Chapter 79

After returning to the floating city, I immediately went to the repair shop.

Perhaps they might know of or have a ship that meets my conditions.

"Emphasizing defense on a general-purpose combat boat? That's quite a challenge. We haven't handled many of those recently."

"Recently, they've been focusing on speed and firepower."

The master of the repair shop and his apprentice, who seemed to be listening, started to ponder after hearing my request.

"What kind of boat did you use before?"

"The Iofus Corporation's 'Slits'."

I had done a lot of modifications and part replacements, but the base was a rather old general-purpose combat boat.

"Ah, one that production was completely stopped on a long time ago."

"Even the parts and engines for repairs have been completely phased out recently."

"That's right... Is there anything similar?"

"I think there was something similar in the catalog that came out last month..."

"Really?"

The large terminal the master brought over displayed a catalog with 3D images and performance details of various combat boats.

"The one that fits your conditions... would it be the Iofus Corporation's 'Nortegereim'?"

"It seems to be the successor to the 'Slits'. By the way, there are only seven types of general-purpose boats that emphasize defense."

"General-purpose boats are now focused on speed and firepower, and these heavy and sturdy ones are only used for specific escort purposes."

The catalog lists over 50 to 200 types of fully balanced, firepower-focused, speed-focused, and special gimmick models, but the number of general-purpose boats that emphasize defense is very small.

To be honest, having seven types is already a relief.

Among them, the Iofus Corporation's 'Nortegereim' is the successor to the 'Slits' I used as a base. It has almost no changes in appearance, a slightly larger interior, and overall improved performance.

The price seems to be manageable with the compensation I received.

But there is an important issue.

"Is it not available here?"

"Once the city officially starts functioning, maybe. But now it's just an academic research base. You might find it in the imperial capital of Hein or a designated planet. Otherwise, you'd have to order it from the manufacturer."

That shouldn't be a problem. The planet I call home, Itz, is a designated planet.

After thanking the master and his apprentice and leaving the shop, I realized I hadn't reported the recent situation and immediately called Uncle Loanz.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Uzus."

"Hey. What's up? Did you make a mistake or something?"

"Actually..."

I told him everything that happened.

"I see... That was quite a misfortune. But from what you've told me, if they don't hold you responsible, then it's fine. You weren't at fault, after all. Make sure to get the compensation."

It was very reassuring and encouraging to hear that, but it also made me worry.

"I hope no unreasonable compensation snatchers show up..."

"Is there someone like that around?"

"There's someone who might become like that..."

I thought of the female student who had confronted me.

"Well... Since your job will be over soon, it's best to leave the area as soon as you finish. Oh, I have work too. Take care."

With that, Uncle Loanz hung up.

If the worst comes to the worst, I might consult the professor...

That evening, I went to pick up the professor again, and my work for the day was done.

Incidentally, at the time of the incident, there were about 7 days left in the contract period.

The next 4 days, I survived alone. The day I returned to the floating city, I slept all day.

Including today, I have 2 days left, which means the contract will end tomorrow.

I thought about asking the professor to extend the contract by about 4 days, but the original dedicated pilot has returned, so I will definitely be relieved of my duties.

Incidentally, the dedicated pilot is quite handsome and a senior from the professor's student days.

The female student, who had been hostile towards me, was now beaming at him.

The original dedicated pilot is not at fault, but I can't help feeling resentful.

The next day,

After my last job was completed, I received an apology and words of encouragement from Professor Tez, as well as compensation from the professor, the university, and the doctor's son, which was a considerable amount (900 million credits).

Incidentally, I will receive the payment for the job itself and the insurance money from the guild.

I wanted to leave this planet immediately, but there are no direct flights to planet Itz, so I had to make a few transfers. Since there were no flights today, my departure was scheduled for the next morning.

I was invited to a farewell party, but of course, I declined.

I couldn't join the conversation, and more importantly, I was terrified of that female student.

But I was grateful that she didn't call or visit me at the hotel to demand the return of the compensation. Really.

The next morning, after seeing the professor and his team off to the excavation site, I took the orbital elevator to the spaceport and returned to planet Itz without any issues by noon the next day.

Upon returning to my base, the first thing I did was go grocery shopping.

I had emptied the refrigerator since I would be gone for a month, so I needed food.

After shopping, I returned home, cleaned, took a bath, and watched some anime while eating.

I spent the evening relaxing.

The next day, I went to the mercenary guild.

The guild was as noisy as ever, and it didn't seem like any special event was happening.

It seemed that Gerhilde hadn't shown up, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I went to Uncle Loanz's usual spot, and he greeted me cheerfully.

"Hey, you've had a tough time, haven't you?"

"It was tough because of the job you introduced me to."

"Don't say that. How could I have predicted something like that would happen?"

"Well, that's true..."

I was scolding him, but not seriously.

Unforeseen events can happen in any job, and it's the responsibility of the person who accepted the job to deal with them.

Uncle Loanz understood this, so he didn't take it to heart and started talking about the job.

"First, let's take care of the official payment and the boat insurance."

"It's a considerable amount."

"Combined with the compensation, it's a substantial sum."

The official payment was 500,000 for a month, and the insurance was 2.5 million.

Including the compensation, the total was 12 million credits.

Coincidentally, this was almost the same amount as the job that led me to take this one.

I looked around, but of course, there was no sign of the pink-haired girl.

So I received the payment and insurance money without any issues.

The financial aspect was now settled, but there was still a problem.

"The issue is getting a replacement boat. I found a good one in the catalog, but I don't know if the dealer has it..."

Planet Itz is a designated planet, but whether the dealer stocks unpopular models is another matter.

"Well, that's a matter of luck... Why don't you take a break and look for it slowly?"

He seemed to feel sorry for me after what happened.

But if I take too much time off, I might get lazy, so I plan to buy the books and data cards I lost.

If there was a doujinshi fair coming up, I would take a longer break.

I received a large sum again, but I can't send money home this time.

Thank you for your opinions, comments, and any corrections.