The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Jin and the others finally headed out to explore the city.
The capital of Borgia was organized into a three-layered structure.
At the very center stood the royal castle, the residence of the King of Elias, Blitzen Skala Elias XII. This was where his ministers lived and where the affairs of state were conducted.
The first layer surrounding the castle was the noble district, which extended beyond the sturdy inner walls. It featured the secondary villas of the various nobles and a row of high-end shops, all enclosed by another outer wall.
The second layer, outside the noble district's walls, was the commoner district. This area was home to wealthy merchants, skilled craftsmen, and shops catering to the general public.
The third layer, spreading beyond the commoner district, was comprised of farmlands. This served as the residential area for farmers and those who could not afford to live within the city proper.
Jin, Reiko, Elsa, and Reinhard were currently traveling through the noble district in an open, two-horse carriage. While the view was excellent, the slight dustiness of the road was a minor inconvenience.
"How do you like it, Jin?"
Setting aside the dust, Jin had been looking around restlessly for a while, as if everything he saw was a marvel. To any observer, he looked exactly like a tourist from the countryside.
Well, considering this was the first noble district he had seen since being summoned to this world, his reaction was understandable.
"Ah, yeah. It’s quite a sight."
"Isn't it? Many of the buildings here date back to before the Great Magic War. While the population declined during the war, this country has many old buildings left because it managed to stay out of the direct line of fire."
In terms of Earth's architecture, the style was somewhat reminiscent of Gothic design. It was characterized by stone structures topped with numerous pointed spires. It looked almost excessively ornamental.
However, because the buildings were aged, the ostentatious decorations had lost their sharpness, resulting in an overall aesthetic that felt well-balanced.
When Jin shared these impressions, Reinhard looked impressed.
"Yeah, you’ve got a sharp eye, Jin. I agree. Architecture built after the war became purely utilitarian and is often called quite bland. Compared to that, this style possesses a certain aesthetic beauty..."
Reinhard, caught up in his enthusiastic explanation, suddenly noticed Elsa's piercing gaze. Remembering the events of the previous day, he immediately fell silent.
"Let's head to the tailor first," Reinhard said, giving an order to the coachman.
The coachman skillfully navigated the carriage, turning a corner off the main street to stop in front of a tailor's shop.
"Come, Jin. You too, Lady Reiko."
"Eh? I don't really have any business with a tailor."
Ignoring his protest, Reinhard insisted, "Now, don't say that," and led Jin into the shop.
"Lord Reinhard, welcome. We've been expecting you."
The proprietor appeared immediately to greet them.
"Yeah, I'm a day late, but I'm here. Is it ready?"
"Yes, it is finished. Is this the gentleman who will be wearing it?"
The proprietor looked at Jin, who was standing beside Reinhard. Reinhard nodded in confirmation.
"In that case, please follow me."
The proprietor attempted to lead Jin toward the back of the shop.
"H-Hey, Reinhard."
"Just go with him. It'll be fine."
Left with little choice, Jin followed the man into the back, still confused.
"Hey... this is..."
When Jin emerged a short while later, he was wearing a magnificent coat.
Originally, Jin's outfit consisted of black trousers, a white shirt, and a beige vest—the typical attire of an average commoner.
Of course, given that the materials were all woven from Ground Spider silk, the outfit was technically worth enough to buy a house, making the term "average" a bit of a stretch.
That aside, Jin was now wearing a luxurious coat over his usual clothes.
"It suits you very well, Father," Reiko praised.
The coat was a dark grey with a slight purple tint. It reached down to his knees and featured a large collar with silver decorative buttons. An ornate letter 'J' was embroidered on the chest.
"It's a gift from me. This is the coat typically worn by a professional magi craftman. Wearing this will ensure you aren't being disrespectful when appearing before other nobles."
Reinhard added that it would be useful during the journey ahead.
"Even though spring is almost here, it'll get colder as we head north."
