In a small conference room inside Jin Castle, the first development meeting for the "Erme River Small Boat" got underway.
"To start with, the stretch of the Erme River we’re looking at is the area from Kaina Village heading upstream," Marcia explained. It was essentially a presentation for Jin and Tiberio of the Divergence clan.
"The boat will be used to transport magi-stone sand and river fish, as well as for general travel."
Magi-stone sand served as the energy source for magic stoves. It was a specialty of Kaina Village and a monopoly of the Erik Company. However, since the deposits near the village had been depleted, the gathering sites had been gradually moving further upriver.
During their search, they had discovered an ideal spot about four kilometers upstream. There, the river widened, and a massive amount of magi-stone sand could be harvested. The issue was the distance; transporting the sand back was a struggle, which is why they needed a boat. Between the village and the new site lay a gorge—a "throat" where the river narrowed between sheer cliffs—forcing the land path to take a massive detour. Commuting on foot was exhausting.
"The current is also quite fast, which poses a problem," Marcia continued.
Since the magi-stone sand was mixed into the riverbed, they couldn't gather it in areas too deep to stand in. The project was founded on the premise of being a side job for the village women to perform during breaks from farming.
If Jin were to create a golem specifically for harvesting the sand, they could still get plenty from the current sites. However, that would rob the village women of their livelihood and risk stripping the resources bare. For those reasons, Jin stayed hands-off regarding the harvest, leaving it to the village's discretion. He hadn't even attempted to reach the primary magi-stone deposits further upstream for the same reason.
"The narrowest parts of the target section are about five meters wide. Based on that, I want the boat's maximum width to be under two meters."
Tiberio asked how she had arrived at those specific figures.
"That’s a hard one to answer... I can only say it comes from my experience as a shipwright and a sailor."
"Safety standards like these are often based on empirical rules," Jin added. Such standards fluctuated; they were usually lax until an accident happened, at which point they became strict.
"The river is more than deep enough for a small boat. However, we can't expect to find docks or piers when loading the sand, so I want the hull to be flat—or close to it—on the bottom."
She added that the riverbed where they beached should ideally be sand or gravel. She clearly didn't want the boat to be battered against rocky shores.
"As for the current, it reaches just under one meter per second at its swiftest. I’d like the boat’s maximum speed to be roughly double that."
Again, this was based on her experience.
"Most importantly, I want directional stability. I tested a raft today, and at several bends in the river, the vortexes were strong enough to toss the raft around. A small boat will likely face the same....That's everything."
Marcia had gathered a remarkable amount of information in a single day.
"Thanks. I’ve got the picture. You really are impressive, Marcia," Jin praised.
This method of gathering practical data was something Jin couldn't easily replicate. Left to his own devices, Jin would likely build a hull that didn't care about rocks and give it enough power to move ten times faster than the rapids.
She’s reminded me of something I was starting to forget, Jin thought. He felt grateful to her for that realization.
The development meeting concluded at 6:00 PM, just as the Evening Bell began to toll.
"That bell is a nice touch, Jin. I heard it rings in the morning, at midday, and in the evening?" Marcia asked. She had heard both the Midday Bell and the Evening Bell today.
"Yeah. Though through the end of April, it usually rings at five."
Jin explained that once the longer days of late spring arrived, they pushed the time back to six. Similarly, the Morning Bell rang at 7:00 AM in the winter and 6:00 AM in the summer.
"Maybe I should implement that in our clan territory," Sion remarked.
Dinner followed. To welcome Marcia and Rodrigo, the menu focused on their favorite: fish.
"Salt-grilled river fish is always delicious."
"And this kabayaki sauce... the flavor is just incredible."
They were served salt-grilled omasou—a fish resembling a cherry salmon—and mountain stream eel kabayaki. The mountain stream eel lived slightly downstream of Kaina Village. It was a fish that looked exactly like an eel but never migrated to the sea, staying in the river its entire life. Jin had named it accordingly.
"They're nocturnal, and they don't taste good if you just grill them plain, so the local fishermen never bothered with them."
But to Jin, who knew the secret of kabayaki, they were a gourmet treasure.
"It goes so well with white rice," Sion said, clearly enamored with the combination.
Tiberio of the Divergence clan said nothing at all. He simply ate with single-minded focus, overwhelmed by the flavors he was experiencing for the first time.
"...So, the fundamentals of a ship are..."
After dinner, at Tiberio's earnest request, a basic lecture on shipbuilding was held. Rodrigo took the lead as the instructor.
"Well, ships float because of what Jin-dono calls 'Archimedes' principle'..."
Tiberio listened with rapt attention.
"Hull shapes vary—flat-bottom, round-bottom, V-bottom..."
Jin listened from the side, noting that Rodrigo’s explanation was well-organized and easy to follow.
"...Well, let's call it a night there."
Since it was already late, they wrapped up after about an hour.
"Thank you very much!"
"No, I’m always happy to help an enthusiastic craftsman."
Rodrigo seemed to have taken a liking to the young man.
Afterward, Rodrigo and Tiberio shared some wine and small talk in the lounge. Jin couldn't keep up with their pace and retired to the bedroom where Elsa and the twins were waiting.
"...My head hurts."
"...My brain is pounding..."
"You drank too much, Father," Marcia sighed.
The next morning, Rodrigo and Tiberio were both suffering from massive hangovers.
"How much did you two have?"
"...About five bottles."
"That's way too much!"
Jin and his family arrived as they were nursing their heads.
"Ah, just as I thought. I heard you were hitting the wine pretty hard last night....Detox. Healing."
Elsa cast her magic on the two pale men. Instantly, their complexions cleared, and they looked refreshed.
"Elsa, thank you," Marcia said, thanking her on their behalf.
"Mr. Rodrigo, you should have used the Detox function on your Fellowship Bracelet," Elsa pointed out.
Rodrigo looked stunned. "Oh... I forgot about that..."
His headache had apparently been so bad that he couldn't even remember his own gear.
The group headed together to the dining hall. That morning's menu consisted of breakfast congee, miso soup with Devil's Potato and marunegi, umeboshi, oshinko, sweet tamagoyaki, and hojicha. It was a meal perfectly tailored for the morning after a night of drinking.
"...Ah, it hits the spot."
Though the magic had cured the hangover, the gentle congee was exactly what their weary stomachs needed.
"Get it together, Father," Marcia said, her voice filled with weary affection.