On August 4, Jin visited Kaina Village, accompanied only by Reiko.
Rather than using the gate at Jin Castle, they traveled through the Warp Gate located in the basement of his workshop. He preferred this route whenever he visited as a "private person."
"Welcome back, Onii-chan! Reiko-oneechan, it’s been a long time!"
Hanna greeted them with her usual smile, though she looked a little more grown-up than before.
"I'm back, Hanna."
"It has been a while, Hanna-chan," Reiko replied.
Jin returned the smile as he and Reiko began walking toward the village chief’s house. Hanna came trotting along beside them.
"You know, the wheat harvest was really good again this year!"
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it."
As they walked, Hanna shared all sorts of news—mostly topics she knew would make Jin happy.
"The cold storage room is full of snow, so the vegetables are keeping well. We’ve had just the right amount of rain this summer, too. Everyone says the crops are in great shape."
Her once-halting speech had become clear and distinct, another sign of how much she had grown. She had even grown slightly taller than Reiko at some point. Her hair now reached down to her waist, possessing a luster that Jin felt was better described as "antique gold" than just "dark gold."
"I picked a lot of Wylie berries the other day and made them into jam."
"I see. Everyone is keeping busy, then."
The villagers of Kaina Village had found various ways to earn foreign currency, which allowed them to purchase items like sugar through Rick’s shop. They were using that sugar to make their own preserves.
While they chatted, they arrived at the home of the village chief, Giebeck.
"Ah, it’s become quite an impressive clinic."
Attached to the house was the clinic run by Sally, Giebeck’s wife. What had started as a simple log cabin had been renovated into a fine building with a clean, professional appearance.
"Oh, what a surprise to see you here."
Sally happened to peek out from the clinic just then, and Jin offered a greeting.
"Hello, Sally-sensei."
"Well, hello. Giebeck is out at the moment, though."
"Is that so? In that case, may I ask you a few things, Doctor?"
"Hmm. If I'll do, ask away. Though I can't give you answers I don't have."
As she spoke, Sally invited them into the house rather than the clinic.
"I can't offer much more than tea right now," Sally said, mentioning she had been planning to go out for supplies later. In response, Jin had Reiko present the Persica fruit they had brought.
"Please, take this as a small gift."
"Oh, thank you. This is much appreciated."
Accepting the gift with a smile, Sally quickly peeled and sliced the fruit, setting it before them. Hanna immediately snatched up a piece, her face beaming at the sweetness.
Watching her out of the corner of his eye, Jin turned back to Sally.
"What I wanted to ask you about is the neighboring village—Toka Village."
Sally visited Toka Village for medical rounds about three or four days a month. Jin figured she would have the best insight.
"Hmm, Toka Village. Let's see..."
According to Sally, the situation in Toka Village was generally positive. The weather had been stable from spring through summer, leading to expectations of a better-than-average harvest. This had mitigated the damage from the famine at the end of last year, allowing the villagers to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Additionally, thanks to Sally’s efforts in promoting public health, cases of stomachaches and poisoning had plummeted, and infectious diseases were almost non-existent.
"The lord, Lady Lishia, is working very hard. She's incredibly eager to learn. Most of the time when I'm there, she stays by my side to help out while she studies."
"I see..."
Just as he thought, Lishia was highly capable. Her earnest, tireless effort was truly touching.
"That being said, there are limits to what a local lord—or rather, a village lord—can achieve alone. She seems to be worrying about something lately."
"Is that so..."
"If you have the chance, why don't you offer her some advice as a neighbor?"
Jin nodded at Sally's suggestion.
"Yes. In fact, that's more or less why I came today."
"I see. That's good to hear. Even if you're separated by a mountain pass, you're still neighbors. It's important to help each other out."
Sally said this as she picked up a slice of the Persica.
"You should give her books like the ones in the library at Onii-chan's castle," Hanna suggested, having listened in silence until now.
"Ah, you're right. Much of that knowledge would be better if it were widely shared. Especially regarding agriculture and health management."
Since Sally agreed, Jin realized it was a sound idea.
"That’s a good point."
He had gifted an automata teacher named Fuhrer to the Shouro Empire, but even without going that far, providing useful reference books would be a significant help.
"And since I have wood-paper..."
Printing technology hadn't developed in this world yet, but Jin had a Golem Plotter. It could transcribe text dozens of times faster than a human hand.
"I’ll give it some thought. Thank you for your time today."
Just then, a villager who had been injured during farm work arrived at the clinic. Taking that as their cue, Jin, Reiko, and Hanna took their leave.
"Books, huh..."
Some of the books in Jin Castle contained information that was far too advanced for the general public and were forbidden from being removed. Hanna had already read almost all of them, though.
"If it's just the basics of public health and gardening, there shouldn't be any issues."
The reason he didn't say "agriculture" was because many of the techniques used on Hourai Island were still in the trial-and-error phase. There was no guarantee that the plants in the Ars world functioned exactly like those in modern Japan. He would have to limit the content to methods that were already proven and perhaps suggest they test them in small-scale plots first. The soil quality also seemed to differ between Toka Village and Kaina Village.
Jin planned to consult with Laojun to create reference books for the general public, which could then be gifted or sold as needed.
"Onii-chan, what are we doing after this?"
Hanna's voice pulled Jin back to the present.
"Let's see. I'll just wait for the village chief to return and have a quick chat with him."
"In that case, let's go swimming in the Erme River!"
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."
The summer sun was intense, and even a short walk was enough to work up a sweat. Hanna set off for the river in the one-piece swimsuit Jin had given her, topped with a straw hat. Seeing her go, Jin changed on the second floor of his home-slash-workshop, pulling on a hoodie-style jacket. Reiko also changed into her swimsuit.
"Onii-chan, hurry, hurry!"
Hanna, eager to get into the water, trotted ahead and occasionally stopped to wave Jin and Reiko along. Once they passed the side of Jin Castle, they reached the banks of the Erme River.
"Father, there are quite a lot of people here," Reiko noted.
"Yeah, you're right."
The river was teeming with children.
"Ah, it’s Jin-niichan!" someone shouted upon spotting him.
"It really is! Jin-niichan!"
"Jin-niichan!"
"Come play with us!"
Jin smiled as the children swarmed him.
"Alright! What should we play?"
Summer in Kaina Village was in full swing.