King Cesar of the Celuroa Kingdom, profoundly grateful for Jin’s lecture, presented him with ten kilograms of mithril. At market value, it was worth approximately fifty million Tolls.
The gift sparked a sudden flash of inspiration in Jin.
Since they were scheduled to spend the night in the Celuroa Kingdom, Jin returned to his assigned VIP suite and immediately began a consultation with Elsa and Reiko.
"I realized something earlier—magi-type materials are absurdly expensive, aren't they?"
"Mm. If I remember correctly, mithril is about four to five million Tolls per kilogram, adamantite is around ten million, and light silver is..."
"Around three million Tolls per kilogram," Reiko added.
"Yeah. I heard regular silver is only about fifty thousand Tolls per kilogram, so these cost a hundred times as much. I suspect it’s not because magi-type materials are actually that rare, but because they’re so difficult to refine."
In truth, the difference in their underground reserves wasn't nearly as vast as the price suggested.
The issue lay in the fact that materials categorized as "magi-type"—those containing magi-isotopes—were notoriously difficult to separate from their ores. Because the process required the use of magic, refining was a slow, costly endeavor.
"Looking toward the future, I think we should look into ways to lower the costs."
"Mm, I agree."
"But if we slash the costs too quickly, it’ll probably throw the distribution industry into a panic."
"...True."
"Father, might it be best to leave such matters to the rulers?"
Reiko’s suggestion made sense. Jin was an engineer; it was better to leave the management of economic consequences to the professionals.
"Every man to his trade, I suppose."
Jin took her advice and decided to put the matter aside until the next day.
＊ ＊ ＊
The following day, the 14th, Jin, Elsa, and Reiko departed from the Celuroa Kingdom. They left with a slight sense of regret, as they were pursued by the pleas of King Cesar and countless magi craftsmen who begged them to stay just a little longer.
"Shall we head over to see Reinhard now?"
Having finished his diplomatic duties, he should have returned to his territory two days ago.
"Mm. I want to see Berche-san and Yuri-chan too."
"Good point."
With the plan settled, Konron 3 set course for the Shouro Empire. They flew over Lake Tosmo, aiming for Reinhard’s estate in Kalts Village.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Welcome, Jin, Elsa!"
"It is wonderful to see you, Jin-sama, Elsa-san."
"It’s been a while, Berche. Reinhard, thanks again for the help the other day."
"Berche-san, hello....Yuri-chan, she’s grown so much."
The baby could now hold her head up steadily and had even begun to crawl.
After exchanging brief greetings, Jin and the others got straight to the point, being mindful of Reinhard’s busy schedule.
"Actually..."
Jin explained his desire to increase the supply of magi-type metals and drive down prices. Reinhard reacted immediately.
"I see exactly what you’re getting at, Jin. If you’re going to do this all at once, you should start by transferring control to the state."
"A monopoly, you mean?"
"That’s one way. Or the state could stockpile the materials for the time being, releasing them gradually while slowly reforming the distribution system."
"I see."
As expected of Reinhard, he had come up with a viable strategy in an instant.
"There are surely other ways as well. The main point is that we can't have the merchants involved in the current distribution chain going out of business overnight."
Reinhard emphasized that creating mass unemployment was the one thing they had to avoid.
"I understand. Jobs are important."
"Exactly. Thinking about those nuances is the job of a ruler, not an engineer like you, Jin."
"That makes sense. This was very helpful. Thanks."
Jin thanked his friend.
"By the way, as far as I know..."
"Yeah?"
"Mithril can only be mined at about one-fifth the rate of regular silver. On the other hand, light silver is actually quite abundant in the ground, but it's incredibly difficult to refine."
As a lord, Reinhard had clearly built up a wealth of practical knowledge.
While "light silver" was an old name for aluminum on Earth, in this world, the term referred to titanium.
Titanium existed as an oxide, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2). To produce the metal, one had to remove the bound oxygen, but that process was extremely difficult. Even on modern Earth, direct reduction isn't used; instead, a complex multi-stage refining process is required.
However, magic existed here. Using the powerful Craft Magic spell "Deoxidization," metallic titanium could be refined.
The problem was that very few magi could cast this specific spell, which limited the supply and kept the price high.
"So, I should focus on building a refining device that automates Deoxidization?"
"That would be it. I'm sure you could build one easily, Jin, but just be careful about how it’s deployed, okay?"
"I will. Thanks."
Jin had no desire to put people out of work.
"I’ll check in with Saki for a researcher’s perspective, and then I’ll head to Her Majesty’s place."
＊ ＊ ＊
Returning to Hourai Island via the Warp Gate on Konron 3, Jin and Elsa visited Saki, who was still busy analyzing the fragments of the long-period planet, Modenu.
"Oh, Jin, Elsa! What brings you two here together today?"
"Well, the thing is..."
Jin explained that he was looking for ways to lower the unit price of metal materials.
"Yes, yes, that’s a wonderful idea! Jin, you have more resources than you know what to do with here on Hourai Island, so you probably don't feel the pinch, but for most researchers, cheaper materials are a dream come true!"
Saki gave her enthusiastic support.
"Setting distribution aside, from an alchemist’s point of view, I’d be thrilled if the price of mithril went down," she added.
Since Jin also needed it to create magi-type alloys, he was determined to move forward with the project.
"Alright, I'll start by focusing on lowering the costs of mithril and light silver."
He decided to leave gold and silver alone. In this world, which essentially operated on a gold standard, a collapse in the value of gold would mean economic catastrophe.
"I hope things can change gradually. I’m a total amateur when it comes to economics, after all."
Jin knew well enough that he wasn't cut out for economic planning. Regardless, the direction was set, and he immediately headed to his workshop to begin crafting.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Jin-nii, how’s the progress?"
Elsa poked her head into the workshop.
"Oh, it's pretty much finished. Now I just need to load some ore and run a test."
"In that case, lunch is ready."
Checking the clock, Jin saw it was already noon.
"Ah, is it that time already? Then I'll save the test for the afternoon."
"Father, shall I perform the test in the meantime?"
Reiko offered, but Jin shook his head.
"No, I’ll do it after I eat. There’s no need to rush. Come on, Reiko, you join us too."
"Yes, Father."
With that, Jin left the workshop in the company of Elsa and Reiko.