January 3, 3458, Kingdom of Egerea.
A group had gathered in the royal castle's courtyard in the capital, Asunt. They were the Former Leonard Kingdom Investigation Team.
Leading them was Bruno Thales Bright, the vice captain of the Royal Ritter Order. The dispatch of the royal ritters signaled the high priority the Kingdom of Egerea placed on this expedition.
In addition to five knights, the group included the magi craftman Jade Nephroi, whose expertise would be vital for assessing ruins and artifacts. Furthermore, the mission served as a field test for a certain magic tool developed in secret.
"Understood? I expect results."
"Sir!"
The team saluted in unison at the command of the chancellor, Marquis Boyd Norse Galueri.
They were to depart Asunt, pass through Blue Land to reach the coastal highway, cross the border from the easternmost village of Faist, and finally enter the territory of the Former Leonard Kingdom. Their first objective was the Newrea settlement. The area was famous for its honey and inhabited by friendly people, so the team planned to recruit guides there.
"From there, it’ll be a matter of seeing how things play out. If we head north along the Border Mountains, we should eventually encounter the Klein Kingdom's investigation team."
Support for the expedition would be provided by hot air balloons. A balloon was stationed at the Yorkjam Mine near the border, ready to be launched as needed to provide guidance and reconnaissance.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...Or so their plan goes, apparently."
"I see..."
On the morning of January 3rd, Jin, Elsa, and Reinhard were at the Guest House, listening to an explanation from Marchioness Firenziano.
"The success of the two investigation teams meeting seems to rest on those hot air balloons," Reinhard noted.
"That's right. Our country can only pray that the expedition goes smoothly."
The Marchioness paused to take a sip of her Kuhe.
"Now then, a response arrived by messenger pigeon yesterday evening."
She directed her gaze not at Jin, but at the chief ambassador, Reinhard.
"All of Lord Reinhard Randol's requests have been accepted."
"Is that so? That's a relief."
Reinhard looked genuinely relaxed, having fulfilled his primary mission as an ambassador.
"Furthermore, should the Klein Kingdom request it, we will not withhold aid regarding Devil's Potatoes. We'll even include the recipes," she added.
"Thank you very much," Jin said. As someone connected to the Klein Kingdom, the news was welcome.
Then, seeing an opening, he spoke up. "Marchioness, I have a request of my own."
"What might that be?"
"I'd like to go to the capital, Borgia... or rather, I would like an audience with the King."
Elsa and Reinhard stared at him in surprise; this was the first they had heard of it. However, given how long they had known him, they quickly deduced his aim.
"...Could it be that you intend to gift us a hot air balloon?" the Marchioness asked, having reached the same conclusion.
"Yes, if you would accept it."
"I'm delighted! I'll contact the capital immediately. Since we use pigeons, a reply should arrive by tomorrow... actually, if the bird is fast, we might even have an answer by this evening."
Pigeons typically flew at speeds exceeding 1,000 meters per minute, averaging about 80 kilometers per hour. Since the distance between Port Rock and the capital of Borgia was roughly 120 kilometers, a round trip would take less than half a day.
"I appreciate it."
With that, Jin and his companions took their leave. The Marchioness immediately set about writing her letter to be sent by pigeon.
"Jin, that was so sudden. You surprised me," Reinhard said once the three of them were alone.
"Me too," Elsa added. Neither sounded particularly upset, merely caught off guard.
"Sorry. I should have discussed it with you two first."
"Well, it's fine. But you seem to be in quite a hurry. Is something bothering you?"
"Yeah. Actually, I want to get Kunlun Island recognized as my personal property."
"Eh?" Reinhard looked confused.
"Ah, I see," Elsa said, nodding in understanding.
"I'll explain. Reiko, could you brew some tea?"
"Yes, Father."
As they sipped the Kuhe Reiko prepared, Jin began his explanation.
"It started with the construction of that large ship. From here on, shipbuilding technology is only going to advance, and people will venture further into the open ocean. When that happens, even if Hourai Island remains hidden, there's a high chance Kunlun Island will be discovered."
"That's a fair point," Reinhard agreed. Elsa nodded silently beside him.
"So, I figured it would be better to have Kunlun Island internationally recognized as mine from the start. It’s a small island, so I don’t think it’s an impossible goal."
Hourai Island was roughly the size of Tochigi or Gunma Prefectures, while Kunlun Island was about the size of Izu Oshima. Jin had once mistakenly believed Hourai Island was as large as Shikoku, but accurate aerial surveys had corrected that misconception.
"Kunlun Island was originally intended to be a decoy for Hourai Island anyway," Jin said with a wry smile. "It seems it's finally going to serve its purpose. If people recognize Kunlun Island as the eastern frontier, it makes it easier to hide Hourai Island's existence. Besides, the illusion barrier should be finished by then."
"I see. You've really put a lot of thought into this, Jin."
"Yeah. And if possible, I’m also considering revealing the existence of certain Warp Gates."
"But that..." Reinhard’s expression darkened. They had touched on this recently, and he knew the gravity of such a revelation.
"I know what you're going to say. But we talked about it yesterday—as long as they're under national management or some similar condition, we might be able to integrate them without warping the natural development of transportation technology."
"...We'll need to think very carefully about those conditions."
"I agree. But there's already a Warp Gate here in Port Rock, and more importantly, Earl Kuzuma and Beena know about the one outside Blue Land. In fact, Beena has already used it."
"That’s true..."
"So, I want to find a way to introduce Kunlun Island and the Warp Gates to the world as peacefully as possible."
Reinhard and Elsa fell silent, likely pondering how such a feat could be accomplished.
『Father, a suggestion from Laojun. He notes that the free ether required for a Warp Gate cannot be supplied by a standard mana tank.』
"Ah, right. There's that as well."
The amount of free ether consumed by a Warp Gate was staggering. Since the device literally connected distant points in space, the energy requirements were immense—approximately 10^12 joules per use, equivalent to the energy released by one kiloton of TNT. One could argue that it was actually a small amount of energy for tearing a hole in space, but that was simply the miraculous nature of magic.
Without a large ether converter or a magi reactor, sustained use was impossible. In the context of the current world's magi-engineering, the cost-to-benefit ratio was abysmal. It might have been viable before the Ether Stampede, but not now.
"Hmm... if that's the case, we might be able to make it work," Reinhard murmured after some thought.
"I don't plan on making any announcements immediately. There might be better ways to go about it. That's why I'd like your help," Jin concluded.
Reinhard and Elsa nodded firmly. They agreed to move forward only after careful consideration, ensuring they wouldn't destabilize the world.
"Of course. I've certainly benefited enough from the Warp Gates myself," Reinhard said.
"I'll help Jin-nii, always," Elsa said.
"Father, Laojun and I will continue to gather information to assist you as well," Reiko added.
"Thanks, everyone."
Looking at them, Jin felt truly grateful for the companions he had by his side.