"Oh, this is quite comfortable."
"Mhm. It’s incredible. It’s fast, and there’s no vibration at all."
After performing fine-tuning through several test flights, Jin, Elsa, and Reiko were enjoying an aerial stroll aboard the Konron 2.
"…I’m convinced by this performance. But I wish you’d told me about it sooner," Elsa said with a slight, pouty note in her voice. As the one managing their inventory, her feelings on the matter were likely complicated.
"Sorry. I just really wanted to get it built."
"Honestly… that’s just how you are, Jin-nii, so I suppose it can’t be helped."
When Jin apologized, Elsa smiled and forgave him.
"Father, shall we try reaching maximum speed?" Reiko asked from the pilot's seat, having judged that they had reached a sufficient altitude.
"Alright, let’s do it."
Jin and Elsa deployed their barriers and sat near the Warp Gate intended for emergency extraction.
"Here we go."
Reiko deployed a wind-deflecting barrier and brought the Jet Thrusters to maximum output.
There was a sudden, sharp push of acceleration. Looking out the window, they could see wisps of clouds streaming rapidly behind them.
"Approximately 140 kilometers per hour," a transmission came in from Laojun. The speed was the ground speed measured relative to Hourai Island.
"So this is the limit for the Jet Thrusters. Reiko, switch to the force generator."
"Yes."
This time, the sensation of acceleration vanished completely. The force was acting equally on every molecule of the airship and its passengers.
"Approximately 220 kilometers per hour."
"Oh, we did it!"
The result was about ten percent higher than Jin had projected, and he smiled happily.
"Jin-nii, that’s amazing."
"Father, we did it."
Elsa and Reiko congratulated him as well.
After that, they flew leisurely toward the west. Eventually, Kunlun Island came into view below them.
"Alright, let’s land."
"Yes."
Using the force generator, Reiko brought them down slowly. The Konron 2 touched down in the plaza in front of the Mansion.
"It feels like it’s been a while," Elsa murmured with deep emotion as she stepped off the airship and looked at the Mansion. "The first time I came here was from Blue Land. Back then, Rai-nii and Beena were with us too."
"Ah, that’s right," Jin recalled. He remembered that it had been March 1st of last year.
It was now January 23rd; nearly a year had passed since then.
"It feels like it’s been such a long time, yet looking back, it all seemed to pass in the blink of an eye."
Elsa caught his murmur. "Mhm. It really is. We met on February 9th. It’s almost been a year."
"Oh, was it then?"
"Mhm. In Port Rock, during the Golem Boat Race…"
"Ah, right. It feels like ancient history now."
"Me too."
The two of them, having lived through such extraordinarily dense days, were lost in their own thoughts for a while.
"By the way, where is Edgar?" Jin asked, noticing that Elsa’s automata, Edgar, was nowhere to be seen.
"Mhm… Mother isn’t feeling very well, so I left him behind to look after her."
"I see. You should go visit her whenever you have the time."
"Mhm, thank you."
"My Lord, may I have a moment?"
Laojun, perhaps wondering why Jin and the others had been silent for so long, finally spoke up.
"Ah, yeah. Sorry. Go ahead. Did something happen?"
"Yes. I received a report just a short while ago. The first friendship advance party from the Shouro Empire to the Mitsuho Kingdom is progressing smoothly."
"Oh, is that so?"
According to the report, the advance party that had left Loizart on January 12th arrived at the town of Ismar on the 16th. They reached Kari Village on the 17th and the town of Seki on the 18th. Negotiations had then begun in Seki. After three days of talks, the advance party was permitted to pass through the town.
"They arrived in Miyako today, January 23rd."
"That is good news."
Even though they knew through the John Dini avatar operated by Laojun that the inhabitants of the Mitsuho Kingdom were not bellicose, it was heartening to hear that the attempt to open diplomatic relations was proceeding without issue.
"Yes. Similarly, the investigation team from the Klein Kingdom has arrived in Asunt, the capital of the Kingdom of Egerea."
"That’s also mostly on schedule."
"Yes—with the exception of the incident regarding Gloria-san."
"Right, that."
She had been burned from her face to her right arm by a corrosive fluid very similar to sulfuric acid and had been transported to a clinic by hot air balloon.
"Her life is not in danger, however."
"That’s the only silver lining…" Jin said. Apparently, the prognosis for the chemical burns was not good.
"For a woman, having her face burned is… painful," Elsa murmured worriedly.
"Yeah. Elsa, if you get a chance, please take a look at her."
"Mhm, of course."
Even though Gloria was more than an acquaintance but less than a close friend to Elsa, she was still very concerned about her.
"My Lord, there is one final piece of good news."
"Oh? What is it?"
Laojun had gone out of his way to call it good news. Both Jin and Elsa pricked up their ears in anticipation.
"Washi and glutinous rice have been found."
"What?!" Jin exclaimed. Two things that seemed unrelated at first glance had been found almost simultaneously.
"John Dini was traveling south along the highway toward the coastal town of Tosa. He found both of them during that journey."
Jin prompted him for a detailed explanation.
"The paper is not Western-style paper. It is very close to washi. After boiling tree bark in lye and pounding it to loosen the fibers, it is mixed with a binder extracted from plants and then strained."
It was a rough explanation, but it described the exact manufacturing process for washi.
"This also seems to be a technique passed down by the 'magus.' I have obtained information about the plants used for the binder and am currently investigating."
"Hmm…"
Jin was very curious about what kind of person this magus was and what kind of knowledge they possessed. But that could wait; rushing wouldn't bring answers. He needed to gather information steadily.
"Regarding the glutinous rice, I have obtained some seeds—though it is a very small amount, not even a handful. However, we should be able to harvest enough to eat within a year."
On Hourai Island, it was possible to grow two or three crops a year. If the entire first harvest was saved as seeds, they would have a small amount by the second harvest and a massive amount of glutinous rice by the third.
"There are also places producing miso, soy sauce, and sake, and I was at least allowed to observe the process. Since I now understand the procedures, we should be able to produce them on Hourai Island as well."
Laojun told Jin that he had also managed to obtain a tiny amount of yeast, so he should look forward to the results.
"Hmm, it’s becoming even harder to pin down the magus's identity."
"Yes. They are versed in papermaking, brewing, and katsuobushi as well…"
"…I wonder if he was from Tosa?"
Jin suddenly recalled something he had read in a manga. Tosa washi and katsuobushi… And brewing could be managed with even a little knowledge of chemistry. Still, a clear image of the individual didn't emerge.
"Well, it can’t be helped."
Putting that mystery aside for now, Jin thought about bringing these new industries to Hourai Island.
"For the paper, we can spread it to the Allied Kingdoms via trade through the Shouro Empire, so we only need to produce enough for self-sufficiency on Hourai Island. The same goes for the other products."
"Understood."
Laojun intended to follow Jin's instructions, but Hourai Island's level of "self-sufficiency" was… well, one could only imagine.
"Now then, I suppose I’ll start by visiting various countries to unveil this new airship."
Essentially, he wanted to go around letting everyone know that his personal craft had changed. It would be a disaster if he were treated with suspicion during an emergency.
"I think the order should be Kaina Village, the Klein Kingdom, the Kingdom of Egerea, the Kingdom of Elias, and then the Shouro Empire. Elsa, you’re coming with me, of course."
"Mhm. I’ll go with you."
And so, the unveiling of the new airship, the Konron 2, began.