We're not, not anymore. Kyubey took care of that for us, but it charged us 35 cubes for it.
More to the point, the Incubators have said they don't want us breaking the masquerade, and given that "orbital bombardment to cull major population centers" is on their list of standard responses... let's just agree that pissing them off is, contraindicated, okay?
Basically, the teleport crystal runs into the conundrum of 'I don't want it, but I might need it, and better to have and not need it, then need it and not have it.' You're handing them out as a lifeline and I suggest it because it's probably the most cost-effective method of keeping outside puella safe unless (and this feels unlikely to me) the cost to make these spell triggers is negligible. I sincerely don't know if it's practical to hand out anything else.
When your life is literally a constant series of life and death battles, being offered a 'get out of this life-and-death-battle-for-free' card I'm not sure how many would be able to resist, even if it does turn out to be a trap. At this point I am pretty sure only a handful of our characters have not seen death before. Everyone out there except the greenest of the greens will.
I mean a suspicious mind can invent all sorts of possibilities. Tracking magic has been cast on it, so it's best to ditch them ASAP - it'll explode after a set period of time, best to ditch it ASAP - it can read your thoughts, gotta get rid of it now, etc. etc. etc. Seeing who accepts is probably a good litmus test for people that are going to be more easily swayed to join a big group: those willing to hold onto it probably fear demons more than they fear you and that makes them good candidates to try and recuit anyway.
Regarding anchor cost, it seems to me the cost should be low on a tactical level, but costly if we decide to start using them all the time. Maybe something like 5-10 anchors for 0.1 GCU?
But that costs money, and leaves the girls the option of declining. If you're a government official, no matter what we say, they'll have to tell at least their secret service branches about us, and no secret service branch will let ridiculously powerful tweenage girls just roam freely across the countryside. There's also the danger of information leaks, corrupt officials...
If you think they're going to settle for just having fifty or so girls with magic powers and no explanation for how they came about, even a good lie on how they got them, you're horribly naive. If they ever discover the wish mechanic, they will use every means to exploit it for personal gain at the wishing girls' detriment. Ultimately, adding the government to any situation just adds a new potential enemy, another big organization, to keep an eye on the actions of, for the almost useless boon of 'we haz money nao!'
But that costs money, and leaves the girls the option of declining. If you're a government official, no matter what we say, they'll have to tell at least their secret service branches about us, and no secret service branch will let ridiculously powerful tweenage girls just roam freely across the countryside. There's also the danger of information leaks, corrupt officials...
Do you have any idea how much black ops cost? $2,000 per meguca-month is an absolute bargain by comparison. Secret service types think in terms of risk management and we are very obviously at the lower end, they are going to devote their limited resources to more pressing issues and issues that the public might actually notice.
EDIT: Actually, given the plague of Class 3 demons everywhere, they probably would pay close attention to us. Kidnapping and coercion is still a shitty way to deal with it, they'd work by backing groups that seem to be responsible and going in a direction they want things to go (us).
If you think they're going to settle for just having fifty or so girls with magic powers and no explanation for how they came about, even a good lie on how they got them, you're horribly naive. If they ever discover the wish mechanic, they will use every means to exploit it for personal gain at the wishing girls' detriment.
Firstly, seeing as literally no one who understands the wishing mechanic even tries to exploit it, I'm perfectly happy to write it off as impossible. Secondly, have you forgotten that we're in a first world democracy? There is no one in government whose incentives line up such that is makes sense to hurt random teenage girls. They might, as the Incubators suggest, defy their incentives and do something crazy, but people who do that don't retain power for very long afterwards and can't direct an organisational effort.
Remember, just because cynicism sounds smart doesn't make it correct.
Do you have any idea how much black ops cost? $2,000 per meguca-month is an absolute bargain by comparison. Secret service types think in terms of risk management and we are very obviously at the lower end, they are going to devote their limited resources to more pressing issues and issues that the public might actually notice.
EDIT: Actually, given the plague of Class 3 demons everywhere, they probably would pay close attention to us. Kidnapping and coercion is still a shitty way to deal with it, they'd work by backing groups that seem to be responsible and going in a direction they want things to go (us).
