It was now mid-November, and the wind blowing through Toka Village was growing increasingly chilly.
Even so, the bustling activity radiated enough heat to completely blow away the cold.
"Mm, it has come along quite nicely."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Thanks to Deus Ex Machina's giant golem, the maintenance work on the highway had wrapped up in a single week.
Incidentally, between the Town of Charles and Toka Village, Jin had implemented "macadam road paving"—a method of laying and compacting crushed stone—400 years ago.
Because Jin had overseen the original construction, its durability was quite high. However, after his passing, Toka Village had declined, and regular maintenance had ceased.
As a result, roughly half of the stretch had deteriorated due to destruction by grass and tree roots or being buried under sediment, necessitating another round of repairs.
Conversely, because half of the section still retained its paved condition, the work had been completed that much faster.
This highway, paved with compacted crushed stone through macadamization, doubled the travel speed of carriages and Golem automobiles.
Consequently, a Golem automobile could now cover the roughly 190-kilometer distance between the royal capital of Alban and Toka Village in a single day.
Considering that the same journey had taken about five days by carriage 400 years ago, it truly felt like a completely different era.
Furthermore, a Blow Floater could make the round trip in an even shorter amount of time.
Right now, before the eyes of King Melikalans I of the Klein Kingdom, who had arrived on an inspection tour, a fully developed airfield lay spread out.
There stood a 20-meter-tall control tower, along with a runway and apron paved with macadam and reinforced with Toughening. There was also a cluster of hangars to store the aircraft.
Additionally, there were the maintenance golems provided by Jin and Maquina.
In the northern corner of the airfield, a monument of natural stone bearing the inscription "Marikka Memorial Airfield" had been quietly erected.
"Your Majesty, thank you for waiting."
"Oh, Jin-dono. Thank you for coming all this way."
Since Melikalans I was coming for an inspection, Jin had also arrived from Hourai Island. Maquina was standing at the ready beside him.
"Still, to think you could accomplish this much in such a short period... Truly, I am filled with deep admiration for your and Maquina-dono's craft."
"I am honored. However, it is only truly meaningful if it serves the people."
"Hm, you are modest....By the way, what is that over there?"
Melikalans I pointed toward a grassy area where several children were playing, throwing a dish-shaped object slightly under 30 centimeters in diameter.
"It is called a Flying Saucer, a plaything I made recently."
It was a disc made from slightly firm rubber so that it wouldn't hurt even if it struck someone in the face.
They were brightly colored, and the children were tossing Flying Saucers of various hues back and forth.
"That looks fun," Magic Technology Minister Cowen, who had accompanied the King, muttered. "It glides through the air as if floating. Applying this to an actual aircraft... is probably impossible, is it? One would likely get dizzy."
"Haha, that is true."
An unmanned craft... or one piloted by a golem might be possible, but Jin figured there wouldn't be much point in it.
"And what about that over there?"
Over by the airfield, children were crowding around the Blow Floater built by Reinhard.
"That is a Blow Floater built by a friend of mine. He is offering sightseeing flights for the children."
"Hm, I see....If they develop an interest while they are still young, many of them might grow up aspiring to become engineers."
Magic Technology Minister Cowen expressed his admiration, but—
"I did not think that far ahead. It is simply because the children enjoy it," Jin stated frankly.
"Oho, is that so?...Still, the children certainly seem to be having a wonderful time."
"Now then, take your turns. No cutting in line."
Reinhard had brought his self-built Blow Floater to Toka Village two days after Jin handed out the Flying Saucers to the children.
Since it was a craft designed for leisurely cruising, children had naturally gathered around while he was slowly circling the flight course.
"Hey, hey, mister, can we ride too?"
"Come on, please?"
"Uh... Well..."
The speed Reinhard's craft was traveling at was around 10 km/h, whereas the speed Jin and the others had flown at the other day was over 100 km/h.
It was obvious which one would appeal more to children.
"All right, but you'll have to take turns, okay?"
"Yay!"
And so, Reinhard had Leila pilot the craft, keeping the speed below 10 km/h and the altitude restricted to a single meter, giving two children at a time a five-minute ride.
"Hmm, nevertheless, it is an exceptionally stable craft," Magic Technology Minister Cowen, who had been watching for a while, remarked with genuine admiration.
"Yes. It can go faster if desired, but since it is carrying children, he is keeping it steady."
Reinhard's hang-glider-style main wing was able to move forward purely on the residual airflow of the Blow Engine without using an active propulsion system.
To a discerning eye, it was clear that the triangular kite-like main wing caught the wind nicely, redirected it, and generated propulsive force much like a yacht's sail.
The relative position of the cockpit had also been configured to lower the center of gravity and increase stability.
"So there is this way of utilizing it as well."
"Depending on the application, adjusting the craft's settings—or altering the design entirely—is also necessary."
Jin explained that this was an approach unique to small aircraft, whose unit production cost could be kept low.
"I see, that makes sense."
Magic Technology Minister Cowen nodded, resolving to give some serious thought to how his own nation should deploy such machines.
While Magic Technology Minister Cowen was engrossed in conversation with Jin, Melikalans I was speaking with Deus Ex Machina.
"I am truly grateful for your assistance with the highway repairs."
"Not at all. Since we collaborated with Jin-dono, we were able to finish in short order."
"Indeed, the technological prowess of you both never ceases to amaze me."
However, they could not spend the entire time chatting idly.
"Maquina-dono, regarding the matter of the general-purpose golems we requested the other day, how is that progressing?"
Because reinforcing their military manpower would take time, the plan was to temporarily fill the gaps with golems.
With the idea that they could be reassigned to other departments once personnel were secured, 300 general-purpose golems had been commissioned from Jin and Maquina.
"Let's see. I believe we can deliver 100 units in 10 days, another 100 units 10 days after that, and the remaining 100 units in another 10 days."
"Oh, that quickly?!"
For Melikalans I, it was a pleasant surprise.
"Where would you like the delivery made? As for us, since transporting that many units requires a spacious airfield, we would prefer to bring them here to Toka Village."
"Mm, that is no problem at all."
Melikalans I reasoned that part of them were slated for the development of Toka Village, Rakuno Village, Doppa Village, and the Town of Charles anyway. They could simply be moved toward Alban while putting the finishing touches on the highway maintenance—such as planting roadside trees and installing streetlights.
"Ah, that is a fine method."
Maquina agreed with the approach.
"On that note, while we will prepare the saplings for planting on our end, we would be grateful if you could also craft the magi-lamps to be used as streetlights."
This request came from Bean Show Border, the Minister of General Affairs, who was standing beside Melikalans I.
"That is fine by me. The highway where they will be installed runs to the Town of Charles, approximately 70 kilometers. If you install them every 100 meters, that would be 700 units; if every 50 meters, it would be 1,400 units."
"Since it is merely to prevent travelers from losing their way, we request 700 units."
"Understood. In cooperation with Jin-dono, we will make sure they are ready to be handed over in 10 days."
"Oh, that is a tremendous help. We deeply appreciate your cooperation."
Thus, the development of the Klein Kingdom got underway.