Unexpectedly, the lunch menu at the Guest House dining hall featured a set meal of porridge, umeboshi, and pickles, along with kamameshi.
Jin and Saki ordered the kamameshi, while Hanna and Elsa ordered the porridge set. Incidentally, everyone except Jin was using a spoon.
"Jin-nii, is the kamameshi good?"
"Yeah, it’s quite delicious. Want a taste?"
"Mm."
"Here."
Jin picked up a morsel of the kamameshi with his chopsticks and held it out to Elsa.
"Ah, it's delicious."
"Right? It seems to be mountain vegetable kamameshi rather than chicken."
Elsa disliked poultry, especially the meat of the kokarisk, but since this dish didn't use any, she could eat it without worry.
"Then, a return gift. Here."
In exchange for the kamameshi, Elsa placed some porridge and an umeboshi onto her spoon and held it out to Jin’s mouth.
"Gah, so sour!"
It seemed to be an authentic umeboshi with about eighteen percent salt content; Jin grimaced at the sheer acidity.
"Heh, I wonder what’s with all this saccharine sweetness," Saki muttered, watching the two of them.
"Eh? Big Sister Saki, is that rice sweet?"
When asked by Hanna, who didn't understand the metaphor, Saki gave a wry smile and shook her head, telling her that wasn't what she meant.
Even as her knowledge grew, Hanna was still very much a child.
＊ ＊ ＊
"I’m sorry for taking up your time when you must be busy."
Chief Hiro arrived at exactly 1:00 PM, accompanied by a single scribe. They were currently holding their discussion in a meeting room within the Guest House.
"I would like samples of mercury and alum, as well as taps, dies, and some soap."
"Oho, you desire quite unusual items. Very well, I shall have them prepared immediately."
Hiro issued orders to the scribe, who began recording the requests.
"They can be ready by tomorrow morning."
"Thank you. By the way..."
Jin decided to ask about the mercury he was concerned about.
"Mercury, you say? At the moment, it is used for ornamental purposes."
Apparently, it was kept in sealed bottles just to be looked at. Certainly, a silver-colored liquid was a beautiful sight.
"If that's the case, then it's fine, but please be careful when handling it."
Jin explained the dangers of mercury as far as he knew them. Since he wasn't a doctor, he could only offer general warnings, but it was still better than saying nothing.
"I see, so inhaling mercury vapor is dangerous."
Hiro understood Jin's explanation and replied that he would ensure the information was thoroughly disseminated. The topic then shifted to Jin and his group's future plans.
"So, you are still planning to head north?"
"Yes, that is the intention."
"It seems there was interaction with the northern lands in the old days, but as it stands, there are no settlements along the way. You must travel across hundreds of kilometers of wasteland."
However, Jin could follow an appropriate path thanks to the images from the Watcher. Moreover, since they had an automobile, they only needed to worry about their own food supplies. Since those supplies could even be brought in from Hourai Island via a Warp Gate, there was really nothing to fear.
But because he couldn't reveal all of that, he limited himself to saying they had no concerns about their means of travel.
"I suppose that's true. In that case, we would like to provide support in the form of food provisions."
Being offered such a thing, Jin couldn't refuse and expressed his gratitude politely.
＊ ＊ _＊
"Well then, it's about time we got ready to leave."
"Heh, I'm looking forward to it, but it’s a bit lonely at the same time."
Having become quite accustomed to Miyako, there was a lingering sense of attachment. That said, they couldn't stay forever.
First, they would leave Mitsuho and head west. The highway extended a bit further, leading to the towns of Kure and Inno. From the town of Inno onward, they would finally be traveling where there were no roads.
"Let's just relax for the rest of today."
It was 3:00 PM—tea time. At that moment...
"Jin-sama, do you have a moment?"
As if she had timed it perfectly, Mii arrived.
"Excuse me. Um, I've brought this... my grandfather, the Chief, entrusted it to me."
What she held out appeared to be an old map.
"Ah, this is..."
Looking at it, the geography north of Mitsuho was depicted.
"If you continue along the mountains to the northwest, I hear there is a wetland called the Shikuro Wetlands. On the eastern side of it, there is... or rather, there was... a settlement called Urun."
She meant that she didn't know if it still existed.
"I see, thank you. Isn't this quite valuable?"
"No, compared to what you have done for us, Jin-sama, this is nothing."
Nonetheless, Jin felt hesitant about carrying the original map around. He decided to have Reiko copy it. After bringing a large piece of wood-paper, Reiko began the transcription. It was done with a speed that... while not quite faster than the eye could follow...
"S-So amazing..."
Mii watched with wide eyes at the speed and precision. In about three minutes, the copy of the old map was completed.
"Thank you. Please keep the original safely on your end," Jin said as he carefully folded the old map back into its original state and returned it to Mii.
They had their tea time with Mii joining them. The snack served with the tea was pickles. They drank green tea while crunching on pickles made from a vegetable similar to a cucumber.
"But, you are leaving already, aren't you..."
Mii spoke sadly, her expression mismatched with the peaceful atmosphere.
"Well, it was in the plans, and we can't stay here forever," Saki said, trying to comfort her.
"I suppose so... but I shall miss you."
Looking at Saki's face, Mii smiled wistfully. From then on, Jin and the others did most of the talking, sharing stories of the Shouro Empire that clearly delighted Mii.
"Saki-san, you truly are a wonderful person."
For some reason, Mii was sitting quite close to Saki.
"I-Is that so?"
"Those glasses on your face suit you well, too."
"N-Now that you mention it, people here don't seem to find it strange when they see glasses, do they?"
Saki tried to pull away a little, but Mii wouldn't let her. Jin and Elsa watched the rare sight of Saki being flustered.
"Yes. We use them, after all."
"Eh?"
"My grandfather has a pair too. He calls them reading glasses."
"I see..."
If it were a magus who had created all of this, it wouldn't be strange for them to have made glasses. Jin figured the reason people here didn't wear them much was simply because their eyesight was generally good, though it seemed they did become farsighted with age.
Come to think of it, the glass here doesn't seem to be quartz glass, Jin realized.
Quartz and crystal are SiO2. If you mix sodium carbonate and calcium carbonate with it, the melting point drops to about 1000°C, making it suitable for mass production. Because Jin lacked that specific chemical knowledge, he tended to think only of quartz glass. Quartz glass has a melting point of over 2000°C and low fluidity, making it extremely difficult to process.
(There's no doubt the magus had chemical knowledge.)
Jin became more and more excited about the northern lands he had yet to see.
"Saki-san, here, say 'ahhh'."
"I-I can eat it myself!!"
Saki was completely overwhelmed by Mii's affectionate offensive.
As for Elsa, since Mii's target had shifted from her to Saki, she felt a complex mix of relief, a bit of regret, and a great deal of pity for her friend.