The next day, Jin presented Beena and Count Kuzuma with Fellowship Bracelets as proof of their membership in the Jin Family.
Beena’s was crimson, and Count Kuzuma’s was yellow-green.
Once the usage was explained to them, the two were left in a state of bewilderment.
"I—is it truly acceptable for us to receive such incredible magic tools?"
Jin simply smiled and reassured them. "They’re a proof of trust. Everyone else is wearing one too."
"……"
At that moment, Beena voiced the concern she had been harboring.
"Hey, Jin… if—and this is just a 'what if,' okay? What would happen if we were to blab about this place? Would we be… disposed of?"
"Disposed of? What kind of secret society do you think this is?"
Jin laughed at the question before continuing.
"I shared these secrets with you because I believe in you and trust you. If the two of you were to speak of it to someone, I’m sure there would be some unavoidable reason behind it."
"Jin…"
"If it comes to that, I’ll deal with it when the time comes."
"That is correct, Beena-san. This Hourai Island will not budge an inch no matter what happens," Reiko added, attempting to reassure her, though her logic was a bit different from Jin’s.
Incidentally, the "personality check" performed by Laojun had already been completed the moment Jin first suggested inviting the two to Kunlun Island. Since the results were a pass, Laojun had no intention of mentioning it unless Jin asked.
Before noon that day, Beena and Count Kuzuma prepared to return to Blue Land. Jin and Reiko accompanied them to perform the installation of a Warp Gate in the basement of the Count’s mansion. With this, they could travel back and forth immediately whenever necessary.
"But remember, it won’t work unless you’re wearing the bracelet," Jin reminded them.
"I know."
"Besides, it always routes through Shinkai, so any suspicious individuals will be filtered out."
"I understand. I shall exercise the utmost caution. I will not leak word of this even to my servants," Count Kuzuma promised.
Both Beena and the Count guaranteed their compliance regarding the secrecy.
"Well then, until next time. If anything happens, please use the communication function on your bracelets."
With those parting words, Jin used the newly installed Warp Gate to return to Hourai Island.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Now then, that leaves…"
"Jin-nii."
Elsa came to visit Jin while he was relaxing at his house on Hourai Island.
"Are you worrying about something?"
"No, I’m more lost in thought than worrying."
"About what?"
"About Lishia and… Milowina-san."
"Eh?"
Since he had mentioned two people who seemed to have absolutely no connection to each other, Elsa was taken aback.
"No… I was just thinking about which to do first: having Lishia join the Jin Family, or bringing Milowina-san over here for a visit."
"……So you are having Lishia-san join the Jin Family after all?"
"Yeah. If Beena and her husband represent the Kingdom of Egerea, I thought she would be the best fit for the Klein Kingdom."
"……I understand that. By the way, speaking of Lishia-san, there's something I noticed. May I?"
Curious about what Elsa had picked up on, Jin nodded.
"Um, well, the other day, Lishia-san mentioned that she wanted to make juice and jam into local specialties of Toka Village."
"Ah, that’s right."
Jin recalled that the Lamber juice and jam had indeed been delicious.
"Jam aside, the juice is impossible. It doesn't keep."
"Ah."
Having it pointed out, Jin realized the problem immediately.
"We don't have to worry about the Persica juice or citran juice on Hourai Island because we have mana tanks, but…"
"……It would probably be impossible even with a refrigerator."
In the case of 100% fruit juice, the shelf life was two or three days at best. With such a short window, the Town of Charles would be the limit of their reach. Transporting it all the way to the royal capital was out of the question.
"Ah, that completely slipped my mind."
"I think it’s better to tell her."
"……You’re right."
In that case, following up with Lishia would come first. Whether or not she would be invited to Hourai Island would depend on her.
"My Lord, Lishia-san is scheduled to head to the royal capital after this to pay her taxes," Laojun’s voice chimed in with a piece of advice.
"Ah, is that so?"
Unlike Kaina Village, which was independent, Toka Village was undeniably a part of the Klein Kingdom. If there was a harvest, paying taxes was mandatory.
"Wait, isn't tax payment usually in the autumn?" Jin suddenly remembered that Kaina Village had paid its taxes in the autumn when he lived there.
"Regarding that, My Lord, it appears that due to the impact of last year's food crisis, they are now paying taxes twice a year, in spring and autumn."
"Ah, I see."
Laojun added that the total amount owed likely remained the same.
"I see... Then I'll talk to her after she gets back."
"Jin-nii, don't forget."
"Ugh... I’ll be careful."
In that case, Milowina would be the first priority.
"I wonder if she’s gotten better since then?"
"Yes, My Lord. According to regular reports from Jack, she has recovered enough to walk around on her own. He also mentioned that he was able to restore the gravity to 1G the day before yesterday."
"Oh, that’s good news. In that case, shall we invite her to Hourai Island?"
"Jin-nii, what about measures against pathogens?" Elsa offered a word of caution.
"Ah, right. I might need to develop something like a sterilization barrier."
Essentially, it would be a specialized barrier acting like a spacesuit. He had been considering generating a barrier that followed the contours of the body for some time now.
"That might work."
"It could also be applied to spacesuits," Laojun noted.
And so, Jin decided to set to work on developing the body-surface barrier, a project that had been left hanging for a long time.
"Ultimately, I think I can make it work if I can specify the origin."
It wasn't as if Jin hadn't been giving it any thought.
"So, a barrier that uses the surface of the body as the origin and minimizes the distance from there?"
"Exactly. As expected of My Lord."
"Yeah. For example, this could be applied to Reiko immediately. Her skin is made of Ancient Dragon hide, after all."
Since its characteristics regarding mana were outstanding, it would be a simple task.
"The problem is humans…"
"Exactly, Elsa."
Jin nodded and folded his arms, lost in thought.
A human body could not be clearly demarcated by skin and muscle alone. There was the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. While blood vessels did not pass through the epidermis, they did through the dermis. Because of that, the concentration of mana and free ether within the body was not constant.
"The mana concentration in the blood fluctuates, after all…"
For now, considering those margins of error, it seemed possible to construct a barrier within about 10 centimeters of the skin's surface.
"What happens if you make it closer than that?"
"If the error is at its worst, part of the body might protrude from the barrier."
Jin suspected that parts like elbows or knees would be the most prone to sticking out. It was obvious that protruding like that in a vacuum, for example, would result in a catastrophe.
"……That’s difficult."
Elsa tilted her head, pondering the complexity of the problem.