The airfield at Seki Town was reasonably bustling.
Moored along the field were five Blow Floaters from the Shouro Empire and two airships from the Celuroa Kingdom.
Jin brought Hurricane to a stop near the edge.
"...It's paved with asphalt here."
Jin muttered as he stepped out onto the airfield.
"'Analyze.'"
When he discreetly examined the ground's structure, he found that crushed stone had been laid over the leveled earth, compacted firmly, and then finished with an asphalt surface.
"With this kind of foundation, it should be plenty durable."
Just then, an airfield official walked over to them.
"Welcome to Seki Town in the Land of Mitsuho, Jin-sama, Elsa-sama."
"...You know who we are?"
Jin blinked in surprise at being addressed by name right away.
"Why, of course! The Third Generation Magi Craft Meister, Lord Jin Nidou, and his Madam, Erna—er, Elsa Nidou-sama."
The official raised a hand, pointing toward the crest emblazoned on Hurricane.
"After all, in this entire world, the Nidou family is the only one bearing the two horizontal bars in a circle!"
The official jotted down a few notes on the sheet of paper he held, then handed it over to Jin.
"This is your entry permit application form. Please take it over to the immigration administration building to complete your entry procedures."
He pointed toward a two-story building roughly two hundred meters from where Hurricane was parked.
Jin glanced over the paper and saw that the official had already signed it, along with the date and arrival time.
"Any form lacking an arrival check is invalid, so please be careful not to misplace it."
"Understood. Thank you."
"We will take full responsibility for looking after your airship while you are here. Have a wonderful stay!"
Parting ways with the official, Jin and Elsa set off on foot. Reiko and Hope followed close behind, carrying the luggage.
The immigration administration building was fairly quiet.
"Welcome. Welcome to Mitsuho."
A receptionist greeted Jin and his group. Looking closely, Jin realized she was an automata. Though she wasn't one of his own creations, the craftsmanship was remarkably refined.
"Please proceed to counter number two."
As first-time visitors, Jin and his party were directed to the second window.
"Jin Nidou-sama and Elsa Nidou-sama, correct? Along with Reiko-sama and Hope-sama."
Once they submitted the completed paperwork, the administrative process was wrapped up in moments.
They were issued cards about twice the size of a standard business card, including ones prepared for Reiko and Hope.
"Please be sure to keep these on your person at all times."
"Will do. Thank you."
"Have a pleasant trip."
Stepping out through the exit on the far side of the building brought them straight into Seki Town.
In times past, it had been a heavily fortified town encircled by thick stone walls, looking every bit like a strict border checkpoint. Now, however, the atmosphere was completely different.
While the outer walls still stood, the gates were thrown wide open, giving the entire town an airy, welcoming feel.
"Oh, it's quite lively."
Seki Town was indeed one of the most prosperous hubs in Mitsuho.
A steady stream of travelers arrived from beyond Mitsuho's borders, drawn by sightseeing, commerce, academic research, and various other pursuits.
To accommodate them, Seki Town had developed into what could easily be called a "Mini-Mitsuho."
It featured a tourist information bureau alongside rows of regional specialty shops—the local equivalent of modern Japanese antenna shops—allowing visitors to see at a glance what landmarks and famous goods each region had to offer.
Prominent merchant guilds maintained branch offices here, making it effortless to conduct business transactions.
There was even a dedicated library boasting an impressive collection of volumes.
"First things first, let's find an inn."
"Mm."
"In that case, I believe this establishment would be suitable."
Having apparently received intelligence from Laojun, Reiko took the lead and guided them along.
The inn sat slightly back from the main thoroughfare. Since they happened to have a single room available, Jin decided to book it on the spot.
The sign out front read the Silver Moon Inn.
"This is actually a rather nice place."
It was a serene, two-story stone building. Unlike the Japanese-Western architectural fusion common throughout Mitsuho, this inn was built entirely in the style of the Shouro Empire.
"It's probably built to cater to foreign visitors."
