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Chapter 319: Special Planet (1)
The bribe amount initially proposed by the inspectors: 5 billion.
The amount actually settled on: 2 billion.
This meant that the usual bribe rates for an 11th-grade civil servant fell somewhere between those numbers.
If the head of Dogo Corporation wasn’t the type of villain who could rough up even civil servants, wouldn’t the actual bribe amount have been more than 3 billion?
‘Moreover, from the inspectors' perspective, this was just one planet among many they received money from… The scale of the bribe amounts alone here is massive.’
Yeongwoo marveled at the vast world he had just glimpsed, a world so large that it was beyond his comprehension.
But the most important point was this:
‘In any case, the company incurred a significant investment cost.’
Of course, for the company, 2 billion might be considered mere pocket change, but everything must be seen in relative terms, right?
Currently, under his contract, Yeongwoo’s weekly wage was a conditional maximum of 400 million.
But due to this lobbying issue, the company had shelled out 2 billion all at once.
This meant that the importance of Jeong Yeongwoo07, formerly just a simple advertising model, had now far surpassed what was stipulated in his salary contract.
‘I'm no longer just a mere ad model. Regarding the planetary development rights, I’m also a business partner.’
Still, there had to be a reason why the company responded so readily to Yeongwoo's unilateral lobbying request.
The profits from obtaining planetary development rights must be immense, or else...
‘It could only mean that I have an extraordinary level of favor with the Chairman.’
While Yeongwoo was grinning smugly to himself, Desirak, the "Black Eyes," who had just finished his task, looked down at the Earthling who had drained Dogo of 2 billion in one go.
— Now is the time to prove your worth. You must succeed in advancing the planet’s rank.
“Uh... can it fail even after we’ve paid such a bribe?”
— It’s impossible to make the impossible happen.
This meant that even though lobbying was done, if the planet was below a certain level, it wouldn’t succeed in advancing.
‘But since Dogo is already involved with this planet, and since I’m the client wearing the Vesedel Armor, wouldn’t that at least make us above average?’
While Yeongwoo was thinking this, Desirak, sensing his thoughts, added another comment.
— Don’t overlook the fact that the other planets being reviewed also initiated their applications on their own merits.
“Ah.”
Yeongwoo’s mind sharpened at that.
Come to think of it, that was true.
Just as they had accumulated enough honor points to join the review queue, the other planets must have done something impressive to summon the inspectors too.
The only difference was in the character of the representative leading the application, but any planet that made it to this stage must have something remarkable to show.
“You’re right. For planets to go through a review that costs a minimum of 2 billion in bribes, they must all be extraordinary.”
As Yeongwoo nodded in agreement, Desirak, having successfully conveyed his point, began preparing to return.
Swish.
He raised his large head and looked up at the sky.
Suddenly, the sky that had been hidden behind the inspectors’ ships was now fully revealed.
“Huh? The ships.”
— They’ve begun their work. You should move as well.
With that, Desirak’s entire body was engulfed in light, and Yeongwoo hastily asked,
“Sir! Are you a criminal?”
Desirak, still wrapped in light, slightly turned his head to look at Yeongwoo.
— Show some respect! That may be a badge of honor for some, but not for me.
“Oh, so you are a criminal? How did you survive…?”
Yeongwoo’s eyes widened in curiosity as he asked reflexively, and Desirak’s glowing aura began to dim.
The military department head, clearly irritated, paused his return.
At that moment, watching from a distance, Song Jiseon hurriedly rushed over.
Swoosh!
— You idiot!
The moment she arrived, she smacked her son across the face with a large fist.
Thud!
Though Yeongwoo saw his mother’s fist coming, he took the hit quietly, knowing he had spoken out of turn in his excitement.
“Ugh!”
His mother’s fist packed quite a punch, and sensing her opportunity, Song Jiseon also kicked Yeongwoo in the shin while apologizing to Desirak.
— Department Head, as his mother, I sincerely apologize. My son truly wasn’t thinking. I assure you this won’t happen again.
She bowed deeply, expressing her apologies repeatedly. Desirak, in his chain armor, waved her off.
— Oh, no, not at all, ma’am. I’ll take my leave now.
He gave Yeongwoo a quick glance before looking back up at the sky.
Swoosh!
Once again, Desirak was wrapped in glowing light and, in the blink of an eye, was sucked into the sky.
“…Is he gone?”
Noticing the sudden absence of any large presence, Yeongwoo cautiously lifted his head.
Jiseon, equally fascinated, was still gazing at the sky where Desirak had disappeared.
— Do they have parents even in space? This actually worked?
“Well, the Chairman is a Vesedel bastard. Even aliens don’t grow from trees, you know?”
— So, does that mean that department head also has a mom and dad?
“Probably.”
No matter how intergalactic a being may be, one can’t naturally exhibit perfect etiquette that they’ve never been taught.
The way Desirak had just addressed “Mother” was almost flawless, both in tone and usage.
This meant that Desirak might also be a filial son who respected his parents in his own household.
Though out here, he dealt with planetary inspectors by threatening them to “shut up and take the bribes.”
‘So, is the Chairman the only one in our company who’s parentless and all alone?’
Vesedel.
A fallen royal family.
Since Yeongwoo had never met anyone of Vesedel blood except for the Chairman, he couldn’t help but think that way.
Based on what the inspectors had mentioned earlier, it was clear that Vesedel was a former royal lineage.
‘What a tragic fate.’
Born as an illegitimate child of a galactic royal family, he had risen to become the first prince, but some event had caused him to lose his kingdom and live as a space bandit.
Although Yeongwoo, now possessing a rather intergalactic perspective, still found it difficult to understand the Chairman’s life fully.
What exactly had happened to the Chairman, and what was his goal in life now?
