"A poor harvest in the Klein Kingdom?"
After fully enjoying his meal on Hourai Island, Jin received a private report from Laojun.
"Yes, My Lord. Between the abnormal weather this autumn and the persistent rains, it seems mold has broken out in the wheat."
"So there are storage issues as well... That must be the mold damage Her Majesty mentioned."
The reason the Empress of the Shouro Empire had been in such a hurry to start desiccant production finally clicked for Jin.
"If this continues, it could lead to a serious food shortage."
"But this can't be the first time there's been abnormal weather, right? Haven't similar things happened in the past? How did they manage back then?"
"There was a skirmish with the Kingdom of Franz back in April, remember? It seems a considerable amount of wheat was ruined then. If there hadn't been a poor harvest on top of that, they probably could have managed with what remained..."
Because man-made disasters had compounded the problem, the damage had become widespread.
"The same can be said for the Celuroa Kingdom. The situation there is such that they cannot even provide aid to their own regional areas."
It was a grim reminder of how futile it was to exhaust a nation's strength through war.
"The Kingdom hasn't reached out to us, have they?"
"No. They have acted in bad faith so many times in the past that they likely feel hesitant to ask. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"They may believe that even My Lord is powerless when it comes to food."
Jin was the best in the world at craftsmanship, but they likely assumed he couldn't be relied upon for agricultural crises.
"I can make dehumidifiers, though..."
The principle was simple. By cooling intake air, the saturated water vapor capacity decreased, causing water to condense. After removing that moisture and reheating the air to room temperature, the result was dry air.
It was the same method used in air conditioners on modern Earth.
"Shall we provide support to the Klein Kingdom through Nostalgia?"
"Yeah, that might be for the best."
Since air conditioning was a technology that had existed in the past, there was no issue with reintroducing it. Jin decided to leave the logistics entirely to Laojun.
"However, the absolute shortage of food remains..."
"Yeah, you're right. We have to procure relief supplies from somewhere."
Originally, the food self-sufficiency rate for the Allied Kingdoms as a whole was only slightly above 100 percent. In other words, there wasn't much of a surplus to begin with. This was partly because storage technology was undeveloped, making long-term preservation impossible.
"Maybe the Ether Stocker technology will be necessary too."
Jin considered this. It would be difficult to repurpose it for weaponry, and since it was a technology that directly benefited people's lives, it seemed like a safe choice.
"Oh, and what happened with those rumors about foreign tribes attacking from across the Harihari Desert?"
"Yes. Regulus 42 of the Quinta, currently stationed in the westernmost town of Ismar, is investigating, but there is nothing to report yet."
"Hmm, was it just a hoax?"
"If so, I would still like confirmation."
"Definitely."
＊ ＊ ＊
In the northwestern reaches of the Celuroa Kingdom, near the town of Ahi, Nostalgia had established its current base of operations.
"Elena, did you say there were new instructions?"
Jules Rolant, the leader of Nostalgia, called out to the beautiful automata, Elena.
"Yes, Jules. It seems the Klein Kingdom has suffered a poor harvest due to the long autumn rains. There is a serious risk of famine if nothing is done."
"...What? That is not good."
The group's second-in-command, Donald Carroux Alpha, joined the conversation.
"Isn't it? That is why we are going to present 'dehumidifiers' as gifts to various countries."
"Dehumidifiers, huh? That should be effective."
Jules and Donald nodded in unison.
"Donald, could you prepare a few samples?" Elena requested of the group's technical specialist.
"Consider it done. Leave it to me."
"Jules, please look into the best way to hand over the dehumidifiers to each nation."
"Understood."
＊ ＊ ＊
"An... Ether Stocker, you say?"
"That is correct."
At that moment, Jin was visiting the Klein Kingdom under the guise of 'Deus Ex Machina.' He was using a Second Generation Body Double. Even at close range, there was very little risk of anyone identifying him as an automata.
"By using this Ether Stocker, the storage life of your grain will be extended several times over."
"I see..."
