Because the Far East territory was not particularly large, the Kasugai Crow returned to Kuguruma Natsunishi's side not long after reporting the mission's completion to the Demon Slayer Corps.
To be honest, Kuguruma Natsunishi always found it somewhat inconceivable that the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters had remained hidden to this day. This method of communication, relying on crows flying directly back to headquarters, had no small number of loopholes.
Given a demon's physical capabilities, they were entirely capable of keeping pace and tailing a crow all the way back to the base. They wouldn't even need a specialized Blood Demon Art. After all, the Kasugai Crows didn't use relay stations or outposts to hand off intelligence to a fresh bird; they carried the Master's secret orders the entire way themselves.
Furthermore, even if the crows possessed excellent anti-tracking skills and could detect and lose a demon, one could still determine a general direction based on the crows' travel time. The Far East was only so big, after all. A Kasugai Crow's daily flight distance was limited, and since they flew directly from headquarters to the members' locations every time, one only had to observe the movements of a few crows. By overlapping their activity ranges on a map, the area with the densest intersection and the highest frequency of crow traffic would be revealed. Then, by scouting the largest estates or industries in that area, one would very likely find the hiding place of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
One could only say that in the game's setting, the fact that the demons hadn't managed to find and assassinate the head of the Corps in over a thousand years was truly strange. Either these man-eating demons—from the leadership down to the grunts—didn't have a single brain among them, or the Demon Slayer Corps was hiding a confidential security measure that hadn't been made public. For example, using a special method to mask the crows' tracks, or setting up misleading signals in the intelligence chain that only a human could identify.
Of course, Kuguruma Natsunishi didn't go complaining to the Kasugai Crow about this. It was just a crow, after all; asking it to contemplate organizational structure and security vulnerabilities was asking a bit much.
Arriving along with the crow was a member of the Kakushi.
Indeed, in Kuguruma Natsunishi's eyes, the Kakushi were already synonymous with "logistics," "back-end support," and "inefficient messengers." Unsurprisingly, they were here to deliver something to Kuguruma Natsunishi again. Only this time, what they brought was his remuneration as a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps.
After all, in the game, Kuguruma Natsunishi and the other swordsmen had living expenses.
100 yen.
It was considerably more than Kuguruma Natsunishi had expected. And this was only the base monthly salary for the lowest-ranked swordsman. Killing demons would earn additional bonuses.
Do not look down on these 100 yen. In an era where the average annual salary was less than 500 yen, this amount was nearly half a year's income for a working-class person. It was enough for Kuguruma Natsunishi to buy forty or fifty old hens, or take a friend to see over a hundred movies. Back when he was training with Kazami Sarayoshi, the latter would occasionally go down the mountain for a major shopping trip for daily necessities, and it would only cost about 2 to 3 yen. In reality, the currency denominations most people used daily weren't yen, but the smaller "sen" and "rin."
The monthly salary for a Mizunoto-ranked swordsman was actually 100 yen. Then for Kinoe, Kinoto, or even the "Hashira" above them... wouldn't a single month's salary be enough for them to buy property in the bustling areas of Tokyo?!
How wealthy was the Ubuyashiki clan to support the entire Demon Slayer Corps' cash flow single-handedly? This was simply... an evil conglomerate!
Even though it was a game, Kuguruma Natsunishi still shed tears of envy. In the game, he was a powerful Demon Slayer swordsman, a highly respected expert among the player base. Outside the game, he was just an ordinary person hustling in a big city, unable to even afford a place to settle down. His obsession with "home" was quite deep.
Seeing Kuguruma Natsunishi's subtle shift in emotion, the Kakushi member thought he was simply overwhelmed by seeing such a large sum of money for the first time. He quickly explained, "Master Natsunishi, this is a token of the Master's care for the swordsmen. Therefore, please do not refuse it."
Kuguruma Natsunishi: ???
