Jin first escorted the girls back to Kaina Village.
"In that case, let's hold the farewell party tomorrow."
He also informed the Village Chief, Giebeck, of the plan.
"We'll host it at Nidou Castle. I'll provide the food."
After saying that, Jin set out for the Celuroa Kingdom.
It was 4:00 PM in Kaina Village, but there was a one-hour and twenty-minute time difference between there and the Celuroa capital.
Konron 3 arrived at the capital, Esaia, in less than fifteen minutes.
Three hot air balloons from the Celuroa Kingdom’s Air Defense Force rose to intercept them, but upon seeing the "two bars in a circle" crest on Konron 3 and Reiko waving from the window, they recognized it was Jin and slowly pulled away.
"Lord of Kunlun, welcome."
Balfaza Walker, the Chairman of the Ministry of General Affairs, was there to greet him.
"It has been a while."
"Please, come this way."
The Chairman personally guided Jin and Reiko to a reception room inside the Royal Palace.
"Actually..."
Jin had assumed it would be difficult to meet with King Cesar directly, so he figured speaking to the Chairman would be sufficient. He began to explain the purpose of his visit. However...
"Oh, please wait. His Majesty has nearly finished his duties for the day; he should be arriving shortly."
Before the Chairman could even finish speaking, the door opened and King Cesar entered.
"Oh, Jin-dono, it has been some time."
"It has, Your Majesty. Forgive the long absence."
Jin stood up and bowed. With a pleasant smile, Cesar motioned for Jin to sit and took a seat himself.
"Now then, let us hear your business."
Cesar cut straight to the chase, setting aside small talk for later given his busy schedule.
"Yes. Actually..."
Jin spoke about the girls from Lario Village who had been sold into slavery. He explained that eight of the eleven wanted to emigrate.
"I see... As a king, it is a somber thing to see my citizens leave the country."
"...I am truly sorry."
Seeing King Cesar look slightly disappointed made Jin feel apologetic.
"No, Jin-dono, you are not the one who should apologize. This is a result of my own kingdom's failings."
King Cesar then gave his word that there would be no problem with the girls' emigration. Furthermore, he prepared the necessary documents, even if they were only informal.
Since the Celuroa Kingdom didn't have anything that could be called an official family register, verbal permission would have sufficed, but he put it in writing for the sake of the girls' future.
"Thank you very much."
Jin expressed his gratitude and accepted the papers.
"Now, Jin-dono. I would like to ask a favor of you in return."
"What is it?"
King Cesar glanced at the seated Balfaza Walker before explaining.
"Our country is vast. While our highways are well-maintained, the sheer size of our territory can sometimes be a hindrance."
"I see."
Jin nodded vaguely, not yet grasping the point of the preamble.
"Take this recent famine, for example. Even when we tried to send relief supplies, the distance itself was a barrier."
"I understand."
"Therefore, I would like to ask you, Jin-dono, for a proposal to improve our land transportation."
He was asking for a logistical overhaul. He wanted to increase the volume of goods transported, decrease the travel time, or ideally, both.
"As for a reward, we are considering a minimum of 10 million Toll (roughly 100 million yen). Depending on the details, we may increase that amount. Of course, we are also open to negotiating payment in forms other than currency."
Balfaza Walker spoke up regarding the compensation. It was quite an extraordinary offer.
"Would a deadline of the end of the year be acceptable?"
"Understood. I will accept. However, I have one condition."
"And what is that?"
"I would like this transportation network to not be limited to the Celuroa Kingdom, but eventually to expand across all nations."
"Hmm, that is..."
"In that case, I intend to receive rewards from each of those countries as well."
Jin was envisioning something like a railway network. Connecting the various nations rather than keeping the system closed within one country would provide far greater benefits.
As for the method, he hadn't decided yet whether a railway or truck transport would be superior.
"Hmm..."
Jin's hope was to have this added as a topic for the World Conference he had previously planned.
"Very well... However, since I don't yet know what kind of proposal you will make, I cannot give a firm commitment right now. I would like to see the plan first and then give it further thought."
"That is reasonable. I will do my best to present at least a draft as soon as possible."
"Good. I look forward to it."
With that, Jin obtained official permission to make the girls residents of Kaina Village.
"Now, how should I handle this..."
Jin pondered the problem aboard Konron 3 during the return trip.
"It's either a railway or trucks..."
He couldn't immediately decide which was better.
Railways were a hassle to build, but they allowed for mass transport and could move people easily. The downside was that they could only offer broad distribution.
Trucks were easier to introduce since they could use the existing highways. They were maneuverable and could deliver directly to individual villages. The downside was that they would be heavily restricted by the width of the current roads.
"Hmm, I can't decide on one over the other just like that..."
This was exactly the kind of thing Jin wanted the leaders of each country to discuss at a World Conference.
That said, he had more immediate tasks.
Switching gears, Jin consulted with Laojun via manacam regarding the farewell party.
"My Lord, what ingredients should I send over?"
"Let's see... Persica, citran, and apulul."
There were plenty of rice and wheat stocks at Nidou Castle already.
"Normally, it would be better for the local economy to buy from the surrounding villages, but..."
Jin himself had accumulated a massive fortune, and the reality was that he had nowhere to spend it. The only way he managed to use his money was for things like Barrow and Belle's wages and living expenses at the Loizart mansion.
"I suppose I'll just have to set that aside for now, too."
Jin realized that if he tried to fix everything at once, he would never be finished. He resolved to settle things one by one.
"First is tomorrow's farewell party."
"Father, please don't forget about Hanna-chan either."
"Ah, of course."
Jin made up his mind to spend the entire morning tomorrow playing with Hanna and the village children.
Konron 3 landed in Kaina Village under the cover of darkness.
Since it was propelled by a force generator, the landing was almost entirely free of sway or shock.
"Well then, I think I'll rest at the castle tonight."
There was a time difference of about two hours and twenty minutes with Hourai Island, so he figured his biological rhythm would stay more consistent if he slept here.
Upon entering Nidou Castle, Jin was greeted by a familiar face.
"Welcome back."
It was Elsa, wearing an apron.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I've... prepared dinner."
Reiko was smiling behind Jin. It seemed a message had gone from Reiko to Laojun, and then from Laojun to Elsa.
"Thanks, Elsa."
Jin, who was indeed hungry, expressed his gratitude as he sat down at a table laden with warm food.