CH 180

Chapter 180 – Saint Shopping

Unusually, Simon was alone.

He was leaning his elbows on the familiar desk-like platform, with his head in front of a letter.

“What’s the matter, Simon? Is your business in the red?”

“Hey, you’ve come at the right time. It’s the opposite. Asset management has become too much for me. It was getting out of hand, so I hired a specialist. I’ve made a big contribution to the community in order to save on taxes, but because of that, I’ve gotten some strange nicknames.”

It’s not like he’s a hypocrite or the Grim Reaper or anything. I thought he said his business dealings as an arms dealer were on the decline. It’s not my right to say this as I procure a large amount of weapons and arms, but as the father of that angel, I’d like him to live a life he can be proud of…

“A saint with a grin on his face.”

“I think it suits you.”

“R-right? I, who was called a black market trash and a stray dog, am finally a saint…”

That’s not it. It seems that Simon is not accustomed to the world, as he takes the easy-to-understand followers seriously. And he’s an idiot. Maybe he was embarrassed instead.

From the supplies I took from the bandit guild, I piled up various treasures in front of the platform, focusing on precious metals that might be traceable to the world I am in now. As a result of destroying criminal organizations one after another, there is a surprisingly large amount of this stuff.

“So then, Saint. This is an offering. I hope it will bring you good fortune.”

“Yeah, whatever you want. I am what I am today thanks to you, or… conversely, it is because of you.”

The “grinning saint” smiled calmly as if he had reached a point of realization.

◇ ◇

“I see. It’s 250 miles to the destination. Whether by land or by sea, I can provide you with fast, sturdy, and assault-proof transport. Both by land and by sea, if you like.”

“It’s winter here. There’s snow on the ground.”

“Most of the weapons in the East are designed to operate in the cold. A little bit of stormy weather won’t be a problem.”

In my head, I’m thinking of inventory―and maybe some weapons that are about to be retired from service in Simon’s world―that I’d like to send over here. I’m not going to complain about it, as long as we can agree on the price and conditions. After all, the enemy’s strategies, tactics, and armaments are several hundred years behind ours. We don’t need expensive, delicate, state-of-the-art weapons.

“How about a BMP?”

The BMP is a Russian-made infantry fighting vehicle. It is an armored vehicle driven in an infinite orbit that transports around eight soldiers to the battlefield to provide firepower support in battle. When it first appeared on the market, it was a best-seller in the East that caused a stir around the world.

It is still in service today, but it has undergone repeated modifications to its armament and local refurbishments in a tearful effort to survive on the battlefield. To be honest, I am not that familiar with it, but I have seen it in combat footage somewhere in the Middle East. The vehicle, which had a lot of explosive reactive armor that looked like a lunch box, was doing its best with low-pressure artillery that had low power and a low hit rate, but I think it was blown up by an RPG or IED in the end.

Of course, there is no such threat in this world, so if I brought it in, it would be an invincible monster with ironclad armor and powerful, unmatched armament. I had thought of procuring such a vehicle before, but I think that I had to drop the idea because I ended up buying a Ural military truck or a T-55 tank. I think I was wrong.

“Now, I’ll give you a set of ten BMP-1s and two tanks at a discount. Weapons, armaments, ammunition, and fuel are all included.”

“I don’t need that many. The war with the national army is over, and I am currently on the road.”

“Then, in exchange for the jewelry and other things you mentioned earlier, I can get you three BMP-3s as a fully equipped ‘long-range reconnaissance set.'”

“…Well, that’s not a bad idea. By the way, what about by sea?”

“A patrol boat or a fast missile boat.”

“There aren’t that many people to handle them. I don’t want something too big, and I don’t have anyone to fire missiles at in the first place.”

To be precise, there were, but we killed them. Whether or not a missile would hit the Sea Serpent, though.”

“Compact naval vessels, huh? There are not many torpedo boats in good condition anymore. Zodiac… is not going to do the trick.”

“Of course not. The temperature here is below freezing⁉︎”

Zodiac is the name of the company, but its flagship product is a high-speed composite boat that is very popular with the world’s special forces. In short, it is a sturdy rubber boat. They may be fast, but they are exposed to the elements. I don’t want to go all the way out to the winter sea in such a vehicle that I would get splashed by the waves. I had already learned my lesson with the fishing boat.

“They were mostly for landing, weren’t they? It’s not the kind of thing you can ride for hundreds of miles on the open sea.”

I” know. But if that’s the case, use a missile boat. A few people can do the job of just moving it. If you are dealing with soft targets, they are equipped with both heavy machine guns and general-purpose machine guns. Having a strong offensive capability is a good insurance policy in case of an emergency. Money is no longer an issue. Cheap things are cheap for a reason… Hmm?”

Simon froze in mid-sentence, looking like he had just thought of something. He looks into the air, snaps his fingers, and then breaks into that familiar smirk. He doesn’t look like a saint, and I have a bad feeling about this.

Simon turns to me amiably as if he’s about to give me a squeeze.

“Hey, Brother. Are you interested in hovercraft?”