Jin and the others spent some time playing Shiritori to pass the hours, but mid-game, there was a knock at the door.
"Yes?"
Tia opened the door. Standing on the other side was Delite, the Minister of Industry.
"Ah, Delite. I am glad to see you are up and about."
"Yes, Your Highness. I owe my life to Miss Elsa. If I may, do you have a moment?"
"Mm, you may."
The Minister of Industry’s complexion was still somewhat pale, but the numbness in his limbs seemed to have vanished completely.
"Miss Elsa, thank you again for yesterday. Jin-dono, I was hoping we could discuss the matter of the desiccants that we were unable to finish yesterday."
"That's fine by me."
They had only been playing Shiritori to kill time anyway. Jin agreed immediately. Princess Lieschen offered no objection either, instead ordering Tia to bring not herbal tea... but fresh fruit juice.
Since the juice was squeezed from the fruit on the spot, there was no concern about poison being surreptitiously added.
Just to be safe, Jin used Analyze to confirm that no poisons or hazardous substances were mixed in before it was poured into everyone’s glasses.
Furthermore, Reiko acted as a taster for Jin’s portion, showing just how much care they were taking.
Only after such precautions were taken did everyone feel safe enough to drink.
"Now then, regarding the use of the desiccant..."
"Precisely."
"First, I want to reiterate the primary precaution. You understand that water is strictly forbidden, yes?"
Jin’s main concerns were accidental fires and chemical burns.
"Yes, quite. While it can manage ambient moisture, it becomes hot enough to cause burns if liquid water is poured directly onto it, correct?"
"Yes, exactly. It might be a good idea to perform an experiment using a small amount in front of the people handling it."
"I see. So they can experience it firsthand rather than just hearing the theory."
"That's the idea."
"...By the way, do you happen to know the production method for these desiccants?"
When the Minister of Industry suddenly asked about the manufacturing process, Jin naturally became wary.
"...No, not to that extent," he replied, keeping his answer vague.
While the conversation between the Minister of Industry and Jin proceeded, Elsa spoke with Princess Lieschen.
"Lies-sama, if I may be so bold, could you tell me a little about your brothers?"
"Hmm? Very well... My eldest brother, Edmond, is blunt in speech, but I believe him to be an honest soul with no hidden agendas."
Edmond had snapped at Elsa a few times, but Princess Lieschen’s evaluation of him was better than Elsa had expected.
"As for Brother Arthur..."
Princess Lieschen hesitated.
"...He is somewhat elusive. Hard to read."
"Is that so?"
"...I only say this because it is you, Elsa, but in the past, he tormented me quite often..."
The mother who had given birth to two princes and three princesses had died after giving birth to Lieschen. The two older brothers had never shown her affection, claiming her birth was the cause of their mother's death—Elsa had heard this story before.
"Of course, now that people are watching, he does not move against me as overtly as he did when we were children, but..."
During the incident with the poisoned tea yesterday, he had seemed genuinely worried.
"Well, no matter what, we are siblings of the same blood. I suppose he would worry at least a little."
Elsa couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the girl's cynical tone, which was far too weary for a twelve-year-old.
"...Though, Brother Arthur’s tutor is said to be quite excellent, so perhaps his character really has improved."
"A tutor?"
"Yes. A famous scholar invited from the Celuroa Kingdom. Someone said that even if all the scholars of our country joined forces, they couldn't hold a candle to him—though that is likely an exaggeration."
The Celuroa Kingdom had a deep history and a massive population. It wouldn't be strange for them to produce scholars who surpassed those of the Klein Kingdom.
"Do you know the scholar's name?"
"Yes... If I recall, it was Liones Ashford."
Elsa decided to commit that name to memory for the time being.
Meanwhile, Jin had finished relaying the necessary information to the Minister of Industry.
"Jin-dono, you have my thanks. Combined with the dehumidifiers that were brought to us the other day, I expect this to be quite effective."
Jin reacted to the word.
"Dehumidifiers? From the name, I assume they are tools for removing moisture?"
"Precisely. It seems a group called Nostalgia has been distributing them to various nations."
"I see."
"The automata who explained them was a blonde beauty. Truly, I wonder who crafted her."
Jin realized it must have been Elena who had gone around explaining their use. It seemed she was proving quite useful.
From there, they engaged in idle chatter.
