Chapter 613

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Chapter 613: An Unusual Customer (3)

—Th-That… what exactly are you saying? A 30% discount on the total transaction, valuing Katandal ingots at 1.5 billion karma each, and lending you the remaining money as well?

“If you put it all together like that, it sounds excessive. Let’s break it down one by one.”

As Yeongwoo scratched his cheek with an awkward smile, Branch Manager Unsaek put on a firm expression for the first time.

—That’s not possible.

“What?”

—Adjusting the exchange rate of the ingots is something I can manage at my discretion, but lending out liquid funds is beyond my authority.

In other words, this was a large-scale deal that required approval from headquarters.

But it wasn’t as if Yeongwoo hadn’t considered that.

“Ah, I think you still have a bit more to learn about sales, Branch Manager.”

—…?

“I said I wanted to borrow money, but do you really need to lend it to me in cash?”

—Then what exactly do you mean?

“Since the loan is ultimately for purchasing cannons, why go the long way around? You could just sell me the cannons on credit.”

—…!

Unsaek’s mouth fell open.

Selling products on credit was, in fact, within a branch manager’s authority.

Of course, if the payment wasn’t recovered, the responsibility would also fall squarely on the branch manager.

“The money you’d lend me? You don’t actually have it right now, right? Not until headquarters approves it. I understand that.”

Yeongwoo shrugged and continued.

“But the products—the cannons—are already in your possession, aren’t they? You’d just need to take them out of storage and load them onto my ship.”

—You make it sound simple, as one would expect from a Wonder of the Universe, but that is…

“Of course it’s risky. Cannons aren’t cheap. But am I an ordinary shipmaster?”

At that question, Unsaek was truly left with nothing to say.

—…….

He might be shockingly frivolous, but the man standing before him was undeniably the owner of a planetary ship.

Objectively speaking, a planetary shipmaster’s credit was in a completely different league from that of ordinary customers.

“And from Toma’s perspective, even if I didn’t pay back the credit, wouldn’t it still be a win?”

—What do you mean by that?

“Having Toma-made cannons mounted on a Wonder of the Universe is massive advertising in itself, isn’t it?”

—…….

“And it’s not like I actually plan on not paying. Whether you look at it from your position or headquarters’, it’s not a losing deal.”

As Yeongwoo spoke shamelessly, Unsaek stared blankly out at space beyond the window.

Whenever something overwhelming happened, people in this universe seemed to share the habit of looking out into space.

—So then… how much—no, how many cannons do you want?

“The more, the better. How many can you manage?”

As Yeongwoo immediately tossed the question back, Unsaek’s deliberation deepened.

—I trust you, Shipmaster, but I can’t provide unlimited products on credit without any basis.

He then pressed his thick fingers against the window.

Tap.

—I’ll extend credit equal to the budget you currently possess.

“29.7 billion, you mean…?”

That was the total value after converting Katandal ingots at 1.5 billion each.

—…….

After another long silence, Unsaek nodded with visible effort.

Which meant Yeongwoo could now shop up to 59.4 billion karma in value.

“It’s not exactly overflowing, but it’s not lacking either.”

—When will you repay the debt?

Now they were at the core of the matter.

Yeongwoo blinked once.

“I just need to repay 29.7 billion, right?”

—Correct.

“Two months. I’ll pay it back within two months.”

This time, it was Unsaek who looked startled.

—Two months…? Are you sure that’s feasible?

For beings of the universe, two months was an extremely short time.

Especially when it came to gathering nearly 30 billion karma.

But for Yeongwoo—who grew by one hundred million years every day—it was practically generous.

“Two months is more than enough. And the shorter the repayment period, the easier it’ll be for you to explain to headquarters, right?”

—That’s true, but…

“Of course, there’s no interest.”

Instead of interest, the Wonder of the Universe would be firing Toma-made cannons all over space.

—Then let us proceed with the contract.

Unsaek swept his hand through the air, materializing a contract that stated 29.7 billion would be repaid in two months.

Yeongwoo skimmed it quickly, then swung Bastard to sign.

Whoooosh!

Etching the emblem of Renaissance cannons into it.

—The credit agreement is now finalized. You may select products up to a total value of 59.4 billion. Any difference between the final purchase amount and that total will be transferred to you separately.

