“Now then, ‘Lord of Kunlun,’ on another note...”
Having concluded their scheduled meeting, Cesar, the King of Celuroa Kingdom, offered a friendly smile.
“I received the invitation to your wedding reception the other day. Allow me to offer my congratulations.”
“Ah, th-thank you very much.”
Since Elsa had been handling most of the arrangements, Jin was caught off guard and stammered a reply.
“I hear you’ll be touring various nations. For our kingdom, well, I was thinking we should hold a banquet for a full week straight...”
King Cesar paused with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“...Or so I thought, but I imagine you have a schedule to keep. I shall respect the letter’s request and limit it to three days.”
Jin let out a visible sigh of relief, prompting Cesar to laugh as if he had read the young man's mind.
“Haha, being a celebrity is quite the burden. You’ll just have to resign yourself to it as a matter of duty.”
“I suppose so...”
“Normally, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the nobility and royalty of every nation were vying to marry their daughters off to you, Jin-dono.”
“I—is that right?”
Jin understood the logic in a detached way, but he still lacked any real sense that such a thing was actually happening to him.
“Nobles are often even more calculating than merchants, after all.”
It was a cynical assessment typical of a man who had faced his fair share of struggles during his time as the crown prince.
“I have one more ‘now then’ for you. Would you be willing to hear me out?”
“What is it?”
“I believe the Shouro Empire has something called the ‘Gonkrenz,’ correct?”
The Gonkrenz—the magi-doll competition that Elsa’s father had challenged Jin to during last year’s Technology Expo while in an altered state of mind.
“We are planning to follow their lead and hold a ‘Gonpetition’ here in our kingdom.”
“That sounds like it could be interesting.”
“Indeed. And so, I would like to ask the ‘Lord of Kunlun’ to serve as the chief judge. Naturally, accompanied by your fiancée.”
“The chief judge...?”
Sensing Jin’s hesitation, King Cesar added a clarification.
“I imagine you would prefer to participate, Jin-dono, but if you did, you would win by such a landslide that there would be no competition. I must ask you to refrain for the sake of the event.”
“I see...”
Jin had to nod in agreement, as he couldn't fault the King's logic.
“When is it scheduled for?”
“July 28th and 29th.”
“Three days from now... I see.”
Jin thought it over for a moment before deciding to accept.
“Very well. I’ll do it.”
“Oh, that is wonderful!”
King Cesar shook hands firmly with Jin.
“If I may be so bold, would you be able to bring one or two of your own golems to serve as models? I’d like to have them perform a demonstration of some sort.”
“Yes, that shouldn't be a problem.”
“Excellent! That helps immensely. On our end, we have prepared twenty million Tolls as a reward, but will that suffice?”
Twenty million Tolls was approximately two hundred million yen. As expected of a major power, Jin thought.
However, he had another request.
“Half that amount in cash is fine, but could I receive the remainder in white gold instead?”
“White gold? You certainly have a taste for the unusual. I don’t believe I mind, but...”
To be certain, King Cesar summoned Rubra Podon, the first finance minister, to confirm.
“Let’s see. As for our stockpiles of white gold, we should have roughly fifty tons in the treasury,” the minister reported.
The market price for white gold sat at roughly fifty to a hundred Tolls per gram.
“In that case, I shall grant you one ton.”
Calculated at fifty Tolls per gram, that amounted to fifty million Tolls—the equivalent of five hundred million yen. By opting for physical goods instead of cash, the value of the reward had increased significantly.
This was clearly a gesture of goodwill from King Cesar.
“Thank you very much.”
In the world of Ars, what was known as "white gold" was not actually platinum. It was an alloy of the platinum-group elements: iridium, osmium, rhodium, palladium, and ruthenium.
While pure platinum is soft, this particular alloy was extremely hard, making it virtually impossible to process at room temperature. Furthermore, it had such a high melting point that it could not be melted using the heat from charcoal or firewood; one had to rely on Craft Magic. However, because even the local magi craftsmen could not separate the alloy into its component elements, its applications were extremely limited.
In the Celuroa Kingdom, it was almost exclusively used for "standard weights." Being heavy and resistant to corrosion—common traits of platinum-group elements—it was ideal for that purpose.
Still, that single use wasn't enough to deplete their massive stocks. Thus, vast quantities of "white gold" sat idle in the kingdom's warehouses.
While the alloy's uses were limited for most, Jin could easily separate it into its individual elements for various high-end applications. For anyone else, it was a specialized material with no significant demand. Therefore, the trade was highly beneficial for both Jin and the Celuroa Kingdom.
At this point, Jin offered a suggestion.
“By the way, regarding the use of this white gold, how about making trophies and commemorative medals from it to be given to the competition winners?”
The fact that it was difficult to process meant it was exceptionally durable—perfect for commemorative items.
“Oh, I see! A magi craftsman would indeed be able to work it. In that case, Jin-dono, I wish to establish a ‘Jin Nidou Award.’ Would you be willing to craft a trophy and a medal for it?”
“Eh?”
An unexpected request had landed in his lap.
“In addition to the championship, I want to create several excellence awards, and I thought the ‘Magi Craft Meister Award’ or the ‘Jin Nidou Award’ would be a fitting addition.”
“I... I see.”
Feeling embarrassed at the thought of having an award named after himself, Jin requested that it be called the "Magi Craft Meister Award."
King Cesar readily agreed.
“I will provide the white gold for those as well, so I hope you can have them ready by the day of the event. For the trophy and medal—and including a fee for the labor—how does one hundred kilograms of the material sound?”
“That will be perfectly fine.”
For Jin, the real challenge wasn't the effort of crafting them, but rather the design of the trophy and medal. He expected some specific guidelines, but Cesar was firm.
“Since it is the ‘Magi Craft Meister Award,’ please design it however you like, Jin-dono. I shall place no restrictions on you at all.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, if you wish to add some color variation, feel free to use a little gold or copper as well.”
“...I'll see what I can do.”
Jin decided he would consult Elsa about it once he returned home.
After receiving his one ton of white gold, Jin returned to Hourai Island that same day. It was said that the treasury paymaster’s face twitched as he watched Reiko effortlessly carry the hundred-kilogram blocks, one in each hand, out of the warehouse.
“Hmm...”
Jin groaned as he sat in his workshop on Hourai Island, trying to sketch a trophy design.
“Jin-nii, what’s wrong?”
Elsa called out as she peeked into the room. Since he had just been planning to ask her advice, Jin welcomed her in with a grateful wave.
“Yes?”
Elsa trotted over to his side. Jin explained the situation to her.
“...If it’s the Jin Nidou Award, I’d want to say it should be in your likeness, Jin-nii...”
When Jin made an incredibly sour face at the suggestion, Elsa laughed and quickly retracted it.
“That was a joke. For the ‘Magi Craft Meister Award,’ I think it should be something unlike anything seen before. Since the material itself is white gold, it’s already unique.”
“I see...”
He had been agonizing over purely artistic value, but he decided it was time to show off an original "Jin design." An idea finally began to take shape in his mind.