I put in a serious day's work.
The survey results for the Rosaria trade route had finally come in.
The more I looked over the data, the more I realized just how reckless that original voyage had been. While I held a profound sense of respect for the Heroes of Rosaria who had crossed through that void...
I also thought to myself: I seriously never want to do that.
If they had made even a single misstep, an entire planetary population would have been wiped out.
Hieeeeeeeeeek!
Even the most elite Marine Corps couldn't survive an extreme environment where resources dwindled day by day.
So, I decided we needed to build a proper trade route.
Fortunately, the space along this route didn't fall under any specific faction's control. Therefore, I drafted an agreement with Charlotte, who had been entrusted with full diplomatic authority.
"We’ll split the proceeds from the development right down the middle," I told her.
Of course, Chronos had no intention of monopolizing it. We’d give a share to Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, and the Ogre God Nation as well. There was nothing to fear if we developed it together!
I mean, sure, we could have monopolized it and collected tolls, but that would just earn us the resentment of the surrounding nations. Considering the sheer effort required for management, it was far better to have everyone help out and use it jointly.
If the spaceport usage fees and resupply costs were handled by a multinational corporation funded by several countries, no one would have any grounds to complain.
And so, construction began at full throttle.
The budget was shared among the various nations. This kind of money would essentially vanish back into the economy as it started circulating, anyway. You might as well consider it free.
Besides, it was a good way to provide for the workers from Ozen and Parcion. Lepsitol had done a decent job of setting up a Business Cooperative, which allowed us to keep the lines of responsibility conveniently vague.
The first Spaceport was finished.
When I say "finished," I really just mean the basic port functions for resupplying and the warehouses. But for the initial stage, that was plenty. We would use this as a base and build the next one while developing the surrounding area.
Lepsitol then proposed a Super-massive Shopping Center Project directly connected to the Spaceport Colony.
...Was that really a good idea? I had this image of facilities near a spaceport being places people just passed through via train or bus.
In response, my Kamishiro Group proposed a Housing Development Plan for the spaceport employees and the colony's railway business. We would build Apartment Buildings and detached houses. Energy businesses and Infrastructure Development were on the list, too.
For the record, the colony Kevin lived in was one that had been properly maintained. The one Tatiana lived in was the one where the local moron lords had completely abandoned any upkeep.
In any case, if you were going to build a colony, you needed engineers. To produce engineers, you needed schools. To attract students, you needed jobs for them. And for any of that to work, you needed children in the first place...
That said, the world was already in the middle of a baby boom as a reaction to the war. Between the Galactic Empire, the Taikyoku Nation, and Chronos, birth rates were skyrocketing.
Well, I supposed it would work out somehow.
I issued my approval for the bulk of the massive construction plans.
"Lord Leo, it is time for your break."
Polina, who was acting as my secretary, arrived. It was great that I didn't have to work until the middle of the night anymore, but time management was still crucial.
"What's left on the schedule for today?"
"After this, you have training with Lord Isono and the others. Once that is finished, you will have a break, followed by a banquet at the palace."
Ah... right. Because multiple construction industries from various countries were involved, we ended up having to hold banquets for every single nation.
"Can you order some extra portions of Ramen?"
Eating a full meal at a party was an incredibly difficult feat. People like us were never left alone by the crowd. The leftovers wouldn't be wasted, though; they’d be distributed to the palace staff.
"I don't think you need to worry about gaining weight, Lord Leo, but I simply think it's bad for your health," Polina noted.
"But listen, you never get full at a party."
"The attendees are mostly in their fifties or older, after all..."
A party couldn't satisfy the ravenous appetite of a man in his twenties. I was serious. No joke. It wasn't elegant to clear the buffet. In the end, the Ramen afterwards was my lifeline.
"Then... let's change it to Ochazuke."
"Wouldn't it be the same? I'd just end up eating side dishes with it."
True. Maybe Midnight Soba would be better. But Soba was dangerous. It might trigger another regional conflict over the dipping sauce. Actually, there was even a chance the Udon faction would start a riot.
"Let's go with Ramen, then," I said with a sly grin.
With Ramen, the rule was simple: "The noodles are frozen, so do whatever you want with the soup." The die-hard dried noodle purists could just cook for themselves.
With that settled, I headed to training to blow off some stress. I did a full-throttle sprint while carrying a Log.
Nuhahahahahaha!
"The King and his aides... they're freaking monsters..." the Chronos Army personnel participating in the Joint Training muttered in exasperation.
Hahaha! Moving my body was fun!
I also did some Sparring with Eddy. This time, it was grappling.
Hahaha! We put on protectors for a Light Spar.
"Die, Leoooooooooo!"
He went all out from the start, closing the distance and unleashing a flurry of punches.
"I can't go hooooooooome!"
Even if he said "home," he just meant his room in the palace. Eddy lived there with his wife. Maybe I had been pushing him a little too hard.
"Me neitheeeeeeeer!"
I used Weaving to dodge his fists and threw a hook. Of course, since it was Eddy, he blocked it. In fact, he grabbed the hand he’d blocked and lunged at me.
Whoops, a Waki-gatame!
He was going for it with enough force to snap my arm. Waki-gatame looks easy, but it’s actually quite difficult. There are different schools of thought on whether you should lock the elbow or the shoulder. This time, he went for the shoulder.
I was pinned to the ground with my shoulder locked... but before he could finalize it, I slipped my head out and performed a forward roll. Once I broke free, I put some distance between us... and as Eddy got back up, I went for a Low Tackle... but he checked it and countered with a knee.
I evaded to the side. I stood up and was about to throw a punch... but then the match was called to a stop.
Hmm, I wanted to go a little longer. I’d been throwing hooks out of habit after dodging, but maybe an uppercut would have been better. There were plenty of points to reflect on.
I’d call Eddy the winner this time. He basically took a point off me the moment he secured that Waki-gatame.
By the way, there’s no punchline here. That’s just how things have been for all of us lately.
After finishing that heartwarming training session, evening arrived, and I headed to the banquet. It was held at the palace, and man, there were even famous singers and actors in attendance.
Then, a man with white hair came over to greet me. He was quite young for a banquet guest. His name tag identified him with a Parcion State-owned Enterprise scheduled for privatization.
It was normal for me not to recognize a face. Especially with the Parcion state enterprises; the turnover was so high that I couldn't keep track of the staff.
I was about to give a perfunctory greeting... when I got a sudden, nasty premonition.
"I have come as a representative of the Zen God Race. I am Fen."
What should I do?