The discussions between the Mimaka Principality and the goodwill mission proceeded amicably from start to finish.
Then at 11:30 AM, slightly early, they recessed for lunch.
At that point, Jin made a suggestion.
"Your Majesty, regarding lunch, would it be all right if we prepared two dishes using ingredients we brought with us today?"
"Oh? For Jin-dono to make such a proposal! Very well, please prepare them."
Having received permission, Jin gave instructions to Manon and Reiko.
"Manon, Reiko, please make that using the ingredients we brought."
"Yes, understood."
"Yes, Father."
Borrowing a section of the kitchen, Manon and Reiko set to work.
Thirty minutes later, the party moved to the dining hall, where lunch was served before them.
"Ooh, here it is, here it is!"
The eleven-year-old Duke, Gaspar de Mimaka, let out a delighted cheer.
The menu consisted of bread rolls, devil's potato with butter, vegetable salad, and corn soup.
In this country where vegetable cultivation was scarce, fresh greens were a true feast.
Then Manon and Reiko brought out the dishes Jin had requested.
"Oh, what might this be?"
The Duke, Chancellor, and Minister of General Affairs looked upon the food with keen interest.
"The dish Manon brought is called roasted sweet potato."
It was an itopo—a sweet potato—that had been slowly baked at a low temperature.
"And the dish Reiko brought is sobagaki."
During the previous visit made by Gajue Tsuga and his team, the local crop varieties had been documented, but itopo and buckwheat were not among them.
Thus, Jin and his companions had brought seed potatoes for itopo and buckwheat seeds, along with prepared samples for tasting.
"Oh, this is wonderfully sweet and delicious!"
"This one also has an unusual flavor, but it is quite good."
The Chancellor and Minister of General Affairs both seemed quite taken with the roasted sweet potato and sobagaki.
And then:
"Whoa, this tastes amazing!"
The Duke let out an exclamation befitting a boy his age. Catching himself, he flushed slightly.
Everyone, however, politely pretended not to notice.
Jin stepped in with an explanation to smoothly steer the conversation.
"This itopo is well-suited for cultivation in warm regions. Since it can thrive even in barren soil or areas with low rainfall, wouldn't it be worth growing here?"
"This buckwheat is also a hardy grain that can grow in poor soil. As for seasoning, it pairs excellently with soy sauce. If you establish trade with the Conference Countries, importing it should be straightforward."
Hearing these explanations, Chancellor Moitz Myas Rohdai was overjoyed.
"Oh, that is marvelous! The land itself is fertile, but alas, rain is scarce... So hearing that these can be grown even with low precipitation brings me great joy."
Minister of General Affairs Ryuji F. Katsuki also looked struck by a realization.
"Sobagaki, is it? The flavor of the soy sauce is magnificent as well... Could it be that such seasonings are commonly used in Mitsuho?"
"That is correct, Katsuki-dono."
Answering the Minister of General Affairs was the representative of Mitsuho, Tein Miyabe.
"Your ancestors undoubtedly tasted it in Mitsuho long ago."
"I see, so that explains it... Even though this was my first time eating it, it felt strangely nostalgic..."
"...Jin-dono, thank you for this wonderful gift."
Seeing his retainers' genuine delight, the Duke expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Jin.
It seemed the itopo and buckwheat served as the deciding factors; when talks resumed at 1:30 PM, the parties swiftly reached an agreement to establish a friendship treaty.
"That is wonderful news."
Chief Envoy Theobald Theoderic von Grain beamed.
Incidentally, this agreement took the form of a provisional agreement rather than a formal treaty, as minor adjustments might still be needed depending on the outcome of talks with the remaining two principalities.
With this settled, they would now be able to invite the principality's dignitaries to the World Conference.
Ideally, all four principalities would join the World Conference simultaneously, but since that was practically difficult, their immediate target was three of them.
They would sign provisional agreements with these three principalities, invite them to the World Conference at a later date, and conclude the formal treaties on the floor.
Then, if no issues arose after one year, the three principalities would officially become full members of the World Conference.
In other words, they would be permitted to send representatives to participate directly in the World Conference.
Once that happened, they could trade with zero or minimal tariffs, and technological exchanges would open up.
In times of famine, they could receive food aid, and during disasters, the World Security Guard would be dispatched to assist them.
In return, so to speak, they would be obligated to pay a set contribution toward Avalon's operational expenses, scaled to their economic standing.
Because this contribution was calculated using a fixed formula, no nation could pay extra in an attempt to buy special favors.
Furthermore, since Avalon generated its own operational revenue, it remained free from foreign financial interference.
...Assuming it continued to function properly, of course.
Well, given that Avalon was backed by Hourai Island, it was hardly in danger of straying from the right path anytime soon.
The meeting then transitioned into an informal reception.
The fruit brought by the goodwill mission was served. In a country where refrigerators were the only means of preservation, fresh fruit spoiled quickly if not eaten promptly, so the spread consisted mainly of persica, which had a short shelf life.
The mountain of persica dwindled at a visible rate.
"Whoa! This is delicious!"
Beaming broadly, the Duke stuffed his cheeks with persica peeled for him by a lady's maid.
Being mature adults, the Chancellor and Minister of General Affairs were not quite as voracious, though their pace remained remarkably brisk.
"If the water issue is resolved, you will be able to cultivate far more fruit trees like these."
When Gajue Tsuga pointed this out, the Minister of General Affairs nodded.
"That is entirely true. I wonder if there might be some clever solution to our plight?"
It seemed the minister had long wrestled with the issue.
At this point, Jin chimed in with a casual question.
"...Doesn't it rain quite a bit on the eastern side of Lake Yato?"
"You are remarkably well-informed, aren't you? That is indeed the case."
It was the Chancellor who answered.
"Just as I thought..."
Though Jin framed it as a passing thought, he already knew the facts from prior investigation.
In truth, during a recent discussion among the Jin Family, the question had arisen regarding where the water for Lake Yato and Lake Kotsushi originated, prompting Laojun to look into the matter.
"However, in sharp contrast to our side, the land over there is utterly barren."
"Indeed. So much so that crops cannot take root."
This, too, was information Jin already possessed.
In that region, slag—mineral waste from ore processing—was heavily mixed into the soil, leaving the ground almost completely incapable of supporting plant life.
Laojun had posited a theory:
"The Progenitors created the fertile land on the western side of the lake, but perhaps they discarded the unwanted slag from that process across to the eastern side?"
Whether that theory was correct or not, the abundant water in the two lakes appeared to result from westerly winds striking the eastern mountain range, forming clouds and producing heavy rainfall.
"If only we could find a way to make effective use of the lake's water..." the Chancellor mused aloud.
"Once you become a Conference Country, you can receive assistance for major engineering projects like that as well," Jin assured them.