"We can certainly establish a foundation, but what exactly is its purpose?" Reinhardt asked.
"It's for managing and implementing technology to counter the soaring cost of firewood," Ryoma explained. "As the Madam mentioned earlier, the price hikes have already begun in other territories. The winter cold isn't a problem unique to the Jamil Duchy. Even if firewood weren't becoming more expensive, it’s only natural for people to seek out technology that reduces the cost of heating their homes. While I’m sure you could manage things on your own, I believe it's best to establish a formal system for the oversight and deployment of these tools. Furthermore, I would like this management to include both the training of technicians and a subsidy program for implementation."
Ryoma explained that the training program served two purposes. First, it addressed his own limitations; while he was willing to cooperate, he couldn't possibly handle requests for technical guidance from across the entire country, nor did he particularly want to. Second, it was a practical necessity to ensure measures were taken as quickly as possible to prepare for the coming winter.
As for the subsidy program, he added, "Even the best technology is meaningless if people can't afford to use it. If we actually introduce the Rocket Stoves and Franklin Stoves, the cost of installation will inevitably be a burden for average families and the poor. There will always be people who need them but simply can't afford them. Therefore, I want to take the rewards you deem appropriate, the royalties, and the profits from selling these units to the wealthy at full price, and use them as capital. I want even those without financial leeway to enjoy the benefits of this technology."
The Jamil family looked on with expressions of understanding.
"I wondered why you were finally making a request of your own, and it turns out to be this," Reinhardt said with a nod. "If we put your rewards directly into a foundation, then on paper, you’ve received them. The foundation itself will help many people, and it will likely speed up the public adoption of the technology. We have no reason to refuse, but are you sure about this? I heard you were planning to hire a large number of people to make those ritual ropes."
"I planned to cover those costs with revenue from my other shops," Ryoma replied. "Besides, just the other day, the ingredients I brought from the Sea of Trees were valued at five hundred Large Gold Coins in advance payments alone. I have funds to spare. To be honest, I wouldn't know what to do with any more income. Furthermore, as I’m sure you realized when I first introduced these things, I didn’t actually develop them. They’re the results of the ingenuity of great figures from my world’s past. I’ve made some tweaks with magic and slimes to reproduce them here, but I don't feel I have the right to claim the rewards for myself."
Ryoma then told them about Benjamin Franklin, the developer of the Franklin Stove, and Dr. Larry Winiarski, the inventor of the Rocket Stove, both of whom had waived the rights to their inventions.
"Benjamin Franklin-sama believed that since we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad for the opportunity to serve others through our own inventions, doing so freely and generously. He apparently never obtained a patent for any of his inventions throughout his entire life. Likewise, Dr. Larry Winiarski made the design of the Rocket Stove public so anyone could use it freely, hoping that people everywhere could have access to safer, more efficient cooking and heating technology. Since the original creators made those decisions, I simply want to follow their example. I’ve already disguised the origins of the materials in the God Statue room as 'records left by a past mage' and the Ogalite as something 'used sparingly in the depths of the Sea of Trees.' I used to worry about how to explain where this knowledge came from, but now that you all know I’m a Child of God and Kormi can assist with the explanations, it's much easier."
Watching Ryoma speak so passionately and with such a clear conscience, the Jamil family was fully convinced. It wasn't just that he lacked greed; he felt a genuine moral weight about taking credit for someone else's work.
"If you hide the origin, it looks suspicious, but you can't exactly tell the truth to the world," Reinbach mused. "Claiming you just happened to find it is a weak excuse, but taking the credit and profit for yourself feels wrong to you... You've certainly been put in a difficult position."
"In that case, let's group the Franklin Stove, the Rocket Stove, and the Ogalite together for the winter," Reinhardt proposed. "We'll call it the 'Heating Support Fund' for now. We will list the developers as the people you named and state that Ryoma-kun is the one who discovered and reported the legacy records. However, there are precedents for people finding lost technology and receiving rewards for reporting it to the nobility. If we don't pay you something, it will tarnish the Jamil name. Therefore, I will publicly announce that while you received the reward, you personally requested that the entire amount be donated to establish the foundation."
