Star Railway: I'm developing the Star Railway mobile game at my company.

Upon hearing this, Bronya replied earnestly.

"...I understand, Miss Topa. I will...I need time to think about it."

Of course. However, while you're considering this, my colleagues need to carry out some necessary work in Belleburg... and we hope that everyone in both the upper and lower levels can cooperate.

The conversation ended there, and Topa left the scene.

From the conversation just now, the audience sensed a different kind of assertiveness from Toppa, and the information revealed in it sparked discussion among the audience.

"It seems that Belloberg owes the company money from the past!"

"The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and why do I get the feeling that Toppa is being a bit threatening?"

"The company is chasing after debts; you can't stay in your position without some serious skills!"

"To be honest, for a debt collector to have this attitude is already quite reasonable..."

"But speaking of which, why would Belloberg owe the company money?"

With these questions in mind, the story continues.

Bronya is clearly overwhelmed by this matter, due to the Legion invasion seven hundred years ago and the cold wave caused by the Star Core.

In the chaos of that time, many significant historical events were buried under the snow and wind, unknown even to successive Great Guardians.

The same applies to current debt.

Seven hundred years ago, the star core descended, and the outsiders who originally stayed there realized the danger and left one after another.

Among these outsiders were a group of investors from the Interstellar Peace Company.

Before leaving, they found the Builders faction who insisted on guarding their homeland and provided them with a large sum of money for disaster preparedness.

It was thanks to this funding that Belloberg survived, and even the initial research and development funds for the Automaton were drawn from this money.

Toppa came to collect this debt.

[This is outrageous! Why did they have to come now of all times? If we hadn't eliminated the star core, wouldn't this debt have been settled? This is blatant bullying!]

Chapter 167 Interest on Interest

After listening to Bronya's explanation, the audience understood what had happened and immediately protested, just like March 7th.

"Wow, is the company just here to pick up the pieces?"

"The company didn't offer any assistance during the cold wave, but now they're rushing to collect debts?"

"Sure enough, wherever there's profit, there will be companies!"

"We, the nameless workers, diligently cleaned up the star cores, only to have the company reap the rewards in the end. We are so resentful!"

"Although this behavior is not very ethical, the company did help Bellberg in the beginning, so it is only right to pay back the money now."

The company's actions left many viewers feeling somewhat uneasy.

According to Toppa, the repayment period agreed upon by the builders and the company's investors was 280 years, but less than a century after the loan was taken out, Arilo-VI lost contact with the outside world.

Therefore, the company concluded that the Arillow civilization no longer existed and classified the investment as a bad debt.

It wasn't until the Star Core incident ended that the company discovered that Belloberg had actually survived to this day.

Then they sent Toppa to collect the debt...

Upon hearing this, March 7th angrily put her hands on her hips.

Compared to Bronya's side, which did indeed owe the company money, March 7, representing the Star Train and tasked with saving the entire Belloberg, was quite unhappy at the moment.

But things clearly didn't end there. Bronya continued from March 7th's words, revealing a crucial piece of information.

"...Yes, principal and interest."

Even if we subtract the 280-year repayment period from the loan taken out 700 years ago, it is still more than 400 years overdue!

The interest accrued due to the overdue payment was astronomical; Bronya didn't even know how to pronounce the number accurately!

[Before you even came in, Toppa had already warned me... the company has given her the authority to take drastic measures if the debt is overdue for too long.]

Upon hearing this, everyone initially only felt disdain for the company's reaping the benefits, but they never expected that interest would also be charged!

"My God, they even included interest in the calculation! That's outrageous!"

"Over 400 years of overdue interest, wouldn't that be interest compounding on interest!"

"I have never seen such shameless behavior before!"

"shameless!"

"That really fits my stereotype of the company!"

"What are we going to do now? We owe so much money, even if we sell Belloberg, we still won't be able to pay it back!"

The company's actions immediately drew warm greetings from the audience, and Toppa's reputation suffered a significant drop.

Meanwhile, outside the game, on the Black Tower space station, Estella watched this scene with a furrowed brow.

Although she liked Belloberg very much, she could not object to the company's actions of coming to her door to collect debts.

But Estella still sensed that something was wrong.

After all, it's not easy for a company to classify a debt as a bad debt.

Once the repayment period is over, even if you're dead, the company's debt collectors will still dig you up for a look, let alone a once prosperous Yalilo-VI.

Or perhaps it's better that the people of Yalilo are gone, because then the company can take over the entire planet through debt relationships.

That's simply because there's a local civilization on the planet, and the company isn't willing to make much money off it right now.

And so, a bold guess came to Estella's mind.

Perhaps the company's monitoring of the Yalilo-VI never stopped.

In this way, we can either wait for the Beloberg civilization to disappear and take over the planet, or we can wait for them or other forces to finish dealing with the star core and then go to collect our debts.

If the Star Core issue is resolved quickly, then repayments will be made at the normal interest rate. If the Star Core issue is resolved slowly, then, like Belloberg now, we'll be stuck in a quagmire.

Looking at it this way, it really is a sure-fire way to make money.

With that in mind, Estelle decided to wait and see what happened first, since things had already been going on for a while and there was no point in rushing things.

Let's get back to the story.

On March 7th, I originally thought the company was there to help Bellenberg rebuild, but I never expected things to turn out this way.