No, why would I refuse a mission reward? It's not like pushing away a red envelope from an elder during the New Year.
"If you find it inconvenient to carry a large amount of money with you, we can also deposit it into a partner bank on your behalf. The Central Bank, or the newly emerging Mitsui and Sumitomo Banks, are all fine. At that time, you can withdraw funds at any branch counter with your credentials."
Kuguruma Natsunishi: ...
How is it that even in a game, I can't escape this cycle of depositing and withdrawing money?
Thus, Kuguruma Natsunishi subconsciously switched to pragmatic mode. "The base salary is 100 yen, so what about the reward for killing demons? Is it settled per demon? What's the price range? If I get promoted to a higher rank, will the commission rate increase?"
The Kakushi member was stunned by Kuguruma Natsunishi's rapid-fire questions. After all, this was the first time he had been asked such things. Whether it was the "swordsmen" fighting on the front lines, the "Kakushi" responsible for intelligence and scouting, the "Butterfly Mansion" handling medical care, the "Swordsmiths" forging equipment, or the "Cultivators" training new swordsmen—most of them didn't care much about money. If there was some, fine. If there was more, even better. If there wasn't much, it didn't matter.
After all, the vast majority of people who joined the Demon Slayer Corps shared a blood feud with demons. The Corps happened to provide them with the opportunity and platform for revenge. Free combat training, instruction in ancient martial arts, high-grade protective gear, custom-made precious katanas, intelligence on demons, and a leader willing to give his life for his subordinates—money was actually of secondary importance. If the Demon Slayer Corps ever ran out of money, many swordsmen would likely empty their own pockets to help the Ubuyashiki family through the crisis.
Furthermore, in this era, the "care funds" provided by the Demon Slayer Corps were already considered generous.
"Set... settled? Commission?"
The Kakushi member barely grasped Kuguruma Natsunishi's meaning before explaining. Naturally, the Demon Slayer Corps highly encouraged the slaying of demons. Therefore, after a mission, swordsmen were given a substantial reward. However, this reward did not change based on a swordsman's rank; whether one was the lowest "Mizunoto" or the highest "Hashira," the monetary reward for slaying the same demon was the same.
Of course, the monthly care fund for a "Hashira"—what Kuguruma Natsunishi called the base salary—was naturally much higher than that of an ordinary swordsman. The key factors in the reward for slaying a demon were the demon's strength and the degree of contribution in the fight. Specific personnel within the Kakushi would evaluate the demon. The stronger it was, the higher the reward.
Take the demon Kuguruma Natsunishi had just subjugated, for instance. Because it lacked a Blood Demon Art and seemed quite weak, the reward itself wasn't much. But because Kuguruma Natsunishi slew it alone, he received all the credit. It was estimated to be around 2,000 sen, which was roughly 20 yen—enough to buy about ten grams of gold.
As for the highest class of demons, the Twelve Demon Moons—if one were to slay one alone, not only would they be promoted to the rank of "Hashira," but they would also receive a sum of money sufficient to live extravagantly for a lifetime in major cities like Osaka or Kyoto.
Before the Kakushi could finish speaking, he saw Kuguruma Natsunishi's eyes light up. Since he was going to be in this game for so many years, wouldn't it be possible to buy a massive mansion in Tokyo to live in? The realism of this game was so high. After finishing the main quest, he could totally go on a super luxurious tour, couldn't he? Drive the best cars, eat the best food, drink the best wine. Even if the map outside the Far East wasn't fully developed, spending ten days or half a month splurging at famous spots like Hokkaido, Osaka, or Ryukyu... that would be pretty sweet, wouldn't it?
"Um, Master Natsunishi?" the Kakushi called out softly, looking at the distracted Kuguruma Natsunishi.
Kuguruma Natsunishi: "Where are the Twelve Demon Moons? Such demons must be eradicated by my hand immediately!"
Kakushi: ?
This master seems to have quite a heavy obsession with money.