NOVEL NEXT Chapter 668: Wine
“Hmm, knowledge and peace, huh?… It’s a bit abstract, isn’t it? Could you elaborate a bit more?”
Crow said, taking a sip from his water.
“Sure. For me, knowledge entails venturing into and exploring the yet unseen lands in the west.”
He explained.
“Hmm, I understand. That’s something we also aim for.”
Crow acknowledged.
“And peace refers to our relationships with the nations in the east,” he continued his explanation.
Daro reacted to those words.
“…Mayor, there are rumors circulating in part of the Shouro Empire that we are planning an invasion”
He reported.
“What? …I have no idea how such rumors spread or what’s going on.”
Crow asserted, looking directly at John.
“We, the Mizuho, at least as far as I know, are not considering such a thing.”
He clarified.
“What about the events from about 300 years ago?”
John inquired, referring to the well-known story of foreign tribes attempting to invade the Shouro Empire after the magical war.
Crow and Daro closed their eyes, fell silent, and showed signs of deep contemplation.
“Mayor, why not explain it to him?”
Maya suggested.
Crow opened his eyes upon hearing Maya’s voice and slowly began to speak.
“300 years ago, it’s a story from when the free magical energy substance Aether in the atmosphere dramatically decreased… At that time, the magical devices we used became unusable. It was a matter of life and death.”
Certainly, if the concentration of free magical energy substance Aether decreased, the operation of magical devices would become unstable.
“At that time, a radical faction, so to speak, attempted an invasion… Let’s leave it at this level for now. If you integrate with us a bit more, I believe I can share more detailed information.”
“…Understood. For now, that’s acceptable.”
Confirming that there was no intention of war from the foreign tribes was already a significant gain. Laojun, as John, immediately considered reporting this information to Jin.
“After spending a few days in this town, you’ll go to Miyako, the Capital, and meet with the chief. The details beyond that will be decided in a discussion with the head chief.”
“Miyako? And what does the head chief imply?”
John, was taken aback with those terms, was not only surprised by the word ‘Miyako,’ which means Capital, but also wanted to know more about their political structure.
“Yeah, we can give you a brief explanation up to a certain point… Daro.”
Crow turned to Daro, indicating that he should handle it, and nodded.
“Alright… John, our country is quite different from yours. First of all, we don’t have a person called a king.”
While that was indeed a significant difference, it wasn’t surprising since even among the magical races, there was no king among the demons either.
“Representatives are selected from each region, three each, forming a ‘Parliament.’ And that ‘Parliament’ elects the ‘Head Chief.'”
“Hmm, that’s certainly different.”
“The Head Chief is the administrative leader, elected every two years. Of course, if they are deemed unfit during the term, they can be dismissed.”
“…So you follow the rules of the administrative leader?”
“Yes. While they hold the administrative position, the ‘Military’ is under the oversight of the Parliament.”
Daro explained their power division. Although imperfect, there was mutual surveillance.
In the other smaller nations, there were still kings, and autocratic monarchies prevailed. There were no constitutional monarchies.
In this foreign tribe, the Mizuho, it seemed they adopted a deliberative system. The mystery deepened even more. Would it be unraveled by going to Miyako? Laojun, as John, held even higher expectations.
“Finally, about your remuneration… I’d like to discuss it again since you’re no longer working with Mr. Oliver. Do you have any preferences?”
“Well, for now, as long as I don’t have trouble eating and have a place to sleep, it’s fine.”
John replied casually, and Crow nodded.
In a foreign land where everything was unfamiliar, the priority was the living conditions rather than money.
“Got it. I’ll think about it. Well, for today, let’s leave it at that. Accommodations are taken care of by Maya.”
“That’s the plan, alright, Mr. John.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“…That’s all for now.”
On the same night, Laojun provided Jin with a detailed report.
“Hmm, there are a few interesting things.”
“Yes. The origin of the magical devices and also the naming convention of places.”
“Right. It’s intriguing that there are names similar to Earth’s… or rather, Japanese names.”
Kari as in temporary, Seki as in barrier, Miyako as in capital. And then there is Aaji and Seto. If Seto is related to the Seto Inland Sea, then Aaji might be Awaji. Jin wondered if there was some connection in the past.
