"...If you say blue, then it's the sky."
"If you say sky, then it's a balloon."
"If you say balloon, then it's... um... aah, I lost again!"
By the time they had finished playing "Magical Melon" for about an hour, the tally stood at three losses for Jin, five for Lieschen, and nine for Sion.
"Father, everyone, it is now past 9:00 PM. I believe it is time you all retired for the evening."
Reiko offered this timely advice.
"Is it already that late?"
"My, that was quite enjoyable. You certainly know a wide variety of games, Jin."
"It was nothing special, really."
"Well then, goodnight, Jin."
"Goodnight."
With those final words, Princess Lieschen and Sion left Jin's room.
"Father, Laojun has a report for you."
As soon as the two had departed, Reiko spoke to Jin without a moment's delay.
"Laojun? I wonder what happened."
"It appears there has been another space-time vibration."
"I see. Since I can't exactly head back to Hourai Island right now, Reiko, please listen to what he has to say via your internal manacam and explain it to me."
"Understood....This vibration lasted approximately 0.0003 seconds. By integrating data from Jack at Uni, we have determined that the epicenter has shifted slightly. It was reportedly near the intermediate base you constructed, Father. There was no damage."
While one could interpret this to mean the source was moving closer, the duration remained extremely short and no damage had been sustained. Jin fell into deep thought.
"What would happen if this vibration became more intense and lasted longer?"
That question was relayed to Laojun through Reiko's connection. A short silence followed.
"Yes. Laojun says that any physical matter within the affected range would likely be destroyed."
"...I thought as much."
"He also mentioned that 'an application of Gravity Magic would be required' to prevent such a catastrophe."
"That makes sense."
Jin agreed; if one wanted to nullify the effects of gravitational fluctuations, that was the only logical solution.
"It's a scenario we have to consider. I might need to develop something like a 'Gravity Barrier'."
Jin spent the rest of the night pondering that idea until sleep finally took him.
The following day, during tea time after breakfast.
"What is the schedule for today?"
When Jin asked, the Chancellor provided the details.
"At 9:00 AM, the three representatives from the Nord Federation, Princess Lieschen, and I will depart for Toka Village."
Jin was surprised that the Chancellor was going personally, but he realized it was likely a gesture of courtesy and respect toward Ladeous and his companions.
"Since I will be traveling by hot air balloon, Jin-dono, could I ask you to escort the three representatives and Her Highness?"
"Jin-sama, I look forward to traveling with you."
"Jin, I'm counting on you!"
"Of course, I'd be happy to."
The proposal was practical; Jin's Konron 3 was both faster and safer. He also understood why they would want a hot air balloon available for the return journey. However, the difference in speed between the two vessels was immense. Thus, Jin made a suggestion.
"Even if you plan to return by hot air balloon, Your Excellency, why don't you join us for the trip there?"
"I see. If I may do so, it would certainly prevent us from wasting valuable time."
The Chancellor saw the wisdom in this, so arrangements were made for the hot air balloon to be sent ahead with only its pilot.
As scheduled, Jin and the others departed from the Royal Palace and landed in Toka Village twenty minutes later.
"W-Welcome."
A slightly nervous Lishia greeted the group. They had contacted her the previous day via pigeon post.
"Fahlheit, the general outline is as I conveyed in the message. We shall now begin discussing the finer details."
"Yes, please come this way."
The group was guided to the recently renovated manor house. It was a new two-story wooden structure that still carried the pleasant fragrance of fresh timber.
"Thanks to everyone's help, Toka Village is gradually beginning to prosper."
As she spoke, Lishia invited the group into the Grand Conference Room. The interior was simple yet elegant, with seasonal flowers tastefully arranged in vases. Large windows faced south, flooding the room with light. The table was a centerpiece, crafted from a single slab of maruon wood sourced locally; its grain was truly exquisite.
"That's a beautiful table."
When Jin praised it, the Chancellor and Princess Lieschen also noticed its craftsmanship.
"Mmm, this is quite impressive!"
"It must have come from a massive tree. The grain is fascinating."
The wood had been treated with tannins extracted from maruon bark to give it a rich brown color, followed by an "oil finish" using a drying oil that hardened over time. It seemed there was a rather skilled woodworker in the area. Jin noted that such high-quality wood products would likely become a valuable local specialty.
The tea brought by the maid was Peruhya tea, but Jin was pleasantly surprised after taking a sip.
"This has been roasted, hasn't it?"
"Yes, we've used a blend where half of the tea leaves are roasted."
It was a combination of roasted and fresh leaves.
"The aroma is quite lovely, Lishia. Well done."
"You flatter me, Your Highness."
Since they had become close friends during their recent trip, Princess Lieschen spoke to Lishia with casual warmth.
"Now then, to the matter at hand..."
Once they had enjoyed their tea, they moved on to the main topic: the crushed stone Hardening.
The primary details were settled much as they had been discussed at the Royal Palace. The construction would be carried out using the general-purpose golems Jin had reinforced.
Out of the roughly 70-kilometer stretch between Toka Village and the Town of Charles, they decided to start with a section of several kilometers beginning from the village. Since this was intended to teach the construction methods rather than serve as a full trial of the finished road, paving the entire distance at once was not feasible.
According to the schedule, the general-purpose golems would arrive in Toka Village in two days, and work would commence immediately. The procedure would be as follows:
First, harvesting rock while simultaneously re-leveling existing rocky areas. Second, crushing the harvested rock into crushed stone. Third, in parallel with the crushing, preparing the section of road to be hardened. Finally, the actual Hardening.
Following the explanation, they opened the floor for questions.
"Regarding the crushed stone—is it more efficient to crush it in advance at the quarry, or to transport the boulders to the site and crush them there?" Lishia asked immediately.
"Let's see. Since the particle size of the stone needs to be relatively uniform for the best results, it's better to crush and sort it in advance," Jin replied.
Many such technical questions and answers were exchanged as the meeting proceeded productively. Jin found himself looking forward to seeing the actual construction get underway.