Three days after Chris was sent to Count Daleinwald. At last we have set sail from the Sierra Prime Colony. In the last three days, in the Sierra Prime Colony, an unidentified corpse has been hung on a streetlight and exposed, and a shooting battle has occurred in a slightly insecure area in a complicated place, and a quite shocking incident continues. It seems. Year Yokuwa Karanaikedo Coiner. In such a situation, what we were doing in the ship was to set up a maintenance pod (the latest type) for the incoming May in the cargo room, and to catch up with Mimi and Elma. Was. When Chris was there, I was really concerned about it. Even so, whether it is the influence of May, or both are strangely aggressive ... No, it is not such a feeling that it is against Mei. On the contrary, Mimi and Elma are friendly to Mei or very close. They both talk to Mei and they seem to be taking a bath together. Somehow, there's an atmosphere of collusion between Mimi, Elma and Mei. A mystery. I don't mind if they can get along with each other.

"Hiro?" "Hmm? Oh ... I was thinking a little bit." "Are you okay? I'm leaving for the port?" "No. Remembering last night-sore, sore, sore."

Elma with a subtly red face pulls my ears. Hahaha, Elma is always innocent and cute. There is no special procedure from this side for this departure. Krishna was temporarily incorporated into the fleet of the Countess Daleinwald. The procedure is done by the Countess Daleinwald, so we only have to leave the ship following notice from the other side.

"I wouldn't make any money if there were no raids with this." "Yes. That's a great 250,000 energy a day ... or something like a nobleman." "It's good looking. When a story spreads about hiring a rank mercenary at a market price, it would say, "Is that house a downfall?" The same goes for merchants. If an army hires a gold rank mercenary, The market price is often 80,000 energy, but for merchants, it is about 120,000 to 160,000 energy, and for nobles, at least 180,000 energy, the trend is like that. " Hey, it's too big for me as a general public, and I can't really feel it. "" But, Mimi, do you have a fairly high salary from the general public? "" Oh, oh ... It is a little scary to see the end of the energy balance. "

I don't remember exactly how much I paid Mimi, but maybe the other day's reward was about 100,000 Enel. That is, about 10 million yen in Japanese yen. Although Mimi has reached adult age in the world, it is not so good that anyone at that age has a saving of 100,000 Enel. Elma is probably around 1.2 million energy. Well, Elma buys 100,000 Enel of liquor. Elma's debt is 3 million energy, so it's only about 30%.

"Oh, Mr. Hiro. It looks like you've passed the departure application. We're the last." "Okay. Tell me when the timing comes." "Yes. Each ship is starting one by one. "It's dull." "It's in the harbor. It's a catastrophe if it accelerates and hits something strangely because of its large mass." "Yes, it's a catastrophe."

SOL I have never done it, but it is SOL that a beginner who switched from a small ship to a medium-sized ship or a large ship leaves the port with the same feeling as a small ship that has been on board and wrecks a newly purchased ship Because there was. Soon after our turn came, undock with the hanger and let the ship proceed. Today the Sierra Prime colony seems to be thriving. Regarding the recent pirates 'assault on Sierra II, confidence in the resort planet's security system seems to have risen as the Sierra II defense force has surpassed the pirates' attack in the end. It smells like information manipulation, but it doesn't go deeper.

"Oh yeah, the boat is good. This slipping feeling, the omnipotent feeling of the boat, the slight nervousness, everything is the best. Somehow, I feel a sense of freedom like jumping into the sea. "It's like jumping into the sea ...?"

Mimi's voice is heard from behind diagonally. It's like a tilted head. That's all. It's a really sensory story and it seems difficult for others to understand.

"Well, maybe you can understand my feelings. I feel like I'm in the forest rather than the sea."

Elma seems to feel the same feeling of liberation when boarding a ship. Sailors may cultivate a feeling of being more or less.

"Is it going to make me feel like that someday?" "Maybe. I feel different from me and Elma."