Firstly, seeing as literally no one who understands the wishing mechanic even tries to exploit it, I'm perfectly happy to write it off as impossible. Secondly, have you forgotten that we're in a first world democracy? There is no one in government whose incentives line up such that is makes sense to hurt random teenage girls. They might, as the Incubators suggest, defy their incentives and do something crazy, but people who do that don't retain power for very long afterwards and can't direct an organisational effort.
Remember, just because cynicism sounds smart doesn't make it correct.
I'd only consider a trial run with black ops if I could get Incubator backing, or at least secure a guarantee that they will wipe minds and clean up records of things go south.
That said, this would be a great way to secure some massive monetary and logistical support, assuming we could pull it off. I really, really doubt @inverted_helix will go for it, though.
Do you have any idea how much black ops cost? $2,000 per meguca-month is an absolute bargain by comparison. Secret service types think in terms of risk management and we are very obviously at the lower end, they are going to devote their limited resources to more pressing issues and issues that the public might actually notice.
EDIT: Actually, given the plague of Class 3 demons everywhere, they probably would pay close attention to us. Kidnapping and coercion is still a shitty way to deal with it, they'd work by backing groups that seem to be responsible and going in a direction they want things to go (us).
Firstly, seeing as literally no one who understands the wishing mechanic even tries to exploit it, I'm perfectly happy to write it off as impossible. Secondly, have you forgotten that we're in a first world democracy? There is no one in government whose incentives line up such that is makes sense to hurt random teenage girls. They might, as the Incubators suggest, defy their incentives and do something crazy, but people who do that don't retain power for very long afterwards and can't direct an organisational effort.
Remember, just because cynicism sounds smart doesn't make it correct.
Again, meguca do not necessarily have the mental fortitude or inclination to go into espionage. They can say no, and given how useful they are, do you really think something like the NSA would just accept that they can never use this asset for the things it's probably more useful for? Aside from that there's no guarantee of loyalty.
Additionally, they cannot detect nor comprehend demon attacks. To the mundanes of the world, every demon attack has a logical explanation that doesn't even appear to require Kyubey's interference to maintain the masquerade. You can't claim that the rustling of leaves on trees is actually the result of trees dancing rather than the wind.
Madoka herself performed the most blatant exploitation of a wish in history, as do the incubators pretty much ever time they convince someone to contract, and she was a seventh-grader. Do you really think that some agent or official won't try to get their daughters(who might have potential) or other young, patriotic girls to make wishes that make their lives easier? That they would give these fresh contracted to the Serenes in good faith rather than train them up to be their own personal soldiers?
You deride my cynicism, but isn't it you who's being rainbow-and-sunshine optimistic? It's like you're deliberately not considering basic concepts like human greed when you imagine a government, which in the last hundred years overthrew it's emperor and used his authority to justify and wage a war of conquest on the entire pacific, would have the best interests of a couple teenage girls in mind at all times?
Kit Toyoda bounced brightly as she turned to greet the next customer who opened the door, an unremarkable green-eyed boy she recognized from a nearby high school.
"Welcome to the Daffodil! How may I help you today?" Kit chirped.
The young man sighed deeply, holding a hand wearily up to his head. "Greetings, fair maiden. Though it saddens me, it seems the demonic council sent out assassins against my comrade. She claims to have survived the attempt unscathed, but must go into hiding, in case further attempts are made on her life. I must bide my time until she can return."
"Ah, your friend ditched you today? That's a shame. Come on in. I'll get a table for you." With that, Kit led him to a booth in the deeper parts of the restaurant, well-lit by the sun coming through the window, but (perhaps coincidentally) further removed from the various families and businessmen that were dining there at the time.
"So, do you know what you'd like? Or would you like time to go over the menu?"
The boy barely glanced at the menu before handing it back. "Sustenance baked in the fiery furnace of hell's labyrinth, feared by all but those who have demon's blood running through their veins!"
