To make Saichi Village into a "model district," Jin began by installing wells in ten locations.
Because they utilized deep-well pumps, the flow of water was modest, but it was still vastly more convenient than before.
"Oh! This is magnificent!"
Village Chief Aik Nibiki rejoiced unreservedly upon seeing Jin's craft.
The villagers' initial doubts melted away as well; they were filled with both delight and awe at the wonders of magi-craft and Jin's astonishing proficiency.
The fact that Nahams Marow, a familiar face to them, had vouched for him undoubtedly helped ease their apprehension.
"That should do it for today, I suppose."
Since they had started around two in the afternoon, it was now four o'clock. There was still some time before sunset, but he had preparations to make.
"Thank you for your hard work, Jin-dono."
Looking rather worn out, Ministry of Technology Undersecretary Nahams Marow offered his appreciation to Jin. Jin, meanwhile, maintained a perfectly composed expression. It was hard to tell which of the two had actually done the work.
Calling it a day, Jin explained that he had "things to prepare," returned to Hurricane, and took off for parts unknown.
Nahams Marow decided to lodge at the village chief's house.
"...Marow-sama, what kind of person is Jin-sama, really?"
That night, Village Chief Aik asked Nahams Marow. Or rather, he could not help but ask.
"Jin-dono? He is the current Magi Craft Meister. In other words, the foremost craftsman in the world."
"The Magi Craft Meister..."
"You must have heard the name, surely?"
"Yes..."
The village chief was indeed familiar with the legend of the Magi Craft Meister.
However, the fact that such a legendary figure was standing right before his eyes was something he still could hardly fathom.
Later that night, the village chief sat writing.
Using paper so thin it was nearly translucent, he penned characters so tiny that one would need a magnifying glass to decipher them.
After twisting the parchment into a slender paper string, the village chief retired to sleep.
The following morning, around five o'clock...
The newly risen sun cast its rays across the land, bathing the surroundings in shades of amber and orange.
Awakening, the village chief headed to the bird coop adjoining his house and retrieved a pigeon.
He tied the paper string he had prepared the previous night to its leg and released it into the sky.
No one noticed. No, there was one who did.
...So he truly was brainwashed, after all.
It was Laojun, administrator of Hourai Island and the world's supreme magi-brain. Though whether it could be called "one person" was open to debate.
Because this was an individual Jin would continue to deal with, it had been observing him through the Peeper.
As a result, it caught him using a carrier pigeon to dispatch a message.
Incidentally, it was already aware of what had been written the night before.
"'...The Magi Craft Meister has come to our village'... As for where this was sent..."
Since the carrier pigeon had yet to reach its destination, the exact recipient remained unknown, but the path it flew was unmistakably toward the Jagus Principality.
Given the pigeon's flight speed, it should reach the Jagus Principality's capital, Jagus, in about two and a half hours. Even if its destination is another city, it likely will not make much difference.
Nevertheless, considering the possibility that the village chief was either a spy or compromised by brainwashing, it resolved to inform Jin.
Jin was asleep aboard Hurricane. Returning to Hourai Island, where the time difference was roughly twelve hours, would have completely upended his sleep schedule.
When Jin awoke, rinsed his mouth, and washed his face, Laojun's report came through.
"...I see. The village chief, huh..."
What shall we do?
"Let's see. If there's no immediate harm, let's leave him be for a little while. I'd like to see how the Jagus Principality reacts once they receive word."
You intend to give him rope, then. Understood....However, to avoid any potential danger, please make use of a Doppel.
"Right... Will do."
Following Laojun's advice, Jin transferred to Hourai Island via the Warp Gate inside Hurricane, and the Doppel Jin D stepped into Hurricane in his stead.
"Now then, as for today's schedule..."
Though Jin intended to eventually install running water and sewage systems in every household, the houses were quite dilapidated and would likely need rebuilding before long, so the interior plumbing was put on hold.
"Should I build a reservoir pond for agricultural water? And a settling basin as well."
The settling basin would serve to temporarily hold wastewater once a sewer system was established in the future. The plan was to treat the clarified water so it could be repurposed for farming.
Jin figured it would be ideal if they could periodically dredge the sludge from the bottom to incinerate it or use it as fertilizer.
Well, whether it could serve as fertilizer would depend on the sludge's composition.
"Next would be an incinerator for garbage, I suppose."
Jin also hoped to eventually harness the waste heat from the incinerator for secondary uses, but constructing it came first.
"It would be nice if we could tap into a hot spring, too, but..."
Since this area rested on ancient bedrock, it seemed they would not strike hot water unless they drilled extraordinarily deep.
"A public bathhouse comes first, then."
After sorting through these priorities, Jin D headed toward Saichi Village, keeping up the pretense that he had already eaten his breakfast.
"Good morning, Jin-sama."
"Good morning, Jin-dono."
Village Chief Aik and Ministry of Technology Undersecretary Nahams Marow were waiting outside and greeted Jin.
"Good morning."
Jin returned the greeting. "Have you had breakfast yet?"
At the same time, he mentioned that he had already eaten his fill.
Since both men replied that they had already finished their morning meal, Jin D got straight to work.
"First, we'll construct a reservoir pond for agricultural use. Village Chief, where would be the ideal spot?"
"Ah, well now... Yes, the southeastern side of the village would be best."
The terrain carried a gentle northward slope, and the village chief explained that if they were to dig a reservoir, he wanted it at the highest feasible elevation.
"Understood."
Even at a higher elevation, the terrain continued to slope gently upward further to the south, meaning water collection would pose no problem at all.
Having already surveyed the local topography on the map, Jin D quickly settled on the location.
"Shall we put it here?"
Jin indicated a slight natural depression situated along the gentle slope.
"Yes, that will do nicely."
"In that case..."
Jin D immediately cast Dig. While originally an earth-attribute spell, it had been fully integrated into magi-craft.
"Ohhh!"
"Incredible!"
A rectangular basin measuring roughly thirty meters long, fifteen meters wide, and three meters deep took shape in an instant.
The displaced earth was neatly banked around the rim to form an embankment.
Next, Jin D applied Bonding to the interior of the basin, fusing the soil particles together to create a watertight seal.
In doing so, he carefully avoided binding the master stone.
"Guess I'll install the sluice gate here....Reiko, bring it over."
"Yes, right away."
Fitting the pre-fabricated sluice gate into place completed the reservoir pond.
"All that's left is to excavate the irrigation channels from here. Once we divert water into it, the job is done."
"Y-Yes..."
"..."
Witnessing such astounding, reality-defying work for the second day in a row, Village Chief Aik and Ministry of Technology Undersecretary Nahams Marow were left utterly struck for words.