第７０９堀：大陸間交流準備は大変 (Part1)
### Chapter 709: Preparing for Intercontinental Exchange is Hard Work
**Side: Yuki**
Well, with my business in the New Continent concluded, I’ve finished making the rounds to the countries participating in the Intercontinental Exchange. All that’s left is to handle the preparations leading up to the event, but...
"So, it’s about Princess Stasia and her sister, huh?"
"If you’re not feeling up to it, you don't have to."
"That’s not really an option, is it? It doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem."
I suppose that’s true. Not when you’re Seraria, who dotes on her own sister, Elju, so much.
As I began my work, I’ve been resolving various trivial—though I shouldn't call them that—small requests I received while visiting each country. Currently, I’m dealing with the "Sister Consultation Room" request for Stasia’s Age, which I was asked about the other day.
"Alright, I’ll request an audience."
"Understood. I’ll talk to Ratz about it."
"Wait, can you really call General Ratz that easily?"
"Why not? Ratz comes over to our place all the time, you know?"
"Huh?"
"I told you, didn't I? She was delighted when I brought up the designated protection plan."
"Ah, you mean the talk about ensuring safety within the dungeon."
"Exactly. Which means she comes to our home."
"Well, I suppose so. But why does she come so often?"
"Her daughters are the goal."
"What do you mean?"
"She plays nicely with the girls. There was even a time she was acting like a fool, trying to teach them shield techniques and then wanting to take them back to Gartz on the spot. Well, I stopped her, and we agreed to do it 'someday'."
"So, you're going to let her take them 'someday'?"
"It’s not a bad thing, is it? It’s a great opportunity for the children to broaden their horizons. Though, that’s only after they’ve been properly drilled in the basics. Oh, and my crappy old man is being noisy about wanting me to come to Roschur, too."
"No, no, your father’s feelings are only natural. They’re grandfather and granddaughter, after all."
"I told him to at least improve the sanitary conditions, like the toilets, before even thinking about it. Does he want to make our daughters sick?"
"Well... that’s..."
Toilet maintenance is... well, it’s trending toward improvement, but it’s not something that can be finished easily when done by hand.
"If I wait for them, it feels like it’ll never end, so I’m actually thinking about starting a toilet construction business in Weed."
"Hmm. That might actually be a good topic for the second meeting after the Foreign Ministry establishment conference at the Intercontinental Exchange."
"That’s a good idea. It would be a transfer of technology, but I really don’t want to be troubled by toilet situations whenever we go abroad. Same goes for baths."
"Baths are tough if we can’t secure a water source."
There are many regions where securing clean water, like in Japan, is difficult, so it’s not a situation where we can just install baths easily. Well, the same could be said for flush toilets, but...
"Anyway, we’ve drifted off topic. I’ve got the matter of Princess Stasia. I’ll bring it up casually after the audience with Findall is over."
"Yeah, I’m counting on you."
"Well, that’s fine. Steve has returned."
"Steve? Ah, so the Zilba matter is settled. That was faster than I thought."
"To be clear, it was Zilba doing the fighting; Steve and his group just happened to get caught up in it and eliminated the threat. The post-battle cleanup is all on Zilba."
"Got it. I’ll ask Steve for the details of the battle that happened in Zilba."
"Yes. And tell him to get the report in quickly, too."
"You got it."
As I said that and moved to leave Seraria’s office...
"Oh, and finally, make sure you deliver that letter you were entrusted with by the Tiger."
"Hmm. Honestly, I don’t want to hand it over until the conference is finished."
"…That’s a bit much, don't you think? I understand how you feel, but since the High Elf country and the Beast God’s country are positive about the Intercontinental Exchange, it would be a breach of etiquette. If it gets out, that would be a real problem. Besides, neither Lilishe nor Faide are the type to take their anger out on us just because they received a letter."
"Well, I know that. But when I think about the relationship between the separated couple getting even colder because of a letter I delivered, I just..."
"…Well, good luck with that. There’s no one more effective at dealing with gods than you, after all."
Passing the buck, are we?
It’s not that I’m particularly good at dealing with gods; it’s just that they keep getting in my way, so I’ve been keeping them in line. Still, it’s a fact that I’ve been getting results, so I suppose I have no choice.
With that, I decided to head toward the Weed Foreign Ministry.
"Ah, I’m glad you came."
"Oh, if it isn't my Lord."
Greeting me were the heads of Weed’s diplomacy: Foreign Minister Sota Kamishiro, and his wife, Assistant Foreign Minister Enoru, a Cat Beastman. They are the top officials managing our diplomacy. Currently, they are pushing their aging bodies to the limit, handling various handovers and the establishment of the Foreign Ministry.
"I’m sorry. I haven't been able to show my face here much."
"No, I heard you’ve been doing a great job supporting Kagura and the others."
"Indeed. Besides, if you were to show your face too often, our competence might be questioned. I assume that’s why you stayed away?"
"Well, that’s exactly it. You’ve been submitting your reports properly, and I didn’t see any issues with the content. So, the reason I’m here is..."
"It’s about the Foreign Ministry establishment conference in two months, right?"
"Yes. I want you both to participate in that conference as the heads of the Foreign Ministry that is currently operating experimentally in Weed."
In truth, we are running operational tests before creating foreign ministries in each country. I can’t just tell other countries to start operating something brand new without a trial run. I want to convey the results of our efforts, use them as a model, and improve upon them to create something even better.
"So, how is it? Any problems?"
"Yes. Everything is fine. Though, I have to ask, how much are you planning to show them?"
"Indeed. If you don't tell us that, we won't know if we can be ready in two months..."
"Basically, I intend to show everything that isn't sensitive. As for the method, since there will be many people, I plan to use a combination of video presentations on televisions and document explanations."
"Like a large-scale corporate presentation?"
"Yes. That’s the most realistic approach."
It’s clear that the presentation templates cultivated on Earth are powerful even in this other world. I’ve done them many times myself.
"Well, since a large television at the front might cause issues regarding the superiority of countries based on seating order or visibility, I think it would be better to use a round table and place monitors in front of each seat."
"Ah, I see. That’s a good idea."
"Hmm? I don’t quite understand what you’re saying. Sota, explain it to me in a way I can understand."
It seems Enoru, not being familiar with Japan, couldn't keep up with our conversation.
"Right. Wait a moment. It’s like this..."
Sota took out a notepad and drew a diagram of the monitor setup at a round table.
"If we do it this way, we don't have to worry about the hierarchy of the countries."
"I see. But the power supply and such seem like a lot of work."
"Well, we’ll think about that and build it properly."
Still, I wonder how they manage that power supply? Is it a power strip? Or are they installing outlets everywhere underneath? Wiring management is going to be a pain...
As I was thinking about that, Sota asked a question.
"Where is the planned location?"
"For now, a corner of the trade layer where the gate is."
"That place, huh? Well, if there are any problems, it’ll be easy to deal with."
"Initially, there was a proposal to have it near the military facilities."
"Well, this isn't exactly the time to be flaunting Weed’s military power."
"That’s true."
"Why not? It would be easier if we showed off Weed’s strength right here and made the hierarchy clear."