"One extra spicy curry, coming up!" Kit verified, writing it down quickly on her pad, brow furrowed in concentration. She could easily remember an entire family's orders, but found people tipped better for a cute and determined waitress who was perhaps just a tiny bit on the clumsy side.
While waiting on the kitchen to fulfill the order, she checked on him a couple times, noting that he had taken out several papers and had them spread across the table, a serious look on his face as he reviewed them. She leaned over the table a bit to look over the papers when she brought out an extra glass of water. After a few moments, she gave a knowing, "Hmmm."
"My great nemesis, foul creature from the underworld," the boy growled out, seemingly to himself, though he clearly had noticed her presence. "He taunts his enemies with cryptic writings meant to summon eldritch abominations from the dark dimensions. I must constantly struggle to banish these fiends from our world."
"Oh, yeah, I had Sonoda-sensei last year. His tests are a bitch." Kit patted him gently on the shoulder. "The curry should be out in a minute, if you want to make some space."
Soon thereafter, the dinner had been delivered, and she smiled as he leaned over the plate, appreciating the delicious aroma. Akane's gift for cooking was amazing, and their regular customers usually found the time to properly appreciate it in all its forms, even if they never said much directly.
In any case, Kit had to continue her rounds. She stopped by every so often to swap out the spare glass of water — you never served only one glass of water to anyone who ordered the extra spicy stuff — but the simply happiness of a customer (even if he still grumbled over the papers he had on the side) was enough to show a job well done.
~
The small clink of a saucered cup hitting the table grabbed the boy's attention. He blinked in confusion, losing a rather furious scowl, and then frowned up at the waitress.
"Don't look at me like that," admonished Kit. "I know you hate coffee, so I figured you might like to try some chai instead. It's like Indian coffee! Exotic and stuff. Also, soothing after a meal, when you're trying to study. Try it!" She pushed the cup a bit closer, gesturing to encourage him to give it a taste.
He hesitated a bit, but eventually gave in, taking a slow sip from the mug. After a few moments, his entire body seemed to relax as the warmth seeped through him. He finally smiled, and started to speak. "I—"
Kit held her hand up to forestall him, though. "A warrior fighting demons from the underworld must not let those demons set the pace of battle!" she proclaimed, her posture shifting from deferential to confident. "Let go of your worries and fears, and face those abominations head-on, with a calm spirit and a steady mind. You have the strength to defeat this enemy; and if not you alone, then with the aid and support of your friends." She gave him a crooked smile that seemed to carry far too much sympathy and understanding, and was all the more welcome for it.
The boy's stunned look faded, and he smiled in return. "Thank you, Miss... Kit", he said, pausing briefly to confirm her nametag. "You're right. I can do this," he affirmed, looking back at his scattered pile of papers. "We can do this." He started pulling out his cell phone, undoubtedly to make another attempt to contact his missing comrade.
Kit smiled and gave a short bow. "You're always welcome here," she stated, before returning to the restaurant once again.
~~~
"Ugh. I don't know how you can deal with them. I can't understand half of what he said; it was all just nonsense."
Kit's frown went unseen, as the other girl wasn't even looking at her, just fussing with some paperwork behind the counter. The front bell, however, caught her attention and prevented a reply. A smirk crossed Kit's face, though, as she saw the people entering: a tall, thin man speaking on a flip phone, accompanied by a shorter, overweight man with glasses that didn't quite mask a rapid flickering of his eyes over the establishment — a professional evaluation.
"Next customers are yours, Maki," Kit said with false cheerfulness. "I need to take care of some stuff in the back." She turned to enter the kitchen area as the younger girl approached the new arrivals. She could hear a bit of what was being said by the taller man before the door cut them off.
"-re you sure? Understood! El, Psy—"
~~~
Kit finished pulling some tissues and a small make-up case from her locker, setting them on the corner of the table where she'd placed a couple of the more comfortable chairs. Newbies always had so much trouble adjusting, as bizarre as that seemed for girls who were actual, real-life magical girls. She'd just have to help them work through it.