Since Reinhard put it that way, Jin felt he had to accept it graciously.
"I understand. Thank you, Reinhard. But how did you know my size?"
The moment he asked, Jin realized the answer was obvious. Reinhard was also a first-class magi craftman. He could easily estimate clothing sizes just by looking at someone's silhouette.
"Now then, let's finally see the city in earnest!"
Led by Reinhard, the group left the carriage and walked into a jeweler's shop two doors down.
The jeweler handled jewelry made with magi-crystals in addition to standard gemstones—a consideration Reinhard had made so that both Elsa and Jin would find something of interest.
"Hoh."
Unlike modern Earth, there were no glass showcases. Instead, rough stones, loose gems, and finished jewelry were displayed on luxuriously decorated shelves.
Jin, who knew he lacked a refined design sense, made sure to memorize the designs he liked, while also quietly asking Reiko to remember them just in case.
"Ah, this stone has a beautiful color. It's the spitting image of Elsa's eye color, isn't it?"
Jin's eyes had stopped on a light blue stone among the loose gems. Elsa, who had been looking at a different shelf some distance away, turned around.
The thumb-sized stone was a pale light blue that revealed a deeper blue depending on the angle. It had been shaped into an oval cabochon cut, looking perfect for a pendant.
"Let's see... ho, this is a fine piece."
Reinhard peered over Jin's shoulder and muttered his approval. He then called the shopkeeper over and announced his intention to buy it.
"My, my, customer, you have a keen eye. This aquamarine was imported from the Leonard Kingdom."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper put on a glove inscribed with a magi-formula and picked up the stone.
I see, Jin thought. He realized that even without a showcase, the items were protected by a barrier that prevented ordinary people from touching them.
Without a glove inscribed with the corresponding magi-formula or something similar, one couldn't touch the stones on the shelves.
Of course, it would be a different story for someone with enough magical power to overwhelm the barrier. In other words, it was possible for Jin or Reiko. Not that they would dream of doing so.
The price was 120,000 Toll. Reinhard paid in cash on the spot.
"It's almost Elsa's birthday, after all," he said, tucking the wrapped stone carefully into his inner pocket.
Next, they visited a magic tool shop.
Jin had been worried that Elsa might be bored, but perhaps because of the aquamarine Reinhard had just bought for her birthday, she didn't complain.
"Hmm, this is quite an elaborate piece of work."
Jin was examining a light-producing magic tool. He was suddenly reminded of Beena, the young magi craftman he had met in Blue Land.
The way the magi-formula is used is somewhat similar, he thought. He checked the creator's name: "Gladia Hampton."
Remembering that she was the magi craftman Beena had apprenticed under, he turned to Reinhard.
"Do you know this magi craftman?"
"Gladia Hampton? Ah, she makes decent enough things, but her work lacks that extra bit of brilliance," Reinhard replied with a somewhat harsh evaluation.
"More importantly, look at this. What do you think of this one?"
Jin recognized the item Reinhard was pointing at immediately. It was a refrigerator.
"......"
While Jin hesitated, wondering how to respond, Reinhard offered his own opinion.
"I think it’s a brilliant idea. It’s quite impressive that they used a magi-stone as the power source instead of a magi-crystal."
"Well, yeah."
"What's wrong? That's a pretty noncommittal answer for you, Jin. Look, it likely creates ice in this section to cool the interior. Once the ice is made, the device doesn't need to run again until the ice melts. It’s very well-thought-out. I’m tempted to buy one to take home."
"Ah—yeah."
"Seriously, what is it? Though, I do wonder why they installed the magi-device on the top? It would be much easier to scale it up if it were at the bottom."
"Ah, that's because cold air is heavy and sinks. That's why the cooling unit has to be at the top."
When Jin answered instinctively, Reinhard looked at him with a sudden flash of realization.
"Jin... could it be that you're the one who invented this?"
Since he had been backed into a corner, Jin could no longer hide the truth. He simply nodded and said, "Yes."