The next stop on their itinerary was Merope Island.
Since this was fundamentally a honeymoon for Jin and Elsa, not a research expedition or an exploratory mission, they couldn't afford to linger too long on any single island. Everyone in the group understood and accepted this.
"Kufu. I wonder what this island has in store for us," Saki murmured.
"It is supposedly a bit larger than Taygeta Island, which we bypassed," Goose answered dutifully.
"I can't wait!" Hanna chirped, a guileless smile lighting up her face.
"Alright, I'd like to give a quick briefing based on what we already know," Jin said, gathering everyone's attention.
The Marine and Land squads had scouted the area overnight, so they already had a general idea of the island’s layout.
"Merope Island doesn't seem to have any dangerous animals either, so our equipment will remain the same as before. And as for the rest..." Jin trailed off and signaled Laojun to take over.
『Understood, My Lord....If I may, I shall explain the situation.』 Laojun began. 『We haven't determined the cause yet, but the concentration of free ether around Alcyone Island to the southwest is notably low. It isn't low enough to disable the golems or magic tools My Lord has crafted, however. It sits at roughly two-thirds of the concentration found in Port Rock.』
A wave of relief washed over the group at those words.
『That said, it is unusual for the concentration to drop so sharply near Alcyone Island when it has been changing so gradually elsewhere. I ask that everyone remain more cautious than usual. For your protection, I am assigning two Land units to each person.』
With Laojun’s explanation finished, Jin stepped back in. "You heard him. Personally, I suspect there's 'something' on Alcyone Island. It would keep me up at night if we just left it a mystery, so I'm going to have the Land squads investigate."
"Mm. I think that's for the best," Elsa agreed.
With the precautions settled, the group headed ashore using the Streams. They decided to stay relatively close to the landing site for the day.
Meanwhile, word arrived that Rodrigo, who had planned to rejoin them today, was unable to make it because his shop was so busy. Still, he sent a message telling his daughter Marcia to "enjoy the trip to the very end," which was a testament to his character as a father.
"How about we try a little fishing?" Jin suggested, looking for a way to relax that they hadn't tried yet.
"Oh, that sounds lovely, Jin-san!" Martha was the first to agree. It seemed she had been getting a bit restless.
"I'm in. I wonder what's biting around here?" Marcia added.
"Alright, I'll have the rods sent over."
Jin had plenty of experience with river fishing but had never tried his hand at the sea. However, after seeing the gear used in Port Rock, he had crafted several prototypes on Hourai Island just in case a moment like this arose.
His foresight was finally paying off. As Marcia looked over the equipment that had been warped in, she turned to him.
"Jin, did you model these after the gear from Port Rock?"
"Yeah. You're pretty familiar with this stuff, right, Marcia?"
"Of course....It’s not something I usually brag about, but before I met you guys and won that contest, I used to fish just to put food on the table." Marcia thought for a moment before continuing. "Honestly, the fish around here probably aren't that different from the ones back home."
While Marcia usually fished with trap nets, she knew the local waters. "If you want something you can catch with a rod, you're looking for hariboo."
Hariboo were bottom-feeders, similar in appearance to flounder or turbot.
"And for bait, we'll need sandworms," Marcia said, using a fallen branch to dig into the nearby sand. "Ah, found some."
When she said "sandworms," she didn't mean the massive magical beasts. In Port Rock, the term was used generally for things like lugworms or ragworms.
Elsa took one look at the wriggling creatures and recoiled. These polychaetes were definitely not a hit with the ladies.
"A-Are we really going to use those as bait...?" Lishia asked, her face turning pale.
On the other hand...
"These? They're totally fine! Look," Hanna said, nonchalantly picking one up.
"As long as they don't sting or bite, what's the big deal?" Saki added, letting one crawl onto her palm.
"...Ugh... I really don't want to touch them," Stearena muttered.
"I'm with you," Vivienne agreed, both of them backing away.
Seeing the reaction of most of the women, Jin offered a compromise. "In that case, we'll have the Marine golems handle the baiting."
"I-If that's the case, then alright..."
They also decided to let the golems handle removing the fish from the hooks.
Two Stream vessels were brought close to the shore, and everyone dropped their lines. Because the fish were abundant and completely unafraid, the bites came almost instantly.
"I've got one!"
"Me too!"
Before long, it turned into a full-blown fishing tournament.
"Tonight’s dinner is going to be hariboo meunière," someone called out.
"Sashimi sounds good too!"
"I'm looking forward to the sushi!"
With soy sauce and wasabi on hand, those were definitely viable options.
In the end, Marcia took first place with twelve fish. Even Elsa, who came in last, managed to land six. It was a remarkably successful outing.
"It really is delicious when it's this fresh."
"Ugh, the wasabi was a bit too much..."
For dinner, the group enjoyed a feast of their own making: sashimi, sushi, meunière, and salt-grilled fish. Jin stuck mostly to the sashimi and sushi, while Elsa preferred the salt-grilled and meunière. Saki went for sushi and salt-grilled, and Hanna happily sampled everything. Everyone enjoyed the hariboo to their heart's content.
"Phew, I'm stuffed," Lishia murmured contentedly, sipping on some hojicha. "To think we have to head back tomorrow..."
As the lord of Toka Village, she couldn't afford to be away from her duties for too long.
"Come to think of it, Jin-san, didn't you mention something called a 'Doppel' before...?"
A Doppel was a doll crafted to be a faithful imitation of a specific person. While mimicking someone's appearance was relatively simple, simulating their behavior and thought patterns required a massive amount of data. In Lishia’s case, that data was still insufficient.
Furthermore, even if the data were perfect, some people—like Earl Kuzuma—simply didn't like the idea of leaving their territory in the hands of a substitute. Perhaps they feared that people would grow too accustomed to being replaced.
"Still, even if it’s only once in a while, being able to come out and have fun like this is more than enough for me," Lishia said. She was the type who would likely hesitate to use a replacement herself.