The next morning, Jin decided to return to Kaina Village.
"Jin-san, thank you for everything. I look forward to working with you in the future."
"Jin-dono, my thanks for the sword!"
Kaina Village’s back mountain yielded a small amount of adamantite, which Jin had used to reinforce and strengthen an ordinary sword. Because of that, what had once been a mere iron blade had been reborn as a masterpiece for the ages.
Suddenly, Jin was struck by the thought that people might be the same.
He, who had been a regular person, had inherited the knowledge of Adriana Barbora Tsetse and become a Magi Craft Meister. Ordinary people were the same. Perhaps that boy soldier, Fred, would also change if he found something to take pride in. It might be knowledge, or perhaps martial arts.
Jin felt more certain than ever that education was the key to unearthing buried talent and putting it to use for the good of the world.
＊ ＊ ＊
It was just before noon when they arrived back at Kaina Village. Golem horses were truly convenient.
"Now then, I can't just focus on the neighboring village; I have to get to work here as well," Jin muttered as soon as he reached Nidou Castle.
"Jin-sama, have you thought of something?" Berche asked. She was working hard to gain knowledge that might serve as a reference for Reinhard’s territorial management.
"I’ve been thinking for a long time about what it actually means to enrich one’s life," Jin replied honestly.
"To enrich one’s life..."
"Doesn't it just mean having lots of things?" Saki offered, listening in.
"...I feel like it's not just about things," Elsa added.
Jin decided to move the conversation to the conference room. Before their discussion, they had lunch. Belle brought out freshly baked bread, the loaves risen with yeast.
"Mm, this is delicious."
The taste was comparable to what he had eaten back on modern Earth. No, since it was made with completely natural ingredients, contained no unnecessary additives, and had the handmade touch, this might actually be superior. It had a deep flavor even without butter or jam.
Food wasn't just about obtaining nutrition. A meal that brought no joy to the palate was a dull thing. Having spent time with children at the orphanage, Jin knew this well. Children were more honest than adults, who had learned the necessity of endurance. A delicious meal brightened the face of the one eating it, which was proof that their spirits had brightened as well.
Because Jin held such convictions, he wanted to pursue the "richness of food."
"The richness of food, huh?" Saki was the first to agree when Jin made his proposal during the post-lunch meeting. "I’m in favor. Humans can't live without eating. Improving the quality of those meals will surely lead to enrichment."
"Yeah. In my world, there’s a saying: 'When food and clothing are sufficient, one knows etiquette.'"
"'When food and clothing are sufficient, one knows etiquette,' you say... Does that mean that only after one has enough to wear and enough to eat can they learn manners and moderation?"
Berche’s interpretation was correct, and Jin nodded deeply.
"I think it’s not just a matter of quantity—being able to eat without lack—but also a simultaneous need for satisfying flavor."
"...Meaning that even if you eat a lot of something disgusting, you won't be satisfied?" Elsa grasped the meaning of Jin’s words.
"Exactly. In other words, while we increase the production volume of agricultural products, we should also improve their quality and refine methods for preservation and processing."
Everyone nodded; they understood what Jin wanted to say.
"There's a 'cold storage room' in this village, isn't there? I’m thinking of building one in Kalts Village as well. Would that be alright?"
Cold storage rooms were effective for preservation. Ice and snow could also be created with magic.
"Of course....I'd like to make refrigerators common as well."
"The price of magi-crystals and magi-stones will be the issue there," Saki pointed out. When commoners tried to acquire magic tools, the bottleneck was always the price of mana materials like magi-crystals and magi-stones.
"...In the end, it all comes back to the energy problem..."
As Jin let out that murmur, Saki voiced a sudden thought as well. "It would be great if we could just make magi-crystals."
Jin jumped at Saki’s casual remark. "Saki, that’s it!"
"Eh?"
"I wonder if we can produce magi-crystals artificially?"
"What did you say?"
Even to an alchemist like Saki, Jin’s proposal sounded outrageous. Whether it was food or anything else, nothing could begin without using energy. Even on modern Earth, the energy problem was dire. Rising gasoline prices and electricity bills were painful expenses for the average person.
"But in this world, there is free ether..."
A perpetual motion machine was impossible, but it was possible to create what could be called a "free machine." The combination of the ether converter and mana driver built into Reiko and the others was exactly that. Converting the free ether present in the air into energy made it a clean source of power.
However, spreading that technology to the general public as it was would cause various problems. There was the risk of it being used for military purposes, and it would be even more of a problem if it were misused.
"I wonder if we could make it so magi-crystals could be used like batteries..." Jin was already thinking that far ahead.
"Hmm, if that’s possible, it would be revolutionary..."
"Jin-nii, to begin with, do you even know what a magi-crystal is?" Elsa’s point was valid. One couldn't create something without understanding what it was.
"I know it’s a mineral that contains mana, but that's about it."
"So we start from there. But it sounds interesting!"
"Jin-sama, if you can do that... and if the price is low, it will be incredible! It might completely change the way we live!" Berche gave her seal of approval.
"All right, let’s start researching it first thing tomorrow."
"Kufufu, I’m looking forward to it," Saki laughed.
Ending the meeting for the day, Jin set about unveiling the new food item.
"My, what could it be?"
"Fufu, this is exciting."
Berche and Saki were full of anticipation.
"Honi-hyan!"
"Oh, they're here."
It was Hanna’s voice. Looking over, Jin saw that almost all the children of Kaina Village had arrived. Barbara and Erik were there too. Others, villagers who were free, had also come, bringing the total to about forty people. They gathered in the Great Hall on the first floor.
"Jin-san, what are you going to let us eat?" Barbara asked, her face full of excitement.
"Yeah, it's coming out now....There."
Barrow, Belle, and the Golem maids arrived, carrying something white on trays.
"Eh?"
Everyone's eyes widened at what was being distributed.
"Well, don't say anything and just try it first."
They scooped up the contents of the crystal bowls with silver spoons and brought them to their mouths.
"It's cooold!"
"It's sweeeet!"
"It's deliciooous!"
It was shaved ice. Drizzled with citran juice, it was cold, sweet, and tangy—the quintessential taste of summer. Jin had frozen water using ice magic and shaved it using an ice shaver he had made with Elsa's help.
"If you eat too much, you'll get a stomachache. Only two bowls per person per day. Also, make sure to wait at least three hours between the first and second bowl."
At the low price of 10 Toll per bowl, Jin began selling shaved ice at Nidou Castle. Taking proper precautions so they wouldn't get stomachaches was very much like Jin.
The shaved ice became a massive hit, and the idea, along with the design for the ice shaver, would eventually be sold to the Raglann Company in the capital, Alban, for 100,000 Toll. Since the two-bowl-per-day restriction wasn't enforced in Alban, it was said that overindulgence led to a sudden surge of stomachaches...