After finishing the construction of the cold storage room, Jin returned to Martha's house.
During lunch, Mine had mentioned that she had something she wanted to discuss with him.
"So, what's on your mind?"
In the dining room of Martha's house, Jin, Mine, Elsa, Martha, and Hanna sat face-to-face.
"Yes. To be frank, Elsa and I would like to live in this village."
"What?"
The sudden proposal caught Jin off guard.
"I have spoken with Martha-san, and she has agreed to let us stay in this house."
Following Mine's words, Martha continued the explanation.
"We talked about many things. Mine-san mentioned that she can read and write. I thought that once she gets used to the village, she could eventually teach the children how to do the same."
Jin nodded in understanding.
"Ah, that's a great idea. There's certainly no downside to being literate."
"I am also skilled at mending, so I believe I can manage by doing dressmaking and other tailoring work," Mine added, concluding that she could help out in various other ways as well. Finally, she said, "It would weigh heavily on my heart to remain under your care as mother and daughter indefinitely."
"Wow! Auntie, are you going to stay at our house forever?"
Hanna, who had been listening silently until now, cried out in excitement.
"Yes, that's right. Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah! I'm so happy! Is Big Sis staying too?"
"Yes, she is. Right, Elsa?"
"N. Of course."
Perhaps they had discussed it beforehand, as Elsa answered immediately.
Jin watched the two of them with a warm smile.
"I see. If you two have decided, then I have nothing to say against it. In fact, I'll support you however I can."
"Thank you very much, Jin-sama."
"Thank you, Jin-nii."
"In that case, things are going to get busy. First, we need to bring your luggage over. And then, I suppose we'll need to tidy up the rooms?"
When Jin said this, Martha replied with a chuckle.
"Jin, I'll take care of preparing the rooms, so you go and bring their things over."
"Understood."
And so, Jin and Mine went back to Kunlun Island to retrieve their belongings. Reiko, naturally, accompanied them. Elsa stayed behind to wait with Hanna.
Using Koma and another golem horse, they went to the shelter and jumped to Kunlun Island via Hourai Island. Mine immediately began packing.
That said, they didn't have many belongings yet. It amounted to about three travel bags' worth in total.
"I've kept you waiting, Jin-sama."
Seeing her carrying large bags in both hands and another on her back, Jin said, "Reiko, help her with one," and he stepped in and took one of the bags from Mine, practically insisting on it.
"I'm sorry, thank you so much."
Mine looked apologetic, but Jin just smiled and carried the luggage. It was quite heavy, but his pride wouldn't let him show the strain on his face.
Once they returned to Kaina Village, the golem horses were waiting at the shelter, making the rest of the trip easy.
By the time they reached Martha's house, the room had already been cleaned. It was the room that Martha's son and his wife used to use.
Incidentally, the room Jin used was the guest room. Hanna had been sharing a room with Martha since her parents passed away.
With Reiko's help, the unpacking was finished in no time.
"If there's anything else you need, just let me know," Jin said.
Mine nodded happily. "Yes, I'll be counting on you then."
Elsa also looked somewhat relieved.
Since the household had suddenly grown, Jin worried that the stockpiles of wheat and barley might run low, so he returned to Hourai Island alone. Reiko, of course, was with him.
"Hmm, just in case something happens, maybe I should provide them with a dedicated golem."
Jin’s usual inventive streak was already kicking in.
He built one golem with the same specifications as the maid golems, but he decided to apply some custom modifications.
The primary change was increasing its combat capabilities for emergencies. Specifically, he installed a Paralyzer in the right hand and a Magi-Jammer in the left.
Additionally, the golem could use Shock and Induction, which Jin had mistakenly categorized as "Stun" effects for the longest time.
It was also equipped with a Stealth function and a magic barrier. Naturally, it had a built-in manacam.
Its clothes were the standard uniform for Hourai Island's maid golems—fabric woven from ground spider silk.
For the eyes, he used magi-obsidian like Reiko's, making them black.
"Just like with Reiko, magi-obsidian has both Light and Darkness attributes. Because it leans toward Darkness, it's actually perfect for receiving light—in other words, for 'seeing.'"
Muttering to himself as he worked, Jin finished the customizations.
"Wake up. I name you... 'Sara'."
"Yes, Master. I am Sara."
It was a perfectly fine name for a female-model golem, but the fact that he had actually named her after a plate—a sara—was a secret Jin kept strictly to himself.
"Alright. Sara, go to the warehouse and bring one bag each of wheat and barley."
"Understood."
Thanks to the Trans Info, Sara already knew her way around Hourai Island and headed straight for the warehouse.
Recently, Laojun had ordered some of the Quinta to work on food stockpiling, so the inventory of grains was quite abundant.
"Master, you've returned?"
Anne arrived on the scene.
"Have you received the report from Laojun?"
When asked, Jin shook his head.
"No, nothing yet."
"I see. It is not an emergency, but I have several reports. How would you like to proceed?"
"Hmm, let's see. If it's not urgent, I'm going back to Kaina Village now, so I'll hear them when I return."
Anne nodded at Jin's words.
"Understood. I shall review the materials in the meantime."
She left the room as Jin called out to her.
"Yeah, please do."
Just as Anne left, Sara returned. She was carrying bags of wheat and barley on each shoulder.
"Alright, let's head out."
Back at Martha's house, the family gave wry smiles when they saw that Jin had gone out of his way to bring grain.
"You're quite diligent, Jin. But since you went to the trouble, I'll accept it."
Martha didn't strictly need it, but Jin judged that having the extra food would prevent Mine and Elsa from feeling like a burden.
"Also, while I was at it, I made a dedicated maid golem."
With that, Jin introduced Sara.
"My name is Sara. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Goodness, what a development. You really don't know when to quit, do you, Jin?"
"I-I am honored."
Martha's wry smile deepened. Mine also hadn't expected that she, a former lady's maid herself, would end up having a maid of her own, even if it was a golem. Hanna's eyes were wide with surprise.
After some discussion, they decided on the priority for the command rights. Setting aside the creator, Jin, as an exception, they settled on Martha, then Mine, then Elsa, and finally Hanna.
"But a lady's maid... it's just like you to go that far, Jin," Martha remarked.
"Well, she can handle heavy labor and chores."
Because of the customizations, she had 1.5 times the strength of the Five-Colored Golem Maids. Normally she would be restricted to about twice the strength of a human, but her maximum output was closer to ten times that.
One wouldn't be able to imagine it from her appearance.
"Well, I suppose I'll have her watch the house then," Martha said with a laugh, thinking it would be convenient for greeting guests while she was away working in the fields.
It was a virtue of Kaina Village that even when things became convenient, the people did not allow themselves to become lazy.
"Think of it as a housewarming gift from me," Jin said, laughing as well.
Next, he proceeded to perform maintenance and upgrades on Hanna's Mint. Elsa watched the process with great interest, while Hanna and Mine observed Sara.
"Is that part the countermeasure against Master-Slave Rewrite Magic?" Elsa asked.
"Yeah, that's right. It's not just the humanoid golems; I'd hate for the golem horses to be hijacked too."
"N. That was terrible. Measures should be taken."
Having experienced the damage firsthand, Elsa nodded deeply.
"Alright, that's done. Also, Elsa, I'm leaving this golem horse here for your use, so please give it a name."
As he said this, he pointed to a golem horse made of cupronickel.
"Eh? It's mine?"
Jin nodded. Elsa's face flushed slightly with joy.
"Then... 'Snow'."
And so, she named it.