The talks with the Duke of Norha Principality, the Chancellor, and the others went far better than expected.
While the dinner that evening could not quite be called lively and harmonious, it had taken on a thoroughly relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
To begin with, Queen Sarai Sayada de Norha was in attendance.
Queen Sarai was an easygoing, placid woman in her mid-thirties with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a medium build.
In addition, the twin prince and princess were also present.
Both were nine years old. The older brother, Prince Sage Perieve de Norha, had brown hair and gray eyes, resembling his father.
His younger sister, Princess Alice So de Norha, had inherited her mother's blonde hair and blue eyes.
Above them was their eldest brother, First Prince Zifola Movie de Norha, though he was reportedly away on a patrol inspection.
The twins seemed unable to contain their fascination with the foreign guests, showering Fione Fias and Manon with questions.
"Hey, what are countries on the outside like?"
"Hey, do the outside countries have lots of flowers?"
"Hey, is it true that the outside countries have tons of rivers and ponds?"
"Hey, are there lots of flying vehicles soaring through the sky in the outside countries?"
"Hey, what about the outside countries..."
Answering every single one of them left Fione Fias a bit overwhelmed, even if Manon took it in stride.
As for Gajue Tsuga, the chief envoy, he served as a conversational partner for the Queen.
"Lord Chief Envoy, I imagine there are all sorts of clothes and accessories in the 'outside' countries, aren't there?"
"Lord Chief Envoy, I hear that even commoners make use of golems and automata in the 'outside' countries. Is that true?"
"Lord Chief Envoy, I presume there are all kinds of delicious foods in the 'outside' countries as well?"
"Well, yes, goods are abundant. Everyone can purchase, eat, and enjoy whatever they like according to their income."
"I see... Our country is still quite poor. That is a fair statement to make, wouldn't you say?"
"Er, well..."
"Now now, Sarai, do not trouble Lord Tsuga too much. Our nation is still impoverished. There is no mistaking that."
"Yes, Dear. And that is precisely why we have a duty to enrich this country and ease the lives of our people."
"Indeed. And to that end, Lord Tsuga and his companions have offered to lend us their aid....No, they are saying that in order for them to assist us, we must be willing to change as well."
The exchanges taking place in the Norha Principality were relayed to the Jin Family on Hourai Island through Laojun.
"Hmm, so even the royalty of the Norha Principality have a sensible way of thinking," Louis remarked in admiration.
"Indeed. With this, the actual state of three principalities has become clear, and all of them were sensible. In other words, the one keeping the Four Principalities unstable is likely the Jagus Principality," Reinhard offered his opinion.
"It might be too early to draw a conclusion, but the possibility is high..."
Jin felt that they could not reach a final conclusion without seeing the actual state of the Jagus Principality first, but a judgment was certainly possible based on the information gathered so far.
"Of course, the Jagus Principality might have circumstances of its own, but that doesn't justify their methods," Vivienne said with a furrowed brow.
"That's right. Prospering by working forcibly brainwashed and enslaved people to death is simply inhumane." Goose was unusually indignant.
"In that case, well, we'll wait for the survey results on the Jagus Principality before making a final judgment, but basically, does this mean our initial projection—a tripartite alliance of the three principalities against the Jagus Principality—is likely achievable?"
"Yeah, just as you say, Jin, a tripartite alliance seems like the most realistic direction," Reinhard answered Jin's question.
"For technical assistance, three-dimensional magic circles and magi-devices utilizing them seem like a good choice," Beena said. "Suction pumps, water heaters, streetlights, heating and air conditioning, ventilation, refrigerators—oh, magi-devices that turn seawater into freshwater would be wonderful too....Even a moment's thought shows how versatile they are."
"As expected of the Craft Queen."
"Stop that, please!"
Beena was intensely uncomfortable with being called the Craft Queen. It was simply unbearable for her out of sheer embarrassment.
"No, really, your ideas are genuinely helpful, Beena."
Jin noted that simply continuing to make magi-devices that stayed close to the needs of the common people was worthy of respect in itself.
"Ugh... I wish the ground would swallow me up."
Beena blushed bright red, saying she hadn't worked hard just for praise like that.
"Jin-nii, teasing her too much is mean," Elsa chided him.
Jin hadn't intended to tease her, but he held his tongue as his beloved wife suggested. He was well aware of his own amateurishness when it came to understanding a woman's heart.
Back in the Norha Principality, they had moved on to chatting over drinks after dinner.
What they were drinking was their customary wild grass tea.
"Come to think of it, what kind of wild grass is used as the raw ingredient for this tea?" Fione Fias asked out of pure curiosity.
"This?...Someone explain it to them."
When the Duke ordered the lady's maids serving nearby, one of the four stepped forward.
"Yes, Your Grace....Esteemed guests, the tea you are drinking now is made by drying a grass called horsetail."
Horsetail was a fern-like plant that propagated by extending underground rhizomes near the surface.
In Japan, it was treated as a hated garden and field weed.
This was because of its formidable reproductive capability, making it so difficult to exterminate that it was nicknamed "hell grass."
Incidentally, field horsetail shoots were the plant's fertile stems—stems bearing spores, resembling flowers.
Horsetail contained saponin, silicon, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, and vitamins B1, B2, and C, making it a nutritional food, but unfortunately, it did not taste very good.
It was also high in dietary fiber, giving it a dry, crumbly texture that made it hard to eat.
Brewing it into tea allowed one to absorb the nutrients, but drinking too much carried the risk of developing thiamine deficiency due to a component called thiaminase that destroyed vitamin B1. (Thiamine being the chemical name for vitamin B1.)
It was also said to contain trace amounts of nicotine, though there was no need for excessive concern when drinking it as tea.
As for the flavor of horsetail tea, it was said to carry an aroma like bamboo grass and a faintly sweet taste.
Digression aside.
"I see, so it was horsetail. Then, I assume the fertile shoots that appear in spring are used for food as well?" Manon asked to confirm.
"Yes, that is correct," the lady's maid nodded. "If you travel further inland beyond the cultivated land, such wild grasses are readily available, so people naturally become knowledgeable about various wild plants."
"Did you never attempt to cultivate the edible wild grasses?" Fione Fias asked as well.
"Yes, we have tried cultivating a few on an experimental basis. One of them is the dandelion."
Dandelions were supposedly eaten in salads.
In addition, shepherd's purse was also prepared as boiled greens.
Because these could be grown somehow even in arid, barren land lacking water, they were cultivated similarly to agricultural crops in order to supplement the vegetables that tended to be in short supply.