As word of Jin’s workshop spread, repair requests began to trickle in.
There were requests for blade maintenance, farm tool repairs, and magi-device fixes. The reason most were for repairs was that Jin currently had no way to obtain raw materials, making it impossible to craft anything from scratch.
Even so, with an average of two jobs a day, his savings were steadily growing.
"Still, I have that mountain of debt from setting up the shop."
Since he performed the repairs using magi-craft, there was almost no overhead, but the debt itself was substantial. In five days, Jin had completed thirteen repairs and earned a total of about 20,000 Toll.
"Even so, at this pace, I wonder how long it’ll take to pay it all back," Jin muttered to himself.
The total debt had reached approximately 250,000 Toll. On top of that, he had to account for Kachea’s wages.
"Jin-san, u-um... I think Lorenz-san, the peddler, will be arriving today or tomorrow."
Kachea spoke up to Jin. She was far more knowledgeable about management and accounting than he was, making her quite a reliable assistant.
"We should be able to get at least some materials from him. If we place an order, I think he’ll bring even more the next time he visits."
"I see."
"Also, if you have anything you can sell to Lorenz-san, we can earn foreign currency—that is, money from outside the village."
Kachea explained that as long as money only circulated within the village, the community as a whole wouldn't really grow more prosperous. When the topic turned to business, Kachea became quite loquacious.
"It’s impossible to make a profit if we only operate within a narrow society like this village..."
"That’s true..."
That said, since he lacked materials, there was almost nothing he could manufacture to sell.
"What kind of person is this Lorenz-san, and what kind of goods does he carry?"
"U-um, he’s a merchant from a large town called Rofon, about three days south of here by carriage."
"Now that you mention it, what’s the capital of this country? Actually, I don’t even know the name of the nation itself."
"W-what? Y-you’re starting from there?"
Understandably, Kachea looked a bit exasperated by the question. Nevertheless, she gave him a proper explanation.
"This country is the Mercana Principality. The capital is Mahalig, down south near the coast."
"...Thank you."
Jin felt a pang of regret that he hadn't asked about such essential information sooner.
The day after that conversation, the aforementioned Lorenz arrived in Taji Village.
It was eight in the morning. He had set up shop in the multipurpose plaza at the south end of the village. Remembering Roland, who used to visit Kaina Village, Jin headed there to see for himself.
"Wow."
The word escaped his lips involuntarily at the sight of the massive open-air market spread out before him.
Clothing, daily necessities, and luxury items. Foodstuffs, seasonings, and preserved sweets. Tools and hardware. And, although in small quantities, various materials were packed tightly onto folding tables.
There weren't just one or two sellers; there were five, and they seemed to have clear roles, such as shopkeeping and accounting. Jin assumed they must have arrived with several carriages.
"Impressive, isn't it?"
Jin turned at the sound of the voice to find Helga standing there.
"They call it peddling, but this is a full-blown caravan," Jin agreed.
"By the way, which one is Lorenz?" Jin asked, taking advantage of her presence.
"Oh, Lorenz-san is talking with my father right now."
Helga pointed toward a simple but sturdy carriage where she said the two were holding a meeting. However, it was the carriage itself that caught Jin’s eye.
"A leaf spring suspension system... that’s quite well-thought-out."
Also known as a leaf spring type, it was a system where several metal plates of varying lengths were layered together. Friction between the plates when they flexed allowed them to serve as a damper. It was a design still in use for trucks and heavy vehicles in modern Japan.
But something else caught Jin’s eye even more.
Golems.
While they were called carriages, it seemed they were being pulled by golems instead of horses. In other words, they were more like wagons.
The golems were about two meters tall with rugged, heavy-set builds. They looked immensely powerful. There were five of them in total; it seemed one golem pulled each wagon.
"If golems are pulling them, they’d only need a minimum number of guards."
Jin was impressed by the logic.
"They’re amazing golems, aren’t they?"
"I-I find them scary no matter how many times I see them..."
Helga and Kachea had approached Jin’s side before he realized it.
"They say they have about ten or twenty times the strength of a human," added a third person—Isaac.
"Yeah..."
Jin gave a vague nod. In truth, he thought they were fairly well-made golems. But that was about it.
"Are these golems for heavy labor, then?"
The thought slipped out as a mutter.
"Huh?"
"For heavy labor?"
"H-how... how can you... tell that?"
"Well, the distribution of the power source is balanced for strength rather than speed, and the center of gravity is quite low, right?"
The center of gravity, in particular, was a clear indicator of a golem's purpose. The higher the center of gravity, the more emphasis was placed on movement and speed, while a lower one was suited for heavy labor like hauling freight.
"You can tell all that just by looking...?"
"Who exactly are you, Jin?"
"..."
As expected, Isaac, Helga, and Kachea all looked at him with bewildered, exasperated eyes.
"I see, a magi of unknown identity, you say?"
"Even so, I don't believe he's a dangerous person. I've been watching him these past few days, and he’s been doing a lot of good for the village."
"Hmm."
"I asked Kachea, who has been helping him at the shop, and she doesn't think he's dangerous either. Oh, she did mention that he didn't even seem to know the name of this country or its capital."
"I see. If that’s true... it’s truly a mystery where he came from."
"So, what will you do?"
"I'll meet him directly and speak with him myself after this."
"That would be for the best."