“Well, for now…”
Yeongwoo turned to the others gathered around and began to speak.
“As you all saw, our planet is now officially under review for advancement. So, we should unite our efforts for a successful promotion, right?”
“……”
No one responded, sensing the potential for more schemes.
So Yeongwoo pointed at Bantubangtong and said,
“Now, Master Bang, you’ll return to Australia and bring back the 100 million. We need to settle the accounts.”
Without a word, Bantubangtong nodded.
They had promised to reimburse Yeongwoo for the money he had spent opening Darwin’s portal.
— And after that?
“After you hand over the money to me, we’ll complete the donation of the battle records to the Victory Monument.”
Yeongwoo had already received considerable help from the Red Foot Orcs through the hyperfast transit routes and the Aratubank, so he had no intention of asking for anything more punishing.
“And you.”
Yeongwoo pointed at Yechan next.
“From now until sunset, you’ll travel to various cities in China and collect money. I’ll tell you which cities are already ‘convinced’.”
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Yechan tilted his head at this.
“What do you mean? If you’re going to tell me the cities that are already convinced, does that mean I have to go to the ones that aren’t convinced yet?”
“Of course. If there’s an area where the Mutants haven’t been dealt with, go and help out. Convince the local representatives there. A couple of duels should make communication possible.”
As Yeongwoo said this, he held up three fingers.
“In return, I’ll give you a 30% commission on the money you collect.”
“...!”
For the first time, Yechan’s expression brightened at those words.
“Really?”
“Of course, but...”
Yeongwoo added,
“With that money, meet as many merchants as possible, whether in China or elsewhere.”
“...What?”
“And buy the equipment you want. Of course, it’s for your own use.”
“And then what?”
Yechan asked, once again with a wary expression.
He had started to understand the uncle’s tendencies by now.
The uncle he met back in Gumi wasn’t an ordinary person, but now, as the mayor of Metal Seoul, he was someone who never suffered a loss.
And indeed, he continued.
“Occasionally, you’ll come across some unique equipment. Whenever you find such gear, make sure to buy it and bring it to me.”
The reason Yeongwoo was offering such a high commission to Yechan was that he intended to use him to procure rare equipment.
“Unique equipment?”
“Increasing anomalous attribute damage, converting damage into anomalous types, that sort of thing. You’ll know it when you see it.”
“That kind of stuff sounds really expensive though.”
“If you end up spending too much money, just send me the bill. Securing that equipment is what matters most.”
No matter how fast the transport routes were, going around various cities across the continent to collect money would inevitably take a significant amount of time.
However, with Yeongwoo busy handling mutants in major areas, dealing with alien forces during the day, and entering dungeons at night, he didn’t have the luxury to go around collecting payments himself.
That’s why he decided to make full use of Yechan, with whom he had formed a deep connection in this reset world and whose martial abilities were outstanding.
“So, what will you be doing while I’m running around with sweat on my feet?”
“I’ll be dealing with crazy aliens and tracking down planetary shareholders.”
“....”
It was an answer that left Yechan speechless.
After all, Yeongwoo was truly irreplaceable at the moment.
“As I mentioned earlier, if you arrive at a city you’re visiting for the first time and find any damage to its tower, leave immediately. Then report to me right away.”
“You’re saying there’s someone I won’t be able to beat, right?”
Since Yechan’s question was laced with a sense of defiance, Yeongwoo repeated his warning with a worried expression.
“I’m not joking—you absolutely won’t be able to win. If the tower has been damaged, it means there’s something at the level of a myth involved.”
“....”
“So please be careful. Especially when you’re holding my money.”
“Got it.”
Reluctantly, Yechan nodded, and Yeongwoo’s gaze finally turned to his father, crouching nearby, and his mother, exuding a chilling aura.
“Both of you, come over here.”
Yeongwoo pointed to the ground in front of him, and Jeonggu awkwardly glanced around as he approached his son.
On the other hand, Jiseon...
— What now?
Sensing what was coming, she spoke in an extremely displeased tone.
By now, there was only one thing her son could possibly be asking for.
Finally, with a solemn expression, Yeongwoo spoke.
“I used to be an orphan, so I received enormous tax benefits. But now, because both of you are alive, I have to start paying a huge amount in taxes from today.”
“....”
— So?
“What I mean is, I’m already doing high-level filial duty just by paying these taxes. So both of you need to start showing some love for your child. And the best part is, this doesn’t even cost you any money.”
— ...Fuck.
Realizing that the inevitable had come, Song Jiseon let out a bitter sigh, and Jeonggu closed his eyes tightly.
“Marriage, right?”
Jeonggu asked, eyes still closed, and his son’s voice cut through the darkness.
“Yes.”
A single, but powerful syllable.
Had he ever heard anything so terrifying in his life?
“Sigh...”
Jeonggu’s fingers trembled slightly.
Then, Song Jiseon grabbed his neck roughly and spoke.
— Uou think you’re the only one feeling miserable? Stop throwing a fit by yourself and stay still.
“J-Jiseon...”
— Don’t even say my name!
As Song Jiseon’s armor started to glow blue with anger once again, Yeongwoo quickly intervened and pulled Jeonggu out of her grasp.
“Whoa, hold on! Both of you, calm down!”
Then he scolded his father.
“Dad, you were wrong. Why would you call Mom by her name?”
“Then...?”
— What?
Typically, when Yeongwoo spoke calmly, it was only because he was about to say something outrageous.
And this time, his parents’ intuition was correct once again.
“Don’t you get it? ‘We’ are a family now. So.”
With a meaningful expression, Yeongwoo alternated his gaze between his mother and father.
“From now on, start calling each other ‘honey.’ That’s an order from your son.”
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