Jude Aida answered Jin's question about the prickly pear cactus.
"The former wasteland southeast of Lindau here has been converted into cultivated fields."
It was a common misconception that cacti were tropical plants that favored arid environments; in truth, they were surprisingly fond of water, and many species proved quite resilient to the cold.
They grew naturally in regions with distinct rainy and dry seasons, and people likely assumed they preferred aridity simply because they stood out by blooming during dry spells.
Several species of prickly pear cactus could thrive even in climates prone to frost.
In fact, the very prickly pear cactus that had pricked Jin long ago had flourished in an environment where thin sheets of ice formed.
"I see."
"We cultivate takemodoki out that way as well, so in a sense, it's played a leading role in our greening efforts."
"That's wonderful."
Most of this region as Jin remembered it had been wasteland, but looking down from the sky earlier, green patches had dotted the landscape in a vast patchwork.
If green space had made up roughly three percent of the land four hundred years ago, it now stood at thirty percent—a tenfold expansion.
Of course, further greening might prove difficult unless precipitation increased.
(Then again, the climate itself might shift if the atmospheric humidity changes.)
Jin seemed to recall that even on Earth, the climate fluctuated over both long and short spans, cycling through ice ages, warming periods, little ice ages, and the like.
Since this planet had originally been terraformed by the Origin Clan, it was an open question how stable it truly was to begin with.
A span of tens of thousands of years was nothing more than the blink of an eye against cosmic time.
(In short, as long as it isn't wasted, it should be fine.)
It was simply a matter of whether rainfall seeped directly into the ground, or whether it was first absorbed by humans and crops before being excreted and returning to the soil.
Water used by humans consisted mostly of drinking water, domestic water, and irrigation water.
Drinking and domestic water were used as water, meaning they circulated back into the atmosphere.
A portion of irrigation water was drawn up by crops and transformed into carbohydrates through photosynthesis.
In that sense, the total volume of water was reduced, but viewed over a longer span, it could be said to circulate between living organisms and non-living matter.
(Which means as long as we replenish roughly the amount of water used up during photosynthesis, land subsidence is unlikely to occur, right?)
Such were the thoughts drifting through Jin's mind.
"Well, thank you for the wonderful hospitality."
As expected of a major merchant company, the green tea leaves were of excellent quality, and Jin had thoroughly enjoyed every cup.
"The pleasure was entirely ours."
Jude Aida was in high spirits after having the honor of entertaining Jin.
Aida himself might have felt that hosting the Third Generation was a way to repay his debt of gratitude to the Second Generation, his great benefactor, but since Jin was the man himself despite being a Duplicate, that purpose was more than fulfilled.
Back then—and even now—Jin never acted with the expectation of a reward.
"Now then, allow me to escort you to the storehouse."
"That would be a great help."
Since they did not know the way, a guide was indispensable.
"Please feel free to browse the shop while the carriage is readied."
One corner of the shop served as an exhibition space for takemodoki and goods crafted from it, providing a pleasing spectacle.
"This is quite nice."
The usually reserved Reinhard spoke up to praise a light crafted from thin takemodoki strips—a material that could aptly be described as bamboo splints.
"Oho..."
Modern Japan possessed a traditional craft known as Suruga bamboo basketry, in which bamboo was shaved into exceedingly fine splints called sensuji to fashion artistic everyday wares.
Covers for lights, outer casings for vases, insect cages, baskets, bags, and more...
Jin had the technical skill but lacked refined aesthetic sensibility, so he always welcomed opportunities like this.
The light Reinhard admired was a tabletop design.
The chimney enclosed by delicate bamboo strips looked remarkably elegant.
Incidentally, while it was styled like a lamp chimney, it was a magi-lamp, so no actual flame burned within.
Reinhard bought the light as a souvenir.
At 1,500 Toll (around 15,000 yen), the price was quite reasonable.
"Thank you for waiting."
A few minutes later, Jude Aida came back in person to announce that the golem carriage was ready.
"Oho."
The golem carriage waiting for them appeared to be the latest model, a design neither Jin nor Reinhard had seen before.
Built for rugged terrain, it featured six wheels to handle heavy cargo, and the ride proved reasonably smooth.
Before Jin could even begin to feel carsick, they arrived at the storehouse in about three minutes.
The storehouse stood in a warehouse district adjacent to the airfield.
And by pure coincidence, Eagle 1 sat parked a mere two hundred meters away.
"S-So this is the technological prowess of the Magi Craft Meister..."
Jude Aida stared wide-eyed at the massive form of Eagle 1.
Once Aida's excitement subsided, Jin spoke up.
"So, roughly how much does each takemodoki pipe weigh?"
"Let's see, approximately thirteen kilograms."
Aida answered without hesitation.
"In that case, five thousand of them come out to sixty-five tons... As expected, we can't haul them all in a single run."
The maximum takeoff payload of Eagle 1 was set at ten tons.
"We'll need to split the haul into ten trips of five hundred pipes each... Would you be able to hold onto the rest for us in the meantime? Naturally, I'll pay for storage."
"Yes, of course! And please, there will be no storage fees."
"Wait, I can't let you do that."
"No, I insist! The simple fact that the Magi Craft Meister sourced materials from our firm is exceptional publicity on its own."
Jude Aida adamantly refused to accept any additional coin.
Jin finally conceded.
"If you're certain, then we'll leave them in your care."
With that, they arranged to store the remainder over the next several days.
Since the distance was only about two hundred meters, transporting the takemodoki pipes went smoothly.
The twenty Sky squad golems that had ridden along in Eagle 1's cargo hold set straight to work hauling the pipes.
Because the pipes had been bundled in groups of five beforehand, each Sky golem could carry a bundle at a time.
With twenty golems on the task, five hundred takemodoki pipes required just five round trips; in a mere five minutes, all five hundred were securely stowed inside the cargo hold.
Since plenty of room remained, they decided to load five hundred joints as well.
At roughly one kilogram apiece, the five hundred joints weighed half a ton in total.
They were packaged in boxes of fifty, so ten golems carrying a box each finished the job in a single trip.
"...T-That was fast."
Jude Aida watched the operation with a slightly stunned smile.
From start to finish, the entire loading process had taken less than fifteen minutes.
"We'll take just this batch for today. We'll return over the next five days to collect the rest."
Jin intended to bring Eagle 2 into service starting tomorrow, moving the cargo with a two-craft fleet.
Of course, Eagle 2 did not actually exist yet. He planned to build it as soon as he returned to Hourai Island.
"Y-Yes, of course! We shall eagerly await your return!"
Jude Aida gave Jin a deep, reverent bow.
"Well then... Ah, takeoff kicks up quite a gale, so please stand clear. Until next time."
"Thank you very much for your business!"
Calling out with the customary merchant farewell, Jude Aida boarded his carriage and departed the warehouse district.
Feeling a sudden gust of wind press against his back, he looked over his shoulder to see Eagle 1 soaring into the sky.
"...The Magi Craft Meister, Jin-sama, was it? He was every bit the man the legends spoke of. The Predecessor must have been just as extraordinary."
Murmuring to himself, Jude Aida turned his carriage back toward town.