Chapter 571

The news that the sale of the Dream Capsule had been suspended brought a brief sigh of relief to the global pharmaceutical industry.

The stock prices of companies, which had halved in just a day, saw a slight increase.

However, it was not a situation where one could feel completely at ease.

No matter how stringent the regulations imposed by the United States, the governments of South Korea, Japan, and Germany could just as easily change their minds.

For reference, China had never really complied with them anyway.

In reality, the U.S. regulations were nothing short of a death sentence for companies, but Jansol was different.

A one-person company all-in on growth, with irreplaceable technology.

With the principle that “money isn’t everything” firmly established, there was no regulation that could stop NaeMe.

Therefore, it was the executives’ duty to find ways to minimize the impact of any backlash they might face.

“Representative, should we impose additional taxes or mana-link fees? It’s a structure that consumes an astronomical amount of electricity and mana produced domestically at a low cost. If the mana volume increases due to Dream Capsules, companies could be negatively affected.”

“What about a bill that imposes fines on a portion of total revenue for potential future issues? I think around 6% to 15% would be appropriate.”

“For now, through media outlets, we should try to spread the negative opinion of it being a pesticide capsule…”

Global pharmaceutical companies were desperately trying to block it, citing the constitutional value of public health.

However, that didn’t mean other companies were just sitting back watching their antics unfold.

“Those money-crazed drug peddlers! Can’t they just get lost?”

“What drug peddlers? Just fools believing in vaccine conspiracy theories!”

In America, employers were responsible for a significant portion of their employees’ health insurance costs.

Suddenly, NaeMe comes down from the sky, saying, “I’ll cut that in half,” and who would welcome that situation?

As fierce exchanges unfolded in the government and parliament, a piece of urgent news was obtained.

“What? When did she come to America again?!”

[Notice of Pop-Up Store Opening in Puerto Rico by Noname Madosa & Baria]

Puerto Rico became the first location to permit the sale of Dream Capsules.

The next day, 20 cruise ships carrying 100,000 tourists docked at the Puerto Rico port.

* * *

“The population of Puerto Rico is 5 million, and its GDP per capita is slightly higher than that of South Korea. The capital is San Juan, considered the oldest settlement connecting the West Indies and Europe since the Spanish Empire. The first impression I had was that the sea was really beautiful.”

On the first day of the trip, we rested all day at the hotel to adjust to the time difference.

A helpful tip is to fast the day before and have breakfast on the day to reset your body clock.

“Yawn…”

Saetbyeol, who had a failed night snack, let out continuous yawns.

And from the second day onwards, we officially turned on the broadcast to meet the viewers.

We drove along the coastline in a convertible.

“Can you see the port of San Juan over there? I heard it has the second-highest number of cruise ships after Miami port…”

“Wow, there are so many boats! Are all those people on them?”

“The boats are clustered together, making it look like Dongdu Island in Seoul.”

– Too many of them, what’s this?

– Dongdu Island (Population 100,000)

– Is it true that those airline bastards hiked plane ticket prices by 10 times?

– Those people don’t even need to book hotels; that’s a steal!

– There probably aren’t any more spots left.

– 100,000 people at a place that usually sees 2,000 visitors a day, lol.

– I wonder if the security is okay?

[“jasonkim” donated 50,000 won!]

– It’s still banned in the U.S. Can I take it home?

“Ah, I forgot to mention that. What CMSC and the FDA have banned is the use of Drimming Mode and Nashentia, but the Dream Capsule itself is available for sale. It’s just that Drimming Mode is blocked.”

– What?

– Is this really America?

– Look at that logic, lol.

– But logically, a Dream Capsule without Drimming Mode = a regular capsule.

– Still hilarious, lol!

– If I buy it and can’t use it for years, what’s gonna happen?

– Wouldn’t there be protests before that?

It could be seen that Baria, the number one company by market capitalization, had considerable negotiating power.

They were in a position where they just needed to sell capsules regardless.

The government seemed more interested in shaking me down than confronting Baria.

“But that kind of contract feels uneasy for the buyers. It’s like signing a lease on a one-room apartment without even seeing it. They’re even saying you can’t enter your own home. So, until approval comes through, we’re planning this event to let as many people as possible experience it. Of course, the subscription fee will be calculated from the point of capsule purchase, not usage.”

This way, those who buy in advance can subscribe at a much lower price, making it vastly beneficial for them.

A 10% discount every year adds up to a considerable amount.

After casually touring the port, we headed straight to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro.

Today is the last day we can fully enjoy our trip.

As the wind blows over the expansive meadows, the salty scent of the sea makes its way into our noses.

“Dad, doesn’t it feel kind of like Jeju Island?”

“Oh? If I close my eyes, it really does feel similar.”

“Nice wasn’t like this, but why does Puerto Rico give me that vibe?”

“NaeMe, can you take a picture of me over there? This place is amazing; the atmosphere is incredible!”

With the endless blue sky and the golden walls of the fortress sparkling in the sunlight, I stepped forward.

In a form of disguise, I wore a black bucket hat, while Saetbyeol wore a yellow cap.

“Wow, isn’t it too beautiful here? The weather is perfect, and the grass is so soft. I want to roll around here all day, what should I do?”

“Just live here.”

“Oh, do you want to go get gelato?”

Pointing at an ice cream truck down the hill, she licked her lips.