Reiko’s predecessor, the automaton, spent over 100 years developing a technique to find Jin as the successor of Adrianna Balbora Ceci.
The knowledge, possibly due to overuse, resulted in the shattering of its control core, rendering that part unrecoverable.
Despite Laojun’s advanced abilities, which should enable connections to different dimensions, the development of the spell has not progressed in a shorter time.
There seems to be something fundamentally lacking. Is it the material or the basic spell?
Jin didn’t view it as a major loss, so he hadn’t instructed Laojun to investigate further.
Setting that aside.
Jin pondered whether someone from the same world or a very similar one had come in the past.
“Not that it matters, though.”
It could be described as intellectual curiosity. Honestly, the closest reason would be ‘just curious.’
“Well, let’s take our time. More importantly, how about food production?”
“Yes, my lord. Since Seki town is close to the Hari-Hari Desert, I haven’t seen any fields. I’ll see that from now on.”
“I see…”
Jin was hoping for surplus food to aid the Klein Kingdom.
“But there didn’t seem to be a shortage of food, so there might be hope.”
“Understood. Keep it up.”
Jin shifted his focus. Currently, the construction of the ship has entered the actual work phase.
Wood was available as material, and artisans and Magi Engineers hired to work on the ship were processing it according to the plans.
Once a certain number of components were ready, they would move on to constructing the hull. Construction and component processing would then proceed simultaneously.
“We can’t get teak for the materials, so pine, huh…”
Pine was a wood similar to the pine trees Jin was familiar with. It seemed to grow larger than the pine he knew, as two 40-meter-long pieces were prepared.
In addition, there were standard-sized pieces, likely 5 meters long, stacked in abundance.
“I’m concerned about water resistance…”
Pine had decent strength, but its resistance to decay was average.
However, in this world, pine wood seemed to be widely used as a shipbuilding material, so it had a proven track record.
“Well, we’re finally starting tomorrow…”
Until now, they had been processing materials, and starting from the next day, the assembly of the ship’s hull would officially begin. Jin was looking forward to it.
“Father, it’s the first time I’ve seen such a laid-back construction.”
“Yeah, but apparently, this is the norm.”
Reiko’s surprised expression wasn’t unfounded. However, in Penglai Island, a ship of this class would likely be completed in half a day.
Jin, who had become the world’s best in one go, lacked experience in this type of work and found a certain enjoyment in it.
“It seems my new function won’t be needed.”
Reiko was equipped with a force field generator. While she could freely fly in the sky, it seemed there wouldn’t be an opportunity to utilize that feature this time.
“Well, that’s alright. There’s a difference between not using it and not being able to use it. Besides, they say, ‘A capable hawk hides its talons.’”
Jin said as he pat Reiko’s head, and she nodded with satisfaction.
“That’s true.”
At that moment, a knock was heard. Reiko opened the door.
“Hey, Jin.”
It was Reinhardt… and Elsa.
“Good evening.”
“I got some excellent wine. I thought we could enjoy it together.”
Reinhardt was a wine enthusiast.
“The Olsen region, my favorite wine-producing area, is on the west bank of Lake Was. There were various Olsen wines in this hotel, so I chose some.”
The bottle in Reinhardt’s hand was Olsen white wine, unfortunately from the year 3455, not 3450.
“The one from 3450 is the best, but this one isn’t bad either. Well, give it a try.”
Reiko prepared glasses for the three of them.
“…Hmm, it’s tough.”
Reinhardt struggled to uncork the bottle. By the way, it wasn’t a cork but a stopper made of soft wood.
“Allow me.”
Reiko took the bottle from Reinhardt, and with a graceful move, the stopper popped out satisfyingly.
“Hey, thanks, Reiko.”
Reiko then poured wine into glasses for the three of them.
“Well then, let’s toast to the success of the ship construction.”
Reinhardt raised his glass, and Jin and Elsa followed suit.
“Yeah, it’s true. Delicious.”
“Delicious. Rein, you could become a wine connoisseur.”
“Haha, thanks. Even if it’s just flattery, it makes me happy. But you know, you can’t just stick to your favorite brand.”
The night continued in a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere.