"As for where... well, at the Factory, I suppose."
The answer to his question regarding the origins of the bicycles and rickshaws was surprisingly mundane. Or rather, it contained almost none of the information Jin actually wanted to know.
So, he pressed further.
"And where is this Factory located?"
"..."
Mii hesitated, lingering on her answer.
"Is it something you aren't allowed to discuss?"
When Jin asked, she shook her head.
"...It is simply no longer in operation."
"What?"
"From what I have heard, it stopped functioning about three hundred years ago, and it has remained idle ever since."
Jin fell into deep thought. Three hundred years ago—that timeframe stood out.
(The Ether Stampede, after all. It has to be.)
"Perhaps they simply ran out of materials?"
Elsa offered her own opinion. Jin nodded inwardly; that was certainly a possibility.
"Because of that, our country's culture has slowly begun to decline. However, the arrival of Lord John Dini the other day was a tremendous help to us."
"I see..."
"Jin-nii, what do you mean?"
Elsa turned to Jin, a question written across her face.
"In other words, the people of Mitsuho never reached a stage where they could produce such advanced tools and magic tools independently."
Mii hung her head at Jin’s observation.
"...Yes, I am ashamed to admit it."
"I don't know who built that Factory, but things clearly didn't go the way they intended."
Jin suspected it was likely because "education" had failed to take hold.
Though he hadn't shared it with anyone, one of his reasons for visiting Mitsuho was to discover how the Magus had managed to root such an advanced civilization in this land.
He knew that educational automata like Akitsu, designed for consultants and instructors, were part of the answer. But he wanted to see the rest of it... the policies directed at the general public.
However, as he had feared, it seemed things hadn't gone quite that smoothly here in Mitsuho either.
It appeared that, over time, the people had simply come to accept the tools provided to them as a given, without learning the 'how' or 'why' behind them.
(I wonder if it's right to call that decadence, though.)
In the end, the gap was likely just too wide.
Jin felt a twinge of disappointment; rather than a step they could climb, the people must have viewed the technology as an unscalable cliff and simply given up.
As someone who wanted to figure out how to pass on his own knowledge and technology to the current world, Jin had hoped to use the methods of this apparent predecessor as a reference...
"I won't do anything to harm it, so could you tell me where the Factory is located?"
"U-Um..."
Mii hesitated for a moment when he asked again, but then she remembered that Jin was a Magi Craft Meister.
"It is to the north... northeast of Miyako."
"I see. Is it possible for us to visit?"
"Yes, if I report it to my grandfather... I mean, to the Chief."
"Alright, then—"
As Jin started to head off, Elsa caught his arm.
"Jin-nii, calm down. It's almost eleven o'clock. If we're going, we should do it after lunch."
Jin regained his composure at her words.
"You're right."
"Mm."
And so, for the remaining hour or so, Jin and Elsa proceeded with their tour of the Museum as originally planned.
"This is a weaving machine. And over there is a reeling machine."
"Hmm, looking at these, they don't seem to be mechanical after all... no, I can't judge based on these alone..."
There were no sewing machines to be found.
In principle, a weaving machine simply passes the weft thread between the warp threads, so the structure isn't overly complex.
Jin had heard that the invention of the "flying shuttle" had drastically increased efficiency, but that was the extent of his knowledge on the subject.
However, when it came to a sewing machine—with its precision machining and the enigma of how the upper thread becomes entangled with the lower thread—even Jin didn't quite grasp the mechanics.
It seemed the Magus had felt the same way, as no sewing machines existed in Mitsuho either.
As a side note, if Jin were to tackle the problem, he would likely just solve it by creating a sewing golem.
Among the other items they examined during the morning were various cooking utensils.
"...These are Nakiri knives, aren't they?"
The knives Jin had seen since arriving in this world were all shaped like chef's knives or Santoku knives, but among the displays here, he found several that were clearly Nakiri and Yanagiba knives.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...And so, it was all quite fascinating."
True to his word, while eating lunch at a small cafeteria adjacent to the Library, Jin explained his findings and observations to Saki.
"Hmm, a Factory, huh? I'm a little curious, but I think I’d still prefer to spend the afternoon at the Library."
"Me too!"
Saki and Hanna were both set on staying at the Library for the rest of the day.
"You know, I found a book with all sorts of strange clothes in it! And another with beautiful flowers!"
"I see. That's good."
Hanna was still in the stage of absorbing various experiences and knowledge, regardless of her eventual aptitude. Jin was content to watch over her with a smile.
"And also, a book with levers and axles and pulleys and gears!"
"Oh?"
They might have been at an elementary level, but it seemed there were books on basic mechanics as well.
More than that, it was a surprise to Jin that Hanna had taken such a keen interest in those subjects.
"I'm going to study really hard so I can help you, Onii-chan!"
Jin gazed at her with warm, narrowed eyes as she made her proud declaration.
"I see. I'd be very happy if you did."
"Heh. As for me, I found a book outlining soap-making techniques, so I’m currently poring over that."
"That's great!"
If Saki, an alchemist, learned the process, it would be a huge help. Jin figured it would be even more reliable if Aaru provided backup.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I have received permission."
It was Mii.
Jin felt a bit guilty for the imposition, but he had asked her to go to the Chief and obtain clearance for them to inspect the Factory.
"Thank you for going through the trouble. Did you have lunch?"
"Thank you for your concern. I had a light meal over there."
"I see. Then, shall we? Saki, Hanna, see you later."
"Yeah, Onii-chan!"
"Good luck, Jin."
Thus, after lunch, Saki and Hanna went their way while Jin and Elsa went theirs.
The Botanical Garden sat in the northwest corner of the city, facing the moats that surrounded Miyako. The Factory was located a short distance past the bridge leading out of town to the north and slightly east of the moats, so Mii had arranged for rickshaws.
"The automobile would have been fine," Jin thought, but he decided to accept her hospitality graciously. Reiko and Edgar, however, insisted on traveling on their own feet.
The distance was about four or five kilometers; the group arrived at the Factory in just under thirty minutes.
"Thank you for your hard work. For the return trip... let's see, please come back here at five o'clock."
Mii made sure to secure their transportation for the journey back as well. Then, she gestured toward the building looming before them.
"Jin-sama, Elsa-sama, this is 'the Factory'."
"I see..."
It was a massive stone building, roughly the size of a gymnasium.