Jin D's advice seemed to strike a painful chord with the Chancellor.
"I-I see... Capital investment, is it?"
"That is correct."
At this point, Jin decided to ask about something that had just crossed his mind.
"It might be somewhat impolite of me to say, but Golem automobiles appear to be surprisingly widespread here. Is there a particular reason for that?"
"No, nothing in particular....Though there was a time when a disease spread among the horses, temporarily preventing us from using carriages. That may be why."
"I see."
Since the Kingdom of Franz suffered from a shortage of healers and physicians, Jin deduced that veterinary equivalents were likely in short supply as well.
At this stage, Jin had two ideas in mind.
One was to personally fund the construction of an automobile racetrack in the Kingdom of Franz, and the other was to establish an educational institution for healers.
"What do you think, Laojun?"
"Yes, My Lord. While I believe both would benefit society, an educational institution would require sustained support, which could present certain difficulties."
"That is true."
As for the racetrack, once it was built, it could simply be handed over to them.
"In that case, let us start with the racetrack."
"I happen to be quite fond of Golem automobile races myself. If you would allow it... would you permit me to construct a racetrack somewhere near the royal capital?"
"A racetrack, you say?"
Chancellor Joachims de Drow was taken aback by Jin D's offer, but Queen Caroline de Lafayette replied without hesitation:
"Oh, what a wonderful proposal! We would be delighted to have you build one."
She agreed enthusiastically, offering not a single objection.
The Queen was pressed for time, however, and requested that the remaining details be worked out with the Chancellor and the Minister of General Affairs.
Moving to a small conference room, the discussion continued.
First, the Minister of General Affairs, who joined from this point onward, introduced himself.
"I am Crow de Schoene, serving as the Minister of General Affairs. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."
"I am Jin Nidou. This is my wife, Elsa, our automaton, Reiko, and our Golem, Hope."
"It is truly an honor to meet you all."
The Minister of General Affairs seemed unable to conceal his delight at meeting Jin's group.
With introductions complete, the meeting began in earnest.
"Now then, regarding the location, I believe the area southeast of the royal capital would be ideal," the Chancellor suggested, explaining that its relative proximity to the neighboring Celuroa Kingdom and Klein Kingdom would make it easy for tourists to visit.
"Indeed. If we repurpose the 3rd Drill Grounds, we should have more than enough space," the Minister of General Affairs added. Apparently, drill grounds were scattered all over the kingdom, so converting one or two would pose no operational problems whatsoever.
"Um, roughly how large is that area?"
"Around five square kilometers, I would say. A rectangle slightly elongated from east to west."
Since they could easily secure at least two kilometers along one side, Jin D replied that it would be plenty of space.
"Then, assuming you provide the land and we settle the construction details at a later date, allow me to first explain the overall concept..."
Jin D had them provide some paper, upon which he began sketching various designs.
First was the track layout.
Rather than a simple oval, it was a proper, full-scale racing circuit.
Featuring hairpin turns, a spoon curve, S-curves, and long straightaways, it bore a subtle resemblance to Fuji Speedway.
He refrained from including a crossover bridge like the Suzuka Circuit.
Spectator stands would be positioned along the main straight, while buffer zones and safety fences would encircle each turn.
"Oho, this is quite fascinating."
In a world where the automobile industry was still in its dawning era, a racetrack layout reminiscent of modern Japan struck them as utterly novel.
"I think it would be quite interesting to run horses on it as well."
"Indeed."
While horse racing did exist, every competition was run on monotonous oval tracks, lacking any real excitement.
Since this was not a course intended for simple training, racing on a track with varied turns would naturally be far more entertaining.
"Shall we pave the surface with asphalt?"
"Oh, that specialty product from Mitsuho!"
Mitsuho was known to produce natural asphalt.
While macadam pavement made of compacted crushed stone remained the standard in this carriage-dominated world, Jin felt that asphalt was essential if they were to host proper automobile races.
"Please leave the purchasing and transportation to me."
He planned to pay for the materials out of his own pocket and have golems handle the transport.
While golems from Hourai Island would carry out the foundational ground work, he intended to contract local Kingdom of Franz enterprises for the remaining construction.
In doing so, he aimed to invest a modest sum while revitalizing the local economy.
"This will have to wait until next year as well, then."
"It seems next year will be quite busy."
"Yeah. Though having said that, there is very little I need to handle personally."
Back on Hourai Island, Jin was discussing schedule management with Laojun.
"Given that the capabilities of the local engineers remain an unknown variable, detailed planning is currently unfeasible."
"Well, that makes sense."
To begin with, civil engineering projects conducted with rigorous timetables were virtually nonexistent outside of Hourai Island's operations.
"It would be wonderful if we could gradually elevate their technical standards through this construction project as well."
"Indeed."
In the small conference room within the Kingdom of Franz, Jin D and the Chancellor—now in high spirits after finalizing the outline—exchanged a warm handshake.
"Jin-dono, I cannot thank you enough for bringing such an endeavor to our country."
"Not at all. As an engineer, the mere thought of automobile races already has me thrilled."
"Automobile races, is it... I wonder what they will be like."
"You know the boat races held in Port Rock Town in the Kingdom of Elias? It will essentially be a land-based version of that."
"Ah, I see! That certainly does sound exciting."
The Golem Boat Races in Port Rock Town had continued uninterrupted to this day.
"I went to see them once about five years ago, and the excitement was unforgettable," Minister of General Affairs Crow de Schoene remarked with a smile, recalling his visit to Port Rock Town.
"Right? Because of its rich history, shipwrights and engineers naturally gather there. You might also want to consider policies to attract Golem automobile workshops to the area surrounding the racetrack."
This suggestion from Jin D struck both the Chancellor and the Minister of General Affairs like a revelation.
"Attracting workshops...! I see. You mean offering incentives to artisans who wish to establish workshops here?"
"Precisely. Doing so might allow the neighboring town of Ripa to flourish through the automobile industry as well."
"Yes. However, I believe it is crucial to proceed steadily, one step at a time."
The cornerstone of the Kingdom of Franz's future rise as an automotive powerhouse was laid right here in this very moment.