The next morning.
"Jin, are you in?"
After breakfast, the Village Chief arrived at Martha’s house.
"Yes?"
"Ah, Jin. Do you have a moment?"
"Sure, what is it?"
The Village Chief smiled. "It's nothing major. Roland, the traveling merchant staying at my place, mentioned he wanted to speak with you."
"Is that so? That's fine with me."
"I see. Well then, shall we head over now?"
And so, Jin set off for the Village Chief’s house.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Roland, the traveling merchant. I apologize for requesting your presence so suddenly."
"I am his son, Erik. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."
Roland and Erik were waiting inside. As soon as Jin entered, they offered him polite, professional greetings. This level of etiquette was to be expected from merchants.
"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Jin Nidou."
The three of them took their seats around the table, with the Village Chief joining them. Soon, a young woman arrived carrying tea.
"Here you go."
"Ah, thank you, Barbara."
She's the Village Chief's niece, if I recall correctly, Jin thought idly, but he quickly focused his attention on the men in front of him.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Jin asked, getting straight to the point.
Roland was the one who answered.
"It is nothing too serious, really... It’s just that, when I visited this village two months ago, there were certain things here that didn't exist then. They caught my eye this time."
"Ah, the hot spring?"
"Indeed. That, and the pump—that device for drawing up water. Was it truly you who crafted it?"
"I did. Is there a problem?"
Seeing Jin’s wary expression, Roland waved his hands dismissively.
"Ah, no, Master Jin. It’s only because you are so young. To be a magi craftman at your age... I was wondering where you might have studied."
"A magi craftman?"
It was a term Jin had never heard before. He had inherited the title of Magi Craft Meister, but the name "magi craftman" was new to him.
"Oh? You aren't familiar with the term? That is surprising. 'Magi craftman' is the general term for those who use magic to manufacture tools."
"I see."
Sensing Jin’s lukewarm response, Roland shifted the topic.
"That reminds me, I heard you came here from elsewhere?"
This was a topic Jin actually wanted to explore, so he jumped on it.
"Yes. In fact, I happened to find a Warp Gate and was apparently transported by it. Because of that, I don't know exactly where I came from, or even where the place I should return to is located."
"A Warp Gate? I believe I've heard that name before... Erik, do you know it?"
"I recall learning that an artifact by that name existed," Erik said, speaking up for the first time since his greeting. "It was said to allow travel between two distant points."
"The boy was at the Cecilio Magic Academy until last year," Roland added, looking somewhat proud. "He knows a thing or two about magic."
"Well, I suppose it was an artifact, but it seems it went haywire. When I came to, I was collapsed near this village. I've been living here ever since Martha, who's looking after me now, picked me up."
Jin glossed over the finer details, but it wasn't entirely a lie. Erik nodded sympathetically.
"That sounds like a real disaster. There is much about artifacts that we still don't understand, so I suppose such things can happen."
Roland took over the conversation again. "Does that mean you truly don't know where your homeland is located?"
"That's right. Even if I say 'Nihon,' I doubt you've heard of it, right?"
"Nihon, you say? It’s true that I’ve never heard of such a place. Is that where you're from?"
"Yes, it's my home."
Roland crossed his arms, falling into deep thought. While he was occupied, Erik spoke up.
"In that case, Master Jin, is it safe to assume that the magic you use and the tools you make are things from your homeland?"
"That's correct."
When Jin nodded, Erik’s eyes lit up with excitement. "That's incredible! That pump... I would dearly love for you to teach me how to make it!"
Roland quickly chided him. "Now, now, don't get ahead of yourself. Master Jin, we are willing to pay an information fee. Would you be willing to teach us the structure and construction method of the 'pump'?"
Jin considered the offer. He didn't have any particular objection to teaching them. However, he wanted the village to benefit from the deal if possible.
"I see. By the way, what kind of information fee were you thinking? Also, I'm not familiar with the local currency, so I'd appreciate it if you could explain that as well."
"I see. That makes sense. For the information, how does 100,000 Toll sound? In the common currency of the Allied Kingdoms, one copper coin is 1 Toll, a silver coin is 100 Toll, and a gold coin is 10,000 Toll. Ten kilograms of wheat costs roughly 300 Toll, or three silver coins."
Jin did some quick mental math. Allowing for market fluctuations, if wheat was the baseline, 1 Toll was worth roughly 10 yen. That would put the fee at about one million yen.
"I'll give you an answer, but first, I have one more question. Does the concept of a 'patent' exist in this country?"
"A 'patent'? What is that?"
From Roland's response, Jin guessed the system didn't exist here.
"A patent is a system to protect the rights of the person who first invented something. For a certain period, anyone who wants to use that invention has to pay a 'royalty' to the person who holds the patent."
Roland listened, then hummed thoughtfully.
"I see. That is an excellent system. It protects the profits of the inventor while still allowing the invention to be used widely. It would certainly encourage people to create new things."
As expected of a merchant, he was quick to grasp the economic implications. But he shook his head.
"Unfortunately, no such system exists here."
"I see. That's a shame."
"Then..."
Roland’s face fell, but Jin continued.
"I’ll sell you the information under those terms. However, I have one condition."
"Wh-What is it!?" Roland asked, his hope renewed.
"I want you to put your name, or something identifying, on every pump you make. Ideally, something that can’t be easily forged."
"I see. Differentiation from imitations, then."
Roland was quick on the uptake.
"Exactly. Sooner or later, knock-offs and similar products will start circulating. I want people to know that the originals come from you, Roland."
"Fufu, though the true original belongs to you, Master Jin."
"If you want to get technical, in my country, it's impossible to tell who the 'original' was anymore."
And so, the contract was settled. Erik was put in charge of learning the process. The plan was for Jin to manufacture one pump as a demonstration and then hand it over as a sample.
That very afternoon, Jin used the last of the village's bronze to perform the demonstration.
Throughout the rest of the day, a certain voice could be heard echoing from Jin’s workshop.
"Wh-What in the world... What kind of technique is that!?"
Erik’s shocked cries didn't stop until evening.