Ch.220Change is not always beneficial.

# Chapter 220: Change Is Not Always Beneficial

Anyway, there were many other stories besides that.

The important point was that the spectacle was broadcast live throughout the entire universe.

“Haha, thanks to that, I almost died.”

“It was truly surprising that we nearly had our communication network crash due to the sheer volume of inquiries.”

Thanks to what Prosnack did, our Diplomatic Enforcement Planet received so many inquiries about the situation…

—————————————

“KYAAAAAAAH!!”

“The server, our server!!!”

—————————————-

Just as Riel said, when the Diplomatic Enforcement Planet’s communication server nearly crashed from the sudden bombardment of data.

I nodded in agreement with Riel’s words, recalling the high-pitched schoolgirl-like screams coming from the hairy middle-aged men in the server management room.

Meanwhile, as we were talking, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.

“Oh right, Riel? What happened to Levia and the infiltration team?”

I was wondering where the news about the return of my small and precious dreadnought had gone.

At my meaningful question, Riel shrugged and calmly replied.

“They’re taking a detour to avoid detection, so they’ll be a bit late.”

“Hmm.”

The Dark Age cloaking system.

Even though it was a powerful device that could refract visible light and disrupt or block all other radio waves, it seemed to have its limitations.

“Oh, and the Prosnack marines who were aboard Levia said they’re disembarking midway and returning separately.”

“Hmm? Ah… I suppose that makes sense.”

[Pause]

I heard that the Prosnack marines who had been enjoying their bizarre adventure were returning, but I didn’t have any particular thoughts about it.

After all, those Prosnack marines were merely personnel who had accompanied Samiya as escorts when she was serving as an ‘ambassador.’

According to the cooperative relationship between myself and Ambassador Samiya, they were literally ‘lent’ to us.

‘Now that Ambassador Samiya… no, our Excellency Samiya has become the supreme leader of Prosnack, there’s no reason for them to return to us.’

Unless they could be used as versatile agents like our purge squad members, capable of espionage and other tasks regardless of their combat abilities.

Setting aside their conspicuous appearance, their actions and abilities were quite ambiguous for use in espionage or other operations.

‘They didn’t seem that way when I first met them.’

When we first met, they seemed normal except for their strange way of speaking, and they looked fairly decent.

Perhaps it was after the disappearance of the marine captain who had seemed ‘normal’?

For some reason, they underwent some bizarre evolution… dark evolution, which made me genuinely concerned about Ambassador—no, Commander Samiya’s mental state.

‘Well, I don’t need to worry about that part anymore.’

Of course, there was no reason for me to concern myself with this matter any further.

[Pause Released]

After releasing the pause I had set while thinking, I decided to say one last thing to Riel about the marines.

“Tell those guys to dismantle their self-proclaimed ‘Marine Farm’ on our property before they leave.”

“…”

As I pointed out the window, there it was, the so-called ‘Marine Farm.’

Or to put it differently, the ‘Forced Labor Experience Site for Those Who Attacked the Diplomatic Enforcement Planet’ was occupying half of the newly expanded property.

Well, the ‘farm’ itself wasn’t necessarily wrong.

Government departments related to food production sometimes used farm plants as their department buildings.

Even the Defense Ministry cultivated fields within their premises as a kind of ’emergency food reserve’ in case of contingencies like coups.

But that was just the ‘official reason.’

The Defense Ministry’s field was, to be frank, more like a ‘vegetable garden’ hobby for an old man who, after being forcibly reinstated following the previous Zeltech incident…

———————————–

“Your Majesty, due to my old age, I believe I must now retire from office.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Retiring, this is quite troublesome…”

“Your Majesty, therefore…”

“Then there’s no choice. I hear that using the nanosurgery that Minister Arto recently brought can restore your body to your twenties, so let’s try that.”

“YOUR MAJESTYYYYY!!!!”