Plus, it was about time to send Maki to train under the Old Master in the Guiana Highlands. Once she had completed her training under Kyou— er, under the Old Master, Kit was sure Maki would be better equipped to deal with a little customer service.
Customer 1: Andou Jurai from When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
Customer 2: Okabe "Okarin" Rintarou (aka "Hououin Kyouma") from Steins;Gate
Customer 3: Hashida Itaru from Steins;Gate
I'd only consider a trial run with black ops if I could get Incubator backing, or at least secure a guarantee that they will wipe minds and clean up records of things go south.
That said, this would be a great way to secure some massive monetary and logistical support, assuming we could pull it off. I really, really doubt @inverted_helix will go for it, though.
Again, meguca do not necessarily have the mental fortitude or inclination to go into espionage. They can say no, and given how useful they are, do you really think something like the NSA would just accept that they can never use this asset for the things it's probably more useful for? Aside from that there's no guarantee of loyalty.
To be frank, yes. They'd have to be both evil and incompetent to do anything else. Notice the vast numbers of cryptographic experts the NSA hasn't kidnapped despite it being much more directly in their purview. Notice, in fact, that the intelligence community is an entirely volunteer workforce. While money is no guarantee of loyalty, it apparently suffices for real people most of the time and I find it hard to imagine a worse guarantee than kidnapping someone you have no ability to contain, which is made worse by the fact that what you want them to do requires that they be trusted with classified information.
Additionally, they cannot detect nor comprehend demon attacks. To the mundanes of the world, every demon attack has a logical explanation that doesn't even appear to require Kyubey's interference to maintain the masquerade. You can't claim that the rustling of leaves on trees is actually the result of trees dancing rather than the wind.
Madoka herself performed the most blatant exploitation of a wish in history, as do the incubators pretty much ever time they convince someone to contract, and she was a seventh-grader. Do you really think that some agent or official won't try to get their daughters(who might have potential) or other young, patriotic girls to make wishes that make their lives easier? That they would give these fresh contracted to the Serenes in good faith rather than train them up to be their own personal soldiers?
Madoka exploited her own wish. I'm not saying no one will try, just that it won't work. Further evidence for this is that PMMM history is mostly the same as real history. Why on earth would someone want to have personal soldiers in Japan? Why on earth would someone risk a loyal personal soldiers working alone when they could just work with us? Again, to do this they would have to be both evil and incompetent.
You deride my cynicism, but isn't it you who's being rainbow-and-sunshine optimistic? It's like you're deliberately not considering basic concepts like human greed when you imagine a government, which in the last hundred years overthrew it's emperor and used his authority to justify and wage a war of conquest on the entire pacific, would have the best interests of a couple teenage girls in mind at all times?
I am being rainbow-and-sunshine optimistic, because first world nations are rainbow-and-sunshine optimistic just by existing. Human greed exists, yes, but you have yet to suggest anything that would actually be cause by that vice, rather than caused by a caricature of an evil government agency.
Conspiracy theories are almost always false and magic doesn't change that.
Regarding the masquerade, I assume Kyubey has contingencies for girls purposefully working to break it, or else someone would have broken it just to spite Kyubey by now.
Regarding the masquerade, I assume Kyubey has contingencies for girls purposefully working to break it, or else someone would have broken it just to spite Kyubey by now.
I assume it's called offering a bounty to either every meguca around who can handle killing, or offering a bounty to a more powerful meguca. Then amnesia.
I assume it's called offering a bounty to either every meguca around who can handle killing, or offering a bounty to a more powerful meguca. Then amnesia.
Well, maybe for low priority cases, but given that "eliminating entire populations via orbital bombardment to eliminate not just the existent demon population but the human population" appears in their list of acceptable experimental protocols, I'm sure it, too, also appears on their threat elimination protocols.
1: We aren't being investigated by the police anymore.
2: Telling government officials sounds like the perfect way to get more police investigations. Government officials do not like strange things that ruin their concept of the universe.
We are hiding from everyone because:
1: The Incubators will kills us if we don't
2: Most people will respond badly, and probably try to put us in some kind of medical facility. They certainly will not accept a shadow power structure.
