Chapter 211: Interastral Peace Guide: Assessment, Selection, Planning, and Opportunity 『 Part Two 』
「 A gray-white planet hangs suspended at a node within the trade network, woven together with countless identical worlds to form a colossal web across the starry sky.
The base of a spindle-shaped pod, responsible for hyper-distance transmission, splits open to reveal a hairline fracture, instantly erupting with a beam of piercingly cold light. Composed of infinite data, the light instantaneously fractures into hundreds of millions of branching neural pathways.
"If you possess ambition that rivals genius and understand how to forge value from innovation, you belong in the [ Technology Department ]! Advance hand-in-hand with the Intelligentsia Guild!"
"If wealth and status are trivial to you, and you choose to dedicate yourself to the Amber Lord's cause, the [ Building Material Logistics Department ] belongs to the most loyal of believers!"
On a planet scarred and devastated, the surface is riddled with honeycomb-like mining pits. Countless figures in spacesuits navigate through them, standing before towering architectural engineering projects, watching a transport ship in the distance disgorge fresh stone materials.
At the end of the horizon, at the far side of the universe, countless starships are marching toward that blurred yet burly silhouette.
"This is the alpha and omega of all the Corporation's endeavors. The stone materials you gather with your own hands will become the foundation of the Subspace Barrier." 」
「 .....」
〜Zenless Zone Zero World〜
"Eh? I love both of these departments so much! It feels like I could meet so many cute children there! I want to go! I want to go!"
Inside Belobog Heavy Industries, Grace's eyes were practically beaming with light. She looked ready to tear through the light screen and throw herself into the embrace of the Interastral Peace Corporation at any second.
Although she wasn't particularly interested in the 『 Preservation 』 or whatever, she was extremely interested in studying those heavy-machinery 'children'!
"Uh… Grace, calm down a bit."
Ben was so speechless that he didn't know what to say. Every time she saw a new machine, Grace would enter a state of fanatical fervor.
"There's still a light screen separating us from them. Even if you're interested, you have to wait until the Corporation's Strategic Investment Department discovers us."
"Speaking of which… the Building Material Logistics Department is a logistics unit, right? Doing construction logistics for a Star God… does He really need that?"
Koleda expressed her doubts.
"In the long years before the Corporation was even established, the Star God of 『 Preservation 』 was already constantly building walls, wasn't He?"
Anton jumped down from the steel frame excitedly:
"Whether they needs it or not, this is awesome! The stone you gather with your own hands eventually becomes a wall that guards the galaxy—it gives you the feeling that you're protecting all living things too! That is what a real man does!"
—
「 "Or perhaps… You possess qualities different from the ordinary, a courage that remains as solid as bedrock in the face of peril."
"The [ Strategic Investment Department ] views talent as the most precious investment. Asking not of origin, disregarding background—geniuses and eccentrics alike are hand-picked by [ Diamond ] himself."
"Upon the stone table, it is decided where the rain of gold shall fall."
Countless silhouettes transform into gemstones ascending to the high heavens, falling into the hand of a black figure. He carefully appraises and toys with every rough stone, pocketing those that glitter and shine.
And among them, the most brilliant diamond erupts with the most blinding light upon impact.
"As for the [ Talent Motivation Department ], it is undoubtedly the most dazzling empowerment base in the galaxy."
"Top-tier employees require top-tier benefits; the Talent Motivation Department was established for this very purpose. Your work is like the initial spark, and what it ignites will be the passion of all Pier Point!"
Support for cross-interastral remote work, attention to employee 'faith' health, diversity in paid pet-petting leave, regularly organized cross-star tourism… countless benefits aggregate to form the employee guarantee of the Interastral Peace Corporation.
"And for you, who are experienced, harbor old dreams, the Corporation's business cycles round and round, just like the ebb and flow of the coastal tides."
"The old supervisor of the [ Traditional Project Department ] waits quietly in the fields, for the tide to recede, to gather the pearls left by the sea."
On the screen, an elder is placing selected companions into a paper boat, like an ark amidst the ocean tides, quietly awaiting the opportune moment.
"Join us, and climb upward! You will influence the fate of countless worlds, making galactic history a mere footnote written for you. The Amber Lord's hammer has already fallen; no one can remain an outsider."
"Now, rough stones containing infinite possibilities—we are waiting for you." 」
「 .....」
〜KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World〜
"This is simply amazing! So when is the Strategic Investment Department going to expand to this world?! Massive salary, explosive benefits, and I even get to ride spaceships on business trips to alien planets! This stage is practically custom-made for me!"
Kazuma waved both fists, excitedly letting out 'Ooh ooh ooh' howls akin to a monkey.
Megumin grabbed him by the back of his collar, attempting to drag this guy—who was embarrassing everyone in the guild—to the side, scolding him harshly:
"Calm down! You got scammed by mere treants; going to a place like that will definitely get you scammed until you don't even have your underwear left!"
"Wait! Weren't you guys the ones who got tricked by the treants first?!"
Kazuma impatiently slapped Megumin's hand away.
"That's a cross-interastral corporate enterprise; do they even need to scam me? Besides, I'm an elite who transmigrated from modern Japan; my business acumen is way stronger than yours!"
"Oh? You mean the 'modern elite' who died a pathetic death because he got scared by a tractor, had a heart attack, wet himself, and lost consciousness?"
Aqua revealed a face full of malicious, thieving glee.
"Shut up—I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it! You don't need to keep bringing that up over and over, do you?! Besides, the Corporation is a legitimate enterprise. When I get rich later, you'll all shut your mouths."
"Legitimate enterprise?"
Aqua let out a 'giggle,' gently covering her mouth.
"Listen well, Kazuma. I am a Goddess; I can see through all scams! A company like this definitely hides traps in the contract. Once you sign, they'll dump you in outer space to mine rocks, and you'll never come back for the rest of your life!"
"How do you know?"
Aqua crossed her arms triumphantly:
"Because the Celestial Realm has similar contracts! They specifically trick transmigrators into signing deeds of slavery, saying things like 'room and board included, easy work,' and in the end, they're all sent to grind slimes that never stop spawning!"
"Besides, Kazuma, think about it—can you really tolerate sitting in an office every day writing reports, instead of slacking off, scamming money, and harassing female colleagues?"
"In other words, if you can't slack off and fish for wages at the company every day, what's the point of the job? With us beautiful girls accompanying you on adventures, do you still not feel satisfied?"
Kazuma listened, pondered, and nodded:
"If you cross out the second half of that sentence… it actually makes a bit of sense."
Saying this, Kazuma walked away with a sulky look on his face.
Only after watching Kazuma's back disappear from the Adventurer's Guild did Aqua let out a long sigh of relief.
"Finally managed to pacify that guy… If he really doesn't plan on defeating the Demon King, when will I ever be able to return to the Celestial Realm? As expected of Qingque, her theories really come in handy."
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( Translator-kun: When did Aqua become a genius? )