Dwarven Shopping Street

[I'm finished on my end. I left May and Tina with an errand though.

How about you guys?]

I sent the message via group chat and started walking around while

waiting for a reply. The three of them were supposed to be shopping

around, so maybe they were in a section of the trade and commerce

block where there were a lot of food and lifestyle shops.

"What should I do about those two?"

I also thought about what to do with Tina and Whisker as I was walking

around.

Having some pro engineers and mechanics around was a very desirable

prospect, especially in our case. I'd feel more assured if there were

people who can handle most sorts of mechanical trouble as we

continue traveling around the galaxy.

The most worrying problem was the possibility of those two getting

access to my and Krishna's secrets through accessing the ship's

database during maintenance. And then, they may opt to send that data

directly to Space Dwerg.

But maybe there's actually no need to worry so much about stuff like

that happening. Krishna and the new mothership's data protection

measures will be handled by May after all. I'm sure she'll be able to

block any attempts to pull out classified data from the databanks if

those two ever decided to pull something like that off. And she'll report

it to me immediately as well.

If that happens, what would I do? No matter how cute they were, I have

no intention of letting such bloodsucking insects stay anywhere near

me. I'd probably crush them or abandon them along the way. I'd

probably strike out at their company too. Thoroughly.

Well, those are the most logical courses of action, but I kind of doubt I'd

be able to put something like that into practice for real. Tina's

personality isn't something I particularly dislike either. It's a bit

annoying but quite refreshing at the same time. It's kind of relaxing in a

sense to be around that sort of person.

I can't say much about Whisker since I haven't spent much time with

her yet, but I feel she was a bit miserable. I can easily imagine how

much trouble that sister of hers has put her through. She was even

dragged around by her sister last night to participate in her scheme.

Maybe she was just the type who finds it difficult to refuse her loved

ones… I still can't say for sure though.

Anyway, when it comes to deciding whether or not to accept the two of

them into the crew, I had to weigh the merits of having pro engineers

on board against the possibility of my and Krishna's secrets leaking out

to a third party.

The info about me and Krishna will probably become known to other

people eventually if we continue to travel around the galaxy doing

mercenary work. It would be best if I could keep a tight lid on those as

much as I could, but being on guard all the time sounds far too stressful.

I don't really care about keeping such things secret in the first place if I

were being honest. I don't plan on stopping from being a mercenary

after all. In other words, I'd probably get into more escapades along

with Krishna. If that's the case, then no matter how excellent Krishna

was and how skilled I was as a pilot, Krishna still had a good chance of

breaking down eventually without proper maintenance because it was,

in the end, a machine. The only way to prevent that was by having

skilled mechanics take a look at it and perform regular maintenance.

In other words, no matter how much I wanted to prevent anyone from

touching Krishna due to the risk of info leaks, I'd still have no other

choice but to leave it in other's hands from time to time. If I end up

losing Krishna due to me stubbornly refusing to let those secrets leak

out, that'll be a case of putting the cart before the horse. In that case, it

would be better to ensure I could rely on Krishna for a long time

through periodic maintenance by skilled mechanics without caring so

much about keeping secrets. At least that's what I think.

There would be no problems if Krishna actually didn't need

maintenance and could maintain peak performance indefinitely. But

since this world isn't a game, machines will eventually deteriorate, and

that deterioration will be even faster if you rely on them heavily. As long

as I plan on continuing to fight using Krishna, I'd have to compromise

eventually.

"Oops."

I was lost in thought and didn't notice that I've already arrived at the

trade and commerce block. I took out my portable data terminal once

more and checked the messaging app.

[Right now, we're telling Whisker-san all she needs to know when she

boards the ship with her sister. It will probably take a bit more time.]

"I still haven't decided whether or not to let them join though."

I muttered such a complaint, but it's true that I was heavily leaning on

letting them board as well. That's because the merits of them boarding

the ship and joining the crew outweigh the demerits. But it would still

be best to discuss this matter with Elma, Mimi, and May. I'm the one

who will have the final say, but I can't ignore their opinions as crew

members.

[Understood. I'm going to wander around the colony a bit then.]

I sent out the message and walked around while setting aside those

complicated issues for the time being. There were many handicrafts

being sold at stores. It's probably because this was a colony with plenty

of dwarves. Or rather, there were many stores that were selling

handicrafts that also looked pointlessly high-tech.

