In the late afternoon of May 11, though well before dusk, Jin and his party arrived in Fonde.
By the time they reached this area, Jin felt the climate had shifted slightly. It remained dry, but if he had to draw a comparison, it was the difference between humidity levels in the teens and those in the twenties.
"The roofs and eaves are small here, too. I suppose there isn't much rain," he muttered to himself.
"Jin, did you say something?" Reinhard asked.
"No, nothing."
Jin, Reinhard, and Mattheus headed together toward an inn in Fonde.
"Tonight and tomorrow here, and then the day after tomorrow we reach Loizart. It’s been a long journey..." Reinhard said with a nostalgic sigh, wine glass in hand during dinner.
"When exactly did you leave the country, Reinhard?" Mattheus asked, trying to recall.
"Let’s see... it was early last spring, March 1st. It’s been over a year now."
"What do you plan to do when you get back? Will you continue as a diplomat?" Mattheus turned to Jin to explain. "In our country, it is customary for diplomats to have the option to take up a different post for three years once they return home, if they so desire."
"I see," Jin replied, nodding. That made sense; being constantly abroad would surely cause various personal and professional inconveniences.
"Are you getting married once you’re back, Reinhard?"
"Yeah, that’s the plan. I haven't seen Berche in over a year, after all."
Mattheus cut in with a smirk, his face flushed from the wine. "Berche has grown quite beautiful. It’s been six months since I saw her myself, so I’m sure she’s even more of a beauty now."
From the looks of it, Mattheus was a lightweight when it came to alcohol. He had even switched to the more casual ore when referring to himself.
"Yeah, I’m looking forward to it," Reinhard replied. He handled his liquor much better than Mattheus.
That night, Jin retired to his room early to give Reinhard some peace. He then quietly slipped out to the carriage and, alongside Reiko, used the Warp Gate to jump to Hourai Island.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Welcome back, My Lord. Welcome back, Reiko."
Laojun’s voice echoed through the facility to greet them. Jin didn't intend to visit Kaina Village tonight. For one thing, the time difference meant it was already around 11:00 PM there.
"I plan to head to Kaina Village tomorrow morning. I’ll be bringing the balls Roland ordered, so have them ready."
"As you wish. That was one hundred baseballs, one hundred temari balls, and one hundred dodgeballs, correct?"
"That’s right. Do we have the materials?"
"Yes. We have more than enough stock of the gutta-percha mock—the raw rubber from the 'tea trees'."
"Good. Also, I want to teach Elsa how to do it, so set up some sap collection containers on the tea trees in Kaina Village now. We don't need a massive amount, so about three spots should be plenty."
"Understood."
Once he finished giving his instructions, Jin sat down to hear the reports.
"The harassment involving the salt supply to Kaina Village was indeed the work of Earl Walter."
Jin's expression darkened with anger. "That guy again... Do we have proof?"
"Only circumstantial evidence, I’m afraid. His methods are quite sophisticated. He gives orders to subordinates of subordinates, who then hire men in town to do the work. He rarely leaves a trail."
"Hmm. Well, once we have solid proof, we’ll take it to the Kingdom. But it’s irritating to just let him get away with it for now."
As Jin muttered this, Laojun immediately made a suggestion. "Please leave that matter to me. I shall stir things up for him."
It was rare for Laojun to sound so eager. He, too, was clearly incensed by the interference in Kaina Village.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you. I'll be reaching the capital of the Shouro Empire soon, so I might not be able to come back for a couple of days. I’m counting on you."
"Yes. Have a safe journey, My Lord."
With that, Jin returned to Fonde.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next morning, May 12, they departed at 8:00 AM as usual. Jin was allowed to stay in the carriage by himself during the morning hours, which he used to jump once more to Kaina Village.
"Ah, Jin-san! This is a huge help!"
Roland was in high spirits as he received the rubber balls brought by Jin, Reiko, and Butler A. It was just past 10:00 AM here, and Roland assumed Jin had been working on the balls until that very moment.
Roland mentioned he would be staying in Kaina Village for one more day to finalize business. His primary target was the pens being used in the village study sessions. Pens made of metal were light and didn't wear down easily.
He hadn't actually watched the study sessions himself; he had happened to see the village chief, Giebeck, using one and had immediately recognized the potential. He hadn't seen the whiteboards or felt-tip pens yet, but even a metal pen was a revolutionary leap forward in a world where quills were still the standard.
"These metal pens are fantastic! Please, let the Raglann Company distribute them!"
"Sure, that’s fine. The ones you saw are all-in-one models, but wouldn't a version where you can replace just the nib be better?"
Considering the unit price, Jin thought a replaceable nib would be more suitable for the general public. Roland agreed instantly.
"You’re right. In that case, I’d like to order one hundred replaceable pen nibs, fifty pen shafts, and fifty all-in-one pens."
"S-Senior Managing Director! Isn't that too many?"
Beaute, the rookie merchant listening nearby, grew flustered. It was an enormous order to place so suddenly.
"Hmm? It's not that many, is it? We have the sales and the budget. We can certainly afford it."
When Beaute said "too many," he meant they wouldn't be able to produce them in time. When Roland said "not that many," he was referring to the purchase quantity. Their concerns were completely misaligned.
"Don't worry, we'll have them ready," Jin replied, looking over at Elsa. "Elsa can make them, too."
Elsa walked briskly to Jin's side. "Mm. I'll help."
"Yeah, I’m going to teach her properly so everything will be fine even if Roland-san visits when I’m not around."
"Mm. Leave it to me."
With that, Jin and Elsa entered the workshop.
Elsa was already proficient at making pens out of light silver 64. However, they were using phosphor bronze this time, as light silver wasn't mined in the village.
"First, I'll show you how to create the phosphor bronze."
It consisted of nine percent tin, 0.15 percent phosphorus, and the rest copper. It was strong and possessed excellent elasticity, often used for things like electrical contacts. The company Jin used to work for had handled it frequently.
"Alloying."
Phosphorus was often found as an impurity in iron. Jin had been saving the phosphorus he had separated via Extraction during his iron smelting process.
In an instant, about ten kilograms of phosphor bronze was ready. Then came the manufacturing of the pen nibs. Jin had Elsa focus on making the fifty all-in-one pens.
"Forming."
Under Elsa's hands, the phosphor bronze shifted, taking the shape of a pen.
"Good, you’ve got it. Keep going like that."
"Mm."
Once Jin confirmed Elsa had mastered the technique, he began working on the pen nibs. Since they were small, one might have thought they required very little bronze, but Elsa’s eyes widened as she watched him work.
Jin was making ten pen nibs at once. To be precise, he was creating a central "runner"—much like the frame for plastic model parts—with ten nibs branching off it.
"Amazing... So this is Jin-nii..."
Elsa, who had been feeling proud of her own progress, realized she still had a long way to go after witnessing Jin’s efficiency. However, she wasn't discouraged; she had the drive to work harder.
At least... I should be able to do two.
Elsa concentrated her magical power and mental image, focusing on creating a shape where two all-in-one pens were joined at the end of their shafts.
"Forming..."
She succeeded brilliantly.
"I did it!"
Her voice, usually quiet but now overflowing with joy, made Jin turn around. He looked at the pens she had produced.
"Oh! That’s impressive, Elsa!"
Elsa’s cheeks flushed at the praise.
"Keep it up."
"Mm."
The pens made as single units were detached using Separation and fine-tuned for completion. Finally, they produced fifty pen shafts out of hardwood. In less than an hour, the entire order was finished.