"What? You mean they haven't come back yet?"
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hmm..."
The new King of Celuroa, Cesar, folded his arms and sank into deep thought.
The issue had started with a building in Dali that Jin had asked about.
Laozi and Anne had confirmed that a hollow space existed underground, but the actual investigation had been left to Cesar. After all, Jin and his party couldn't exactly go around conducting unauthorized excavations on foreign soil.
"First three men, and now five..."
King Cesar had initially dispatched three of his most trusted soldiers to investigate. In the room Laozi and Anne had identified, they found a slight gap in the quartz floor tiles. Though the mechanism was somewhat complex, they managed to open a hatch, revealing a staircase that descended deep into the earth.
He had sent those three soldiers down with magi-lamps. Half a day passed, and then a full night, but they never returned.
Hoping to find the missing men, Cesar had sent a second team of five. Now, they had failed to return as well.
"There is... without a doubt, something down there..."
He had tried consulting his father, Former King Richard, but the man didn't even seem to know the basement existed. Or rather, it was difficult to tell, as Richard’s condition made conversation almost impossible.
Though he had been moved to the capital's palace and placed under the care of a team of elite healers, Richard showed no signs of improvement. Elsa was also doing everything in her power to treat him daily, yet the progress was slow.
The only information Cesar had managed to glean was that the basement dated back two generations before his father—specifically, the generation before Cesar's great-grandfather, Guillaume. According to oral tradition, it was supposed to be the entrance to ancient ruins.
It had been his great-grandfather, Guillaume, who built the chapel-like structure over the site to protect the entrance. That was the extent of their knowledge. From what he could gather, it seemed even his father had never personally confirmed what lay within.
"I can no longer afford to worry about protocol."
Having reached a decision, Cesar glanced at a sundial. He left his office and strode toward the small conference room.
Most of the international delegates who had attended the Founding Anniversary Ceremony were still in the capital.
One reason was the political instability of a major technical and military power. If things went south and Celuroa accidentally sparked a conflict with its neighbors, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Another reason was that the new King Cesar’s political base was still fragile. His ascension had been a literal bolt from the blue, and he needed support to stabilize the transition.
The reason only "most" were present was that two individuals were missing.
One was the delegate from the Kingdom of Franz: Lufort de Orange, also known as Duke Orange. The other was Count Guarana from the Kingdom of Egerea.
Duke Orange had apparently been colluding with the king's younger brother, Alain Desmon, to block Cesar’s succession. Following Alain's defeat, the Duke had vanished, seemingly fleeing into the shadows. Count Guarana, on the other hand, had fallen ill and was sent back to his home country via hot air balloon.
As a result, the current gathering represented the Shouro Empire with the Empress, Marquis Theoderic, Magic Technology Minister Degauss, Lieutenant Colonel Fritz, Captain Mattheus, and Baron Reinhard.
The Klein Kingdom was represented by Prince Arthur, his tutor Rio, the female royal ritter Jessica, Gloria, Cynthia, and Gloria’s father, Boulton.
The Kingdom of Elias sent Marchioness Firenziano and Marcia. Finally, the Kingdom of Egerea was represented by Duke Blue.
These figures, along with the "Lord of Kunlun," Jin, and his fiancée, Elsa, were now gathered in the small conference room.
However, this assembly would only last a few more days. Thanks to the manaphones, they were receiving regular reports from their home countries, and while no major crises had arisen, it was not sustainable for heads of state and top officials to be away for so long.
"Gentlemen, thank you for your time. Today's primary issue is..."
Cesar opened the floor. The main agenda for the session was provincial reform.
"There are limits to how much we can leave to local discretion. We must dispatch inspectors..."
"It would be wise to establish a system of mutual oversight to correct corruption..."
"Agriculture requires innovation as well. We need to focus on crop rotation to prevent soil depletion and the cultivation of emergency crops..."
While the delegates couldn't share all of their nations' proprietary secrets, the exchange was a win-win situation that fostered mutual development.
"But that isn't something that can be implemented overnight!"
"Perhaps not, but with this method, we can significantly shorten the implementation phase."
"No, the timeframe is secondary to the manpower issue. In this country's current state..."
"That is a fair point, but what if we looked at it from this perspective?"
Since everyone was operating on the premise of stabilizing the Celuroa Kingdom, the discussions remained relatively civil. To put it bluntly, because these were "someone else's problems," the delegates were able to debate without getting overly heated or emotional.
The discussions continued through the entire morning.
"I thank you all for your cooperation," Cesar said, bowing to the representatives.
It was time for lunch. They moved to the Great Dining Hall to enjoy a meal, but unlike the lavish feasts held during Richard’s reign, the menu had become quite modest. None of the participants complained; after all, they were the ones who had advocated for frugality.
"Using expensive ingredients is not the only secret to fine cuisine," noted Marchioness Firenziano. Since she had earned the nickname "Marchioness Topopo" for her tireless research into devil bulb recipes, her words carried weight.
The lunch menu consisted of bread, fried topopo, vegetable soup, and fruit juice. Though it paled in comparison to Richard’s era, the flavor was impeccable.
"The seasoning is wonderful."
"Our kingdom takes great pride in the quality of its salt."
"This fried topopo is perfectly prepared."
"The Chef will be delighted to hear that from the experts," Cesar replied with a smile.
As they sipped their post-meal Te-e, Cesar glanced at the sundial. He looked up, his expression turning grave.
"Everyone... and especially Jin-dono. There is something I must ask of you."
He proceeded to explain the situation regarding the basement exploration, admitting that eight men had already failed to return. Jin had been out of the loop because he had moved his Shinobi Squad to the capital to monitor the palace, assuming the Celuroa government would handle their own internal investigation.
"Consequently, I have decided to deploy a specialized golem today at one o'clock."
"A specialized golem?"
"Yes. It is a unit capable of transmitting what it sees to a magi-screen."
The Kingdom of Egerea had developed similar magic tools, but it seemed Celuroa had integrated the technology directly into a golem. It was an ideal choice for exploring dangerous environments.
"We deploy it in ten minutes. Would you all like to watch the feed with me?"
No one refused. King Cesar ordered his attendants to bring a magi-screen to the room.
"One minute to go."
In addition to the foreign delegates, First Military Minister Lagede and Chief of the First Ministry of Technology Latant arrived to watch the screen.
The magi-screen initially showed the chapel-like building in Dali. Then, as the scheduled time arrived, the perspective shifted. The golem began its approach.
"Incredible," someone whispered in admiration.
The image moved into the building's interior.
"No problems so far," Cesar noted.
The golem then began its descent down the basement stairs.
"Looking at this is starting to make me feel sick..." Jin muttered an unexpected complaint.
It seemed several others felt the same way, as a few voices echoed his sentiment: "...I have to agree."
Much like how some people experience motion sickness while watching shaky handheld camera footage on a television, the golem's swaying perspective was taking its toll.
"Heal <Verheilen>."
Seeing their discomfort, Elsa cast healing magic on Jin and the others.
"Lady Elsa, my thanks."
"Thank you..."
With their nausea cleared, everyone refocused on the screen. The golem had reached the lowest chamber. It was dim, but the light from the magi-lamp allowed them to distinguish the shapes in the room.
(Wait... what is that?)
Just as something caught Jin’s attention, the image on the screen cut to black.