"Oh, how wonderful!"
Marlene Randol, Elsa's stepmother, let out a cry of delight.
On January 15th, Jin completed a greenhouse in the courtyard of Elsa's family home.
The courtyard was quite spacious, so the greenhouse was built on a grand scale to match. It was a hemispherical structure—a dome—measuring fifty meters in diameter and fifteen meters in height.
The frame was constructed from 64 light silver, fitted with quartz glass that had been reinforced with Toughening magic. Equipped with air conditioning, the interior could maintain a temperature of twenty-eight degrees Celsius and seventy percent humidity year-round. Naturally, both temperature and humidity were fully adjustable. It even featured sun lamps powered by light-attribute magi-crystals.
"Jin-san, to think you could build something so magnificent in a single night."
In truth, ten Smiths had spent the night assembling prefabricated parts that had been processed back on Hourai Island.
"I hope it is to your liking?" Jin asked.
Marlene nodded happily. "Yes, of course it is. Thank you, Jin-san."
Jin felt a wave of relief seeing how pleased she was.
"Mother, I will... show you around," Elsa offered.
While Jin had been responsible for the dome's construction, Elsa had handled the internal layout and the selection of flora.
"Yes, please do."
The dome featured entrances at each of the four cardinal directions. Elsa led the group in through the southern entrance.
"This area is the flower garden."
"It’s beautiful."
Subtropical flowers had been planted here, and several were already in bloom.
"Over here are the herbs."
"Oh, lovely. You’ve planted mint, lavandra, and pelargo."
Nearby, plants like janzy and ramon sage were packed into every available space.
"We’ll have to be careful with the mint; it looks like it might take over if we’re not vigilant."
"Mhm. Please keep an eye on it."
"Hehe, I certainly will."
Mint was known for its vigorous growth; without proper care, it could easily carpet an entire garden. Marlene was well aware of this and knew exactly how to manage it.
"To the right are the medicinal plants."
"My, how thoughtful."
Though they were mostly used for folk remedies, plants like swertia, furo, and gerany were thriving.
"I want to... gradually increase the varieties."
"Hehe, I’m sure you do. After all, Elsa, you are a Reichsarzt."
The group proceeded toward the center of the dome.
"Oh, there’s a pond."
"Yes. And a fountain."
"How lovely."
The pond and fountain served a practical purpose as well, helping to maintain the dome's high humidity.
"There are tropical water plants in the fountain. Water lilies and... Jin-nii, what was this one called again?"
"It’s a plant I’ve never seen before. Such large leaves."
"That’s a lotus. Or rather, it’s called a lotos here, right?"
"Right, right, lotos. In a little while, it will have... beautiful flowers."
Small fish swam through the water, creating a mini-ecosystem much like a biotope.
"If we head toward the east... look."
"Oh, how gorgeous!" Marlene gasped.
That particular corner was dedicated to orchids. Katlars, Marlene’s favorite, were blooming in vivid, brilliant colors. Aside from the katlars, other subtropical orchids had been transported from Hourai Island and Kunlun Island.
"Did Jin-san do this?"
"Mhm. He gathered and... transported them."
"Konron 3 was quite useful for the task," Jin added.
In reality, they had also made use of Pelicans and Warp Gates.
"I’m so happy. Thank you."
"Not at all. Think of it as an apology for being unable to visit as often as I'd like."
On the eastern side, separated from the orchid beds by a narrow path, was a section of cacti.
"I’ve never seen these before..."
"They’re called cacti. They are plants that grow in the desert."
"This corner feels somewhat cool, doesn't it?"
Marlene had picked up on the change in the atmosphere.
"Yes. Since cacti are desert plants, we’ve kept the temperature the same but dropped the humidity to forty percent."
This was achieved through a specialized gas-type barrier. Since it only affected air, it didn't hinder people walking through the area.
"Jin-san's technology is truly incredible... and there are so many plants here I’ve never seen. I look forward to learning all about them."
Marlene’s face was absolutely radiant. Seeing her so happy, Jin and Elsa both felt a quiet sense of triumph.
The group moved on to the northeastern area.
"These are shrubs, and these are climbing flowers."
This section was filled with various types of azaleas and clematis.
"Is this a murasaki azalee? And that one over there is a demari. Oh, look, there’s even a peony."
"You certainly are knowledgeable, Mother-in-law," Jin praised her.
Marlene looked a bit bashful. "Oh, heavens. Isn't this much just common knowledge?"
"Mother's knowledge of flowers is... professional level," Elsa added, offering a rare bit of teasing.
They continued their counter-clockwise circuit.
"Oh, there are many trees over here. And they’re all flowers I’m seeing for the first time."
They had reached an area planted with flowering trees about five meters tall.
"We’ve planted subtropical flowering trees here," Jin explained. "Most of these are native to Kunlun Island."
"Come to think of it, Jin-san, you are the Lord of Kunlun, aren't you?"
The area featured bougainvillea, jacaranda, and deigo, all of which thrive in subtropical climates. The jacaranda in particular was in full bloom, its purple flowers creating a magnificent canopy.
"It’s impressive that you were able to transplant trees in full bloom without them withering."
"I am honored by your praise."
In truth, it was thanks to the hard work of Topaz and the other Five-Color Golems.
Continuing to the northwest, they arrived at the fruit tree section.
"My, this area is wonderful too."
There were rare fruit trees like the zakuru—a specialty of the Celuroa Kingdom—and the prinia.
"W-What is this?"
As expected, Marlene was startled when she saw the prinia.
"It’s called a prinia. These are the fruits."
It was a plant similar to what is known as a jabuticaba or Brazilian grape on Earth. The sight of numerous round, blackish-purple grains attached directly to the trunk made it look almost like a cluster of insect eggs.
"Oh, is that so?"
"I was quite surprised when I first saw it too," Jin admitted.
It was a fruit tree Goose had introduced him to. Since the flowers bloomed directly on the trunk, the fruit naturally grew attached to the bark.
"Here, they’re quite delicious."
Abandoning formality for a moment, Jin plucked a fruit and ate it to show her. Elsa followed his lead.
"Mother, they really are... delicious."
"...Truly?"
Seeing how much they were enjoying it, Marlene timidly placed one in her mouth.
"Oh!"
It was an unexpected flavor—though, being a fruit, it was naturally sweet and refreshing.
"It is delicious."
"Isn't it?" Jin said with a smile.
He spoke confidently now, but back when Goose had first shown him the tree, Jin had spent over thirty minutes hesitating to eat it because of its bizarre appearance. Elsa, too, had turned pale at the sight of it back then.
Finally, they returned to the flower beds where they had started.
"I’m so very happy. Thank you, Jin-san, Elsa."
"You are most welcome."
Later, Jin and Elsa were told by the maids that Marlene had been lively and energetic every single day since the greenhouse was finished, allowing them both to finally breathe a sigh of relief.