I agree that the masquerade needs adjustment, but it needs to be slowly. The key I think is to recruit more associates. Teenage mundane girls who have friends who become magical girls. Thus they are tied to the group by loyalty, they get indoctrinated in the cult of secrecy, and they get used to the idea by long habitation at a time when they are still flexible in their world view.
Eventually, the secret of Magical Girls will become a feminine mystery. Men are used to women keeping secrets, so society will absorb this change slowly, over several generations.
Our main concern is getting the Incubators to sign off on such an experiment, with an agreement to mind wipe girls who break the masquerade.
We are hiding from everyone because:
1: The Incubators will kills us if we don't
2: Most people will respond badly, and probably try to put us in some kind of medical facility. They certainly will not accept a shadow power structure.
I agree that the masquerade needs adjustment, but it needs to be slowly. The key I think is to recruit more associates. Teenage mundane girls who have friends who become magical girls. Thus they are tied to the group by loyalty, they get indoctrinated in the cult of secrecy, and they get used to the idea by long habitation at a time when they are still flexible in their world view.
Eventually, the secret of Magical Girls will become a feminine mystery. Men are used to women keeping secrets, so society will absorb this change slowly, over several generations.
Our main concern is getting the Incubators to sign off on such an experiment, with an agreement to mind wipe girls who break the masquerade.
We've been running for a year and a half as of next turn. How old is our oldest girl now?
We should probably grab area 17 asap, as right above it is Aokigahara forest, which is probably swarming with demons. Really, now that there's no pressing concerns in terms of grief seeds or money, we could probably try to set ourselves up as middlemen, buying and selling grief seeds and making a profit on both ends.
OK, we almost always work on the short-term goals: What we want to get done within the next month. However I think we need to take a look at some longer-term stuff, to have an overarching theme for some of our planning.
We're coming up on 30 months, so I'm thinking set goals for our 3-year anniversary at month 36. So, planning for up to 6 months away.
At best, we'll increase our territory size by 8 this turn, if we can recruit areas 10 and 17. I don't think we can expect to incorporate any more territory than that before the 6 month mark, other than maybe the two rural spots. If we do well with the coalition, we might be able to get them to join by the end of the year, but it's not something to plan on for harvest purposes. It's a decent goal to strive for, though.
Goal 1: Get the Coalition to join the Imperium by the end of the year.
Assuming Business is Business succeeds, then we're mainly just allowing our relationship to grow (along with the Gossipmonger contacts). Consider inviting them to the beach event (hold it in the spring). We should not make any move to recruit them unless we have very good relations, and after they actually accept an invitation to one of our events.
Grief cube income. At present, we can probably average 82.5 cubes per month. If we get areas 10 and 17, that can increase to 92 cubes per month.
At our present size, we can buffer about 12 cubes per month, or 6 if we do Fun With Magic (shouldn't do that too often, I think). If we gain the extra territories, that might go up to a buffer of 14 per month, on average.
Either way, we should absolutely aim to have built a buffer of 1.5x our population, and possibly 2x our population, as a cube reserve. That should be manageable in 4 to 6 months, depending on Fun With Magic, as long as we don't splurge too much on other uses. I'd want to actually aim to hit 2x our population before we bring Fun With Magic back to any extent.
Goal 2: Guarantee a minimum reserve of 1.5x our population by the end of the year, with an attempt to reach 2x our population.
We want to improve our relations with our neighbors, and particularly get more info on the area to our north: Kofu. We need more info on what's going on around us.
Goal 3: Scout out and contact the Kofu area. Get more familiar with the Nagoya main and vassal groups.
We need to develop a strong 'value' for our group, from the perspective of what we bring to the table when working with other large groups that try to work against the problem of Class 3 demons. We have two tricks now that we can leverage and develop: tandem magic, and anchored magic.
Tandem magic should be a power our entire group can leverage, to produce fantastically complicated effects. Everyone should be trained in it, both in basic and fusion form. It's a tool that naturally matches our group's unity and trust, that most other groups would have difficulty fully exploiting.
