The Man Who Received a Spaceship: It Turned Out to Be a Star!? - chapter 4
Chapter 4: Immediate Funds
Report from the construction ship SII-001:
— Hyperlane Gate under construction. Completion in five days.
<Agiracana Core>
S2145 star system will henceforth be called the SOL system.
Initiating sequence to awaken one torpedo squadron from dormant state.
— Awakening related crew members from dormant state.
— Awakening related support personnel from dormant state.
— S2-class cruiser, one ship, awakening complete.
— P2-class destroyers, six ships, awakening complete.
We returned to my apartment after disembarking from the disc. Without my noticing, Ein (I felt calling her Agiracana somehow didn’t fit) was now carrying a slightly large business bag. It must have been in the disc.
Now we’re sitting face to face at my dining table, and I’m listening to Ein’s explanation.
“To formally assume the position of captain, you’ll need to visit Agiracana once and undergo biometric registration with the Core. Think of the Core as an AI that centralizes Agiracana’s central functions. Considering your circumstances, how about departing in a week?”
“Yes, that schedule is fine. How long does it take to get to Agiracana one way?”
“The distance between Earth and Agiracana is about 2 light-years. We’re currently constructing a hyperlane gate near Jupiter that leads to Agiracana. This will be completed in five days. It’ll take about half a day from Earth to the hyperlane gate in the shuttle we just used. There, you’ll transfer to a welcoming vessel heading to Agiracana. There’s no time passage while traversing the hyperlane. From Agiracana’s gate to Agiracana itself is about three hours. As we approach Agiracana, you’ll be able to see its entirety. On Agiracana, we’ll head to the First Spaceport inside the ship and dock at the First Pier.
So in this case, it’ll take about 15 hours one way from Earth to Agiracana.”
“Half a day for 2 light-years?” Two light-years is closer than I thought.
“Yes. So, in seven days. I’ll come to pick you up at 9 AM.”
“Alright. Is there anything I need to prepare and bring for the trip to Agiracana?”
“On Agiracana, we plan to conduct various registrations and ceremonies, including your captain inauguration ceremony. We’ll prepare everything necessary, so you don’t need to bring anything. Agiracana will provide an environment similar to Earth, so of course, you’ll have meals, baths, toilets, and even real-time access to Earth’s internet.
There’s one request I have before we depart.”
“What’s that?”
“For our future activities in Japan, we’ll need Japanese currency. We can’t open bank accounts or buy and sell goods without proper identification or passports.
So, my request is this: we’ve prepared some gold bars, and we’d like you to sell them and convert them to cash.”
As she said this, Ein lifted the business bag from the floor with her left hand, casually took out a gold bar with her right hand, and placed it on the table.
“Each of these weighs 10 kilograms.”
By the time she placed the third one, the table started to sag. Ein seemed to notice and lifted the third one back up, placing it on the floor. She did the same with the first two.
In total, ten gold bars were stacked in a pyramid on the wooden floor. The floorboards seemed to be sagging slightly. I hope the floor doesn’t give way.
The gold pyramid before me, 10 kg × 10, is 100 kg total. How much is gold worth these days? About 5,000 yen per gram, right? So, 10 kg would be 10,000 grams, multiplied by 5,000, that’s 50 million yen! With ten of these, that’s 500 million yen.
Huh, maybe because I just circled the Earth in that disc, 500 million yen doesn’t seem that shocking anymore.
I’ve become quite a big shot for an unemployed guy.
But what’s with Ein’s arm strength? She was carrying that bag so easily. That’s more surprising. These “bionoids” are something else.
“I understand. I’ll convert it to cash before we depart and put it in a suitable account.”
“Thank you. For the time being, about 100 million yen should be enough for us. Please feel free to use any amount over 100 million as you see fit. Also, please take this card.”
“Card?”
She handed me a silver card about the size of a credit card.
“This card serves as a direct communication device to me. If you need anything, just say ‘Ein’ to the card. Now, I’ll return to the shuttle and wait there.”
“Will that shuttle stay on the roof the whole time?”
“No, we’re only borrowing this building’s roof for today. Usually, it hovers in stealth mode about 40 km above in the stratosphere. We use the shuttle’s short-range transporter to enter and exit while it’s hovering. I’ll take my leave now.”
So Ein is up in the sky.
I stare blankly at the credit card-like object in my hand and the pyramid of gold bars.
Looking at the clock, it’s still morning.
“Guess I’ll go sell this gold.”
I took out the briefcase I used for commuting and tried to put a gold bar in it. Isn’t it lighter than gold should be? I hope it’s not just aluminum plated with gold. With that thought, I placed it on the scale in front of the bathroom, and it weighed exactly 10 kg.
“Huh? Am I going crazy?”
The bars don’t seem to be fake, but something feels off.
Ein said 100 million yen would be enough, but I figured more wouldn’t hurt, so I packed as many gold bars as would fit in the briefcase. Four fit. When I tried to lift the briefcase, the handle tore off. I’ve always used this briefcase, but was it that worn out? Well, 40 kg is like lifting a petite woman, so I guess it couldn’t be helped.
I decided to take the gold bars out of the broken briefcase, wrap them in a furoshiki cloth, and carry them that way.
If it’s not fake, this furoshiki bundle is worth 200 million yen. I should carry it carefully. Still, it feels light.
I moved the remaining six bars next to my bed, lined them up, and covered them with a blanket I pulled off the bed.
Checking my smartphone, I found out I’d need my driver’s license and My Number card to sell gold. There are several buying shops in the city, including one nearby.
I stuffed what seemed necessary into my pockets. Preparation complete. Phew.
First, I’ll go to the bank near the station to open a new account. Oh right! I need a personal seal too.
I parked my compact car in a lot near the bank, carried the furoshiki bundle into the bank, and went through the account opening procedure.
After about 30 minutes, I received my new bankbook. I was worried the furoshiki bundle might look suspicious, but I couldn’t leave 200 million yen worth of gold bars in the car.
Next stop, the gold buyer.
XX Precious Metals. I chose this nearby branch of a major precious metals specialist, thinking it would be safer. I carefully carried the furoshiki bundle into the store.
The store staff were surprised when I brought in four 10 kg gold bars, which turned out to be pure gold after inspection, but the sale went smoothly.
Back in my car, I waited a while and confirmed that about 208 million yen had been deposited into my account. The store staff emphasized the importance of proper tax reporting, but that’s not due until March next year, so I’ll figure it out somehow.
By the time I got back to my car, it was getting late, so I drove to a drive-thru M*ck’s on the highway, bought a hamburger set, and headed home.