Which meant that in two months, he simply needed to bring back 29.7 billion.

“Perfect. Then shall we move on to the next products?”

At Yeongwoo’s urging, Unsaek nodded.

—Then… allow me to show you a cannon that is essentially an upper-tier equivalent of the Keisac.

What Unsaek presented was nothing less than a Legendary Cannon.

Flash!

「Nemua」 – Legendary Cannon

【Output : 160】

【Maximum Magazine : 42】

【Firing Interval : 0.3 seconds】

【Required Energy : 50】

【Special : Penetration Rounds】

【Manufacturer : Toma】

<The fastest way to become the master of the battlefield.>

*Price : 1.1 billion karma

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“1.1 billion…? That’s almost double the Keisac.”

—In exchange, it has a larger magazine, a much faster firing interval, and most importantly—

Unsaek snapped his fingers, and the Nemua mounted on the holographic ship began firing.

From the cannon’s upper casing, a long beam split into three streams, piercing straight through space.

—Nemua’s default firing mode is triple-shot. Each projectile penetrates targets until its energy naturally dissipates.

“Penetration?”

—Even if there are multiple obstacles along the firing path, the projectile will pierce through as long as its energy allows.

To help Yeongwoo visualize it, nine fighters were shown approaching in single file.

Nemua fired three shots.

In the blink of an eye, all nine fighters vanished from space.

“…Oh. So one shot can handle about three targets.”

—That’s under ideal conditions, of course. To truly maximize the penetration effect, it’s best to deploy multiple Nemua cannons and build a firing net.

Unsaek snapped his fingers again, and a ship equipped with four Nemuas appeared.

As the four cannons fired, a grid-shaped firing network formed, annihilating every approaching fighter.

“So basically, you’re telling me to buy as many as possible.”

—In practice, Nemua becomes stronger the more units you have.

That made sense—secondary cannons existed to intercept fighters and small vessels.

Quantity mattered.

Most ships even carried up to 32 cannons.

“At 1.1 billion per unit… 12 cannons would be 13.2 billion. With the 30% discount…?”

—…….

“9.24 billion. That’s reasonable.”

As Yeongwoo nodded, the weapons dealer Koatu offered advice.

—You could push harder. Think about the size of the Earth Ship. And consider situations where it joins a fleet…

“Really? Then what if I go with 32 Nemuas?”

With the 30% discount applied, it came out to 24.64 billion.

Nearly half the total budget.

‘But that also means half is still left. Thirty-two Nemuas is already solid preparation.’

A planetary ship firing penetration rounds from 32 legendary secondary cannons.

‘That should handle most incoming fighters.’

Which meant the remaining budget should go toward cannons meant to knock down ships.

High-output cannons—usually used as main guns—needed to fill the gaps between Nemuas.

“I already have the Planet Hunter, but since I’m expecting fleet engagements, I need something with a faster firing rate that can be deployed in larger numbers.”

At Yeongwoo’s request, Unsaek immediately displayed candidates, true to his role as branch manager.

—I’ve dealt with many preparing for fleet combat. I know exactly what you’re looking for.

He didn’t forget to add—

—However, with roughly 35 billion remaining, you’ll have to choose one of two options.

“One of two?”

—Either a large number of Epic cannons, or a small number of Legendary cannons.

“Ah.”

Only then did Yeongwoo recall that the Planet Hunter—his current main weapon—cost 6.3 billion karma per unit.

“But Planet Hunter is clearly an oversized weapon. Smaller ones should be cheaper, right?”

—Planet Hunter is expensive among cannons, but Legendary cannons are fundamentally high-priced. You should expect at least 5 billion karma per unit.

“So even after pulling this much money together, it’s still tight.”

Koatu scratched his chin.

—If this were just a regular ship, you’d already have more than enough. The problem is that you’re a planetary shipmaster.

“Is that so?”

—And your goal is to fight fleets with a single ship, right? The fact that this can even be solved with money is a miracle in itself.

That miracle was only possible because the “single ship” in question was a planetary vessel.

A planetary-class ship with absurd durability and weapon slots.

—We’ll arrive at the branch shortly. Would you like to see Legendary cannons or Epic cannons?

As Unsaek rubbed his hands together, awaiting the answer, Yeongwoo replied without hesitation.

“Legendary. If we run short, we still have the option of ramming them.”

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