"Is this..."
"Oh, this? It’s a dish we recently started making here in Toka Village called 'Pashta.' You knead wheat flour, roll it into thin rounds, and then stretch it out..."
"Huh?"
According to Lishia's explanation, they made it by stretching each individual strand by hand. Looking closer, the strands varied slightly in thickness, reminiscent of handmade udon cut by an amateur's hand. That in itself was fine, but...
"...It’s a shame."
The sauce served with it didn't match the noodles at all.
It was topped with something like a lightly flavored, sweet-and-sour thickened glaze. Jin thought that while some might enjoy such a flavor, it certainly wasn't for everyone. At the very least, it wasn't to his taste.
It wasn't inedible, but the balance was poor. He had the feeling it would have tasted much better served over fried noodles rather than pasta.
"...Spices, huh."
Pepper existed in this world, but much like on Earth, it was harvested in the south. It was also similarly difficult to cultivate from seeds; it was usually grown from cuttings.
Jin didn't know the exact cultivation methods himself, but since Hourai Island was subtropical, pepper cultivation was possible. He had recently acquired some via the Quinta and started growing it.
That aside, Jin mused while eating his Pashta that if they could find a spice to replace pepper, it might become a specialty of Toka Village.
After lunch, Jin immediately began searching for hot spring veins. His restless nature made him dislike sitting still, and Lishia and Saki, who both came from commoner backgrounds, found it easy to keep up with his pace.
Elsa, having lived with Jin for a fair amount of time, had grown accustomed to his rhythm and followed along without trouble.
However, the trek proved a bit taxing for Berche, who had been raised as a proper lady. Jin told her not to push herself, but she insisted on coming along, claiming she was fine.
"Grand Search."
Toka Village, which had no nearby volcanoes, had fewer hot spring veins than Kaina Village. However, after searching diligently, Jin found one that seemed to have a decent volume of water.
"Ah, I found a good one."
"Really? That’s wonderful!"
Lishia hopped with joy upon hearing the result.
"While I was at it, I also found a copper vein nearby..."
"Copper? Is it easy to mine?"
There are several types of copper ore, but the deposit here appeared to be chalcopyrite. It was an important source of copper.
"It's near the surface, so it should be easy. You should try mining it when you have the resources to spare."
"Thank you so much!"
The tax system of the Klein Kingdom was structured such that the villagers paid the lord, and the lord paid the state. Since the amount the lord paid the state was determined by the population and a fixed tax rate, any increase in the territory's income directly translated to a better life for the villagers.
If a new copper mine were established, Toka Village's income would rise. While it wasn't exactly a unique specialty, it gave Lishia an immediate goal to work toward.
But for now, the priority was the hot spring.
"In that case, let's have it built here."
Braak, the Village Chief of Toka Village, decided on the location. It was beside a small river.
Lishia had called him over to oversee the hot spring's construction. Several other young men and children were also watching with great curiosity to see what Jin would do.
"Elsa, this is also an application of earth magic."
Jin explained as he activated his magic.
"Dig."
Using magic meant for excavation, Jin proceeded to hollow out a pool, a bathtub, drainage channels, and a settling pond for waste water.
Observing a task different from his usual crafting, Elsa took an interest in the procedure and memorized the steps.
However, she didn't realize that even for a touch-based activation, Jin was likely the only one capable of digging a hole dozens of meters deep in a single burst.
Unaware of this, Jin continued working at his own pace.
Following the same procedure he had used in Kaina Village, the hot spring was completed in no time.
The spring here was a simple thermal spring—colorless, transparent, and without the smell of sulfur. The temperature was around fifty degrees Celsius, so there was no need to cool it with water. If left to collect in the pool, it would naturally reach an ideal temperature.
"Now all that's left is to have a shed built over it."
"Yes! We'll take care of that part! Village Chief, I'm counting on you. I'll provide the daily wages, so... Village Chief?"
Village Chief Braak, witnessing Jin’s mastery for the first time, stood rooted to the spot in sheer shock. Lishia called out to him again.
"Village Chief!"
"...H-Huh! Yes! Ah, right, so we just need to put a roof over it and enclose the area, correct?"
"Yes. Please let the villagers use it. I'll leave the management to you."
Lishia had no intention of micromanaging the details from the start. It was her own idea to pay daily wages from her startup funds to stimulate the village's economy.
"Understood. Let's get to work immediately."
"Jin-san, thank you very much!"
After returning to the Mansion, Lishia bowed to Jin.
"So, what should I give you as a reward, Jin-san?"
"No, if you ask the person themselves..."
