Laojun began explaining everything it currently understood about the peculiarities of the Jagus Principality.
"While we conducted an investigation using the Peeper, we cannot determine what the people are thinking, so much of this is based on conjecture," it prefaced. "The current Duke is named Niestro Kirilo Jagus. He adopted the same name as Niestro Almazov Jagus, who occupied the Melkana Territory in the past, and is also referred to as Niestro II."
Incidentally, Niestro Almazov Jagus had also been known as the "Conqueror King," Laojun added.
"Hmm... I see."
"It seems Niestro II is quite an ambitious man as well."
"Looks like it."
The incident where a group calling themselves the "Revolutionary Party" expanded the ranks of brainwashed slaves in the Melkana Autonomous Region was a very recent event.
The mastermind was presumed to be someone from the Jagus Principality, but so far there were no solid leads.
Even with its vast capabilities, Laojun could not possibly keep watch over every single thing across Planet Ars.
"We have yet to locate that 'masked man,' but there is a possibility he might be an automata."
"Huh?"
"This inference comes from considering his wide range of activity, speed of movement, and the way he erased his tracks."
Laojun explained that this hypothesis arose because trace investigations conducted under the assumption of a human suspect had yielded nothing.
"I see. If you think so, Laojun, it might not be off the mark."
"I am honored....Now then, while we can observe internal conditions in the Jagus Principality through the Peeper, we discovered the abnormal fact that not a single citizen harbors any discontent."
From that, the reality of "brainwashing" had been deduced.
"Brainwashing, huh..."
Jin recalled an article he had read back when he lived in modern Japan about an event from the Showa era.
Agitation urging people to move to a supposed utopia, flaunting catchphrases like "A country where everyone can work and share the same living standard" and "A peaceful country with no strife whatsoever."
However, there was no freedom in that utopia.
Nor was there creativity, or productivity...
"Authoritarian states always claim, 'There is no conflict in our nation. There are no dissident elements'..." Reinhard remarked quietly.
"A brainwashed state is even worse than a dictatorship," Jin muttered with a frown.
"Although they are brainwashed into labor, the nature of the work itself is reasonable. Rather, I suspect it is because working them to death would instantly deplete their human resources."
"That makes sense."
Even so, a daily routine consisting solely of three meals, labor, and sleep was not a human life, Jin felt with indignation.
It might be even worse than corporate drones at exploitative black companies.
"Since there is no entertainment, there are no unnecessary expenses, leaving the domestic economy utterly devastated."
"I bet..." Reinhard sighed. "An economy only functions when there's consumption, after all."
"Yes. Just as Lord Reinhard says, the economy within the Jagus Principality is dreadful. Most of their trade with foreign nations is also done through bartering."
Laojun stated that the exchange mainly consisted of grain and manufactured goods.
"In addition, works of art and craft items are being traded, and for some reason, their proportion appears higher than that of grain."
"That's bizarre." Reinhard looked puzzled. "Could artistic activities even be possible in such a strictly controlled and regimented society?"
"I agree with Reinhard. Even assuming some individuals haven't been brainwashed and engage in creative activities, I doubt they could produce anything remarkable."
"Indeed."
Jin and Reinhard nodded in agreement.
"Under such conditions, art sells... No, I just can't imagine there being any art worth buying..."
It was a question that left them scratching their heads.
"Jin-nii, Rai-nii, what if the value doesn't lie in the artwork itself?" Elsa voiced her thoughts.
"...What do you mean?"
"For example, what if something is hidden inside the artwork...?"
Hearing that, the first thing that came to Jin's mind was...
"Drugs!"
Jin was familiar with smuggling rings from TV dramas, novels, and manga that used every conceivable trick to import and export narcotics.
He also remembered hearing about drugs that carried no harmful side effects on the body.
"What do you think about the possibility that they're exporting that kind of drug?"
Laojun answered immediately.
"It is a possibility. However, as far as we have examined the traded goods with the Peeper, no such contents were detected."
"I see..." Jin felt deflated.
However, Elsa offered her next thought.
"Then what about the materials the artwork is made of?"
"Oh, that's another angle."
Jin remembered reading an interesting anecdote about the history of the sciences, also from his time in modern Japan.
To evade customs duties or export restrictions, a country desiring glass test tubes imported large quantities of two test tubes joined together under the label of "Air from [Location]."
Since customs could not levy a tariff on air, the purchasing country managed to obtain high-quality test tubes cheaply...
It was a story along those lines.
For that reason, he realized there was a possibility that the materials composing the artwork might be something special.
"No, the materials vary—wood, stone, metal—and none of them are particularly rare."
"Is that so..."
If that line of reasoning didn't pan out either, Jin tilted his head, wondering what else it could possibly be.
"Could there be letters hidden inside the artwork?"
"There were no such items."
"Could they actually just be genuinely popular goods?"
"No, after being brought back to their respective countries, they seem to simply sit in storage, unused."
"Hmm... That makes it even more baffling."
When Laojun was asked to re-examine what became of those art pieces across the nations, nearly all of them were languishing in storage without exception.
As an exception, a couple of eccentrics seemed to have bought one or two, but those were truly rare cases.
"What about the possibility of... pure goodwill?"
"The possibility is not zero, but looking at the Jagus Principality's cold and curt demeanor, I consider that unlikely."
"I see..."
Jin wondered if they were overlooking something, but he couldn't think of anything else.
"Still... since they're taking risks to come and purchase them, there has to be a reason."
"I believe that is unquestionably true. It is simply that we lack the data to draw a conclusion."
"In that case, we need to focus on gathering data."
"Just as you say."
Promising further investigation, Laojun concluded its report.