Well, I also got a self-driving car at the ruins. So I decided to take care of my business in Mid-Arres at once.

　First of all, I'm going to dress the dummy doll in simple clothes, hat, mask and gloves. Make sure all the joints and other doll-like parts are hidden. Put the doll on the driver's seat, fix hands and steering wheel, and that's it.

Ryota, stop mumbling and help me disguise myself!　Me and Manya aren't going to finish before morning on our own!

　It's like I was in a bad mood without even knowing it...
　I'm going to get my mind back on track and help disguise the ruins self-driving car.

　What I'm doing now is renting a warehouse in Mid-Arres to work on the cover-up. The object is a self-driving car that is in operational condition and still maintains the performance of the old civilization. It's a treasure that is too conspicuous by its very existence.

　If we dare to compare the design of the self-propelled vehicle of the ruins, it looks like a jeep-like Iveco LMV with six wheels. However, it's large and scaled up in size.

　It was 7.5m long, 2.7m wide, and 2.5m high, with white porcelain armour and non-metallic armour, and only one row of seats at the front and all the cargo space at the rear. Load capacity is quite promising.

　Well, to put it simply, a beautiful white porcelain colored large self-driving car, too conspicuous to be noticed. If you put two armored cars side by side, they give off a strange presence. Therefore, it is under painting work to make the color plain.

It is impossible to paint this car. The paint is made from soot, alcohol and pine sap, but there is not enough pine sap at all. Besides, because it is instant, it peels off soon.

　I knew it was going to be difficult, but...

'It can't be helped, let's hide the roof with the cargo bed. The sides of the car should be covered with a flag, except for the driver's seat. We only need to paint the front, back, and driver's seat area. I'll ask them to put the official paint in the supply.

　Still, it's just cloth, cargo bed and paint, and it's not any less intimidating. But I solved the problem by reopening it.

　I mounted the armored and self-propelled vehicles with a legion flag with the letters and the coat of arms on the sides!　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get your hands on it.

It's a good idea to have an exterminator's division.

　With the word "group" written on it, I don't think it's three people. Two stern self-propelled vehicles would make them look like the advance team of a large mercenary group. The idea is that if they look stern no matter what, let's just call them a corps already.

　Instead, we'll deflect attention away from the place where it's a treasured self-driving car with no restoration. Well, if you can't hide it, it's standard practice to draw attention to other areas.

　Even the exterminators are mercenaries in the grand scheme of things, and if three people call themselves a group, they are a group. There are no lies about affiliation, and it's not unusual for mercenaries to form a group.

You can't hide it, so let it stand out.　And yet it's weird that it's effective too...

　Anya.
　That's not a compliment, is it?
　But I feel seriously impressed.

　I can't seem to understand Anya's sensibilities.

''Ryota is good at this kind of deception, you know?　I like it too.

　Did Midea like this one too?　And please don't say it out loud if you can, because it's embarrassing to be good at deception....

''It looks like a group's street car or a rare motorcycle gang. Ryota-sama's idea is effective.

　Window Flower's unconscious statement.........................the most damaging.　

　But since it's a group of exterminators, demons or bandits are the target. And the Alp mercenaries are very reliable. A bit of intimidation remains, but it's not so much that ordinary people run away from them, so it's acceptable.

　The problem is that they are also noticeable to bandits, an important source of income. Instead, you won't be troubled by the request for an escort, but if you receive it, it will drop to the same speed as a wagon.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you can't get the same speed as a wagon, although a fixed income is attractive, Ryota-sama. Why don't we turn off the road and continue on through the wasteland?　In return, we will actively seek out bandits and demons with our drones to ensure our income.

　That way we can target the bandit's treasure and it's easier to find villages and hamlets that are in trouble with demons. We can't stay at an inn since we are far from the human settlement, but since we have an armored car, we all agreed to it.

'We'll do that. We got a free self-driving car, and there is now more room for our supplies. We'll buy what we need in Mid-Arce, where the goods are well stocked, and then we'll leave.

　The fuel for the self-propelled vehicle of the ruins can be substituted with a magical core. It can be replenished through the extermination of demons, thus reducing the fuel cost. Moreover, the self-propelled car was equipped with a decontamination function, so maintenance was easy.

　The demon nucleus is a stabilized form of magic, but it also contains contaminants that can be used to demonize demons. It is removed when it is converted into fuel, so the magic engine is not damaged. Instead, the contaminants accumulate in the tank, so you need to be very careful when disposing of it.

　Incidentally, this contaminant is said to have been created from weapons from the Great War era. I will study it afterwards because it is not a radioactive material.

　Well, the self-driving car problem is finally solved. So we were able to sleep at the inn in Mid-Arres today.


Next morning

　Today we are going to be in Mid-Arres to sell some treasures and buy some supplies, but we have a problem with the treatment of the relic device that Haruka gave us. I can sell it for a lot of money, but Manya has been crying out for me not to sell it. She wants to disassemble it and study it first.

'Sir, let me study the relic before I sell it!　A functioning relic is priceless, I'll do anything for you, please!

　Don't say it's easy for a girl to do anything!　You're on the same team, so why wait?　I don't know, this mechanical idiot is dangerous...

　But Window Flowers didn't miss it.

''Let's acknowledge the relic's research period by deducting the loan fee from your salary. However, I will turn one into cash, okay?

　 There is no mercy for cost cutters.

　Even so, the relic that sold one was a whopping 60 gold coins!　But I didn't hesitate to shop for window flowers, and my expenses were horrendous...

　30 gold coins for 20 more potions. 10 gold coins for a larger armored car carrier modification. Five gold coins for buying a large bottle of syrup. Five gold coins for buying a barrel of dwarf wine, too.

　The cotton fabric and iron were crunched enough for the Basra defense, but I bought more cargo space for the ruins self-propelled car, so I bought more. So we spent another 5 gold coins.

　Sixty of them, only five left....

　But although the expenses are high, it's never the window flower's self-interest.

　What a lot of magic potions, ten bottles each!　There are first-aid kits for antibiotics and pharmaceuticals, but only magic pills for wounds that require surgery. So the number of units makes sense. Dwarf wine and cotton are important strategic supplies. Syrup is also a benefit. So it's a shopping spree with everyone in mind.

　Besides, once Anya's research is finished, we can cash in the relics again. However, the idea of window flowers [even if they can be disassembled, there's no guarantee that they can be reassembled], so there's no change in the saving policy.

''Ryota-sama, our wages and administrative costs have doubled since we have more employees. For the sake of everyone's salary and to support your livelihood, please make sure you make money, right?

'According to my six books, not paying your salary is a felony. I'll do something about it!

　Black is adamantly against it. No unpaid salaries!　Absolutely!　I am very sick to my stomach, but I am determined to make sure I only get my paycheck.

　In addition, I have 15 gold coins worth of money that I brought in during the descent, what I've earned so far, and subtracted my expenses from it. Add the 5 pieces of change to that, and the current amount of money I have is 20 gold coins.

　However, as an emergency insurance policy, Windowflower has put 10 gold coins worth of money into retained earnings. Thus, the actual budget was reduced to 10 gold coins.

　Still, it's a lot of money. We've just bought supplies, and we'll be able to get by.