「Ummm… A farm?」
The woman who seemed to represent the caravan tilted her head as she surveyed the area. Everything about her was big—her height, her boobs, and the curled horns growing out of her head.
「A farm in the making. I only got here yesterday. Right now, I’m hard at work turning this place into one.」
「…Are you sure you don’t mean an outpost or a fortress?」
「A farm in the making.」
The short woman with antennae, who had an old-fashioned projectile gun slung over her shoulder—with the magazine removed—had muttered something outrageous while looking around suspiciously, so I immediately corrected her.
No matter what anyone says, this is a farm. Glen Farm. There might be several laser turrets on the roof of the building housing the generator, and lightweight and mediumweight combat bots might be surrounding these guys—girls—but this is a farm. As long as I, the owner, say so, it’s a farm. Got it?
「So, you said you wanted to trade. What sort of goods do you deal in?」
I had learned that they were a trading caravan from Erika, who was hiding in the prefab living quarters. The information she could give me was limited, though. Well, they were a pretty easy bunch to identify just by looking at them.
「We don’t specialize in anything in particular. We carry a little bit of everything. Here’s our inventoryyy.」
「Whoa… Paper made from plant fibers, in this day and age…?」
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at the culture of a planet with abundant plant resources. Paper was barely used as a recording medium in space anymore. It was heavier than it looked, took up space, and held far too little information, among other things.
Reading down the inventory, I found food, fabrics suitable for making clothes, electronic parts and other components for repairing or building machinery, drugs—including alcohol—and medicines, scrap for use as metal resources and other relatively rare materials, weapons, ammunition, clothing and armor, books for entertainment, and assorted small machines in working order. They certainly seemed to carry a varied selection.
「Hmm… Nothing really catches my eye… Actually, can you show me your clothes? Women’s clothes. I’d like to see your weapons and armor, too.」
「Of cooourse. We’ll lay out some other things, too. Everyoneee, time for business.」
「「「Okaaay.」」」
At their leader’s call, the other women—who were just as tall, busty, and generously endowed with curled horns as she was—lowered the packs they had been carrying on their backs, spread mats on the ground, and began laying out their goods. While watching them, I issued instructions to a work bot equipped with a fabricator and opened a communications channel to Erika, who had taken shelter inside the prefab—or, more precisely, to the lightweight combat bot stationed beside her.
「Erika, they seem safe enough for now. Come over here. We’re getting you some clothes.」
「…Yes, Glen-san. I’ll be right there.」
That pause before she answered was probably because my voice startled her. Having a lightweight combat bot stick close to Erika works for now, but I should figure out an easier way for us to communicate. Maybe I’ll make her a short-range radio.
「…What’s that doing?」
「I’m having it make a place where caravans like yours can rest when they stop by.」
「…I see?」
As I watched the work bot use its fabricator to make stools and tables out of our plentiful silicon-based materials, I had a cargo bot bring over the loot I had taken from the assholes I’d put down yesterday. I also had it bring a few medical supplies that might be useful for trading, along with some bioplastic bottles filled with purified water. After seeing Erika’s reaction yesterday, I had been having idle work bots steadily produce them.
「Glen-san.」
「Ah, Erika. They’re getting their goods ready now. Go pick out whatever looks like it’ll fit you. If there’s anything else you want, don’t be shy about asking. I’ll consider buying it.」
Erika had arrived at our trading spot with the lightweight combat bot in tow. I sent her off to choose her clothes.
About all I can judge is whether they’ll fit her, anyway.
「Who’s she? That’s quite an outfit she’s wearing.」
The short woman with antennae glanced at Erika as she walked away, the hem of her shirt fluttering to freely expose her dazzling white thighs and strangely gleaming outer limbs.
「One thing led to another, and I ended up taking her in right after I got here. If you want to know more, ask her yourself.」
「Hmm. Well, whatever.」
I brushed her off. There was no reason to give her information for free. In the meantime, the cargo bot arrived with the goods for bartering: the lousy weapons the assholes had used and their ammunition, along with the mysterious, floppy stuff Erika had identified as preserved food.
