January 21.
With the recent turmoil finally behind him, Jin took a breather and visited Port Rock, accompanied by Elsa and Reiko.
Since this wasn't an official visit, they traveled via the Warp Gate located in the sea cave.
"Ah, even the scent of the tide is different from Hourai Island."
"Mm, I can tell."
Perhaps because of the proximity of everyday life, the sea breeze in Port Rock felt lively. To put it bluntly, it smelled a bit like fish.
Jin and the others walked leisurely toward the Marcia Workshop. Located even further south than Hourai Island, the breeze in Port Rock was warm.
"Ah, Jin-san!"
Jeremy, who was busy sweeping the road in front of the workshop, noticed them.
"Hey, good morning."
"G-Good morning!"
Still clutching her broom, Jeremy bolted into the shop.
A few moments later, Marcia and Rodrigo came rushing out.
"Jin! Elsa! Reiko-chan!"
"Jin-dono! Elsa-dono!"
It hadn't even been a month since they last saw each other, but with the turn of the year, everyone exchanged greetings once more, promising to look forward to working together again.
Eventually, Jin was consulted regarding a problem facing the Marcia Workshop.
Specifically, it concerned their drive mechanisms.
"So, the belts can't handle the load once the designs are scaled up?"
"That's the long and short of it, Jin."
One of the reasons Marcia had been shipwrecked was that the drive belt had snapped under heavy load, leaving her temporarily stranded.
"...I see. In that case, would it be alright to frame this as a purchase from Kunlun Island?" Jin proposed.
"Oh, that's right. I heard you became the 'Lord of Kunlun' or something?" Marcia said, as if suddenly remembering. "But no matter what your title is, Jin is still Jin, right?"
Jin nodded deeply at her words.
"Of course. You can just treat me the same as always."
Marcia gave a small sigh of relief and smiled.
"Thanks. I'm glad to hear that. So, what are you going to sell us?"
"Chains and sprockets—gears designed for chains."
"?"
Belt drives rely on friction; when a significant force is applied, they tend to slip, which causes a drop in efficiency.
On the other hand, gear systems are somewhat disadvantageous in terms of weight when driving two distant shafts. Furthermore, Jin was currently the only person capable of producing gears with the necessary precision. Even Jin himself had struggled immensely during the initial development of his gear systems.
However, chains... specifically roller chains, were a technology that already existed in this world, being used for bicycles by the foreign tribes of the Mitsuho Kingdom. It wouldn't be strange for a Magi Craft Meister like Jin to be able to reproduce them.
Jin drew a simple diagram and explained the concept to Marcia.
"Hmm, so such a thing exists..."
"Only Jin-dono could create something like this," Rodrigo added, sounding impressed.
"With this, the drive won't snap or slip even under immense force. Also, by changing the diameters of the front and rear sprockets, you can reduce the speed to increase the rotational torque."
Marcia's face lit up at the explanation.
"Yeah, that's perfect! We have things like Jet Thrusters now, but our workshop really wants to stick with waterwheel drives!"
"In that case, we should establish some standards."
This was a natural step when outsourcing parts rather than manufacturing everything in-house. Jin listened to Marcia and Rodrigo, determined the size of the drive waterwheels, and then settled on the necessary sprocket diameters. This, in turn, dictated the length of the chains within a certain range.
"Yes, this is exactly what I needed! When I'm working with Jin, it's like we're perfectly in sync—he knows exactly what I'm looking for and understands my requests immediately!"
Given that she didn't realize how abnormal that level of intuition was, Marcia seemed to have been quite influenced by Jin's pace. Rodrigo said nothing, simply watching his daughter with a gentle smile.
Elsa was fascinated by the structure of the roller chain, as it was her first time seeing such a thing. Meanwhile, Jeremy and Baccus looked on at Jin and the others with eyes full of respect.
They eventually entered into a contract: 20,000 Toll for a small set of chain and sprockets, 30,000 Toll for medium, and 40,000 Toll for large. However, since the Marcia Workshop was currently short on funds, the payment was deferred.
"Well then, I'll deliver two small sets and two medium sets as early as tomorrow."
"I-I'll be counting on you."
Though slightly startled that he could have them ready by the very next day, Marcia nodded.
From there, the conversation shifted to casual chatter, and before long, the topic of going for a swim came up.
"I'll stay behind to watch the shop, so you all go ahead," Rodrigo offered.
"Father, are you sure?"
"Yes, quite sure. Go on, enjoy yourselves."
"I will also remain behind to watch the shop," Arrow added.
With Rodrigo and Arrow staying behind, Jin sent Reiko to fetch their swimsuits. Seeing Reiko return in a mere five minutes, Marcia looked at her with a face of half-resigned realization.
"...I suppose I'd better not ask where you went to get those so quickly."
They changed at Marcia's house.
"Wow, Elsa-san, that's the swimsuit from back then!" Jeremy cheered.
Indeed, Elsa was wearing the same swimsuit she had worn during last year's Golem Boat Race. Marcia was wearing hers as well. Even Jeremy was wearing a one-piece swimsuit of a similar design, colored orange.
"That design has been all the rage since then, you know."
"I-I see."
Jin, the person responsible for the trend, simply nodded in silence.
There was a swimming beach in Portoa Town as well, so a three-minute walk brought them to the sandy shore. There were still very few people out.
"Ah, it's been a while since I went for a swim," Jin remarked.
He seemed to have forgotten that he had gone swimming when he visited with Reinhard and the others at the end of the year.
"By the way, how is the race looking for this year?" Jin asked while floating leisurely.
Marcia looked a bit disappointed as she answered.
"Yeah, it's happening, of course. I'm just not participating this time."
"Is that so?"
"It’s a shame, but the shop is just too busy. Instead, I'm providing technical backup for Liche."
"Liche... Oh, that girl who was on Valentino's team last year?"
She was small but had a great figure, Jin recalled. Beside him, Elsa gave him a sharp look, perhaps having sensed his wandering thoughts.
"That's the one. The regulations are the same this year, so our workshop handled her boat."
Marcia explained that they had built a catamaran that was an evolved version of the Cygnus. It had already been delivered, and Liche was apparently spending every waking moment practicing.
"But, you know... nobody can make a golem with the performance of Arrow. Well, I guess it's only natural, since there's no way there's another magi craftman who can rival a Magi Craft Meister like Jin."
Marcia laughed and said she was lucky to have found Jin back then.
"I suppose so... Because of that encounter, I was able to meet Elsa and Reinhard as well."
Hearing that, Elsa's cheeks flushed slightly, but Jin didn't notice.
Even though it was winter, the sky of the southern lands was a brilliant blue, and the wind already carried the fragrant promise of spring.