"Yes, that seems to be the case."
Their accommodations were in a corner room on the second floor. Because most of the surrounding buildings were single-story structures, the view outside was quite open.
After setting down their bags, they decided to head back out to explore the town.
This excursion was partly for leisure, but it was also a chance to observe the current state of Mitsuho firsthand.
"Reiko, carry this pouch for me."
"Yes, Father."
At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary child's shoulder pouch. In truth, it was crafted from Sea Dragon leather, meaning a standard blade couldn't leave so much as a scratch on it.
Embedded inside was an ultra-compact magic circle, capable of receiving small transferred items like gold coins or bottles of Persica juice.
Elsa, meanwhile, carried a tote bag fitted with a magic circle operating in reverse, allowing whatever was placed inside to be sent directly back to Hourai Island.
Naturally, neither bag could transport anything larger than its own internal dimensions.
As a side note, two-way transfer within a single bag remained impossible for now. The magic had to be strictly one-way—either sending or receiving.
Unlike a full-scale Warp Gate, placing two localized transfer magic circles in close proximity caused their magical energies to interfere with one another, leading to severe malfunctions.
Still, having these bags meant they would never run short of funds, and for everyday shopping, they never had to worry about lugging packages around.
Equipped with these conveniences, Jin and his companions ventured into the heart of Seki Town.
"It really has changed a lot since the old days."
"Mm."
With so many people flowing in and out of the settlement, Jin figured such development was only natural.
While the older homes retained a blend of Japanese and Western elements, the newer constructions favored the Shouro Empire style—unadorned, practical, and solidly built from stone.
Amid the modern storefronts, Jin spotted a traditional dried-food shop with an unmistakably old-fashioned facade.
"That's not... a fusion style. That's purely Japanese."
It had wooden plank walls beneath a tiled roof, with a traditional timber frame supported entirely by pillars rather than load-bearing walls.
Across the front ran sliding glass doors.
"They really went all-out on the authentic details."
Intrigued, Jin decided to step inside.
"Welcome, come on in."
Tending the counter was an elderly woman. She looked to be well past eighty, her face lined with deep wrinkles, but her posture was straight and she possessed a sprightly vigor.
"Oh, wow..."
Something about the place evoked the wooden architecture of Japan's Showa era, Jin mused—even if he himself had been born in the Heisei era.
"Katsuobushi... and is that kombu? Ah, they have dried wakame too. Oh, and niboshi as well."
The shop's interior was the quintessential picture of a traditional dry-goods merchant.
"You're a new face around here, young man, but you certainly know your stuff. Quite particular about your dashi stock, are you?"
"Yes, I suppose I am. Good dashi really is the heart of Japanese-style cooking, after all."
Western cuisine would call its bases fond or bouillon rather than dashi, Jin noted idly to himself.
"This is some wonderful katsuobushi."
It was karebushi, though it had a slightly different character from the kind produced on Hourai Island.
Karebushi was aged by cultivating katsuobushi mold across the dried fish, and Jin suspected the strain of mold used here differed subtly from the one preserved on the island.
While Hourai Island had maintained the exact same mold strain within its isolated environment for four centuries, Mitsuho's wild strains had likely experienced slight shifts and evolutions over the generations.
Deciding on his purchase, Jin spoke up.
"Could I get two obushi and two mebushi of this karebushi, please?"
"Much obliged for your business!"
When a whole bonito is filleted into three parts and then split lengthwise along the back and belly, the resulting pieces are known as honbushi. Among these, the cut taken from the back is called obushi, while the belly cut is called mebushi.
Because mebushi contains a higher fat content, it is prized for brewing the rich dashi needed in heavily seasoned simmered dishes. Obushi, on the other hand, yields a cleaner, refined stock best suited for delicate fare like suimono clear soups.
Incidentally, commercial bonito flakes were usually a blend of the two.
Watching the shopkeeper wrap the dried fillets, Jin fondly remembered the days when the Orphanage Director had taught him all about those culinary tidbits.