"Once we’ve let our food settle for a bit, why don't we head to Tatsumi Bay first?"
Jin voiced his plan for the Hourai Island tour.
"The fish preserves are fully established now, and I hear the nori and oysters are starting to thrive as well."
When Jin added that they could also take a trip out on the water, Rubina spoke up.
"Oh, I want to go on a battleship!"
Jin chuckled wryly.
Well, why not?
Though the tour was primarily for Eris and Freddie, Jin figured it was just as well if Rubina enjoyed herself too.
"We shall leave everything in your hands, Jin-san," Eris said, remaining perfectly modest.
＊ ＊ ＊
They decided to travel to Tatsumi Bay by automobile, with Hope acting as their driver.
Lush paddies, vegetable patches, and orchards lined both sides of the road, turning the drive itself into a scenic tour.
Five months had passed since the new year began. The fields and paddies that had previously lain fallow were back in operation, and the orchards were neatly maintained.
"My, what beautiful paddy fields."
Since Hourai Island was in a subtropical zone, the rice planting was already finished. The paddy fields had become a literal "green carpet," a sight that was remarkably soothing to the eyes.
"Oh, a white egret!" Rubina exclaimed.
Following her gaze, they saw a pure white bird with a long neck and long legs.
The ones on Hourai Island were little egrets. They were easy to identify by the distinct crest feathers on the back of their heads.
In truth, there was no species of bird officially named "white egret." The term was a general name for several species of white herons. While the group included the intermediate egret and the great egret, only the little egret lived on Hourai Island.
"It's probably looking for loaches or frogs in the paddies," Jin explained.
Since no pesticides were used, the fields were home to a bounty of small animals. Any pests were removed by hand as soon as they were found—a task handled by Topaz and her team. As for diseases, they were prevented using the magic of Sterilization.
"My goodness, what a sophisticated approach to farming," Eris remarked, nodding with genuine admiration.
"I think this is the only place in the world where they remove pests by hand quite like this," Jin added.
The work was carried out by Topaz and the other one hundred agriculture-specialist Golem Maids, and occasionally the Land squad, Smith, Little-Smith, and Mini-Smith were even called in to help. This was certainly the only place in the world that practiced agriculture with such a complete disregard for profit margins.
Beyond the paddies lay wheat fields, followed by the orchards. Right now, the white flowers of the citrans were in bloom, and beautiful butterflies danced among them.
"But swallowtail larvae eat the citran leaves, don't they?" Jin mentioned that they had to thin them out appropriately, otherwise the leaves would be stripped bare.
"Oh dear. So you don't remove all of them, but leave a few behind? How kind of you."
"Well, yes. It would be lonely if the butterflies disappeared entirely," Jin replied.
The automobile carrying the group descended a gentle slope, approaching the shore. The salty scent of the tide began to waft through the windows.
"Ah, so that is the sea... I saw it once, long ago, when I was young."
Since the Klein Kingdom was landlocked, one could not see the ocean without traveling to another country.
"It’s beautiful..." Eris gazed at the approaching horizon with an enchanted expression.
"Now then, if we go straight, we’ll reach the beach. To the right are the fish preserves, and to the left is the harbor. Let’s look at the preserves first. Hope, if you would."
"Yes, Master."
They took the right at the three-way junction.
"Further ahead are the preserves where we practice aquaculture. Though I call it that, it’s essentially just keeping specific types of fish within nets and barriers set up inside the bay," Jin explained politely.
"T-The scale is enormous," Freddie stammered, visibly stunned.
"If they increase too much, we can always release them into the wild."
"I-I see, that makes sense."
Indeed, they conducted periodic releases to ensure the population didn't grow beyond what they could consume. Unlike fruit or grain, living creatures couldn't be easily stored for long periods.
After observing the nori and oyster cultivation, they headed along the coast back toward the beach, aiming for the harbor.
When the automobile carrying Jin and his party arrived at the Tatsumi Bay harbor, they found the water was deep enough to allow even two-hundred-meter-class battleships to navigate with ease.
Currently anchored at the port was the battleship Hotaka.
"...Is... is this... a ship?"
Seeing a two-hundred-meter-long, all-metal vessel for the first time in his life, Freddie was left speechless.
"My, my, did you build this as well, Jin-san? It is magnificent!" Eris, on the other hand, had eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Would you like to go aboard?"
"Yes, by all means!"
Eris was, quite surprisingly, the most enthusiastic member of the entire group. Watching her, Freddie wore a somewhat complicated expression.
"Oh, so this is how it's designed!" Rubina was also having a wonderful time, running across the deck and peeking into the ship's interior to pepper the Marine squad with questions.
As for Eris, she stood near the bow, staring out at the sea with a satisfied smile.
Seeing this, Jin decided to scrap his plan for a tour on a Hydro craft and chose instead to head out to sea on the Hotaka.
"Marine 5, take the Hotaka out of port."
"Yes, Master."
At Jin’s command, the Hotaka left the harbor and slowly steamed out of Tatsumi Bay.
"Wow, this is amazing!"
Rubina, who had been insistent on riding a battleship, was in high spirits. She must have been holding back her excitement during her previous visit.
Eris remained standing near the bow, captivated.
"Eris-san, would you like to come up to the bridge?"
"Yes, thank you. I would love to."
Jin led the group up to the bridge. From the higher vantage point, the view was even more spectacular.
"Ah, the sea is so incredibly blue. And I never knew the horizon was curved."
Since the curvature of Ars was greater than Earth’s, the roundness of the horizon was clearly visible from a slightly elevated position.
"Current speed is fifty kilometers per hour."
Since the unit "knots" didn't exist on Ars, the nautical atmosphere was slightly diminished, but it made the speed easy to grasp.
"Fifty kilometers an hour at this size... that's incredible."
Everything she saw and heard seemed to strike a chord with her; Eris appeared to be in a constant state of wonder.
After exiting Tatsumi Bay, the Hotaka made a wide turn in the open sea before returning to Hourai Island.
When they reached the port and disembarked, Eris looked up at the Hotaka and gave a deep, respectful bow.
"Thank you very much."
Jin found himself oddly moved by that simple gesture of gratitude.