「Oh myyy, what do we have here?」
「Some fresh ‘loot’ I picked up yesterday and our local specialty. Feel free to lowball me on the loot. As for the specialty, I’ll give you one… No, two samples.」
I took two of the bioplastic bottles the cargo bot had brought and presented one each to the big horned woman who seemed to lead the caravan and the antennae shorty who seemed to lead the guards.
「Oh, thank youuu. Hmm… This is clean water.」
「That’s very tempting… We’re always happy to have another safe place to resupply.」
The big horned woman seemed to be thinking something over with the opened bottle in her hand. Beside her, the antennae shorty kept twitching her antennae as she took tiny sips of water.
She’s probably watching out for anything suspicious in it. Fair enough. I wouldn’t gulp down water a stranger suddenly handed me, either. Not that drugs and the like do much to me.
「Now, let’s seeee… Apart from the water, there’s some kind of dried meat, pemmican, some rather poor-quality shotguns, old-model submachine guns, and a little ammunition. Oh, you have some thaler, too. And what’s this?」
The thaler she mentioned were the grimy bits of metal the assholes had been carrying. Apparently, they were refined silver and circulated as a common currency on this planet.
A silver standard, in an age when everyone uses Enel, an energy currency… Honestly, that’s the biggest shock I’ve had since coming to this planet. And apparently, I can’t even use Enel here. What kind of joke is this?
「Medicine I brought from off-world. That’s a standard medical support kit. It contains a wound-treatment kit and combination antibiotics.」
「Ohhh… Would this happen to be one of those kits with gel that heals cuts and bruises right away?」
「That’s right. If you want to see how well it works, take a look at Erika. You wouldn’t know it now, but she was in a really sorry state yesterday.」
Erika was choosing clothes with a serious expression on her face. The nasty bruises that had covered her body had healed so well that they were barely noticeable anymore.
The wound-treatment gel probably has something to do with that, but her own constitution might be playing a part, too. It’s working a little too well.
「How much water can you supply?」
「Thirty cases of a dozen one-liter bottles each. If you want me to fill your own containers, I’ll knock off the price of the bottles.」
「How durable are the bottles?」
「You’ve got one right there, don’t you? Test it all you like.」
I shrugged.
She can test it herself. If it’s not durable enough for her liking, she doesn’t have to buy it.
「Boss, everything’s laid ooout.」
「Okaaay. Now then, dear customer, please enjoy our selectionnn.」
I left the antennae shorty where she was, squeezing her half-full bottle, hitting it, and even setting it on the ground to step on it, and followed the big horned woman. What was probably the entire inventory had been laid out on the mats.
I see. It’s quite a sight when they spread it all out like this.
「The weapons you asked for are over heeere.」
「I see…」
I looked where the big horned woman was pointing, and sure enough, there were things that looked like weapons on display.
The quaint old projectile guns are fine. I can just about understand those. But come on. What kind of joke is this? Wooden clubs with metal spikes, clubs with stone heads, and… Are those bows and arrows? Bows and arrows? In an age when antipersonnel laser weapons reign supreme? You’ve gotta be kidding me.
「Oh, that bow was made by a very skilled craftsman. I highly recommend it.」
「No, I don’t need a bow… Can you actually use something like that?」
「Hmm? It hurts terribly if an arrow sticks in you, and it can kill you if it hits the wrong place, you know? You can put poison on them, too, and they’re quiet.」
「I see…」
True, projectile guns that use gunpowder to launch metal bullets are noisy as hell. Put that way, bows and arrows might have something going for them when it comes to stealth. I’ve got optical weapons that are quiet and pack one hell of a punch, though, so I don’t need one.
「Still don’t need it. I’ll look at the other stuff.」
「Go riiight ahead.」
They’ve even got swords, spears, and axes with metal blades… My bare hands are good enough for close combat, so I don’t need those, either. Having a little extra reach might come in handy, but using a weapon I’m not used to is another matter. With a big blade, you have to get the edge alignment right to cut properly, and they bend or break easily. In my case, one of those clubs I saw earlier might actually be a better choice.