Anchored magic is something we got from Nagoya, but that we can take much further than they have. We want to advance research on standalone magic items, as that opens up a wealth of tools for us to take advantage of.
We can always aim for more, but these two are enough to make the Imperium a major 'brand': Who you go to when you need magic items, and complicated tandem magic.
Goal 4: Complete research on fusion-level tandem magic. Get everyone trained up in all types of tandem magic. Expand research on spell anchoring.
Aside from that, continue focusing on our strengths, and try to build up the things we're good at. Negotiation and arbitration. Shared and accumulated knowledge and experience. Loyalty and legacy. Hope.
Now, what does the above mean for planning?
1) Try to avoid Fun with Magic til the end of the year. Leaving it in this month as a counter-balance to the Tokyo girls joining.
2) Try to crawl back up to morale 4. Build a solid 2x cube reserve. Don't waste cubes on frivolities until we're past the next stepping stone.
3) If we manage recruiting areas 10 and 17, we'll need to add a new set of apartments, or the cramped conditions will be a hindrance to morale. Hopefully income will have gone up as well, to compensate.
4) Training, training, training. Get everyone trained up on tandem casting. This will be ongoing, probably taking 6 months once we open up the Fusion tree.
5) Research, research, research. Lots of ideas have been tossed around for spell anchoring. We need to pick the important ones out and get them working.
6) Our hunting situation is stable, as is our diplomatic situation. Let them remain stable, with minimal focus other than solidifying relations, while we try to build up a solid edge on the tech side.
7) Finish training Kaoru.
Once we get our new efficiency improvements fully in place on hunting (after this month), and aren't spending half a dozen units on diplomacy every turn, we should have plenty of manpower to push several short and long-term research projects. I would be happy if we can finish two long-term projects (Fusion and Speed), and several shorter projects (technology, duration, magic items, etc) by the end of the year.
To go along with that, we also need to improve our monetary income. If we're successful in recruiting areas 10 and 17, I think we can get our net income up to about $7000 per month (after adding the new apartments), while still leaving plenty of meguca for research.
I'm not sure how to amplify our income. Starting a new business is pointless, since we can still easily expand our current businesses. We're just limited on how much we can earn per meguca.
We're several years out from paying off the business loan, and a similar distance from advancing on buying Kyouko's church. Our best bet is probably going to be leveraging the money-making of other groups (such as Nagoya) by trading them cubes for cash. Or selling magic items, once we get a solid handle on that, particularly in conjunction with fusion magic. Actually, those will probably be our best valued service, rather than cubes. We should work towards that.
2.5 years, actually. This is month 30. I think Mami was estimated at around 17 a while back, so she'll probably be 18 by the end of the year. (Yay! She can get a driver's license!)
We've been running for a year and a half as of next turn. How old is our oldest girl now?
We should probably grab area 17 asap, as right above it is Aokigahara forest, which is probably swarming with demons. Really, now that there's no pressing concerns in terms of grief seeds or money, we could probably try to set ourselves up as middlemen, buying and selling grief seeds and making a profit on both ends.
PMMM takes place in spring of 2011, so we're in fall of 2013 now. Mami was in eighth grade at the start of canon, so she'd be 15-16 now, along with Kaoru, Kyouko, and maybe Seto, although Kyouko probably got held back a grade of two since she's been a dropout for so long.
All the other girls are 1-5 years younger than Mami; Yuma is the baby at 10-11.
9th grade, actually. 3rd year middle school. That would make her 14 in spring of 2011, so at winter of 2013, she'd be 16-17. Pretty sure helix mentioned 17 a while back.
2.5 years, actually. This is month 30. I think Mami was estimated at around 17 a while back, so she'll probably be 18 by the end of the year. (Yay! She can get a driver's license!)
I'm assuming that Aokigahara is an anomaly in terms of demon numbers, holding a much higher, and more powerful concentration of demons. Alternatly, it regularly spawns Class 3's. Even with the chance that it turns out to be completly normal, we should still check it out, just in case.
Mami managed to nag Kyouko into going back to school? When was this? I assumed she was one of the ones that didn't go, and she just spend the time eating and playing games.