"That's perfect," Ryoma said. "But... how much do I need to be involved? And is there anything else I should be prepared for?"
The adults glanced at one another.
"Explaining the technology once to the people we prepare should be enough," Reinhardt answered. "You can leave the rest to them. It’s no exaggeration to say this technology could save the country, so you should probably be prepared for the story to become quite big... I suppose that’s all?"
"I agree," Elise added. "It was only a matter of time before Ryoma-kun’s name became famous. We’ll continue to shield you from other nobles as much as possible. It might be a bit troublesome if His Majesty gets involved, but the people around him—especially the national research institutes—will likely oppose it fiercely. That makes it unlikely you’ll be summoned directly to the palace. You’ll probably just get a formal word of praise through us."
Ryoma felt relieved, but Sebas added a cautionary note.
"Ryoma-sama, even a single word of praise from His Majesty is considered a massive honor. Researchers serving the kingdom spend their entire lives hoping for such recognition. If His Majesty attempts to evaluate you highly, they will undoubtedly object. To put it bluntly, they will refuse to lose to a 'mere commoner.' They won't want your work to be valued more than their own research, so they will certainly start looking for any flaws they can find to discredit your achievements."
"I suspect that if it weren't for the opposition of the royal scholars, this achievement is great enough to warrant a direct summons and a formal decree of honor," Reinbach said. "Of course, Ryoma-kun doesn't want to go to the castle anyway, so their opposition is actually quite convenient. If we frame it as you humbly stepping back to prioritize the foundation and the peace of the common people over personal glory, things should settle smoothly. His Majesty is an understanding man if we talk to him beforehand. Even if he requests a meeting, it would be a private affair; he won't treat you poorly."
"I'll have a word with him myself, just to be safe," Elise noted.
"That's very reassuring! ...Wait?" Ryoma paused, a realization dawning on him. "Elise-sama, the way you just said that... are you able to negotiate with His Majesty separately from the Jamil Ducal House?"
"Oh? Come to think of it, I don't believe I've mentioned it," Elise said casually. "Before I married into this house, I was Elise de Reefaul. The current King, Elias de Reefaul, is my biological older brother."
Ryoma was momentarily speechless. "I knew you had ties to the Royal House, but... that's quite a surprise. Not that I plan to change how I treat you now, of course."
"I left the royal register when I became a Duchess," Elise explained. "The fact that we're siblings doesn't change, but I mustn't leverage that royal status now. I never go around calling myself the King's sister, and no one else would introduce me that way either. I wonder when the last time I even mentioned it was?"
"Wasn't it our wedding?" Reinhardt asked.
"Then it's been—well, anyway, I’ll keep my brother in check. He’s the only one who can really make unreasonable demands of us, so don’t worry."
"It would be wise to get the Church involved as well," Reinbach suggested. "The people at the palace love to interfere. There are greedy sorts in the Church too, but they aren't likely to care about the technology itself."
"It serves as a deterrent against those swarming for profit, and charitable work is the Church's specialty," Sebas noted. "If the Ducal House, the Royal House, and the Church join forces, things will proceed very smoothly."
As the rough plans for the foundation were finalized, the adults seemed a bit weary from the heavy discussion. They decided to take another break.
"I’m sorry for bombarding you with so much all at once," Ryoma apologized.
"Nonsense. You were thinking of our welfare, weren't you?" Reinhardt smiled.
"That’s true, but I also got a bit carried away experimenting with Kormi’s abilities... I mentioned that Kormi can read memories, right? He read my memories of Japan and reproduced them as illusions. We spent our time chatting and looking for useful things, almost like a treasure hunt."
"It was very fun!" Kormi added.
"To find such technology through a game... I suppose that means there’s more to come?" Elise asked.
