Jin and his party decided to head toward the town.
"Well, even calling it a town, we're already on the outskirts of Kalts Village right here," Reinhard remarked.
"The lord's mansion was built right by the highway, and the town developed in the direction away from the lake, didn't it?"
Just as Berche said, Kalts Village had a layout that differed slightly from typical towns.
The most notable difference was that the lord's mansion sat on the edge of town rather than in the center, where such estates were usually placed.
A central location offered distinct advantages, both for defense and administration.
However, this town was different.
Originally, it had been a small settlement that could only be described as an impoverished village. Because houses had been built along the highway, the village chief's house had also been erected along the road.
Its roots traced back to the building known as the Rankenhaus.
Decades before Reinhard had become lord, an eccentric nobleman had apparently built the Rankenhaus.
Because it had been constructed as a villa without sparing any expense, it had a solid, imposing structure despite its modest size.
"...And that's why the Rankenhaus stands in a place like this."
"I see."
Hearing its origin from Reinhard, Jin, Elsa, and Saki nodded in belated comprehension.
"And from here on it's just my guess, but since the only available land to develop into a town was on the side facing away from the lake, they likely expanded in that direction."
Reinhard explained that because the lakeside was largely wetlands, it had been converted into paddy fields, while the drier side had grown into the town.
Leaving the Golem automobile where it was, the group set off to explore the town under Tsiq's guidance.
Though it had grown, it was not an exceptionally large town—amounting to a medium-to-small scale—making it easy enough to explore entirely on foot.
"Oh, it's quite lively."
Jin was impressed by the town's vibrant atmosphere.
"Hmm, it feels a bit cluttered."
"Indeed it does."
Reinhard and his wife seemed slightly less fond of it.
"Is that so? Personally, I rather like this haphazard charm."
Rather than a cityscape shaped by rigid urban planning, Jin preferred streets where one could feel the history of the people living there.
Old and new buildings stood side by side, interconnected by winding roads formed through haphazard additions and extensions, alongside alleys teeming with daily life.
Jin reflected on his tastes, suspecting the preference likely stemmed from his formative childhood experiences.
The facility where he had grown up was situated in just such a town.
Reiko silently looked up at Jin, whose face wore a faintly nostalgic expression.
"...I think I can understand, a little, of what Jin-nii is saying."
Elsa voiced her agreement.
"Kufu, as expected of Madam. I've always liked cluttered streets myself, you know?"
"One can tell just by looking at your room, Saki-san."
"Whoa, that's harsh, Berche... Bell!"
"Haha, well, that's because Aaru isn't around anymore."
"But Perido and the others take care of it for me now!"
"Saki-nee, that's not something, to boast about."
The lively group drew glances even amidst the bustling crowd. What was more, Saki was the only one barely managing to use their aliases; the others seemed to have forgotten them completely.
"Ah, look, a materials shop! Let's check it out!"
Sharp-eyed Saki spotted an intriguing storefront and jogged over toward it.
Following behind her, Jin asked Elsa, "Come to think of it, what happened with Saki's eyesight?"
Grasping the intent behind Jin's somewhat brief question, Elsa answered, "It was corrected when she underwent homunculus transformation. What she wears now are non-prescription glasses. They also serve as protective glasses, more or less."
"I see. Well, that's great."
"Mm."
Saki was waving toward Jin and the others from outside the materials shop.
"Come on, Jin, El! Reiko-chan! Hurry up!"
Looking ahead, Reinhard and his wife had already caught up, wearing wry smiles.
"Sorry, sorry."
Once Jin, Elsa, and Reiko arrived, the whole party entered the shop together.
"Oh."
The materials shop had an impressive exterior, and the interior was quite spacious as well. Moreover, the selection was remarkably abundant.
"Wah! Now this brings back memories!"
What Saki pounced on was bauxite. Long ago, reeling from the shock of hearing that her father, Toa, was marrying Stearena, Saki had wandered off and discovered this very ore on the southern shore of Lake Tosmo.
"Over here is niccolite," Jin remarked with interest. It was a mineral containing a compound of arsenic and nickel.
"There's pyrite and chalcopyrite, too," Elsa said, looking at a shelf lined with golden stones.
"This one over here is iridosmine."
What Reinhard found was an alloy of the platinum-group elements iridium and osmium, containing about seventy percent iridium.
Incidentally, when it contained fifty percent iridium, it was called osmiridium.
Both were exceptionally hard alloys used for pen nibs—the tiny point affixed to the tip of luxury gold-nib fountain pens.
"You folks certainly know your stuff."
Having overheard their conversation, a woman minding the shop poked her head out from the back.
She had untidy dark brown hair and violet eyes, appearing to be just under twenty years old. Jin felt that she bore a subtle resemblance to Saki.
"This shop caters to alchemists, magi engineers, and a handful of collectors."
"Kufu, which of those do we look like to you?" Saki asked with an amused grin.
"Well, you don't look like collectors. The gentlemen over there are probably magi engineers, right? And you, miss, are an alchemist. As for the young ladies...? Or wives...? I can't quite tell."
As for Reiko, the girl seemed to refrain from judging, simply viewing her as a young child.
"Yup, you hit the mark."
Saki stared at the girl with genuine admiration.
"It's embarrassing when you stare at me like that."
"Ah, sorry, sorry."
"...So, are you going to buy something?"
"Yes. But before that, I'd like to look around the shop a bit more."
"Ah, of course....Please take your time looking around, valued customers. If you have any questions, feel free to call on the staff."
With that, the shop girl retreated to the back of the store.
"...Let's see. There are raw gemstones, and there are even ground spider materials."
"There are magi-crystals over here, but... not many. The quality isn't very good, either."
The current shortage of magi-crystals across the Empire seemed apparent even in a shop like this.
"The metal samples are plentiful... 'Ingots are kept in the storehouse; please place an order with the staff,' is it?"
The method of selling metal materials was quite well thought out, Jin noted with admiration.
"There are few biological materials," Reiko offered her observation.
The shop clerk watched the group, her eyes wide with mild astonishment.