"For now, we have enough stockpiled to make it through the end of the year, but..."
To Jin, who was trying to discern the state of the food supply, even this small talk was a valuable source of information.
"By a simple calculation, if the kingdom’s population is 100,000, we will be short four months' worth of grain."
The calculation showed that they would run out of food during the period from February of the following year until the harvest season in June.
"So, a 5,000-ton deficit... is that it?"
Assuming one person eats 150 kilograms a year, that's 12.5 kilograms a month—50 kilograms for four months. Multiplying that by 100,000 gave that number. It didn't differ much from the estimate Erik had made back in Kaina Village.
"That is correct. If we acknowledge the shortage, actively consume other crops, and strive to be frugal, we might reduce the gap to 3,000 tons."
"..."
Jin fell into deep thought.
The stockpiles on Hourai Island were at most a few dozen tons, which would be a drop in the bucket. At best, they could provide temporary relief.
"Do you have any leads on procuring more food?"
"...It is difficult. From what I hear, the eastern part of the Celuroa Kingdom is also suffering from famine. I can only pray it does not lead to war."
A war fought for food would only result in even more food being wasted. It was a blatant contradiction, but such was the nature of humanity.
(Even the Shouro Empire probably couldn't provide 3,000 tons of aid right now...)
"However, there is no worry of riots for the remainder of the year. I hope to find some prospect of a solution before then."
That being said, the outlook was grim. Pitch black, even. The food self-sufficiency rate within the Allied Kingdoms was only slightly above 100 percent in the best of times.
"I can't offer much advice other than suggesting you grow crops that can be harvested quickly."
However, the Minister of Industry seemed determined to cling to that suggestion.
"Jin-dono, what is this crop?"
Since it involved so many lives, Jin decided to tell him without reservation.
"It's a crop called soba."
"Soba? I have never heard of it."
"It's a crop grown in the northern lands. It can be harvested in about two and a half months."
"What!?"
It was currently mid-November; if they sowed it now, it could be harvested by the beginning of February. It was tight, but it seemed manageable.
"Jin-dono! I must, absolutely must grow this 'soba'! Can we count on your cooperation!?"
"Of course. However, there are a few problems."
First, the necessary amount of seeds could not be prepared immediately. On Hourai Island, most of the autumn soba had already been processed into soba flour. The portion left as seeds would not be enough to cover the need.
Second, there were people with soba allergies. In this world, he had never seen a wheat allergy, but could he really say for sure that no one had a soba allergy?
"...We might not be able to get the necessary seeds in time. Also, it might not agree with some people's constitutions..."
Jin could only speak in cautious terms. But even so, like a drowning man clutching at a straw, the Minister of Industry bowed his head to Jin.
"Jin-dono! Even if it is only as much as you can manage through your connections, that is enough. Please, somehow obtain this soba!"
When put that way, Jin couldn't refuse.
"I understand."
Despite a slightly troubled expression, he nodded.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Soba seeds, is it?"
Laojun, who had been following the conversation between Jin and the Minister of Industry through Reiko, also fell into thought.
"Even if we released all the seed soba on Hourai Island, it wouldn't even be one-tenth of the required amount..."
The current stockpile was the harvest from the first cultivation—the result of sowing a small amount of seed soba received from the demon territory. The majority of it—though still less than a ton—had been made into soba flour, and half of the remainder had been allocated to the second cultivation. Once the second cultivation was harvested, they would finally have a decent amount of seed soba, but that was nearly two months away.
"In that case, we will need to procure seed soba from elsewhere."
The only place would be the demon territory, and the food situation for the demons was also tight.
"I suppose we have no choice but to exchange it for some alternative food."
They would have to ask for the soba intended for consumption to be given as seeds and provide other food in return. Laojun made the final decision that this was the only way.
"Wheat flour... then."
Laojun calculated that an exchange of one ton of wheat flour grown on Hourai Island for one ton of soba seeds from the demon territory should be possible. But even so, it was still far from enough.
The yield rate for soba was lower than that of wheat. Sowing one ton of soba would likely yield only about twenty tons of grain. It was a grave problem that even Laojun could not solve easily. The only advantageous point was the short period between sowing and harvest.
"What remains... are the foreign tribes?"
The foreign tribes said to live to the west of the Harihari Desert. It was unknown how much food they produced or what kind of stockpiles they held. It was, in a sense, a gamble.