Also, in the last update the Nagoya group considered $2,000 to be worth 1 point, and 1 GC to be 2 points. Therefore, $4,000=1 Grief Cube. Therefore, if we can get the same deal from them, we could make a profit off of anyone willing to sell a Cube for under $3,900, if we sell that cube right back to Nagoya. I think a lot of girls would be willing to sell a cube for less than that. We should probably get the market I suggested set up this turn if we want to take advantage, as demand is likely to fall after they assault Tokyo again.
Also, in the last update the Nagoya group considered $2,000 to be worth 1 point, and 1 GC to be 2 points. Therefore, $4,000=1 Grief Cube. Therefore, if we can get the same deal from them, we could make a profit off of anyone willing to sell a Cube for under $3,900, if we sell that cube right back to Nagoya. I think a lot of girls would be willing to sell a cube for less than that. We should probably get the market I suggested set up this turn if we want to take advantage, as demand is likely to fall after they assault Tokyo again.
Demand is likely to fall almost immediately, since we gave the harvest tactics info to the Nagoya. They'll start getting more cubes, so their cube:dollar ratio is going down.
They'll probably still pay more for cubes than others, since it seems that have a huge money surplus, but it's likely to be $2000-$3000 per cube, not $4000.
Demand is likely to fall almost immediately, since we gave the harvest tactics info to the Nagoya. They'll start getting more cubes, so their cube:dollar ratio is going down.
They'll probably still pay more for cubes than others, since it seems that have a huge money surplus, but it's likely to be $2000-$3000 per cube, not $4000.
3) If we manage recruiting areas 10 and 17, we'll need to add a new set of apartments, or the cramped conditions will be a hindrance to morale. Hopefully income will have gone up as well, to compensate.
5) Research, research, research. Lots of ideas have been tossed around for spell anchoring. We need to pick the important ones out and get them working.
1: Barrier charms (get us to where we can use IRT consistently - need -1% risk for pack tactics, and -5% risk for pair tactics).
2: Teleport/healing charms (what effect do these have on risk?)
3: Kaoru upbeat song charms - combat grief spirals?
4: Kyouko in a can?
5: Demon attraction charm - increase hunter efficiency
6: Detection charms to better support our dispatch teams, requires determining a way to hold a charge without constant tending, and a way for the magic trigger on a condition
7: Teleport platforms to transport girls between our different bases, to support a larger territory
Money makers:
1: Barrier charms
2: Healing charms
3: Kaoru upbeat songs to combat grief spirals
4: Kaoru song to combat class 3 demon drain
5: Demon aversion charm (keep demons away)
To go along with that, we also need to improve our monetary income. If we're successful in recruiting areas 10 and 17, I think we can get our net income up to about $7000 per month (after adding the new apartments), while still leaving plenty of meguca for research.
I'm not sure how to amplify our income. Starting a new business is pointless, since we can still easily expand our current businesses. We're just limited on how much we can earn per meguca.
Our best bet is probably going to be leveraging the money-making of other groups (such as Nagoya) by trading them cubes for cash. Or selling magic items, once we get a solid handle on that, particularly in conjunction with fusion magic. Actually, those will probably be our best valued service, rather than cubes. We should work towards that.
Mami was in eighth grade at the start of canon, so she'd be 15-16 now, along with Kaoru, Kyouko, and maybe Seto, although Kyouko probably got held back a grade of two since she's been a dropout for so long.
Also, in the last update the Nagoya group considered $2,000 to be worth 1 point, and 1 GC to be 2 points. Therefore, $4,000=1 Grief Cube. Therefore, if we can get the same deal from them, we could make a profit off of anyone willing to sell a Cube for under $3,900, if we sell that cube right back to Nagoya. I think a lot of girls would be willing to sell a cube for less than that. We should probably get the market I suggested set up this turn if we want to take advantage, as demand is likely to fall after they assault Tokyo again.
We should certainly take advantage of an arbitrage opportunities. Maybe our Gossipmonger can keep on the look out for those once we meet up with more large polities.