Maybe it's the original scenery of the freedom or fun in your mind.

"It's a bit difficult to understand for me."

You can hear Mei sitting on the sub-operator seat. As Chris got off the ship, Mei sat in the sub-operator seat. Basically, you will have Mimi assist you and focus on improving Mimi's operator skills. If she shows her power, she will fulfill the role of operator perfectly. I moved inside the harbor with Swiss while thinking, etc., and went out of the Sierra Prime colony from the airtight barrier gate.

"The lower left fleet. It looks like we're in formation."

It's easier for the fleet to rush in from which direction the fleet is attacked than the poorly headed. At the beginning, the basics must be turned unless the enemy comes in front of you. It's just a moment when it comes to me, but that moment is fatal. Maa-dono is the first vulnerable position in the palace. The formation of the fleet that is already in place is slipping at the end.

"Synchronous mode for both superluminal drive and hyperdrive" "Set to superluminal drive, hyperdrive and synchronous mode. Synchronization application has been accepted." "Okay. The only thing to do is relax."

This time, since we are sailing together with a fleet, there is no need for us to directly operate during superluminal navigation or hyperdrive. It will be in a form of auto navigation according to the operation of the flagship. Shortly afterwards, with the roar, Krishna moved to superluminal drive, and soon the hyperdrive was activated.

"It's a strange sight no matter how many times you see it."

Mimi sighed at the hyperlane, which glowed in brilliant light.

"That's right. It's going to be awkward if you look too long." "I see. I'm going to be able to see it all the time." "Mimi is sturdy in a strange place ..." I feel like you're

Mimi is complaining, but I agree with Elma. I do not dare to say it. No, it's like a hyperlane sight, like a giant tube mixed with colorful colors, yet it's an unrecognizable sight like a vast space. At first glance, it looks brilliant and beautiful, but when I look at it for a long time, my sense of perspective and equilibrium go crazy and I feel sick.

☆ ★ ☆

By the way, the trip was going very well. No accidents occurred during the hyperdrive, which is basically impossible to interfere, and no interaction was performed during the superluminal drive after returning to normal space. We repeated interstellar navigation along the hyperlane, arriving at the Bardemühle system, four places ahead of the Sierra system. It was a detour that could be said to be the opposite direction if traveling to the destination Dexer system by hyperdrive using the hyper lane, but of course it was meaningful to aim for this system.

"Well ... is that a gateway?"

Mimi, who looks at the huge structure standing in the vacant space near her eyes, shines, and I utter the impression like a schoolchild. No, I can only say that it is no longer big. To put this esoteric structure into words, is it a giant pair of metallic triangular pyramids far larger than a space colony? There is a mysterious phosphorescent distorted space between the giant devices that make up the pair, and many ships enter and exit the distortion. It seems that this is a gateway that gathers the best of Imperial technology. SOL It's different in shape from the gateway I know, but not all of this world is the same as the game I was playing, and I think it's a small difference. In the first place, it is different from the galactic empire that we are developing.

"Well, you were the first to see the gateway." "I knew it as knowledge." "Yes. I am the same as Hiro."

It is different from knowing it as knowledge and actually seeing it with your eyes. But big. Really big. Is the scale displayed by the scanner correct? Fine? The size of one of the paired devices alone is much larger than the Sierra prime colony. Taking into account the size of the gate that occurs between the pair of devices, if it is poor, it will be larger than the earth. This is a huge structure on an astronomical scale.

"But it's safe to come here. Imperial defense units are stationed at the gateway, so there's no assault." "Yes, it's ridiculous to attack here. Isn't it ash? "

The gateway, a facility that connects thousands of light years and tens of thousands of light years from place to place and can move in an instant, is an important strategic base for the Galactic Empire to spread its prints. Obviously, the guarding force is incomparably stronger than the imperial forces of the Imperial Army stationed on the star system we have visited. If recklessly fighting, no matter how Krishna is a great warship, it will turn into dust in the universe. In short, if you want to drop it here, you'll need enough strength to get the full strength of the empire. Why? That's because if you hit here, you'll soon get pounding reinforcements from a gateway in the territory of the Empire. As I said, the strength of these gateways is huge. Unless you attack multiple gateways at the same time, even garrisons of other gateways will gather here through the gateways. Elite units guarding the most important facilities of the empire one after another. It will be a terrible force deployed here.