「How about a gun? I’ll even throw in some ammunition for freeee.」
「I’ve never used any of these. Got any recommendations?」
「For someone your size, I’d recommend this light machine gun.」
「Eheheee.」
The big horned woman gave me an evasive grin.
She’s got some nerve. Can’t let my guard down around this one. I’ve barely ever used projectile guns, but even I know that anything that chews through ammo like that is going to wear out its barrel and action just as fast.
「Um, Glen-san.」
As I shot down the big horned woman’s recommendations one after another, Erika approached with an apologetic expression, carrying something hard and heavy-looking that filled her arms.
She must’ve found something she wants… But what the hell is that?
「Um, I’d like some sugar… But this one jar costs fifty thaler.」
She opened the lid of the heavy-looking object—apparently, a jar was a vessel made from fired clay—to reveal densely packed reddish-brown lumps.
「Primitive, unrefined sugar, huh… Come to think of it, cooking with fresh ingredients does take all sorts of seasonings, doesn’t it?」
I could synthesize sugar from plant matter broken down by the fabricator… But Erika worked up the courage to ask me for this. I’ll buy it for her. Not that fifty thaler means much to me.
Huh? I’m being soft? I’m the type who takes as much responsibility as he can for a life he’s saved. That’s how people kept me alive when I was a kid, after all.
「If they have any other seasonings you need for cooking, buy as much as you need of everything except salt. And make sure you get your clothes, too. Doesn’t have to be just clothes, either. If there’s anything you want, get it now. Who knows when you’ll get another chance to shop?」
「…Yes. Thank you very much.」
Erika smiled and walked away, carefully cradling the jar of unrefined sugar.
「You’re awfully kind for someone who looks so intimidating.」
「Is that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?」
「A compliment, of cooourse.」
The big horned woman gave me a suspiciously knowing grin.
You say that, but you’re just happy you’re about to sell a whole lot of stuff, aren’t you? I can see right through you.
「So, how much are you paying for the bottled purified water?」
「Let’s seeee… How about five thaler for two bottles?」
「If you think that’s a fair price, fine by me. Like I said, I’m new to this planet. I don’t know the going rates. Of course, if any other caravans come by, I’ll offer them the same deal.」
「Of course. Please dooo. We always strive to offer fair prices and do honest business.」
Sounds fishy as hell. Do you really?
Despite my doubts, I decided to sell the bottled water at her offered price. She had said earlier that they were happy to have another safe place to resupply. If she was thinking about doing business with me in the long term, she probably wouldn’t try anything underhanded.
That was also why I wasn’t using violence to take their goods. Now that I had decided to settle here, antagonizing local traders would only hurt me in the long run. Making enemies of people like these and getting cut off from the surrounding communities could eventually leave me high and dry, with nowhere left to turn.
Besides, even if they’re scamming me and buying it dirt cheap, these bottles of purified water cost me practically nothing. Turning them into money is still a win.
In the end, I sold thirty cases of a dozen bottles each at five thaler per two bottles, bringing in nine hundred thaler from the bottled water alone. I also earned three hundred thaler by refilling their water containers—about a hundred and thirty-five liters in total—and another three hundred for five treatment kits.
As for our purchases, the jar of unrefined sugar cost fifty thaler, the other seasonings and such cost another fifty, and Erika’s clothes, including fabric and sewing thread, came to forty. I also bought Erika a projectile rifle and five boxes of ammunition for it, which cost a hundred and sixty thaler. That left me twelve hundred thaler ahead, plus some somewhat more ‘decent’ preserved food from this planet that I had bartered the assholes’ loot for.
「Awww, I came here to sell things, and now I’m completely out of cash. Won’t you buy something eeelse?」
「You’ll sell what you bought here for more somewhere else, won’t you? Bring something that catches my interest next time.」
Ignoring the big horned woman’s whining, I checked the uneven, tarnished silver thaler coins piled in a clinking heap on the silicon table.
Doesn’t look like there are any counterfeits mixed in, but a lot of these coins are awfully worn. I’ll reject the ones that are too far off in weight and ask for less worn ones.
「Y-You’re awfully particular…!」
「I’m sensitive to how much things weigh.」
Don’t underestimate the sensors of a man whose body is over eighty percent cybernetic.