Having finished building the medical vehicle, Jin and Elsa turned their attention to the next item on their checklist.
"All that's left is the emergency blow floater, then."
"If it's a VTOL, it should be able to land almost anywhere."
They decided on a three-person capacity, including the pilot.
This was planned with the scenario of a pilot, a patient, and an accompanying person in mind.
"If we make it any bigger, it won't be portable anymore..."
"What do we do if there are lots of patients from an accident or something?"
"There is that possibility, isn't there..."
Once they started down that line of thinking, there was no end to the what-ifs. Even so, being caught without a plan was vastly different from having contingencies prepared.
"How about having a Warp Gate... or rather, a teleportation magic circle ready?"
"Ah, that might work."
The technology behind teleportation magic circles was already known to the wider world.
In fact, some of the Warp Gates utilized outside Hourai Island had them integrated into their systems.
"Alternatively, we could explain the situation and ask a nation like the Celuroa Kingdom to donate a Warp Gate to us."
"...Wouldn't taking on a debt like that be a bad idea?"
Elsa firmly advocated for keeping the project entirely self-reliant.
"Hmm, you think so? I thought it might be good to secure small contributions from each country in the spirit of 'welfare,' though."
"Ah, I see what you mean..."
Elsa seemed to grasp Jin's point.
"Still, I think staying independent is important."
"You think so, Elsa...?"
Jin, too, was well aware of the advantages of remaining unattached.
Entanglements could constrain your actions and cause you to lose what truly mattered.
"...All right. Let's handle this strictly on our own."
"Mm. Thank you."
Grateful that he had respected her wishes, Elsa thanked him.
With that settled, they chose to go with a teleportation magic circle.
In a true emergency, however, they would merely pretend to activate the circle while secretly utilizing Hourai Island's transporters.
"With this, we should be pretty much set, right?"
"Mm."
"Now all that's left is the debut, huh..."
They agreed to proceed as planned, making their first public appearance in Loizart, the royal capital of the Shouro Empire.
"First, we'll need to clear it with His Majesty Ernst II..."
Right on cue, Laojun chimed in.
"My Lord, I can secure permission on that front using a Doppel."
"Oh, really? Please do."
Without a second thought, Jin handed the task over to Laojun.
As always, Jin had no love for formal bureaucratic procedures.
Meanwhile, around the same time in Avalon.
"As I thought, we must send in intelligence operatives to assess the situation."
As the leader of the World Security Guard, Chief Administrator Tomax Bartman believed they could not simply stand by as long as there was potential for peace to be threatened.
"However, isn't that course of action supposed to be decided at the World Conference?" his adjutant, Illumina Ratkin, asked.
"Naturally. But without information to go on, a conclusion will never be reached no matter how much time passes. That is precisely why I intend to gather that information myself."
"In that case, how about making an open, direct request through official channels?"
"Illumina, do you have a concrete proposal in mind?"
"Yes. Would you care to hear it?"
"Mm. By all means, let's hear it."
Illumina's proposal was for the World Security Guard to conduct brief visits to the Four Principalities, beginning with the Jagus Principality.
"I believe it would also serve well as a preliminary survey."
An envoy dispatched by the World Conference carried the collective weight of the Conference Countries, giving it heavy political baggage. A visit under the auspices of the World Security Guard, however, could be carried out on a much smaller scale.
Her strategy was to start with the relatively friendly Mimaka Principality, followed by the Darato Principality, the Norha Principality, and finally the Jagus Principality. That way, they could press the final state with the logic that every other principality had already granted entry, so why should they refuse?
"I see. However, traveling from the Darato Principality to the Norha Principality presents a somewhat awkward route."
Given the geographical positions of the principalities, it would trace the letter 'Z' in reverse, which Tomax Bartman pointed out would look unnatural.
"That is true. In that case, should we visit the Jagus Principality after the Darato Principality, leaving the Norha Principality for last?"
"Would it be feasible to start with the Darato Principality, then proceed to the Mimaka Principality, the Norha Principality, and finally the Jagus Principality?" Tomax suggested as an alternative.
"Let's see... The Darato Principality is not particularly suspicious of us either, so we might be able to make that work," Illumina answered after careful thought.
"All that remains is the official pretext."
"That would naturally be humanitarian aid, I suppose."
In other words, framing the mission around offering relief in the form of scarce resources.
"Indeed. Though we naturally want to achieve the maximum effect at the lowest possible cost."
Even the World Security Guard did not possess an endless budget. Maintaining a balanced stance—spending where necessary and economizing where possible—was essential.
"...In that case, how about magi-stones?" suggested the secretary automaton Manon, who was standing nearby.
"I have heard that those countries are lacking in such resources."
Compared to magi-crystals, magi-stones were lower in purity, meaning the magical energy that could be extracted from them was weaker and their applications were far more limited.
Even so, they were more than sufficient for magi-devices that did not require high output, just as Beena had once used fire-attribute magi-stones in lighters.
At this level of quality, using them in weaponry would be hopelessly inefficient and actually degrade performance. They were, in essence, the ideal gift precisely because they could not be repurposed for military applications.
"Magi-stones can be procured cheaply, after all."
A large portion of the tailings produced during magi-crystal mining consisted of magi-stones, leaving low-quality stones available in near-limitless quantities.
Yet depending on their application, they were still useful, so rather than being thrown away, they were traded at rock-bottom prices.
"All right, let's go with that. Obviously, bottom-of-the-barrel quality would reflect poorly on us, so procure magi-stones of moderate grade."
"I will make the arrangements immediately."
Manon already had a supplier in mind. Jin, of course.
Hourai Island held a veritable mountain of magi-stones, and there was surplus stock on the Moon as well.
If they could purchase them at a discount, it would be very easy on the World Security Guard's coffers.
"In that case, shall we entrust this mission to Vice-Captain Gajue Tsuga of the Mimaka Principality Garrison?"
"Yes, he would be well-suited for the task."
And so, the plan was set.
"Um, Illumina-san, do you have a moment?"
Following the meeting, Fione Fias, who had only recently been appointed Secretary to the Chief Administrator, approached Illumina Ratkin.
"What is it?"
"Well, regarding the operation just now, why are we entrusting it to the vice-captain instead of the captain?"
"Ah, that. Well, you see..."
Illumina offered an explanation in her role as the senior colleague.
"First of all... let's see. A captain carries heavy administrative responsibility, so they cannot move around too freely. Furthermore, captains are usually in their late thirties or forties, aren't they?"
She explained that, depending on the mission, the physical demands could prove overly taxing.
"Naturally, individual aptitude is a major factor as well. Gajue Tsuga is quite capable. Besides, being originally from Fusou Island, he might understand the locals somewhat better."
It was a region closer in culture to the Four Principalities than the Allied Kingdoms were, Illumina explained.
"The decision was simply the result of weighing all of those considerations."
"I understand. Thank you very much."
Fione thanked her with a polite nod and returned to her duties.