"Yes. It's an instant firefighter. So, if there was nothing so far, it would be dangerous in the future." "Is that so. That's right. Well, let's go to the destination Dexer system. "How many neighbors are there from the gateway?" "Five. The gateway on the other side is the Kneepack system, from which there is the Dexter system via the Merkit, Jiegle, Wellick and Comat systems."

Mimi will show a galaxy map on the cockpit holographic display. From there I took further action to show the hyperlanes connecting the star systems and the average time needed to cross them.

"If there is not enough time, the gateway's defensive fleet will not move, but it may be on a business trip as far as the next star system." "Yes", "Is it suspicious of the Jigle system or the Wellick system? I don't think we have taken any countermeasures. "" If you have an Earl rank, the surrounding one-star system connected to the Dexer system will be granted by the Empire as a territory, so it will be perfect if you enter the Comat system. It is unlikely that the Earl will act directly, because the Merkit system connected to the Empire will be directly under the control of the Empire, but if you are close to the nobles who have jurisdiction over the Zigle system and the Wellick system, you will have access to your defense force as an escort I guess you get it. ''

Elma manipulated the galaxy map while saying so, and the colors of each star system ruler were different. As Elma says, the Merkit system is under the direct control of the Empire. And it can be seen that the Jiegle system and the Werick system are controlled by different nobles, respectively, and that the Komat system seems to be owned by the Earl of Daleinwald.

"My sense is that the noble neighbors don't get along well." "I'm like that too." "I don't think it's all like that? It seems that there is such a thing if the industry you enter is suffering. ''

As it is, the galactic map does not contain any information such as good friendship between the nobles, so it is unlikely that you can look up to that point. I don't usually collect information because the situation between nobles isn't involved in my work. I've never been concerned.

"In conclusion, it's too early to be relieved. Keep your tension."

Mimi and I respond while watching the distortion of the huge space gradually approaching our eyes. Pain, don't pinch your thighs after giving a tight response.

"By the way, what do you think May heard about?"

I talked to Mei who had been listening to our story silently. She would never open her mouth unless she turned her water here. It's like giving priority to being my assistant. I hope you will be more active in the conversation.

"Yes, the most dangerous is right after the warp to the Comat system."

The content of the review we were doing up to now has been overwhelmed in one word.

"What's your heart?" "The Earl of Daleinwald is also home to him. Based on his actions so far, Balthazar Daleinwald seems to be good at manipulating others in any way. The most dangerous pattern would be if he had the defense force of the Comat system involved. "

Indeed, Chris's uncle Balthazar mobilized a large number of pirates to attack Sierra Ⅲ, launched stealth dropships that would have been a secret weapon of the Imperial Space Force, The regular army has been called on here. What if you were using that skill in defense of the Comat system? That's certainly scary. I guess the strength of this fleet, led by Count Daleinwald, is comparable to the defense of the star system, but I don't know what would happen if I were to be taken short of right after the warpout. You can wait out there.

"... Isn't it better to tell the Earl?" "I think the Earl has come up with something we can think of, but this guess is completely stupid to Count Daleinwald's political skills. Because

Elma smiles with that. Well, it is certainly dangerous because you may not be able to take control of your own defensive force, or if you tell the person himself, it is a violent deed. For me, when I couldn't control my child's struggle, I honestly thought I couldn't expect much.

"No treatment" "No treatment. Let's survive at best" "No treatment ..."

Elma shrugs and Mimi sighs. I sighed too. I'm suddenly anxious, hahaha.