Once Beena finished assembling the three refrigerators, her quota for the day was complete.
"Thanks to you, Jin, I finished much faster than usual. Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"Come to the main house. I'll treat you to some delicious tea."
"Sure. There are still a few things I'd like to discuss."
Jin accepted Beena's invitation.
"Dear, would you like to take a little break? I've invited Jin, so let's have some tea."
Beena called out while peering into the office.
"Ah, I've just reached a good stopping point. I'll join you."
Count Kuzuma replied and stood up from his desk.
When one thought of tea in the Kingdom of Egerea, one thought of Te-e.
"Mm, this is delicious."
"Really? I'm glad."
Beena had brewed the tea personally. It was clear she had undergone extensive training to become a countess.
Even her simplest gestures were refined. Jin sensed that her grace wasn't a performance for praise, but rather the result of her genuine desire to be a wife worthy of Count Kuzuma.
"So, about today's business... could you find some time tomorrow? Ideally a full day."
"I'm fine, but my husband..."
"No, if it's an important matter, I'll make time regardless," the Count interjected. "I have no urgent work scheduled."
Hearing that, Jin decided to explain the details.
"I was wondering if you would visit my territory once before the World Conference."
"Tomorrow?! Oh, by all means!"
"Yes, if that's the case, I shall clear my schedule and pay a visit!"
Even the usually composed Count Kuzuma nearly rose from his seat as he spoke, seemingly caught off guard by the immediacy of the trip. Jin smiled and continued his explanation.
"In that case, I'll come to pick you up tomorrow morning at eight."
"Understood. I'll be looking forward to it."
"Very well. Is there anything we should prepare?"
Jin told them that nothing in particular was needed and stood up.
The Count and his wife saw Jin and Reiko to the front door.
"Well then, see you tomorrow."
"Yes, we shall be waiting."
"Jin, see you later."
＊ ＊ ＊
"And that's the situation."
After returning to Hourai Island, Jin teleported again and was now speaking with Reinhard.
"I see. So you want to bring Beena and Louis into the Family as well."
"That's the idea."
"It's certainly a good plan since we didn't have any members from the Kingdom of Egerea. Those two are trustworthy."
Reinhard agreed with the suggestion.
"First, I intend to take them to Kunlun Island tomorrow, and then find an opportunity to bring them to Hourai Island..."
"Right. Since I have some free time now, I'll join you. I'd like to see Louis again after all this time."
Ever since Reinhard had visited Blue Land as a diplomat, he and Count Kuzuma had been close friends.
"Also, I think it would be good if the members of the Jin Family who can make it come to Hourai Island for the meeting."
Jin nodded at Reinhard's advice.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll go around and check with everyone after this. Oh, and while I have the chance, I should mention this..."
Jin spoke about the World Conference and the guest houses—the Jade Pavilion and the Hall of Five Virtues.
"Hmm. Jin, your assumptions for the number of guards and servants when inviting the heads of state are far too low. No matter how much you say Kunlun Island is safe, those who don't know it won't believe it blindly."
"Ah, I suppose that's true."
"That's why you might run into trouble if you don't allow them to bring guards and servants, even if you have to use Konron 2 to transport them."
Jin appreciated Reinhard's insight.
"I understand. Fortunately, the Jade Pavilion has plenty of capacity, so I think it's possible."
Jin felt grateful for the logistical foresight shown by Laojun and the others.
＊ ＊ ＊
Then came June 23rd.
When Jin arrived at the Count Kuzuma estate in a carriage slightly before 8:00 AM, he was greeted by Beena and Count Kuzuma, who were already fully prepared.
"Y-You're early," Jin remarked.
"I was just so excited, I couldn't sit still!" Beena replied. Count Kuzuma stood beside her, smiling quietly.
"Alright, shall we go then?"
"Please, after you."
Reiko opened the carriage door.
"This is the first time I've ridden in your carriage, Jin."
"Ho, it looks more normal than I expected."
The two of them shared their impressions as they climbed inside.
"Well, the first one I made was after that Golem Party."
Once the door was closed, the carriage set off. The coachman for this trip was Steward.
"O-Oh? What is this comfort?! I can hardly feel any vibration!"
Even in Jin's carriage, it wasn't that there were zero vibrations, but compared to the jolting of an ordinary carriage, such an impression was only natural.
The fact that a golem horse pulled it and a golem sat in the driver's seat meant it was anything but normal, yet no one pointed that out.
After driving for about ten minutes, the carriage entered the forest. They followed a small path just wide enough for a single carriage, eventually stopping in a small clearing.
"We'll walk from here... or rather, we'll go by horse."
"Oh, golem horses."
In addition to the golem horse that had pulled the carriage, Jin's personal horse, Koma, and another golem horse were waiting there.
"Ah..."
Despite her previous experience, Beena had neglected to wear riding pants.
"It's alright, I'll support you."
Count Kuzuma was a skilled rider, so he mounted with a refined, fluid motion. Then he reached out his hand toward Beena.
"Come, Beena."
"Y-Yes."
Pulled up by Count Kuzuma, Beena sat sideways in front of him.
Reiko was riding in front of Jin.
"Now, let's go."
Jin took the lead and moved further into the forest.
After a slow ten-minute trek, they reached a massive rock deep in the woods.
A Warp Gate was hidden at its foot.
Currently, it was protected by a barrier that could only be deactivated by Jin or those he authorized. Since the path also passed through Shinkai, there was no risk of outsiders using it.
Furthermore, the security was more than sufficient, as the Warp Gate only responded to Jin's magic pattern.
Jin started to reach out a hand to Beena, then reconsidered and pulled back.
Entrusting the count and his wife to Reiko, he led the way into the Warp Gate.
This time, to avoid unnecessary confusion, he had adjusted the settings to travel directly; thus, the destination they emerged at was Kunlun Island.
"Ho... so this is..."
Stepping out into the Warp Gate room in the mansion's basement, Count Kuzuma reacted exactly as Jin expected. It was Beena's second time visiting, but she was still looking around restlessly.
"Now, let's go upstairs."
At Jin's urging, the two climbed the stairs. They passed through the entrance hall and stepped outside.
"Wow."
"Ooh!"
Jin spoke the words perfect for the occasion.
"Welcome to Kunlun Island."