A stack of porcelain plates quickly piled up in front of Vegeta. The plates were so clean they could be used as mirrors.
The Saiyan Prince ate with uncouth manners, listening to their conversation as he stuffed his face. Ino treated him as if he were transparent, explaining her work arrangements to the three Androids.
It was evident that No. 16 was willing to take this job. Or perhaps he simply had nothing else to do; maintaining peace in the universe aligned with his values.
No. 17 was somewhere between willing and unwilling. He wanted a bit more freedom and didn't want to accept various constraints, but he also didn't want to owe anyone favors.
No. 18 was much simpler.
"How many days a week do we work? Do we get leave for 'those few days' every month?"
"Is there double pay for overtime?"
"Do we need to work night shifts? Is there a night shift allowance? If I wear makeup to work, is there a cosmetic subsidy? If my clothes get damaged during combat, are they reimbursed?"
Her questions gave Ino a headache. Trunks and the others were working around the clock, putting in effort without counting the returns. How could there be so many demands?
However, talent was hard to come by. Her team was entirely made up of rough men, which really didn't look good. If No. 18 joined, it would effectively elevate the team's visual appeal.
"Alright, in principle, I don't object. We can discuss the finer details later..."
There was a prerequisite to 'discussing later,' and that was the issue of remuneration.
For Saiyans addicted to battle, or for Nail whose material needs were zero, Ino could simply 'paint a pie' and make empty promises.
But facing two Androids who were originally Earthlings, this trick wouldn't work. There had to be something tangible.
No matter how extravagantly Ino described alien civilizations, it was useless. Both No. 17 and No. 18 wanted money—real, tangible money. The former wanted to buy a small island and establish a wild animal protection base, becoming the island owner himself... The latter stubbornly believed that Earth was the most comfortable place; she could earn money outside and then return to Earth to spend it and vacation.
They needed money, a lot of money.
Ino didn't live on Earth, so she really didn't have much Earth currency on hand.
As an Apprentice Supreme Kai, the higher her status, the greater the restrictions. She couldn't just go out and rob people with great fanfare. So what to do?
The restaurant waiter came to settle the bill. While thinking, Ino signaled Vegeta with her eyes, implying: You hurry up and pay the bill. You ate so much stuff; if you don't pay, who will?
"Why is it me paying?" Vegeta demanded sternly.
Ino spoke in a tone that suggested it was only natural: "Because my money still has uses."
Vegeta stiffened his neck. We Saiyans have no tradition of paying for meals.
Ino said, "Fine, fine, Vegeta the Fourth is so domineering. Where is Bulma right now? I'll call her over."
Vegeta looked at her warily, the meaning in his eyes seeming to ask: Why are you looking for my wife if you have nothing better to do?
Two minutes later, Ino used her teleportation ability to bring Bulma to the restaurant.
After the Supreme Kai's tutelage, and after her own bitter training and stat allocation... she used these abilities with increasing proficiency.
Bulma had come over carrying baby Trunks. Without saying a second word, she paid the bill. Vegeta gritted his back teeth and ate another plate of sushi with resentment. His wife and child were both on the scene; he couldn't make a move even if he wanted to. Self-destruct? What kind of joke was that!
"You want to exchange Earth currency for alien currency? But what can be exchanged?" Bulma didn't object to this kind of exchange; she had plenty of money! It was just a question of what to exchange for, as she lacked nothing.
"Let me think... I can show you this." Ino rummaged around for a while and found a promotional card for the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce.
Relying on the power of the West Kai, the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce had allied with three other large cosmic chambers of commerce to form a universe-wide shopping platform.
The variety of goods was extremely extensive.
Ino adjusted the promotional card to holographic display mode, changed the language option, and handed it to Bulma. "Take a look. there are many products inside. I've bought some things before; they are very cheap. If you buy in bulk, there are also many discounts."
Bulma quickly understood how to use the gadget. Without even thinking, she handed the child in her arms to Vegeta.
Vegeta still had sushi in his mouth. Receive, support, hold! The whole set of baby-soothing motions appeared extremely skillful. Little Trunks left his mother's embrace, and after getting over the initial discomfort, he saw clearly who was holding him and grinned, revealing a big smile at him.
As a fellow woman, No. 18 sat together with Bulma to browse the products.
"This dress's color is so weird. What does the label say it is? Frog poop color from Planet Bobolu?"
"The style of these shoes is really nice..."
"That skirt just now looks like it would make your legs look very long."
Vegeta held the child while nervously watching No. 18, worried that this woman who could fight him to a draw might launch a sneak attack on his wife.
No. 16 was as silent as a block of wood. No. 17 looked out the window, murmuring a couple of words about how women were truly boring.
Bulma also roughly glanced at the high-tech items, but her focus was temporarily on the clothing.
Shoes, bags, jewelry, and various accessories—these things attracted her gaze more.
"How do I pay? How will they send it over?" Bulma asked.
Ino pointed to the shopping card, which integrated the functions of a tablet and a series of other features. "You can register an account yourself. Payment upon delivery. An interstellar courier will bring it to you. Normally, they accumulate a wave of orders before delivering once because Earth is relatively remote. But if you buy a lot at once..."
Bulma didn't know No. 18 at all, but she didn't mind a temporary alliance.
"Let's place an order together?"
"Sure, sure."
No. 18 looked at Ino, her big, sparkling eyes blinking rapidly. "I can get an advance on my salary, right?"
"...Theoretically, yes."
No. 18 looked at her twin brother again. No. 17 waved his hand. "My share of the remuneration can be handed over to you to control."
No. 16 didn't wait for her to ask, nodding as he said, "Same for me."
No. 18 gave them a thumbs up. Good brothers!
"What address should we fill in for delivery?"
"Hmm, just fill in your Capsule Corporation address."
Ino took out a bag of metal rods that looked like immersion heaters. "Vegeta knows this stuff, right? Many chambers of commerce in the universe now use this metal as currency. It seems Frieza and his lot were the ones who initially promoted this thing."
Vegeta held the child and let out a "Hmph," but didn't speak.
Bulma picked up a metal rod, tapped it gently with her fingernail, and studied it left and right for a while. "A metal I haven't seen before?"
Ino said, "Yeah. The yield of this metal throughout the entire universe is extremely low. Currently, several major chambers of commerce use this as currency. As for the specific exchange rate, I'll have someone from the Chamber of Commerce discuss it with you later."
She briefly said a few words to the couple, Vegeta and Bulma, about the matter of Future Trunks. If they wanted to know the details, they should go ask Son Goku.
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