Faced with a massive corporation like the Intergalactic Peace Corporation that spans the entire galaxy, Bronya had no choice but to seek help from Star and March 7 to see if they could persuade Toppa.

Don't worry, Bronya! How could a kind-hearted anonymous guest refuse to help a friend in need?

Thank you all! I'm so sorry to have dragged you into trouble again...

[While you two are on your way to find Toppa, I'll also be thinking about what to do. Good luck—and oh, and please be careful.]

So the two of them used Topa's contact information to find Topa, who was inspecting the museum at the time.

At this moment, Toppa stood in front of the painting in the museum, estimating its value.

After the three met, they planned to walk and talk, during which March 7th brought up the previous incident.

Miss Topa, we've already heard from Bronya about Belloberg's debt problems...

What's wrong? Do you two perhaps want to discuss financial matters with me?

Seeing Toppa's still amiable expression, March 7th couldn't bring himself to say anything and make the atmosphere awkward.

【We... Oh, Xing, please help! I'm really bad at this...】

So Xing directly pointed out that the company's requirements were unreasonable.

Haha, you're so direct, I admire that!

Indeed, I understand. From your perspective, this certainly doesn't seem reasonable, right?

Different positions lead to different perspectives, and Toppa has seen cases even more difficult than Belloberg's.

Most individuals or organizations that cannot repay on time have their reasons, but if every project is treated as an exception, the entire galaxy's economic system would probably collapse.

As a debt collector, you can't have too much sympathy, otherwise your work will only become more difficult.

Regarding cases like Belloberg's, where debts have been outstanding for too long and he is now unable to pay in cash, Topa stated that he had proposed a solution to Bronya.

Oh dear, I almost leaked a trade secret! Thank goodness!

Looking at Toppa, who was still wandering around the museum, March 7th said with a touch of melancholy.

The debts incurred by our ancestors are now being repaid by their descendants...

This conversation, along with Toppa's unspoken plan, immediately became the focus of the audience's attention.

"Speak up! What's the plan? Tell me quickly!"

"Faced with Bellenberg's inability to repay his debts, Toppa's demands are..."

"Let it become a contractual asset of a global giant!"

"It can't be said that this has implicated future generations. After all, our ancestors used their money to build the city walls and machines. Otherwise, how could the later generations have survived until the train crew arrived!"

"The descendants have benefited from the blessings of their ancestors, so naturally they must shoulder this responsibility. Although I like Belloberg very much, if what Topa said is true, then I stand with Topa!"

"Hilarious! This money was already set aside as bad debt, and now they're trying to collect the debt after the train has passed. Isn't that just stealing the fruits of their labor?"

"Ugh! What they all say makes sense, what should I do?!"

Seeing that Toppa was still just browsing the exhibits, March 7th couldn't help but ask a question.

【Um, Miss Topa, what exactly can we do to get the company to go easy on Belloberg?】

Bronya and the others worked so hard to make the world a little better... It would be too cruel to take away all their efforts in the blink of an eye...

Topa smiled slightly upon hearing this.

[What do you think of the company, March? Don't forget, we, like the builders here, are practitioners of preservation.]

In any case, our proposed solutions will certainly take into account the well-being of the people of Belloberg. If we can't even do that, wouldn't the Strategic Investment Department become just as unreasonable as the Legion?

This remark brought a meaningful smile to Sand Gold's lips.

Only she could come up with such a win-win solution; other departments wouldn't consider such things, and of course, the strategic investment department wouldn't either.

Chapter 168 Seventeen Rounds of Interviews

In the story, Toppa offers March 7 some verbal comfort, but that's about it.

[Furthermore, if you want me to answer your question directly... the answer is no matter what, no matter what obstacles I encounter, I will definitely complete the Ariello-VI project.]

Once again demonstrating the authority of the company's senior management, Toppa advised the two people in front of him not to worry too much about this matter.

Then Toppa suddenly received a message from a colleague looking for him, so he left first, leaving the two of them staring at each other in disbelief.

【What should I do... We've been talking for ages, but there's been absolutely no progress!】

While Topa's point was valid, the problems facing Bronya were also very real.

Ultimately, Ms. Topa was simply adhering to her work principles. To put it another way, from the train crew's perspective, going against the company would certainly be unwise...

[...Oh dear, the stakes involved here are so complicated, so difficult to handle! Nobody taught me any of this in school—wait, now that you mention it, did I even go to school before I lost my memory?]

Just as March 7th was feeling overwhelmed, Seele suddenly sent a message to Star.

It's said that a group of strange guys came to the lower-level area and took over the large mining area, so the company has obviously started to take action.

【...What? People from the company have started causing trouble in the lower levels?】

[Damn it, they were just saying they'd consider the well-being of the people of Belleburg—you can't trust a single word these corporate capitalists say!]

Seeing that a conflict might occur, March 7th had no choice but to regretfully change out of her formal attire and into her everyday casual clothes.

Upon arriving at the lower level, Seele and her group were already in a standoff with company personnel.

Because the enemy's weapons and mechs are far superior, the company currently has the upper hand and is controlling the entrance to the mining area, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

The employee in charge of guarding the area was the same one who had threatened to silence them in the snowfield. He recognized March 7th and Star.

"Then you should know who we are, right? Even your boss treats us very politely, so you, as our subordinate, should at least know how to be courteous!"

After listening to what March 7th said, the employee who had been silent finally spoke up.