"No, I want to have an honest relationship with you, Jin-san."
Being told that so bluntly, Jin couldn't offer a half-hearted answer. He pulled from his knowledge of when he used to work on Earth.
Since I'm an engineer, let's say about 5,000 yen per hour, so 20,000 yen for four hours. For travel time, at 2,000 yen per hour for a ten-hour round trip, that's 20,000 yen. Plus 10,000 yen as a business trip allowance—that’s roughly 50,000 yen. In Toll, that would be about 5,000 Toll.
"In that case, 5,000 Toll."
"Eh?"
Lishia couldn't believe her ears. Hiring a typical freelance magi—such as a magi craftsman or a healer—usually cost no less than 10,000 Toll per day. She had expected that someone of Jin's status as a Magi Craft Meister would demand at least 50,000 Toll.
However, Jin took Lishia's reaction the opposite way.
"Ah... was that a bit too expensive?"
Elsa and Bell couldn't interject, as they generally didn't handle such financial transactions themselves and didn't know the market rates.
"N-No, quite the opposite! I was wondering if it was really okay for it to be that cheap..."
"Ah... since it's you, Lishia, consider it a 'friend price'..."
Jin quickly covered his tracks. But Lishia was even more delighted than Jin expected upon hearing those words.
"I-Is that so!...A friend! Hehe, thank you very much!"
Elsa looked back and forth between Lishia and Jin's faces and let out a small sigh.
They were to stay the night in Toka Village.
Since there was still some time before sunset, Jin took Reiko as his companion and went for a stroll through the village.
"Hey, don't dawdle, newbie!"
"Honestly, you're such a klutz."
When Jin looked toward the voices, he saw a military outpost.
A soldier who looked like a boy of sixteen or seventeen was being shoved around by his seniors.
"Hey, hurry up and bring those."
Cradling five people's worth of bundles, the young soldier followed behind the seniors, wobbling under the weight.
Just before they reached the barracks, one of the soldiers walking ahead kicked a log in front of the boy.
With his vision blocked by the luggage, the boy tripped over it and fell. Naturally, the bundles he was carrying scattered everywhere.
"S-Sorry..."
"Geez, you dropped the gear. Now it's all dirty."
"I am very sorry."
"You're skipping dinner tonight."
With those cold words, the soldiers walking ahead picked up their own luggage, wiped the mud off them using one of the scattered bundles, and entered the barracks.
"...That’s terrible."
It seemed that seniority-based bullying existed everywhere. Unable to just watch, Jin went over to the young soldier.
"Are you all right?"
Seeing that the boy was having trouble standing, likely having hit his knee when he fell, Jin used his magic.
"Cure."
Jin could only use beginner-level healing magic, but it proved sufficient.
"Th-Thank you. It feels much better now."
The boy said as he stood up, thanked Jin, and picked up his luggage.
"Ah, wait a moment."
Seeing the gear that had mud smeared all over it by the four seniors, Jin told the boy to wait.
"Cleanup."
It was a craft magic used to remove dirt. Seeing the luggage become spotless, the boy bowed his head again.
"Thank you very much! I—er, this one—is called Fred. I became a soldier this year!"
"Fred, is it? I'm Jin."
"Jin-dono, then. Are you from this village, Jin-dono?"
"No, I live in Kaina Village, which is north of here."
"Eh? Kaina Village?...Jin... b-by any chance, are you Lord Jin Nidou!?"
"Yeah, that’s right..."
Since he had been assigned to Toka Village right next door, he must have heard quite a bit about Jin. Fred became flustered and nearly dropped the luggage he was holding.
"P-Please excuse me!"
Fred performed a most respectful salute while skillfully holding onto the luggage, then scrambled away into the barracks in a panic.
Even after returning to Lishia's Mansion, Jin remained concerned about the boy named Fred.
When a new member is added to an established group, trouble often occurs until they manage to fit in. Jin figured that would be even more true for a group like soldiers, where stress tended to build up.
Even at the orphanage where Jin had lived, it took time for new children to be accepted. It varied by individual, of course; some were fast and others were slow.
Since Jin had been the longest-serving and eldest at the orphanage, he had seen many such new children and had always looked out for them. That ingrained habit was likely what made him worry about Fred.
"Jin-dono, is something the matter?"
When Gloria called out to him during dinner, Jin told her and Lishia about what he had seen that evening.
"Hmm, half of the garrison was replaced today, but for something like that to happen..."
Having been a former instructor, Gloria wore a look of intense displeasure after hearing the story.
"I will make sure to give them a subtle warning," Lishia promised as well.