If the free ether content was as high as it was in crops from Hourai Island, they could be stored almost indefinitely. For ordinary crops, however, a five-fold increase was the limit. Even so, extending a storage period that usually capped at two years to ten years was a revolutionary advancement.
"Unfortunately, I cannot provide aid in the form of the crops themselves."
"N-no, this alone is a massive help, Maquina-dono. Thank you very much!"
Chancellor Powell bowed his head repeatedly, bobbing like a grasshopper. Since he was currently desperate to resolve the crisis, having even one major concern mitigated was a godsend.
The meeting took place in the Chancellor's office. As a precaution, Glenn Dabroad, the commander of the Royal Ritter Order, was present as a guard and witness. Glenn maintained a sour expression throughout, seemingly displeased that the Chancellor of his nation was bowing so low to a stranger, even one who brought technology that could save the kingdom.
＊ ＊ ＊
"I wonder if providing the technology will be enough to manage things?"
"Yes, My Lord. I shall use Maquina to convey the mechanisms of the Ether Stocker to the Kingdom of Egerea and the Shouro Empire as well. Would anything more be considered over-interference?"
"Yeah, that's a tough call..."
"I understand the feeling, Jin."
Jin turned at the sudden voice to find Reinhard standing there.
"Reinhard."
"Yeah. The setup of that desiccant plant is finished and mass production has begun, so it's out of my hands now. I came to see what you intended to do about all this commotion, Jin."
"Thanks, Reinhard."
Jin felt a surge of gratitude for his friend's concern.
"Nostalgia is handling the dehumidifiers, and Maquina is taking care of the Ether Stockers. What's left is the matter of the foreign tribes rumored to live across the Harihari Desert, and the question of how to actually procure more food."
"Mhm."
Reinhard nodded as Jin summarized the problems.
"Both are high priorities. I'm still weighing my options."
"I see. You really do take everything on yourself, Jin. You know you don't have to shoulder the world's burdens alone, right?"
"I know. But having gotten this involved, I can't exactly turn a blind eye now."
The threat of foreign tribes directly affected the Shouro Empire, while the food shortage was a crisis for the Klein Kingdom. Both were immediate, tangible problems.
"It certainly is the polar opposite of the 'peaceful world' you're aiming for, Jin."
"Isn't it?"
Personally, Jin just wanted to focus on making things that improved people's lives—things that were useful, and things he simply wanted to build. It was a modest wish, yet it felt further away than ever.
"You're too kind for your own good, Jin. Though I suppose if you weren't, we probably wouldn't be friends," Reinhard added with a wry smile, clearly having no intention of actually stopping him.
"The issue of grain rotting from mold can be halted with desiccants and dehumidifiers. The effects of the Ether Stocker won't be felt immediately, so the first thing to address is..."
"The west, then."
Jin and Reinhard shared a nod, agreeing that the foreign tribe issue was the most urgent.
"And I'm not just saying that because I'm from the Shouro Empire," Reinhard added.
Jin laughed. "I know. To be honest, I've always been a little curious about what lies across the Harihari Desert."
"Ah, I can understand that. I think everyone in the Empire has wondered about it at least once."
"That means I need to find a way to cross the desert."
"Presumably, free ether is scarce there too?"
"Yeah. But it should still be fine in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the Southern Hemisphere where things get truly dangerous."
According to the reports from Sky 1's surveys, they might have crashed during a flight in the Southern Hemisphere if they hadn't been carrying magi-crystals as a backup power source.
"The latitude across the Harihari Desert isn't that different from here, so I think it's doable."
"...So you really are planning to go?"
Reinhard looked worried, but Jin spoke up to reassure him.
"Well, it won't be me going—it'll be Laozi."
Jin had wanted to go personally, but Laojun, Reiko, Anne, and the others had fiercely opposed the idea, forcing him to concede.
He had considered using a Body Double, but Jin had plenty of things to attend to at home. Since there wasn't a compelling reason for him to be there in person, he had decided to entrust the mission to Laozi rather than a remote-controlled proxy.
"I see. Then I can breathe a sigh of relief. If you had said you were going yourself, Jin, I would have opposed it too."