Chapter 29: You Have to Pay More
He had seen super-intelligent robots in his past life, but this was the first time he had seen a mechanical automaton like RyuZU, made of ordinary gears, yet indistinguishable from a real person.
Moreover, even if one had all the materials, without the ability to adjust the neural circuits and the main cylinder count, she could not be reproduced. Her craftsmanship far surpassed that of ordinary people!
"I'd really like to meet them," Kobayashi sighed.
...Wait, why don't I just go there again!
He might not be able to meet the mysterious "Y," but he could communicate with and learn from other high-level masters. Plus, he could search for some compatible gears for RyuZU as spare parts. It would be killing multiple birds with one stone.
Most importantly, RyuZU must want to go back too, right? After all, it was his carelessness that brought her to this other world. Not everyone can adapt to an unknown world. RyuZU was clearly more suited to living in her original, technologically advanced world. Not only would she have an overwhelming technological advantage, but if there were any problems with her gears, she could also be repaired. In an isekai world like Konosuba, repairing her was still very difficult.
"No, I do not wish to go back."
RyuZU's answer was unexpected.
Kobayashi was puzzled. "Don't you want to return to your own world and find your sisters?"
"I do not," RyuZU shook her head decisively. "My primary mission is to serve you, Master Kobayashi. No matter which world we are in, and regardless of whether you can repair me, I will follow by your side."
Although it was her programming, her words were still very moving. But it was precisely because of this that Kobayashi couldn't be selfish.
"I said it before, didn't I? I want to become a master worthy of you. So I definitely have to make a trip to that world."
"...If you insist."
It was perfect. The party was planning to rest for a while, so he would take this opportunity to disappear for a bit.
He raised the ring on his hand.
"—Cross!"
...
However, nothing happened.
Kobayashi blinked, looking at the completely unresponsive ring on his index finger, not understanding what the problem was.
Was the world-crossing pose wrong?
"Cross! Cross! Cross!"
Whether it was a take-off pose, a squat, or a JoJo pose, Kobayashi tried them all, but the ring still didn't react.
"What are you doing, Master Kobayashi? Are you performing some novel dance? Although it is quite amusing, it suits you surprisingly well," RyuZU said, her confusion laced with her usual sharp tongue.
Kobayashi, however, was starting to panic. He discovered that not only could he not cross to the world of Clockwork Planet, but he couldn't even perform a normal world-crossing at all.
He rushed into the living room.
"Aqua! Aqua!"
"W-what is it?!"
The idiot goddess, who had been secretly doing something, panicked when she heard Kobayashi call her name and quickly hid something behind her back. Judging from the edge that was showing, it was probably a bottle of sparkling liquor.
He didn't have time to scold her for her degenerate lifestyle of drinking in the daytime; he was more concerned about another matter right now.
"Aqua, why can't I cross to RyuZU's world anymore?"
"...Mmm, it's probably because you didn't set the coordinates to establish a channel."
"HUH?!"
"L-look, there are countless unknown worlds in the entire starry sky. Which world you go to is also unknown. To go to a specific one, you need its precise coordinates."
It was just like making a phone call. If you wanted to talk to friends or family, you had to know their exact phone number, otherwise you would just call someone else.
"Then why didn't you say so earlier?!... No, it's not entirely your fault."
Even if Aqua had told him, he was about to be crushed by a container falling from the sky at that time. It would have been impossible to set coordinates in that panic.
"But what's the deal with not being able to cross at all?!"
"That's because there's no energy left."
"What... did you say?"
"World-crossing requires energy. Isn't that normal? Do you not know the Law of Conservation of Energy, Kobayashi? That's something you learn in middle school."
She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
And Kobayashi had only one thought in his mind.
—I'm being mocked!
I'm being mocked by an idiot goddess?!
"What. Did. You. Say?! Say. That. Again. If. You. Dare!"
Kobayashi mercilessly pinched and stretched her cheeks, questioning her one word at a time. He used a lot of force, causing Aqua to cry out in pain and repeatedly beg for mercy. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!!!"
But the enraged Kobayashi didn't stop.
At the same time, he remembered that when he first teamed up with Kazuma, Aqua had said the ring needed to be charged. He had thought she was just saying that to make him stay, but it turned out it really needed to be charged!
Damn it, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got!
He should never have placed any expectations on Aqua! He had been with her for so long, and she hadn't had many opportunities to be foolish recently, so he had gradually let his guard down. Was she waiting for him here all along?!
Kobayashi suppressed his anger. After all, no matter how angry he got, it wouldn't solve the fact that he couldn't cross worlds.
What should I do? Do I have to buy magic crystals to charge it like before?
Thinking of this, Kobayashi asked with some curiosity, "Aqua, if I were to use magic crystals to charge it, about how many would it take to get enough energy to cross?"
"Mmm... 1000? Although it's no match for divine power, you can make up for the lack of quality with quantity... probably."
"A thousand?!"
Kobayashi clicked his tongue. A thousand magic crystals was 100,000,000 Eris. No wonder the few crystals he had invested before hadn't even made a splash.
However, for a rich person, exchanging 100 million Eris for the chance to cross worlds was definitely a worthwhile deal.
But for Kobayashi, it wasn't very friendly. How long would it take him to save up 100 million Eris?
Fortunately, he had another method.
"Aqua, charge it for me."
"Ehh—" She looked extremely reluctant.
To be honest, Kobayashi really wanted to teach her a lesson, but thinking that he would need her help in the future, he held it in.
"One bottle of sparkling liquor."
"...What?"
"One bottle of high-grade sparkling liquor in exchange for you charging the ring for me."
"H-high-grade sparkling liquor?" Aqua seemed tempted.
Just as Kobayashi thought his plan was a success, she refused.
"Divine power is very important! To a god, divine power is everything! A decline in divine power means the god will become weaker. Do you understand the seriousness of this problem?!"
So that's how it is.
Although Aqua was of high seniority, she had very few believers, so her divine power was naturally no match for gods like Eris. Charging the ring would be a burden for her too.
"Do you think a mere bottle of sparkling liquor can buy me, Kobayashi?"
"I'm sorry, I—"
"It'll take two bottles!"
"..."
So you're a master of the "pay more" school too?
(End of an book)