第７７２堀：ようやく終わって始まります (Part1)
Chapter 772: Finally Over, and So It Begins
Side: Yuki
As I sat down for a moment to sip some tea...
"You look quite exhausted."
"That’s only natural. It was an international conference with fourteen major powers. As the host and the one overseeing the entire thing, you must be drained, Yuki-kun."
"Indeed. I once held a six-nation conference for reconstruction, and even that was grueling. To handle a larger number of nations, and not small ones at that, but all major powers... just being mindful of everyone’s sensibilities is enough to give someone an ulcer."
Taiki-kun, Taizoh-san, and Souta-san analyzed my condition with pinpoint accuracy.
Yes, I am incredibly tired.
Between the first Intercontinental Exchange Conference and the subsequent Intercontinental Exchange Festival, I was being pulled left and right, constantly playing the host.
Even though the agreements were settled from the start, there were so many people trying to negotiate for better terms.
Well, if they could extract any sort of concession from me, it would be a significant achievement for them.
However, if we found them as unpleasant as we reported, it would conversely mean no future promotions—a high-stakes gamble.
And it seems many were willing to take that challenge. The people from the If Continent, in particular, were incredibly aggressive, overflowing with ambition. The ones who dared to suggest poaching my wives were showing a level of disrespect that warranted a death sentence. I can only assume that bastard from Zilba did it on purpose.
Thanks to that, my wives were absolutely furious at home, and calming them down was a nightmare. Besides, I’m not giving up my wives.
I thought about these things while sipping my tea to steady my heart.
"Phew... Anyway, thank you all for gathering again."
I started by thanking everyone who had come. I have to be proper about this.
"Not at all. We know how busy you’ve been. It’s good that it ended safely."
"Indeed. It’s a relief that the first Intercontinental Exchange Conference is over."
"That’s true. Since the first one is finished, it means there will be a second. Should we consider the conference a success?"
"Well, for now, it’s a success. However, new problems have emerged. That is why I gathered you all today—to hear about those matters collectively."
That’s right. The reason I gathered the Japanese members today was precisely for this: a straightforward report on the Intercontinental Exchange Conference and a discussion on the new issues that have arisen.
"Ah, since these aren't technical matters, I suppose Narjia-san and the others aren't here."
"Though, there isn't much we can do, to be honest."
"Well, we can at least listen. Please, go ahead."
They were being quite humble, but since what I needed was knowledge of the political systems of modern Japan, there was no one better to discuss this with than these three.
My wives have been reading books from Earth to study political systems and can keep up with the conversation, but they haven't lived under those systems, so the information I needed was specific to these three.
"Thank you. First, regarding the report on the Intercontinental Exchange..."
Still, I had to start with the situation of the exchange itself. Without knowing that, there’s no point in discussing future countermeasures.
Strategy is something you deploy based on the situation. To put it simply, no hunter sets a trap where there is no prey.
That said, no major disasters occurred during the conference. In fact, it proceeded quite smoothly.
There were some issues, like the attempts to sway my wives, but nothing that would threaten the existence of the exchange itself. As a conference, it was a great success.
"For now, it feels like a 'congratulations' is in order."
"If you stumble at the start, it’s hard to recover."
"Yes. It’s a relief that it went well, but what about the poaching of talent? I understand the direction and possibilities for dealing with it, but isn't it a problem if Weed loses its talent?"
"I felt the same way. Yuki-san, how do you intend to deal with the future loss of talent in Weed?"
"Exactly. It would be troublesome if Weed were to fall into chaos due to a brain drain, wouldn't it?"
Unlike my wives—who perhaps understood and stayed silent, or were simply not as concerned—these three didn't let me off the hook easily. I proceeded to explain.
"I don't intend to let so many people leave that our organizations stop functioning. However, it’s easier to control the situation if we declare it ourselves rather than having them disappear quietly. It also makes it easier to lodge complaints with the other side, saying that our functions are slowing down because they are taking our people."
"I see. That way, it’s easy to blame the countries taking them for Weed’s difficulties."
"Normally, one would criticize Weed for operating in a way that leads to labor shortages, but this way, we can tell the countries that are borrowing or poaching that talent to keep quiet."
"Well, before it gets to that point, we can restrict travel to other countries, so it serves as a sufficient excuse for that as well."
The three of them were convinced by my explanation.
It’s easier to deal with things later if you declare it openly rather than having people stolen in secret.
I had told my wives that a better future was coming, but as a practical, immediate reason, the goal of managing the situation to prevent large-scale poaching was a valid one.
"And so, we are currently putting together countermeasures for the poaching. Since other continents are also sending people to Weed—not just diplomats, but those looking to acquire technology—it should balance out to be roughly even. Though, in their hearts, I’m sure they’re hoping to get their hands on some immediately useful talent."
"That’s the same for every country. Labor is in short supply. Especially now that the coalition has been formed and wars have decreased significantly. Thanks to that, even general labor for land reclamation and food production is scarce."
"The If Continent is the same. Now that the coalition and the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance have been formed, many countries are focusing more on producing goods to sell than on war."
"Unfortunately, the continent I came from isn't in that situation yet, but overall, they are engaging in healthy activities. Still, is it a 'happy problem' to be short-handed because of that?"
It’s the boom period following a war.
Someday this bustle will end, but that is still far off.
I don't know how this world, where magic technology is developed but the Industrial Revolution hasn't yet arrived, will progress.
In a sense, there is immense room for growth, and there is plenty of work to be done for it.
Thanks to that, countries are recruiting people regardless of their origin to make up for the labor lost to war and monsters.
Weed, too, took advantage of the war to snatch refugees from Litea.
Now, Alstaire is even asking Rurua and Seraria, "Is there anyone who can come to Litea—no, return to Litea?"
A few years ago, they had so many people they didn't know what to do with, creating slum-like districts because there was no work. Now, it’s a happy situation where even those people are mostly out tilling the fields, and they are so short-handed that they’re asking for the refugees we took to be returned.
Of course, Seraria and Rurua are turning them down, asking why they’re only saying this now after failing to save those refugees when they had the chance.
And so, the positive effects of the Intercontinental Exchange are appearing everywhere daily.
Of course, as these exchanges increase and workplaces grow, new problems will arise, but that is where each country will have to show its true worth.