Of course, it would have been even better if there were a fair, clean little kitten beside her.
That tiny waist, hehehe...
Could you fall any slower?!
Watching this guy, who was clearly ready to head straight for capitalism's lair and rot away at every kind of party, the Prompt Device felt shocked despite already knowing how quickly Russell had fallen.
This bird-brained guy was clearly planning to trade Raikou Ryoma's aid for gold, buy a big house with that gold, then attend all sorts of parties until either his funds ran out or his life did.
"?"
Russell responded with a question mark.
"No, if I got rich, why would I stay in Siberia and freeze in the cold wind?"
It was a reasonable argument, backed by solid logic.
Even the Prompt Device fell silent.
But even if it made sense, wasn't this way too degenerate?!
Other people's Personal Skill was resolve as strong as steel. Was his Personal Skill resolve as soft as tofu? Fresh tofu, at that!!!
This would not do.
It needed to try tempering its host's character.
The Prompt Device felt a sudden sense of mission.
Ding, issuing miss—
Before the quest window could even refresh, Russell closed it.
"You don't think one quest reward can change my mind about enjoying myself, do you?"
Russell waved the American dollars in his hand and sneered.
He turned back and continued answering Huihui's question.
"As for Naruto... your magic tools were made too slowly. With no one to take over his shift, he exhausted himself and went to sleep."
This was undoubtedly an accusation with no basis.
Yet, with a whole box of American dollars in front of her, Huihui instantly accepted the blame and bowed toward Russell's avatar in the half-chat group.
The boss could not possibly be wrong.
Therefore, she had to be the one at fault!
"Yes, Boss. I'll keep an eye on my dad and Yoyo's dad!"
"As for Mei..."
At the mention of Megumin, Russell's eyes began to wander.
"My surname is Raiden."
At ME Corp, the Young Lady of the Raikou family stared at the red packet in their private chat, her expression so complicated that not even a pie chart could quantify it.
A deathly silence spread through the group.
Even Valmont and Huihui, who were in other worlds, gave dry laughs.
The group's revelry was being paid for by Lord Raiden.
That was rather awkward.
"Uh... by the way, have you been doing well since you went back?"
Russell gave a light cough and began making polite inquiries.
At a time like this, it was better not to discuss how to lavishly spend Lord Raiden's money.
"Mm. Thanks to your help, Changkong City is safe now."
"My father also told me some things he had never mentioned before."
Megumin looked somewhat wistful.
Only now did she understand what kind of world she lived in.
"My father said he wants to talk with you."
Hmm.
He wanted to consult me? That would cost extra.
Russell thought that, but typed, "Mm, I understand," into the chat box.
He was all about saying one thing and meaning another.
With Megumin present, it was inconvenient to discuss with the group what they should do next to enjoy their decadent lives, so Russell hurriedly logged off.
Perhaps because he was in such a good mood, even the scenery outside the window looked much better.
It was time to waste the day basking in the sun.
Russell brought over a reclining chair from the side, then lay down on it like an old man.
He enjoyed the sunlight while half-closing his eyes to admire the view.
Although Ursus was cold, its scenery was truly beyond reproach.
Through the window, he could see the snow outside, the silver-white coniferous forest, and the Reunion Movement's banner.
Wait.
The Reunion Movement's banner?!!
Russell froze.
No, why were they here again?
Could It Be That I'm Saying I'm Flipping Them Off?
Could these people really eat that much?
The first thing that came to Russell's mind was provisions.
After all, he felt that his image within the Reunion Movement might be that of an ambitious provisions merchant.
But he quickly came to his senses.
The Reunion Movement was not a bunch of pigs. How could they have wiped out all their supplies in just a few days?
What was going on?
You can blame this one on yourself.
The Prompt Device provided the answer.
Hmm, they obtained food from you, so naturally, that would draw the attention of the Black Snakes.
They were surprised that such a powerful organization existed within their territory, so naturally, they wanted to test you.
For example, they could turn some Death Warriors into the infected, have them attack the Reunion Movement's base, then self-destruct—this would directly accelerate the infection process for all Reunion Movement members.
Speaking of which, the Reunion Movement was really miserable. One of the few groups that had not been infected—the Shield Guards—had all been infected.
"Force Talulah to seek a solution from me."
"Then use that solution to determine which faction I belong to?"
Yes. Most powerful forces on this land possess methods to contain Oripathy, and each has its own distinct style.
If you are judged to belong to a powerful faction, it will try to negotiate with you. If you are judged to belong to a weak faction, then that old snake will not be so easy to deal with. He can indirectly control Ursus's Third Army Group—that is a weapon of war capable of directly turning an entire nation into ruins.
"What a damned old mutt."
Russell gave his evaluation with concise precision.
But speaking of methods to suppress Oripathy...
At some point, a card had appeared in Russell's hand. It resembled the Thousand Years of Death card from before, except it had no coating.
Originium Inhibitor Factory
Facility Type: Pharmaceutical
Originium, a blessing from the Previous Civilization, was also a curse from the Previous Civilization.
This land had prospered because of Originium, and it had also fallen into suffering because of Originium.
Suppress this tide, or watch coldly from the sidelines.
That power was in your hands.
Usage: Tear open the card in an open area with electricity and water access.
Production Method: Assign two hundred employees to work within it and provide a sufficient quantity of Originium.
Note: You supply the Originium for making inhibitors yourself. Do not expect to fleece me.
"I never thought I'd have to use this already."
Russell sighed, wearing an expression like he had a toothache.
He had wanted to take this card somewhere suitable for living, build the factory there, and become a pharmaceutical tycoon.
Yet he had to use it here.
Ah... what are you planning to do?
The Prompt Device seemed rather startled.
"The Reunion Movement's members are suffering because of me, so naturally, I'll take responsibility and provide them with medical resources."
"What are you looking at? Never seen such a responsible man before?"
Russell snorted coldly.
...You actually have this kind of sense of responsibility?
The Prompt Device was stunned.
Russell: "..."
"No, can't I show a little kindness?"
Lord Russell snorted, then immediately seized the moral high ground and began lecturing the Prompt Device.
"You should know that at birth, man's nature is good. Their natures are similar, but habits lead them apart..."
Speak plainly. If you were even remotely a good person, you would not have been matched with me.
Russell: "..."
This guy seemed to have revealed something rather incredible.
Then he coughed.
And began explaining his reasoning again.
"Actually, both Victoria and Ursus are suitable locations for building an Originium Inhibitor Factory, since both produce large amounts of Originium."
"Ursus is more or less my home turf. In a nation resembling Tsarist Russia, noble status lets you do far too many things. Everyone is basically an outlaw, and I just happen to be one of the nobles."
"The advantage of building a factory in Victoria is that it has a highly developed Originium industry, and Originium is widely used across every social class. That means Victoria has even more people vulnerable to infection than Ursus."
"Unlike the poor wretches in Ursus, whose blood has long been drained dry by the nobles, Victoria's common citizens still have some savings. If the Originium inhibitors are priced lower, they will sell very well."
"Each side has its advantages and disadvantages. Besides, building the factory in either place will not stop me from visiting clubs in Victoria. I favor Victoria mainly because I owe Grand Duke of Baikal money and want to skip town without paying it back."
Russell candidly laid out his calculations.
He did not particularly care about the mine anyway. Its total output was only enough to repay the debt.
Even the ore Naruto had mined could be packaged in red packets and brought to Victoria.
If you want to skip out on your debt, why did you suddenly decide to build the factory here?
Even the Prompt Device was bewildered by Russell's train of thought.
Before you continue