"I found a lot, but that’s all I have for the firewood crisis. The rest isn't particularly important; it's more like a hobby," Ryoma said. At his signal, a small screen floated in the air. It showed a corner of the Abandoned Mine where Goblins and slimes were making bricks.
"For example, this is what one of my Rimur Birds is seeing right now."
"Oh, is that the Clay Slime that evolved recently?" Sebas observed. "The Goblin is stretching its body into a rectangular pillar and cutting it into equal lengths... that's a very efficient way to mold bricks."
"Yes. The cut clay is then moved to a drying room inside the mine by other slimes," Ryoma explained. "I wanted to try pottery as a hobby, but I realized Clay Slimes are better at mass-producing identical shapes than making unique pieces. The earth in the mine is red soil with high iron content, so I'm hoping for some beautiful reddish-brown bricks."
Ryoma then showed them a picture of the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse as an example of his vision.
"What a magnificent building," Elise remarked. "Is this the architectural style of Japan?"
"In a sense, yes. But that’s a historic tourist site. For a look at the modern city where I actually lived... look at this. It's also a tourist spot, but you can see the whole city from here."
The view changed to the panorama from the Tembo Galleria of the Tokyo Skytree. The four spectators were stunned into silence.
"...How can buildings be that tall?" Reinhardt breathed. "To think there are countless structures like that... that red tower in the distance is extraordinary! Wait, is this viewpoint even higher than that?!"
"Look at the size of the city!" Elise gasped. "I can't even see a castle wall, and the view is this high up!"
"I am struck by the people below," Reinbach said solemnly. "The height and density of the buildings imply a massive population, which means they must have secured an incredible amount of food to sustain them."
"They look like tiny grains of wheat, but many seem to be wearing formal suits," Sebas noted. "And the variety of other clothing... all of it looks high-quality. Surely they aren't all nobles. Ryoma-sama, was this level of life common in your country?"
"The standard of living was quite high across the board," Ryoma replied. "This is the capital of Japan, essentially the Royal Capital. Regarding the food, I actually remember 'food loss'—wasting food—being a major social problem."
"Waste?" Reinhardt asked. "You had so much food that you could sustain a population like that and still have leftovers?"
"We did. Aside from specific ingredient shortages or issues with individual poverty, I never saw a 'market with no food.' Japan's last serious food crisis was right after the war, around 1945 to 1947. For the seventy years until I came here, the food supply was stable. Ironically, the markets were overflowing even though our domestic production was actually decreasing."
"How is that possible?" Reinhardt frowned. "If your own production was falling, how could the markets stay full? Even with imports, there’s a limit, and it must have been expensive."
"We had massive amounts of cheap imports from overseas. That drove down the value of local crops, and combined with laws that didn't support farmers, the number of people working in agriculture dropped every year. I believe our food self-sufficiency rate had fallen below forty percent."
"Less than half?!" Elise exclaimed. "I don't know the exact terms, but food production is the backbone of national stability. To depend on other countries for more than half of your food..."
"You’re absolutely right, but that was the reality of the country," Ryoma said with a wry smile.
Elise was the first to regain her composure, followed by the others.
"When you told us you were a Child of God, you said the Sea of Trees wasn't your true home... I see now why you had such a hard time explaining where you came from."
"That scenery alone tells me your world is far beyond our common sense," Reinhardt agreed. "Accurately explaining that with words alone would take forever. Still, I’m glad we got to see your true hometown. It’s fascinating, and I have a thousand more questions... but let's save them for next time. I think we all need to organize our thoughts."
"Shall we switch over to Hughes and the others then?" Reinbach suggested. "I’m sure they’re eager to talk to you too. With Kormi-kun here, it’ll be easier to stay in touch. There’s no rush; tell us more whenever you can."
"Of course! You’re welcome here anytime," Ryoma said warmly. "Please feel free to reach out, even if we don't have a formal meeting planned."
Despite the shock at the end, the world’s first remote conference concluded on a peaceful note.