt to undermine Shinosuke's credibility.

Layered knows that cheating Shinosuke with underhanded tactics for a short-term profit would easily cost them the opportunity for future transactions.

"We can't exactly ask to see the product, so this transaction is more like a gamble, but, Layered-san, could you please provide your estimate?"

"As for us, we believe this item holds roughly this value."

Saying that, Layered handed a piece of notepaper to Shinosuke.

Shinosuke's expression grew stern upon seeing the note.

"This is quite an expensive item, isn't it?"

"Well, originally this wasn't gathered as a product, but rather as information necessary for our future decisions. However, we thought it might be of use to you, Mr. Kashimura, so we're proposing it. While the accuracy of the information is high, we couldn't verify its background regarding your involvement, so we've added a small premium to the base cost."

That means if our connection to Shinnosuke is clearly established, the quote will be even higher.

"Deciding on the product without knowing its contents carries too much risk. Since the information was originally collected for Layared's company... if you can offer a 30 percent discount from your quoted price..."

"A 30 percent discount would leave us with no profit. This is purely a business transaction, and the product in question is merely information. How about a 15 percent discount instead?"

"Then the appeal of the product would diminish considerably..."

At this point, Shinosuke and Layered had reached a mutual understanding.

"Then..."

"I'll buy it at a 20 percent discount."

"We'll settle on a 20 percent discount."

Their compromise aligned perfectly, and the deal was successfully concluded.

"So? What kind of information is it?"

Yes, in short, the reason this war of invasion by the Rimurian Galactic Empire has dragged on is due to the Ancrelia Galactic Federation.

It sounds like blame-shifting at first, but upon closer listening, it makes perfect sense.

It was said that when the Rimuria Galactic Empire launched an invasion war against the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth, they initially planned to subjugate the Commonwealth in a much shorter time than actually occurred.

However, the Ankhelia Galactic Federation—which was supposed to send no reinforcements—rapidly dispatched aid, causing the Empire's plans to fail and the war to extend far beyond expectations.

"Ankhelia wasn't supposed to send reinforcements... That means a secret agreement must have been made between Ankhelia and Rimuria, right?"

"Yes. It was merely a secret agreement between certain influential individuals within the Ankhelia Galactic Federation's Space Navy, not the entire force. However, the unexpected replacement of the commander of the Second Fleet—the core fleet of the Ankhelia Space Navy—threw the plan completely off track. This was a major miscalculation for both some Ankhelia factions and Rimuria."

The information Layered provided began to slowly align with Shinnosuke's situation.