第４１掘：白熱 (Part2)
"Are you out of your mind?! Do you have any idea how much shuriken and kodachi cost?! A single shuriken is 50 DP. Kodachi and katana start at a minimum of 500 DP. Are you mocking me by suggesting we sell them for a single copper coin?"
"Hii!?"
Ratz was furious, radiating an intense pressure. Why is she so angry?
"Now, now, Ratz, calm down. Let's see... Riel, when you were an adventurer, how much did you earn in a day?"
"Eh? Why the sudden question? Well, on a good day, five silver coins. On a bad day, maybe seven copper coins? Even so, I was pretty amazing!! Five silver coins in one day!! I was earning half of what a gold coin is worth in just a single day! And one gold coin is enough for a family of four to live on for a whole month, you know."
I spoke about my earnings back then with complete confidence.
"Ho. Little Riel, I thought you were capable when I sparred with you, but you were quite the earner, weren't you? What was your rank... let's see, five? Or maybe six?"
"Oh, the Hero of Defense is as sharp as ever!! I was Rank 6. Well, Mauve-san is Rank 8, though."
"That's because I've been at it for a long time. I'm not so soft that I'd let a little thing like Riel surpass me."
Mauve-san spoke to me with a cheerful grin. Since I don't have much of a role in this place, I mostly spend my time having relaxed chats with Mauve-san and the others.
Yesterday, since the training grounds were finished, I spent the entire time until dinner training with Mauve-san, Tori, and Kaya.
"Riel, sorry to interrupt your conversation, but the amount an average person earns in a day is about two to four copper coins. As for DP, an average person generates 1 DP per hour. In other words, they receive 24 DP per day."
"Yeah, I get that."
"Riel, you seem to earn more than I thought, but let's assume the minimum is seven copper coins, which equals 24 DP."
Eris walked over to the whiteboard and began writing down what she had just said.
"You mentioned shuriken, right? You said you wanted them for 50 DP. That means you wouldn't be able to get them unless you worked for two days. Kodachi and swords are 500 DP—that's twenty days' worth of work. If we sold them for a single copper coin, our DP would run out in the blink of an eye. Do you understand?"
"Yeah. Sorry, Ratz, I didn't think it through. I just got a little carried away."
"No, I apologize for shouting as well. However, thanks to Riel's story, we now have a rough idea of the DP exchange rate."
"Yes. I suppose it's roughly 24 DP to about five copper coins? Though we'll likely need to adjust that depending on the item."
Eris and Ratz continued their discussion. I felt a bit teary-eyed and dejected. As expected, I’m not very useful.
"Riel, don't get down on yourself. You actually said something very important. Thanks to you, the discussion will move forward quite a bit."
Yuki-san patted my head.
"What I said... is it actually useful?"
"Yeah. The strange weapons you mentioned will, in a sense, become a specialty of this place. Plus, we now have a rough idea of the value of money versus DP. You did a good job."
Just as I was talking with Yuki-san...
"Fufufu, Eris, Ratz. If you've figured out the value of DP, then I have a proposal!"
I called out to the two who were talking loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
"What is it, Milly?"
"What kind of proposal?"
Eris and Ratz asked Milly almost simultaneously.
"We should pour 5,000 DP into importing high-end goods like Romanée-Conti or 20-year-old Ballantine's! If we do that, the residents will surely work hard with those as their goal!"
"Shut up, you drunkard!!"
It seems Milly is going off the rails because of her love for alcohol. Even I, with my limited understanding, can tell from the previous conversation just how foolish it is to sink 5,000 DP into that.
"Ratz-san, I want this!"
Amidst the arguing, Aslin trotted over and handed a piece of copy paper to Ratz.
"Ice cream, potato chips, chocolate... Milly, don't you have a pure heart like this?"
"Nugugugu... Aslin!! You want to drink delicious alcohol, don't you?!"
"Fue!?"
"Honestly, that's enough!! Aslin-chan, come over here. That woman is just a booze-hound!"
Things are getting pretty heated. But if everyone writes down what they want like Aslin did, it might be easier for Ratz to understand, right?
Just as I thought that and prepared to write on a piece of copy paper...
"Excuse me!! Could you please listen to us!!"
The Saintesses, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
"...What is it? Do you have a complaint?"
Milly glared at them with cold eyes. I think it's unavoidable, but she clearly doesn't feel the same way. Kaya seems to be the same.
"Yes. The budget for the medical and security facilities we discussed the other day hasn't been set yet, so we ask that you reconsider."
...I just realized it. The one speaking is Rurua-sama. Until now, it had always been Elju-sama; I wonder if there was a change of heart? But before I could even think about that:
"Ah, I forgot. My bad, I'll add the budget."
"Let's take it out of the budget you reduced, Brother."
"That's harsh!?"
And so, the meeting overflowed with demands for luxury goods.
"Right, I need to write down what I like, too!!"
Three days left until Rurua makes her move.
And the heated debate over the priority of supplies continues!
(And please excuse the typos and omissions as always.)