Without a second thought, I agreed.

Smack—

“Ugh?”

I jumped up, slapped Saetbyeol’s cheek, and ran away.

“I’ll go eat first!”

“Hey, stop there!”

I wrapped Aura around my legs and sprinted across the meadow.

The meadow was so vast that there weren’t as many people as I expected, making it perfect for running.

– Jaiminnae ON

– Adella is angry, whoa.

– This is really frustrating, lol.

– Hit me too, please!

– What about the speed?

– Wow, she’s so fast, lol.

– Did Noname attach a booster to her feet?

“Whoosh, whoa, my hat!”

My baseball cap couldn’t withstand the wind at 60 km/h and flew off behind me.

Kiiiii!

I was already too late to look back in that moment.

“You’re dead!”

“Hey, there’s a downhill!”

“Wahh! I can’t stop!”

“Just jump and…”

I ended up colliding head-on instead of passing.

“Damn it!”

“Aaah!”

In a hurry, I wrapped Aura around myself.

The world spun around me along with the sky.

Ugh, motion sickness.

We rolled down the hill entangled, splitting our paths in opposite directions.

Thud—

My vision smacked against the ground.

From behind me, I could hear the murmurs of a crowd.

It didn’t hurt at all, but it was embarrassing enough to feel painful.

Rolling into a place crowded with people…

I stood up, dusting off my clothes as if nothing had happened.

An elderly lady dressed like Queen Elizabeth approached me and asked in a British accent.

“Are you okay, dear?”

“I’m fine.”

“You tumbled down that hill quite a bit…”

“It’s training.”

“Training?”

“Mom! It’s Noname!”

People presumed to be her family approached and recognized me instantly.

I turned my head away to avoid their gazes.

“Isn’t she the one?”

“Yes, that’s right! She’s the champion of the national exchange competition and made the Dream Capsule this time…! Oh my God, I’m such a fan of you, Noname!”

“Haha, yes… nice to meet you.”

Bloop—

A finger poked at my cheek.

Saetbyeol walked over slowly and stood behind me.

“Have a conscience, and disappear, unni.”

“Alright… choose a flavor.”

The attention-grabbing effect was much greater from Saetbyeol’s silver hair than from me.

As word spread, more and more tourists began to surround the ice cream truck.

Hair disheveled and clothes filthy with dirt.

Professor Cheon, who had joined late, clicked his tongue and rubbed his temples.

Receiving ice cream from a gentleman with a fine mustache, I found a spot to sit down.

As Saetbyeol said earlier, the grass was soft and clean enough, so there was no need for a mat.

“Whew, I’m tired. I’m still sweating on my neck.”

The tourists all sat about 10 meters away in a circular arrangement, as if they had made a pact to do so.

Each of them pulled out snacks like sandwiches from their bags, starting to share them with family and friends.

“Hmm?”

– Feeling too much pressure ×10000, lol.

– The tourists are so polite! That’s impressive!

– While they’re polite, this is still too much pressure, lol.

– It’s something, something, I guess, lol.

– Let’s maintain privacy manners vs Still, we need to see Noname, caught in internal conflict, lol.

– Is this a towel-spin showdown?

“Towel spin? Oh, that’s good! What do you call towel spin in English?”

“Duck, duck, goose.”

“Hey, everybody listen!”

Clap, clap!

Unable to resist her desire for attention, she clapped her hands to attract people’s eyes.

Soon enough, she swiped a white towel from a tourist and began an impromptu towel spin.

“Hey Adel, no Aura! No Aura!”

“No Aura? Unni says not to use Aura. Okay, let’s go!”

“Hey, doesn’t that put me at a disadvantage?”

Thud—

As soon as the towel dropped behind me, I reflexively jumped to my feet and took off running.

Tadadadadak!

“Whoa! Fast! Noname is incredibly fast!”

– Not gonna lie, my competitiveness kicked in, lol.

– Noname ← Never loses in any game!

– Watching her lose her mind is hilarious, lol.

– NaMeNaMeYa, please, don’t risk your life, just have fun!

– ???: To me, the game is murder.

– I can totally see Noname voluntarily paying 4.56 billion won to participate in Squid Game.

└ Wow, that’s a ticket to the amusement park for 100 times!

└ 100 times entry voucher, right? lol.

Thud—

“Why is everyone throwing it at me…!”

“They’re just excited to play with you.”

After completing a lap of over 50 meters about 20 times that day, I barely managed to escape the hell of laziness.

Thud—

“Ugh, stop!”

* * *

Since the second day of the trip, I developed muscle soreness in my legs and became quite irritable.

But still, I couldn’t avoid the assignments I had to complete.

The next day, I rushed to the site where the pop-up store was being constructed.

To briefly explain what a pop-up store is, it refers to a physical retail store that operates for a very short period.

With additive manufacturing robots and modular construction methods, a massive store could be built in just a day or two.

Since we were only going to use the capsules anyway, it was planned to be structured more like a warehouse store, such as IKEA or Costco.

I met with an executive from Baria at the construction site to have a brief conversation.

While slurping on a mixed coffee imported from South Korea, he asked me.

“Can we really call this a pop-up store? It looks more like a factory, no matter how you look at it.”

Hundreds of construction machines were bustling around.

Indeed, a building the size of an IKEA or Costco was being erected.

Here, 1,000 experiential Dream Capsules were set to arrive at one time.