The harsh reality

The convoy safely arrived at the 6325 Star Alliance.

Having already entered the control zone of the capital colony, the danger of attack by space pirates had vanished, so the escort mission ended here.

"From the command ship Orion, thank you to the escort vessels A884, Javelin, Fubuki, and Tsukikage for your service up to this point."

The Ranuglode Merchant Fleet, expressing their gratitude, now departs after the escort mission is complete.

On the return journey, only Leg's Javelin is under escort contract, so Shinnosuke and Ira are relieved of duty here.

'I wish I hadn't taken on this job. I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Shinnosuke.'

Ira still seems angry about the fact that the supplies carried by the convoy are likely to end up in the Empire, but Shinnosuke doesn't seem to mind at all.

It wouldn't make sense to worry about contracts between other nations.

"No problem at all. We were originally planning to conduct business at 6325 anyway. After completing our scheduled transaction, we'll proceed to the Damura Star Cluster Commonwealth."

"Then that's settled. I'll return after finishing my resupply and rest."

Fubuki and Tsukikage split from A884 just before reaching the capital colony and immediately begin docking procedures.

"Stellar Union Capital Colony Harbor Control Center. This is the escort vessel Fubuki and Tsukikage, affiliated with the Acnelia Galaxy Federation's Salius Stellar Province Free Merchant Fleet. Requesting docking permission."

Seyla's docking request was immediately answered by the harbor control center.

This is the Harbor Management Center, understood.... Pff... Fubuki, dock at Dock Station 25 in Sector C; Tsukikage, dock at Dock Station 28 in the same sector... Heheh.

Fubuki, understood.

The voice of the staff member at the harbor management center sounds unusual.

There's an air about them as if they're enduring something.

Sinnosuke steers toward the designated docking station, still troubled by an uneasy feeling.

Realize that fact there.

"...Huh? Docking Station 25 in Sector C... you don't mean to say..."

"Yes, Master. This is the station you created."

"Exactly as I thought. The very place... when we came to pick up Miss Milena..."

"The fated meeting place between me and Master Shinnosuke."

The massive colony had numerous ship docks and docking stations. If it were the capital planet's colony, it could easily accommodate over a hundred spacecraft docking simultaneously.

Yet again, just like last time, I'm being directed to the docking station that's already damaged—Sinnosuke.

"Does this mean I have to pay the repair costs from last time?"

Sinnosuke feels uneasy.

"Master, you've never charged me for repairs before, so that can't be it."

Markus offers his opinion, but Sinnosuke's unease remains.

"How much does it cost to repair the colony's communication passage...?"

"Shinnosuke, it's alright."

Seyra cuts off Shinnosuke's words.

"Wha—?"

"It seems to be a joke from the harbor management center. No, there was no mistake in the docking station assigned, but the staff deliberately guided us there and said, 'Next time, please dock without damaging the passage.'"

In the end, it was just a joking welcome from the harbor management center—Shinnosuke had panicked for nothing.

"What's with that... don't scare me like that."

Shinnosuke finally relaxed.

Thus, Fubuki and Tsukikage safely docked at the station and arrived at the 6325 Star Union.

As soon as Shinnosuke docked, he immediately headed to the Free Merchant Guild with Marks and Milina.

He was searching for a buyer for the Metal No. 35 he had brought.

But what awaited Shinnosuke was a harsh reality.

Wait a second, you're kidding...

Shin nosuke was stunned upon seeing the publicly listed metal trading prices within the union.

This is unusual, isn't it?

Marx tilted his head, looking at the price chart.

The value of No. 35, which should have stable trading prices and low risk, is declining.

Since it's originally a metal with little fluctuation in trading prices, the decline isn't significant. However, because a large quantity was purchased, the loss is substantial.

Moreover, when we factor in the costs of transporting it all the way to the 6325 Star Union, the loss becomes even greater—resulting in a complete deficit.

In reality, the convoy escort fees make the overall operation slightly profitable, but viewed solely through the lens of trade, it's a significant loss—this trade venture is clearly a failure.

Upon checking with the guild representative, we were told that the price of common metals has been declining for about two weeks now, and for the past week, the decline has plateaued with no signs of recovery.

"Timing couldn't be worse."

Shinosuke crossed his arms, lost in thought.

Should he sell it off at a loss? Transport it to the Damura Stellar Federation and seek outlets there? Or simply bring it back as is?

Incidentally, he couldn't stay in the 6325 Star Alliance for too long, so waiting for the market to recover wasn't an option.

"Looking at the trading prices in neighboring countries, there's not much difference. The market in the Damura Cluster Commonwealth is slightly better, though. If we trade there, we might just make a small profit. Of course, that's assuming the prices in the Commonwealth don't continue to drop."

Milena checked the trading prices in nearby nations, but transporting goods to the Damura Cluster Commonwealth still offered no real advantage.

Under these conditions, there's simply no way this No. 35 transaction can succeed.

Shinnosuke made his decision.

Even if it meant incurring losses, he would stick to his original goal and establish a new sales route within the 6325 Star Union.

After explaining the situation to the guild, he requested introductions to potential partners. In response, the guild introduced him to two companies.

One was M12 Corporation.

A corporation established to purchase various metals for the Union government, it conducts broad trade with foreign merchants and trading companies of all sizes.

The other was Kelenz 32 Trading Company.

A promising small to medium-sized enterprise just starting out, actively engaging in trade with other countries.

In the end, Shinosuke decided to conduct business with both M12 Public Corporation and Kelenz 32 Trading Company. Although he incurred losses, he managed to establish a foundation for future trade with both companies, successfully achieving his initial goal of securing new sales channels.

"Well, I've accomplished my original objective, and we can consider this trade a success."

While Shinnosuke summarized the results of the trade in the Stellar Federation, Marks offered no leniency in his assessment.

"Master, this trade was a failure. Stop pretending and accept the reality. Yes, the drop in transaction prices was unexpected, but that's part of the trade outcome as well."

Struck harshly with the truth by Marks, Shinnosuke came to fully realize the harshness of commerce.