Jin set off for the Kingdom of Elias, accompanied by Prince Ernest and Princess Lieschen.
In the end, permission for the trip was granted quite easily.
After all, the "Lord of Kunlun," Jin Nidou, would be escorting them. There was no means of transportation safer or faster than his.
However, even though it was an official visit, it was framed under the pretext of being "for the sake of study," which was perhaps an unavoidable compromise.
During the previous night, Amez 1 had instructed the royal chef on the proper way to steam rice and the secrets to achieving a light, crispy finish for tempura batter. Thanks to those lessons, it is worth noting that the rice served at breakfast was cooked to a quite acceptable standard.
"Well then, we're off!"
"Umu. Ernest, make sure you study diligently."
"Princess, please take care."
"I shall. You as well, Harvey."
Prince Ernest was seen off by his father, King Harold Luan Autocrace-Egerea. Princess Lieschen received her farewell from Harvey, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magi Technology.
"Lord of Kunlun, I leave my son in your care."
"Yes, your Majesty. You can count on me."
With that, Konron 3 rose into the skies above the Kingdom of Egerea.
The group was quite large: Jin, Elsa, Reiko, Edgar, Hanna, Lishia, Princess Lieschen, Prince Ernest, Anne, Loll, Refa, Tia, Amez 1, and Lotte.
"Wow, we're really flying!"
Prince Ernest was practically bouncing with excitement. Princess Lieschen looked equally delighted, clearly happy to be sharing the experience with him.
"It's so fast. I wonder what our speed is?"
"We are traveling at approximately one hundred kilometers per hour."
As they listened to the pair talk, Jin and Elsa found it amusing that Princess Lieschen rarely used her noble "noja" sentence endings when speaking with Prince Ernest. It was quite charming, though, whenever the habit occasionally slipped through.
Their destination was not the capital of Borgia, but rather Port Rock Town, home to the kingdom's shipbuilding docks. The distance was roughly three hundred kilometers, a journey expected to take three hours.
"Still, even though all four of them have the same blue hair, their auras are completely different, aren't they?"
Prince Ernest was observing the four sister units—Anne and the others.
"I can't quite put it into words, but I suppose it's their individuality?"
Jin offered an explanation to the prince's musing.
"Your Highness, even if they were built from the same design, they change based on the experiences they accumulate. Each of them has their own unique history."
Anne had been modified as a comfort woman in her past, and Tia as a wet nurse, but Jin kept those specific details to himself. Prince Ernest seemed satisfied with the general explanation.
"I see... That makes sense. It's the same for people, after all."
Jin found himself looking quite favorably on the prince for such a perspective.
Slightly before noon local time, Konron 3 arrived at Port Rock Town. Since there was no formal airfield in the town, they landed directly on the beach.
"It seems unusually busy."
"Mm. I think there are many tourists here."
Jin and Elsa had visited Port Rock Town several times before, and they looked around inquisitively, sensing the atmosphere was different than usual.
Amidst the crowd, Reiko pointed toward the shore.
"Father, our welcome has arrived."
Having received advance notice, Marchioness Firenziano had come to greet the party in person.
"Welcome to Elias. Prince Ernest, Princess Lieschen, Lord Jin Nidou, as well as your lady and your friends."
"Thank you for the welcome."
After keeping the beachside greetings brief, they headed first to the Guest House, which was situated adjacent to the local manor house.
"You are all most welcome here."
The Marchioness, maintaining her usual dignified and sharp presence, gave a slight bow to Jin and his companions.
First, they were served lunch. As expected of Port Rock Town, the menu was a feast of seafood. There was grilled fish, whitefish tempura, and a seafood salad featuring shrimp and mock cucumbers tossed in wine vinegar. Freshly baked bread and barley porridge were also provided; the service was handled much like a buffet, with attendants dishing out whatever the guests requested.
As a side note, the tempura here was indeed perfectly crispy.
Once they were satisfied, the group settled in for a relaxed meeting after the meal.
"I understand that Prince Ernest wishes to study our maritime industry. It just so happens that a boat competition is being held tomorrow; I would be honored if you stayed to observe it."
Jin latched onto that word immediately.
"By competition, do you mean a Golem Boat Race?"
"Yes, precisely."
A wave of nostalgia washed over Jin. It had been the early spring of 3457 when Marcia had reached out to him and they had entered the race together. So much had happened then—the trouble with the Elradrite smuggling and the attack of the Death Sea Serpents—but it was because of those events that he had met his best friend, Reinhard, and eventually his wife, Elsa.
It turned out that the festive atmosphere they had noticed on the beach was all due to the upcoming race. Elsa seemed to be reminiscing about it as well.
The Marchioness continued her explanation.
"The qualifiers were held yesterday. Today is a buffer day for rest and repairs, and the main race will take place tomorrow."
While the race was typically held in mid-February, it had been delayed slightly this year due to the state of the ocean currents. For Prince Ernest, however, this was a fortunate coincidence.
"I'm really looking forward to it," the prince said with a grin.
"Hmm... Why the buffer day, though?" Jin asked. He didn't remember the Golem Boat Races having such a gap in the past.
"The competition this time is a bit... well, significantly more grueling than in previous years. We want to ensure the pilots have enough rest and the boats are in peak condition."
"What are the new rules like?" Elsa asked. As a former participant herself, she was naturally curious.
"The distance has been increased. It's effectively doubled. Naturally, that places a much heavier burden on both the pilots and the vessels."
"I see..."
The Marchioness explained that because the speed and stability of the boats had improved, they had adjusted the course to feature fewer reef zones and more speed-oriented sections to create more exciting overtaking maneuvers for the spectators.
"The reception from the tourists has been excellent."
Apparently, the qualifiers yesterday had already seen some thrilling, neck-and-neck finishes.
"That sounds wonderful."
Prince Ernest was clearly getting excited. Princess Lieschen said nothing, but her flushed cheeks spoke for her.
"I will arrange for seats in the VIP box," the Marchioness told them. She then turned her gaze toward Jin. "Jin-dono, I was wondering if you might be willing to provide commentary as a special guest? I think it would be a wonderful addition."
"Sure, I'd be happy to."
Jin accepted the offer instantly.
"Thank you, I'm delighted to hear it. Tomorrow is sure to be even more spectacular now."
"Um, Marchioness, how many contestants are left for the finals?" Lishia asked. Jin and Elsa realized they had both forgotten to check.
"There are eight finalists. And... Jin-dono's former teammate, Marcia, is among them."
"Wait, Marcia is in the finals?"
Since Jin had been traveling with Elsa and the others for the past few days, he hadn't received the usual detailed reports from Laojun. He had completely missed the news.
"Marcia is using a horizontal waterwheel drive, while the other seven are using standard waterwheel drives."
"Is that so?"
A horizontal waterwheel drive—the screw propeller. Jin found himself even more eager to see the race now.
"Onii-chan, is Marcia-san really out there?" Hanna asked.
"So it seems."
"I'm going to cheer for her as hard as I can tomorrow!" Hanna was surprised by the news, but her eyes were sparkling with anticipation.
"Hmm, a friend of Jin's? I'm looking forward to this," Ernest said.
"I am quite curious as well," Princess Lieschen added.
"Once the race is over, I shall also show you the docks for our larger vessels," the Marchioness promised.
"That would be excellent." Prince Ernest laughed brightly.
They spent the rest of the day relaxing in the VIP quarters, exchanging stories and enjoying the company. Before they knew it, the sky over Port Rock Town was dyed a deep, brilliant crimson by the sunset, a promising sign of fair weather for the day to come.