On August 1, Jin held a meeting with Laojun on Hourai Island.
He was far from alone; Elsa, Reinhard, Berche, Saki, Marcia, Rodrigo, Goose, and Stearena were all present as well.
The rest of the Jin Family were carrying out their respective duties on Planet Hehl.
The meeting today was called to explore what measures could be taken to bring down the Jagus Principality.
"...Is there any chance we could get our hands on that 'narcotic'?" Saki asked.
The "narcotic" in question was a substance that reportedly had no side effects and could induce a state of euphoria even in minimal doses.
The Jagus Principality used it to keep visiting merchants under their thumb.
"I want to test whether it's truly harmless. Plus, if we can mass-produce it on our end, people won't have to obey the Jagus Principality just to get a fix."
That was Saki's primary objective.
"The Jagus Principality maintains strict control over the supply, and the merchants who receive rations guard them fiercely, making acquisition quite difficult at present."
Unusually enough, this remained an unresolved issue for Laojun.
"However, the Shinobi Squad appears to have located the manufacturing facility. It should not be long before they can deliver a sample."
"Kufu, I can't wait."
"Regarding the narcotic, that's probably our best course of action, don't you think?" Reinhard chimed in.
"Even if it has no physical side effects, if people crave it so desperately that they're willing to betray their own country, providing our own supply would completely dismantle the Jagus Principality's leverage," Saki said with clear enthusiasm. "We just really need that sample."
Without a sample in hand, even someone of Saki's brilliance could do very little.
"Please bear with us a little longer."
"All right, you got it, Laojun."
Countering the narcotic would evidently require a bit more time.
"There's one more thing we might be able to pull off."
Jin brought up the topic, clearly considering it their primary strategy. Reinhard inquired:
"What do you have in mind?"
"That 'magi-brain.'"
He referred to the unit the Duke of the Jagus Principality had been consulting.
"I was wondering if we could secretly re-educate it."
At Jin's suggestion, the gathered group exchanged troubled glances.
"It might be technically feasible, but won't they notice?"
Reinhard was the first to point out the flaw. Rather than the technical difficulty of re-educating the magi-brain itself, his concern lay with the inevitable shift in its directives:
"...They'll likely catch on if its guidance suddenly feels different from before."
"...Mm. I understand Rai-nii's point completely."
Elsa nodded in agreement, but quickly added:
"Even so, I think there are ways around it. For instance, we could gradually steer its policies over the course of several years."
Goose voiced his support.
"Ah, that would certainly work. It's not as though we need immediate results, after all."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Rodrigo agreed, and Jin nodded along, satisfied with the reasoning.
"...All right, should we move forward with that approach, then?"
When Jin looked around for confirmation, Laojun answered:
"Understood, My Lord. We shall immediately begin formulating a strategy to compromise the magi-brain within the Jagus Principality."
"Right, I'm counting on you."
The actual infiltration and capture on the ground would fall to the Shinobi Squad.
Jin's role would be logistical and strategic support—crafting magi-devices or staging diversions as needed.
When Jin voiced this intention, Laojun replied:
"Understood. We will gladly rely on your assistance when the moment comes."
Around the same time, discussions of various scenarios were underway in Avalon.
As the encirclement tightened, the Jagus Principality would inevitably be driven into a corner, but it remained entirely uncertain how the nation would react when that happened.
And because of that uncertainty, they had been unable to take aggressive, proactive measures.
"Worst case, we might be looking at an abrupt declaration of war," said Raldo, the land combat unit captain stationed in Avalon for the World Security Guard.
"As the saying goes, 'a cornered rat will bite the cat.' Perhaps we should leave an escape route open for them," suggested Illumina Ratkin, the Chief Administrator's Adjutant.
When driven to the brink, humans were prone to reckless desperation.
"I see. You mean there's a risk they might trigger something catastrophic under a 'taking everyone down with us' mindset."
Chief Administrator Tomax Bartman nodded gravely.
As an aside, the phrase "sharing the same fate" was typically reserved for allies, not adversaries.
"It would be disastrous if they used brainwashed citizens as shields or strapped bombs to children and sent them charging in—inhumane tactics like that."
"Indeed."
"So, how should we structure this 'escape route'?" asked Fione Fias, Secretary to the Chief Administrator.
"Let's see... Fione, what would you do in our position?"
Illumina Ratkin turned the question back to her.
"Well, if it were up to me... first, I would leave a 'friendly nation' available to them."
"I see... But given the current political climate, wouldn't that prove difficult?"
"It would... though Nostalgia might occupy a position relatively close to that."
Fione Fias was well aware that the Elena held captive was an imposter.
"In that case, we could anticipate a scenario where they use fake Elena as a hostage to force Nostalgia into facilitating their exile."
While Illumina Ratkin considered that possibility, Lumand Crossite, Director of the Military Affairs Bureau of the World Security Guard, saw it differently.
"Hmm. We could simply make arrangements to apprehend them mid-flight during their attempted exile."
Tomax Bartman voiced his agreement with the idea.
"Agreed. Let us at least coordinate with Nostalgia on the matter."
The strategic discussion continued.
"If it were up to me, I would look into making moves regarding the Melkana Autonomous Region," Illumina Ratkin suggested. "It lies across the sea, occupying a delicate neutral ground with neither open hostility nor formal alliance toward the three principalities."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room.
"All that remains is to leave a passage open toward a trading partner like Mitsuho."
Step by step, the encirclement tightening around the Jagus Principality began to take solid form.