While Jin celebrated his birthday on April 1st, the World Conference was underway at Avalon, the megafloat city drifting in the sea.
The session was presided over by the second chairman, King Alois III of the Klein Kingdom.
"Now then, is everyone in agreement that our agenda for this session shall be the handling of the Former Leonard Kingdom?"
No objections were raised.
The Former Leonard Kingdom had once been home to an advanced magical civilization and was the ancestral land of Milowina’s forebears—who now lived on the moon satellite, Uni. However, the nation no longer existed as a state; only a handful of scattered settlements remained.
The purpose of this meeting was to determine how that land should be managed.
Representing the Klein Kingdom were the chairman, King Alois III, and the second prince, Arthur. From the neighboring Kingdom of Franz came King Rotaro de Franz—formerly Lafayette—and Chancellor Adaluk de Heuble. The Kingdom of Egerea was represented by King Harold Luan Autocrace and Chancellor Boyd Norus Galueri, while the Kingdom of Elias sent its new monarch, King Alphons Alba Elias, alongside Chancellor Godfar de Thoves Rossi. From the Kingdom of Celuroa, King Cesar Valois de Celuroa attended with Rambeau, the Chief of the First Ministry of Internal Affairs, a rank equivalent to chancellor in other nations. Finally, from the Shouro Empire, Empress Gerhardt Hilde von Rubiss Shouro and Chancellor Jung Fowles von Kebsler were present.
In a noteworthy development for that year, Crown Prince Ernst Shouro was set to reach adulthood at age fifteen, at which point the Empress intended to abdicate the throne. She wished to see the fate of the Former Leonard Kingdom decided peacefully as her final major act of state.
But that is a story for another time.
The current status of the Former Leonard Kingdom could be compared to Antarctica on Earth. No nation claimed sovereignty over it, and unauthorized development was strictly prohibited.
Furthermore, representatives from the Nord Federation and Mitsuho were participating in the conference this time. These two nations had been granted formal membership starting from the previous session.
The Nord Federation was represented by Baldius, the All-Creation Clan Chief, and his son Ladeous—the grandfather and father of Sion, respectively. Mitsuho was represented by Chief Hiro Mutu and Assembly Chairman Mashark Megawara, both of whom possessed the dusky skin characteristic of their people.
"As it stands, there remains a possibility that undiscovered ruins still lie dormant within the Former Leonard Kingdom. With that in mind, I would like to establish our future course," the chairman stated.
The World Conference, having begun with those words, took a full day to reach a consensus on the general policy. Future historians would note that this rapid decision-making was largely due to the fact that many of the participating nations were monarchies or held similar centralized political structures.
"I shall now confirm the resolved articles," the chairman announced.
- The Former Leonard Kingdom is not the territory of any nation.
- It is prohibited to bring international conflicts into the Former Leonard Kingdom.
- The ruins of the Former Leonard Kingdom shall be considered the common heritage of humanity.
- The management of the Former Leonard Kingdom shall be overseen by an organization designated by the World Conference.
- Entry into and exit from the Former Leonard Kingdom may be conducted freely, provided it is reported to the designated organization.
- All forms of persecution against the inhabitants of the Former Leonard Kingdom are strictly forbidden.
- Trade with the inhabitants of the Former Leonard Kingdom shall not be restricted, provided it is fair.
- The resources of the Former Leonard Kingdom shall be considered the property of all humanity and managed by the designated organization.
- Utilization of the Former Leonard Kingdom may be conducted freely, provided it is reported to and permission is obtained from the designated organization.
- Resident posts may be established within the Former Leonard Kingdom, but they shall not serve as military bases.
With these ten articles established, the groundwork was laid for more detailed regulations to be drafted later.
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"...And that appears to be the gist of it," Laojun reported.
"I see. That sounds like a reasonable compromise," Jin remarked.
On April 2nd, at Hourai Island, Laojun provided Jin with a prompt report on the key outcomes of the World Conference. Jin wasn't intimately familiar with the specifics of how Antarctica was handled on modern Earth, but he at least knew that it didn't belong to any single country.
On the following day, April 3rd, more detailed arrangements were finalized. Of particular note were the establishment of the Former Leonard Kingdom Management Office and the appointment of Former Leonard Kingdom Resident Officers.
The Management Office would be based at Avalon, while the Resident Officers would—as the name implied—reside within the former kingdom to facilitate various administrative matters. Since this was an entirely new system, complications were expected to arise, but it was agreed that the framework would be adjusted as needed.
Jin found himself interested in the Resident Officer position. "Laojun, how are they planning to handle the logistics for that?"
"They intend to redevelop the area near the former capital, Diaa, and station several resident officers from each nation there," Laojun explained.
The climate near Diaa was pleasant, which would likely make long-term assignments comfortable.
"Makes sense."
"It is also believed that undiscovered ruins still remain within the kingdom, so they intend to continue surveys and investigations."
"I suppose they would," Jin agreed. He figured the World Security Guard would be the perfect choice for such a task.
"Additionally, on a separate matter, the second class of the World Security Guard is about to be inducted."
"Oh, right."
While Fritz and Gloria were part of the first class as officer candidates, they had officially become executives this April. The incoming second class would serve under them as trainees. Once another two classes had passed, the organization would likely be fully established.
"Then it’s just a matter of ensuring they have the right equipment," Jin said.
"Yes, My Lord. I believe a formal request regarding that will arrive from the World Conference shortly."
It would be an official commission for the Magi Craft Meister.
"I'm ready for it," Jin said. That said, he didn't really need money. If he wanted anything, it was raw materials. While market prices fluctuated, the intrinsic value of materials for Jin's work remained constant. "It would be nice if they could pay in mithril."
Given that both the mining and circulation volumes were low, and that mithril was an indispensable component for magi-type alloys, Jin felt he could never have too much of it.
"Oh, and separately from that, I need to prepare a wedding gift for my brother-in-law."
By "brother-in-law," he of course meant Fritz.
"Since we’re family by marriage and not blood, I should probably avoid giving him anything sharp like a sword..."
After agonizing over the choice, Jin decided to consult Elsa when she joined him for lunch. As Fritz’s sister, she would know best.
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"...So, that’s what I’m thinking. What do you reckon?"
Elsa was currently feeding Yuu and Mio their lunch. She and Jin would eat once the twins were finished.
"Mm. I’ve been thinking about it, too," Elsa said. "And I think a housecleaning maid golem would be the best choice."
"Ah, that makes sense."
Fritz and Gloria would likely be working at Avalon for the foreseeable future, which meant they would be away from their new home for long stretches of time. A maid golem to look after the place in their absence was a practical solution.
"I think that's a great idea. Let's go with that."
"Mm. And for my part, I'll give them some of that bedding."
Magisilk futons were still Elsa's favorite to this day. She decided that this was the perfect opportunity to gift a set to her brother and his new wife.