————————————-

He still couldn’t retire and was getting healthier in real-time through various life-extension treatments and methods.

In the case of the Agriculture and Fisheries Management Ministry, one could understand since that was their job.

But did we really need to use half of that vast property as a ‘farm’?

And not just with simple machines, but by putting yokes on sentient beings and working them like oxen.

“Because of that, we’re getting all sorts of complaints from other places saying that the Diplomatic Enforcement Planet’s secret police are being too blatantly inhumane.”

“Actually, the Prosnack marine deputy commander left a message about this. Would you like to see it?”

So they were already planning to handle it before I even brought it up?

It had been awkward to deal with since it was created by our ‘allies,’ but now they were saying they would take care of it themselves, so I nodded and took the terminal Riel handed me…

At that moment.

-Ding!♪

[Pause]

[Event: The Marines’ Final Gift]

[The Prosnack marines, upon completing this operation and returning to their home country, likely won’t be stationed at the Diplomatic Enforcement Planet as a unit like before, according to prevailing expectations.]

[Therefore, they have made considerable efforts to leave their mark on the Diplomatic Enforcement Planet.]

[As a result, they have successfully created a massive Prosnack-style slave farm on the Diplomatic Enforcement Planet’s property under your passive observation.]

[The marines wish to leave this slave farm as a gift to you and the Diplomatic Enforcement Planet in appreciation for this mission.]

[Acquired Prosnack Slave Farm x1 on Diplomatic Enforcement Planet property]

[Minister Arto Virtorius Sevelli granted the ‘Slave Owner’ trait (When criminals are made slaves, +1 stability throughout the Empire, -1 goodwill from egalitarians)]

[Increased probability of positive events from Minister Vermut]

[Prosnack Union’s goodwill toward the Holy Sevelli Empire +10]

[Prosnack Union’s goodwill toward Minister Arto Virtorius Sevelli +10]

[Warning! Dismantling this facility will decrease Prosnack Union’s goodwill!]

‘…’

As another event message appeared before my eyes, I took a moment to carefully consider, and then…

‘So it’s a binding event.’

I had to feel an indescribable emotion upon seeing the rather ambiguous rewards and the warning note at the end.

To think I would have to leave in place something I was planning to dismantle due to the bombardment of complaints.

Of course, there were ways around it.

We could put a dome-like roof over it and build walls so that outsiders wouldn’t know what was happening inside, which would solve the major issues.

But having to spend budget on something so unexpected made me feel quite melancholic.

Yet, not knowing what price I might pay if I really dismantled it…

[Pause Released]

While sighing deeply inside, I immediately released the pause and opened my mouth again toward Riel.

“Riel, let’s leave that marine farm… as it is for now.”

“I knew you’d react that way, Minister. Shall we prepare to put a roof over it right away?”

“…Yes.”

Riel, who seemed to have already read the message, just shook her head without surprise.

—————————————

And after spending a week buried in various tasks like that…

“Minister, some urgent news just came in. Would you like to see this first?”

“What is it now?”

I had just started to feel relieved as the diplomatic communications related to Prosnack had decreased recently, but what was this now?

‘I don’t want to know, leh.’

Despite thinking that, I reluctantly took the terminal that Riel urgently brought and checked its contents.

And immediately after…

-Clatter!

I dropped the terminal onto the table, then raised both hands to grip my head.

With my elbows on the table in that position, I opened my firmly closed mouth and drew up emotions from deep within my heart.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!”

And for good reason. The information displayed on the terminal screen…

It was that Ambassador Samiya, no, Ms. Samiya, who had risen as Prosnack’s new supreme commander… had decided on a diplomatic normalization tour abroad.

And she had chosen the Holy Sevelli Empire as her first destination.

And she was coming next week.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!”

‘Just when I thought the workload was finally decreasing!!’

And in response to my reaction, Riel, standing in front of me, just nodded slightly with half-dead, drowsy eyes.

“I expected you would react that way, Minister.”