The village chief, Gaizak, came out to greet Jin and his companions.
"Well, well. Welcome to Kaina Village, everyone. I am the village chief, Gaizak."
Jin hadn't been able to meet the man when he’d visited with Lordtoss previously. Gaizak had white hair and gray eyes; in his mid-forties and possessed of a small but sturdy build, he gave the distinct impression of a man born and bred in a farming village.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Jin Nidou, who recently became the Third Generation Magi Craft Meister."
Jin pointedly used his full name. He did this so that the local people would begin to associate the name Jin Nidou with the title of Magi Craft Meister as a single set.
"Oh! So a new Magi Craft Meister has finally appeared."
"Yes. And so, I’ve come to offer my greetings."
"That is most polite of you... In that case, I take it you timed your visit to coincide with the day Eris-sama is visiting?"
"...Huh?"
Jin had no idea who this "Eris" was that the village chief spoke of.
(...Father, that is the current lord of Kaina Village,) Reiko whispered to him.
"Oh, you weren't aware? She is the lord of Kaina Village, a descendant of the Second Generation, Jin-sama. I serve as the village chief in my capacity as the bailiff."
Reiko’s whispered prompt and the village chief’s explanation arrived nearly in unison.
"Ah, is that so?" was all Jin could manage in response.
"My, my. To think you arrived today without knowing... what a coincidence."
"Um, what kind of person is this Eris-sama?" Jin asked, deciding to gather whatever information he could.
"Eris Nido-sama is the lord of Kaina Village, a lineage that has continued unbroken since the First Generation, Jin Nidou-sama. As I mentioned, I serve as the bailiff here."
"I see."
The situation was becoming a bit clearer.
"I hear Eris-sama is scheduled to arrive this evening," Gaizak added.
"Understood."
There was still plenty of time before the current lord arrived. Having heard enough, Jin and the others took their leave of the village chief and returned to Jin Castle.
"Well, what should we do?"
Once they had settled into a guest room at Jin Castle, they began to discuss their plans for the next day.
"It is a choice between meeting her or leaving without doing so. Personally, I would recommend a meeting," Reiko said, being the first to speak up, which was rare for her. "I say this because making the acquaintance of the current lord now will offer various advantages in the future. Though, of course, there are disadvantages as well."
The disadvantage, naturally, was the potential for more social obligations and complications. However, since she was a direct blood descendant, Jin felt he couldn't simply ignore her existence.
"Yeah, let's try to meet her."
Since Jin had made the call, Marikka did not object, and neither did Rubina or Greena. They were in a carefree position, after all.
However, no one could have predicted that this single decision would go on to fundamentally alter the destiny of one person among them.
After eating lunch at Jin Castle, Jin and the others turned their attention to their primary objective: investigating the magi-resin.
"Let's check the forest to the north of Kaina Village."
When Jin proposed this, Reiko spoke up. "Father, it seems a Blow Floater has been stationed here since the other day."
"Oh, I see. That’s thoughtful."
A Blow Floater was extremely convenient for traveling short to medium distances. Consequently, Laojun had sent a Blow Floater of the same model as the Taube to Jin Castle. Naturally, its use was restricted to Jin and his associates.
Jin decided to make use of it immediately.
"Oh, this is nice."
Painted on the hull was the name Seagull 1. There were three units in total: 1, 2, and 3.
The craft sat six people and was equipped with a force generator, a gravity control device, and a Warp Gate; Jin had previously donated identical models to the Nord Federation.
Reiko served as the pilot this time.
"Well then, let us depart."
Seagull 1 floated up gently and headed straight for the northern forest.
"Wow, what a great view!" Rubina chirped, clearly enjoying herself.
Jin also took a moment to enjoy the aerial view of Kaina Village, a sight he hadn't seen in quite some time.
"Father, where exactly should we head?" Reiko asked after they had been flying for a while. A vast coniferous forest spread out beneath them.
"...Oh, right. Come to think of it, I forgot to ask the village chief about the magi-resin."
"Ah, you’re right."
It seemed that because they had been so focused on the news about Eris Nido, that particular errand had slipped completely out of their minds. Since it would be inefficient to turn back now, they decided to conduct their own investigation first.
"Let's see... Let's go a bit further north."
"Understood."
Jin’s reasoning was that, although the situation had improved significantly in modern times, the concentration of free ether used to be much higher further north; he suspected that plants in the north might have a higher free ether content as a result of that historical influence.
Seagull 1 flew over the coniferous forest belt and emerged over a plain. If they continued flying this way, they would pass through the Great Isthmus and reach the Gondoa Continent—in other words, the Nord Federation.
"Let's see... Reiko, do you sense anything like a singularity with the magi-detector?"
"Let me check... Yes, I do indeed feel a slight protrusion further ahead."
Reiko pointed toward a coniferous forest spreading across the southern foothills of Mount Tahoka, a towering peak in the 5,000-meter class.
"All right, let's head there."
Seagull 1 began to lose altitude as they approached the target.
"Oh, there's a small meadow over there. Let's land."
"Understood."
It was an open meadow about 100 meters in diameter. Although it was late April, remnants of winter still lingered in this region, and the grass had not yet begun to sprout.
"I wonder if there are Pinacea around here?" Greena asked, peering at the conifers surrounding the meadow.
"There are many shirabe trees around here," she noted. Greena seemed to be quite knowledgeable about botany.
"Pinacea grows alongside these shirabe, so we can be hopeful."
The group decided to start by making a circuit around the perimeter of the clearing.
"There are many shirabe trees....Wait, there's a magi-pine here....But this side is all shirabe..."
However, when they reached the northern edge of the meadow:
"I found it! It's Pinacea!"
"Oh, so this is it... Reiko, do you feel anything?"
"Let me see....Yes, I feel that the concentration of free ether surrounding the entire tree is definitely denser than the surrounding area."
Hearing that, Greena spoke up. "Jin-sama, perhaps this Pinacea has a particularly high affinity for free ether."
"I see. If we can get some seedlings, maybe I'll try cultivating them experimentally on Hourai Island."
Jin figured the climate would be manageable if they planted them above the midpoint of Mount Hourai.
"But first, let’s collect some resin from this specimen."