“Jin-nii, what’s on your mind?”
It was the 13th of June.
Jin was sitting at a desk in the corner of the laboratory workshop, wearing a look of deep concentration. Elsa, sensing something unusual in his expression, was the one who spoke up.
“Hmm? Oh, just thinking.”
His response was delayed, his mind still half-submerged in a sea of thoughts. The desk before him wasn't for manual labor; it was reserved for design and deliberation. Several sheets of paper were spread across the surface, covered in the various concepts he had been working through.
“It’s almost time for lunch,” Elsa said.
At her words, Jin finally pulled himself back to reality.
“...Right. Okay.”
“...So, what were you actually thinking about?” Elsa asked between mouthfuls of hiyamugi. She was certain that if Jin was this absorbed in thought, it had to be more than just a simple crafting project.
“A theme,” Jin replied, slurping his own noodles. Realizing that a single word wasn't enough to explain himself, he swallowed and tried again. “The theme for the World Conference.”
“The World Conference...”
“Yeah. I was thinking it’s about time we made that conference I was planning back in the spring a reality.”
Jin was no politician. He knew that. However, he also knew that he couldn't live a quiet, settled life unless the global situation remained stable. The incident with the Unifilar had taught him that lesson firsthand.
“...Mmhmm.”
Elsa felt the same way. Naturally, she shared his sentiment.
“The monorail network concept we put together the other day is good, but on its own, the impact might be a bit weak.”
“...Ah, I see.”
Elsa understood. If they were going to gather the leaders of various nations for a summit, they needed a substantial agenda. Again, Jin wasn't a politician; he was looking for technical solutions to bridge the gaps between nations.
One of those solutions was the monorail—the railway network. But that wasn't something that would spread across the globe overnight. It would likely start near the capitals of the Celuroa Kingdom and the Shouro Empire. Jin could easily imagine that the other nations in attendance wouldn't find that particularly exciting.
“I want to make at least one more proposal that truly helps people in their daily lives.”
“I understand. I’ll think with you.” Elsa smiled as she sipped the cold barley tea Reiko had poured for them. “...What about food-related technology?”
“Food, huh...”
Food, clothing, and shelter were the essentials of life. Jin thought that using food as a theme was a solid idea. At the same time, a spark of inspiration for "clothing" flashed through his mind.
“What kind of food-related ideas were you thinking of, Elsa?”
“Not the food itself, but the tools used to cook it. Things like pressure cookers or hot plates.”
“I see.”
A pressure cooker was an airtight pot that increased internal pressure when heated, raising the cooking temperature and allowing ingredients to be boiled soft in a fraction of the usual time. The appeal of a hot plate was obvious. Neither had seen any widespread use in this world yet, and both had the potential to greatly enrich people's diets.
“And you, Jin-nii?”
“Well, I just thought of it, but maybe farming ground spiders.”
He wasn't talking about the Hourai Island species, but the Mitsuho species—the ones Tenkunhan had brought over that produced silk for cloth. The Fusou species seemed to be carnivorous, so they likely weren't suitable for large-scale farming.
The two of them debated whether these ideas were appropriate for the summit.
“They’re all good ideas, but I’m not sure if any of them are quite right for the first World Conference...”
The problem was that these were all things that could be handled entirely within a single nation.
“I suppose food really is the best bet, after all.”
Reiko offered her own perspective then. “Father, pressure cookers have a very broad utility, don’t they?”
“Hmm?...Ah, right. You’re right.”
Pressure cookers allowed for delicious cooking. But more importantly...
“...They make inexpensive ingredients taste good.”
Food was a primary source of joy for humans. If given a choice, people would always choose the more delicious option. There were even those who would stake their lives on the pursuit of gourmet meals.
“Tough cuts of meat or hard vegetables can be made soft and delicious. And they cook fast. That’s very convenient.”
“It is.”
For commoners, it meant turning cheap, tough meat into a tender, savory meal. For the wealthy, it would broaden the horizons of their cuisine.
“Yeah, this might actually work.”
But for this to succeed, they needed samples.
“Thanks, Reiko....Alright, call Perido Leader for me.”
“Yes, Father.”
Among the Five-Colored Golem Maids of Hourai Island, the Peridos were the most skilled cooks. Jin summoned their leader.
“Did you call for me, Master?” The green-eyed golem maid leader arrived promptly.
“Yeah, actually...” Jin explained his concept to her.
“I understand. You require recipes for making low-quality ingredients taste delicious, as well as recipes to enhance the flavor of ordinary foods.”
“Exactly. It doesn't need to be an exhaustive list. In fact, keep it to the basics. I want each country and each individual to use their own creativity from there.”
He had no intention of doing all the legwork for them. Rather, he wanted people to use their own wits and ingenuity. Elsa, watching from the side, felt that Jin was gradually changing in this regard. In the past, she thought he might have simply presented a massive spread of finished dishes without a second thought.
“...That is all.”
While Elsa had been lost in thought, Perido Leader’s briefing had come to an end.
“Thanks. I think I’ll choose a few from that list to introduce.”
Jin then turned back to Elsa.
“About the pressure cooker—I want to make it magic-driven. What do you think?”
A magic-driven version would consume magi-stones or magi-crystals, but it would be much safer; there would be no risk of the lid failing and the pot exploding under pressure. There were horror stories from Jin's old world about pressure cooker lids blowing off and getting stuck in the ceiling due to misuse.
“But if you do that, won't it be too expensive for regular people to buy?”
Jin laughed and gave his answer. “I’ve been thinking about that, too. It wouldn't have made much sense on its own, but now...”
“But now... what?”
“The mana stand.”
“A mana stand?” Elsa repeated the unfamiliar term.
“Yeah. I suppose it’s like the gasoline stations from my old world. I want to build mana stands throughout towns that can provide inexpensive mana to the public.”
Jin and Elsa could manufacture magic tools equipped with magi reactors or ether converters, but that wasn't possible for the general public. Most magic tools required a magi-device called a mana tank—essentially a rechargeable battery—to operate.
The magic stove Jin had built in Kaina Village used the local magi-stone sand as an inexpensive energy source, but it was difficult to extract high levels of energy from that.
“Nobles have mana supply machines in their manors, but the technology hasn't reached the common people.”
Jin recalled seeing such a device in the Detached Palace while he was repairing Tia, Princess Lieschen’s nursemaid automata, in the Klein Kingdom.
“...Mhm. House Randol had two of those Magi Machines, too.”
“But they aren't widespread. Instead, people use magic tools by constantly swapping out magi-stones.”
When he had worked with Beena in Blue Land to make lighters and refrigerators, they had used magi-stones as the power source. Those were effectively the equivalent of disposable dry-cell batteries.
“That’s why I want to popularize mana stands first. If we do that, we can make magic tools that run on mana tanks common, too.”