For example, there was a wooden avant-garde sculpture that was

actually an auto-cooker in disguise, a decorative laser gun holster, or

shoulder pads that had spikes on them. No, wait… What's with those

shoulder pads anyway? Armor…? Fashion items…? A cosplay item that

allows you to dress up like the end of the century thugs and go

'Hyahaaa'!?

"Oh, you have a good eye for these things, brother. This here is a nice,

high-quality thermal cloak."

A dwarf store clerk called out to me as I was checking out the shoulder

pads. He had a full beard so I couldn't place his age, but he sounds

younger than he looks.

"Thermal cloak? This thing? This is a cloak?"

No matter how you slice it, these are just Hyahaa! pads though. There's

no resemblance to a cloak at all.

"That's right. We had a hard time developing them so they wouldn't

look like your typical cloak at first glance. If you put one of these on

your shoulder and switch it on, it will allow you to comfortably cope

with temperatures ranging from minus 50 degrees to plus 50 degrees

Celsius."

"That sounds impressive. What's the power source?"

So these things can allow you to spend all year wearing just T-shirts and

shorts huh? That's kinda amazing. If they didn't look like spiked

shoulder pads, I would have bought one for myself.

"They use one energy pack at a time. One pack can allow them to

function for 20,000 hours."

20 thousand hours huh. So that'll be about 833 days. So two energy

packs will allow them to work for more than two years huh. Yep.

Amazing alright.

"How much are they?"

"Mm, we had trouble modifying them after all. They are actually newly

developed products you see. Let's see… 3,000… No, how about 2,500

Enels for one?"

"O-Okay…"

I can easily buy one at that price, but the appearance is a bit… I kinda

feel like I'd be forced to shout Hyahaa! if I wear one of these. Maybe I'll

even get a Mohawk haircut without me noticing until it's too late. Uh,

nope. Not happening. That's not a pretty picture by any stretch of the

imagination.

I actually have a pretty built body right now due to my daily workouts,

but I wasn't like those macho bodybuilders. I had a leaner physique.

These shoulder pads would probably look better on men with

bodybuilder physiques.

"I don't think they suit me, so I'll pass. But since I'm already here, do

you have non-modified versions of these thermal cloaks?"

"We do. Those are 800 Enels a piece. One energy pack can power them

for 30,000 hours. A cloak that covers most of the body is more energy

efficient after all."

After saying so, the dwarven store clerk brought out a hooded cloak

made of an unfamiliar material that had a mysterious texture. It was allwhite and felt like a cross between vinyl and leather.

"Do you have these in more inconspicuous colors?"

This is far too flashy for me.

"Oh, do you prefer a cloak with the chameleon system? Here you go

then. These chameleon thermal cloaks are 1,200 Enels per item."

He then brought out a dark brown cloak with a rough texture. The clerk

fiddled with the clasp on the cloak and its color changed to a gray urban

camouflage pattern.

"Hm. This looks good."

"Doesn't it? But these have a better design though. I'm sure it'll suit you,

brother."

The clerk then placed one of those spiked shoulder pads on my

shoulder. He then made a nice business smile. Just how do these

shoulder pads stick themselves on anyway? It's another pointless

application of advanced tech.

"No, the chameleon thermal cloaks are fine. Let's see… I'll need some

spares too, so give me five of those."

"You're buying five of them!? Of course, sir! Right away!"

The clerk ran to the back of the store with a cheerful smile on his face. I

bought one for me, Elma, and Mimi, plus two spares. Tina and Whisker

can also use them if they join the crew. A thermal cloak with a

temperature regulation function and a chameleon system that allows it

to blend with the surroundings huh… It may prove useful one of these

days. For example, they'll come in handy if we somehow get stuck on a

planet with a harsh environment, or when we need to investigate a

colony with a broken life support system. There were plenty of those

kinds of events in SOL after all. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

"Hey, mister! We also have great products here! Why don't you take a

look?"

"Hey! Don't cut in line! I had my eye on him first. Hey mister, take a look

at our wares too why don't cha?"

"Oi, oi! He came to our store first. Come on then, brother. Let's go to the

back."

Before I knew it, several dwarven shop clerks already gathered behind

me. Hahaha, you guys are really passionate about doing business huh?

Also, those female shop clerks at the back. Stop trying to seduce me. No

matter what you do, my heart won't be moved since you practically look

like children y'know.

But this sure is a mess. In any case, I followed the dwarven shop clerk to

the back of the store to complete my purchase.