"A... magi engineer?"
Oliver offered a supplementary explanation after Laozi parroted the words back to him.
"Yes. There isn't a single magi engineer here in the town of Ismar."
"I understand that, but... are you looking to hire one yourself?"
When Laozi asked, Oliver hesitated for a moment.
"N-no... well, yes, I suppose. It's not actually me who wants to hire one, but an acquaintance of mine."
"I see... and what are the conditions? I can hardly make an introduction without knowing the details."
"That's only fair. Let's see... the salary is negotiable, but I don't believe it would fall below twenty thousand Toll a month. The work would mostly involve repairing various magic tools, I expect."
"Hmm. And where would the work take place?"
Oliver became visibly flustered at that question.
"It's difficult for me to say... would 'out toward the desert' be an insufficient answer?"
Hearing this, Laozi turned the matter over in his mind. Even though he was only using a fraction of Laojun's processing power, his cognitive speed was many times faster than any human's.
(It's likely either the foreign tribes or people connected to them. I suppose I should draw out a bit more information for now and then agree to the request.)
Reaching that conclusion in an instant, Laozi gave a small shrug.
"I doubt many magi engineers would accept a position with so little to go on..."
"I suppose you're right. Um... because I trust you, Master Roushi... oh, before that, please do your best not to mention what I'm about to tell you to anyone else."
"Of course."
"...The ones who need a magi engineer are, well, the people who sold me that katsuobushi."
"Oh?"
Laozi inwardly celebrated as his prediction hit the mark.
"I see, I see. I'm beginning to get the picture. In that case, I do know someone who might fit."
He gave a noncommittal answer. He didn't actually "know someone"—he was going to have a Quinta prepared for the task.
"Is that true!" Oliver exulted, looking incredibly relieved. "T-that would be a massive help. When can you introduce us?"
Laozi acted as if he were deep in thought.
"Let's see... in about five days, perhaps? My master is expected to arrive in this town around then."
Hearing this, Oliver looked absolutely ecstatic.
"Yes, yes, that's perfectly fine! Please, by all means, I look forward to it!"
He bowed his head repeatedly, and it took some effort for Laozi to get him to stop.
Once his excitement had settled, Oliver asked another question.
"Master Roushi, what kind of person is your master? If it's not an imposition, I would like to know."
Laozi was forced to pause for a second. He hesitated over whether it was wise to reveal Jin's identity. However, his "moment" of thought lasted less than a second before he reached a conclusion.
"He goes by the name of Nido. He is currently traveling in search of rare materials."
He revealed Jin's surname rather than his given name.
"Lord Nido? In that case, is he coming here for sandworm leather?"
"That is correct."
Oliver thought for a moment before speaking. "If that's the case, I'll make sure we have some ready on our end."
Since there was no particular problem with this, Laozi agreed.
"Then I shall visit you in five days with the engineer."
"Yes, I'll be waiting. Thank you so much."
In this way, Laozi gained a foothold into the world of the foreign tribes.
＊ ＊ ＊
In Kaina Village on the same day.
"Jin-sama, may I have a word?"
Mine came to see Jin while he was relaxing on the second floor of the workshop, explaining that she wished to offer some advice.
"Of course. What is it?"
Since Jin nodded, Mine got straight to the point.
"Jin-sama, you have been taking Hanna-chan to various cities and towns lately, haven't you?"
"Yeah."
"Have you considered the risk of her being kidnapped?"
"Oh, that. Don't worry. Not just for Hanna, but for Elsa too—I've assigned members of the Secret Mobile Unit to guard them from the shadows."
At this, Mine shook her head.
"That will not do. I'm not speaking of the actual danger, but of public perception."
"Public perception?"
"Yes. Jin-sama, you have been granted the title of honorary baronet in three different countries. You must act like a noble. To do so, you must have at least one guard who is visibly recognizable as such."
In other words, a display of status was necessary.
"You need to show any potential troublemakers that they'll regret it if they lay a hand on your party."
"I see..."
Jin had Reiko, Elsa had Edgar, and Hanna was usually with Jin. Even when she wasn't, the Secret Mobile Unit was always there. Jin had assumed that was enough.
"This applies when walking through town in a dress, but even in everyday clothes as well."
Public order in Loizart, the capital of the Shouro Empire, was excellent and kidnappings were rare, but regional cities in the Celuroa Kingdom and the Kingdom of Franz were apparently not as safe.
"I do not know what Alban, the capital of the Klein Kingdom, is like, but it's best to be cautious."
"I understand. Thank you."
Taking Mine's advice to heart, Jin considered his options.
"Hmm, in that case... Laozi is away, and it's a bit late to build someone new..."
"I don't think it matters if the guard doesn't look human."
"Ah, you're right."
Jin was a Magi Craft Meister. In the three countries that recognized his title, it wouldn't be strange at all for him to be accompanied by a guard golem.
"Alright, this looks like a job for Steward."
Steward was a multi-purpose universal golem Jin had created to serve as the coachman for the golem carriage. Though he looked rugged, his basic performance was superior to the Butler series—he was an ultra-high-performance golem capable of everything from heavy labor to precision tasks.
Jin immediately contacted Laojun and instructed him to give Steward, who was on standby on Hourai Island, the necessary information. Having Laojun transmit his objectives via Trans Info saved Jin the trouble of explaining everything himself.
"The only problem is that the number of people in our party has increased since we left the Shouro Empire..."
Indeed, it might look suspicious if Steward suddenly appeared when he hadn't been with them when they left by airship.
"I just hope they haven't sent word about exactly how many people were in the group..."
Hearing Jin's mutter, Laojun contacted him.
『My Lord, there is no need to worry. No details regarding the number of people or the specific members were transmitted.』
"I-I see."
The manaphones had been gifted to various countries, and Laojun was able to monitor the conversations held over them.
"Then there shouldn't be any problem taking him along... I think."
If there was an issue, it would be the excess weight on the carriage. However, if he reduced the weight with Gravity Magic, it wouldn't be a problem.
Thus, Jin proceeded with his preparations for the visit to the Klein Kingdom's capital, Alban.
"Time to head out soon."
At 1:30 PM, Jin stood up.
The time difference between Kaina Village and Alban was about twenty minutes, so there wasn't a major discrepancy. Arriving in the early afternoon would be perfect.
"Onii-chan!" Hanna called out as she arrived.
"Jin-nii," Elsa added, showing that she was ready as well.
"Well then, we're off."
"Elsa, make sure you fulfill your duty properly."
"Be careful, Jin."
After saying their goodbyes to Mine and Martha, Jin and the others traveled to Hourai Island.