Magi Craft Meister

692 – New Policy

Jin and Elsa, after enjoying their undersea exploration, returned to Hourai Island.

“It was a huge success. We even found some undersea resources.”

Jin said.

“Father, if you’re going to proceed with development, I think we’ll need an offshore base.”

Reiko unusually suggested.

“If we send the mined resources to Hourai Island through the Warp Gate, it would be more efficient.”

“I see. I’ll consider it.”

Jin replied.

And so, Hourai Island began to move forward with securing even more resources.

＊ ＊ ＊

The next day, on the 20th, Jin and Elsa temporarily returned to their mansion in Loizart.

Since they had contacted him beforehand, Reinhardt had also arrived.

“Hey, Jin! I heard you made something interesting again?”

“Yeah, a submarine… well, more like a submersible.”

Jin answered.

“A submersible! You’ve got to let me ride it next time!”

“Rein-nii, weren’t you here for something else?”

Elsa scolded Reinhardt, who was getting excited.

“Oh, right! The emperor summoned me. He’d like you to come too, Jin, if possible.”

Reinhardt explained.

“The emperor? I wonder what it’s about.”

“Apparently, it’s about ships and other matters.”

And so, Jin, Reiko, Elsa, Edgar, and Reinhardt decided to head to the imperial palace. Naturally, they would go by airship.

Jin’s airship had become quite familiar at the imperial palace, so much so that they had created a semi-private landing pad for him.

“Edgar, sorry, but could you stay here and watch the place for us?”

“Sure, understood.”

Edgar replied.

After entrusting the management of the airship to Edgar, Jin and the others headed first to the Chancellor’s office.

“Oh, Lord Jin Nidou, Lord Reinhardt Randall, Miss Elsa, and Miss Reiko.”

The Chancellor greeted them, stopping his review of documents. He immediately sent a secretary to inform Her Imperial Majesty.

“Welcome, Jin-kun.”

The Empress said, arriving within five minutes. The Chancellor wore a slightly grim expression upon seeing her.

“First of all, congratulations on the success of the Bernstein. And let me thank you once again. Thank you.”

She continued, adding that she was disappointed she couldn’t attend the launching ceremony.

“Two days ago, I received word via pigeon. On the 18th, when the ship docked at the port of Narnetka in the Kingdom of Egelia, it was welcomed by an imperial envoy from Asunto. They will likely stay for a few nights.”

She explained.

Narnetka is a town overlooking a bay south of Asunto, the capital of the Kingdom of Egelia, known for its large port.

“I see, so they’re already in Egelia…”

Reinhardt remarked with a thoughtful tone.

“According to reports, they passed by a large ship from that country at Coupu, located at the southern tip of the Celuroa Kingdom. That ship is currently docked in our town of Jirishou.”

The Empress added.

Jin was aware of this as well. The ship, known as Bridget, had been built by his dispatched Quint of the Fifth Column, Altarf and Gainer.

“Regarding the ship’s status, that’s about it. Now, let’s talk about requests.”

The Empress continued.

“Requests, you say?”

Jin asked.

“Yes. After all, it’s a ship filled with firsts. It’s only natural that various requests will arise later.”

The Empress then presented a reorganized list to Jin and Reinhardt.

“Um… I see.”

Jin said.

Please enable emergency braking.

Consider slow-speed navigation when docking.

Propose the use of flags and banners as a means of communication with the land.

Install signal lights at the port and along the coastline.

Regarding the emergency braking, they were using small jet thrusters, so they could either increase the number of thrusters or enhance their output. Jin thought it would be more convenient to increase the number.

The second suggestion came from Reinhardt.

“How about deploying mermaid-type golems at the port to handle such management?”

He proposed. This would also involve towing the ship, essentially serving as tugboats.

“That could work.”

Jin agreed.

“It might also be a good idea to keep one onboard as a rescue personnel.”

Elsa added.

“Yeah, that’s true. Elsa is right.”

Jin acknowledged.

As for the third suggestion, Jin also recalled it. It involved signaling using the colors and patterns of the flags.

“If we’re going to do it, I think it would be better to have a common standard among the nations.”

Jin suggested.

“Yeah, you’re right, Jin-kun. …Except for any special cases, let’s discuss it among the nations.”

The Empress agreed.

The fourth point, however, was not about the ship but rather an administrative issue.

“That makes sense. Let’s take action on it.”

She concluded.

Thus, the requests stemming from the Bernstein were generally accepted.

“Now, the next topic is about the Kingdom of Klein.”

The Empress began, and Jin perked up his ears.

“The Kingdom of Klein plans to dispatch an investigation team to the Kingdom of Lenard right at the start of the new year.”

She explained.

It seemed related to food procurement. They were considering hunting wild animals for food, not just grains.

“At the same time, the Kingdom of Egelia is said to be doing the same. If all goes well, they might be able to establish a route that allows travel without going through the territory of the Celuroa Kingdom.”

Currently, the territory of the Celuroa Kingdom lies between the Kingdom of Klein and the Kingdom of Egelia, making overland travel quite difficult.

While it would be possible to use hot air balloons, their transport capacity is limited.

So, it seemed they wanted to develop a new overland route.

Jin privately thought it would be good to revive the old Kingdom of Lenard and, if possible, have Ernest and Rijean govern it.

“And finally, our country will send an advance party at the start of the new year, incorporating Lord Jin Nidou’s suggestion, to open diplomatic relations with the other races.”

“Eh!”

Jin, Elsa, and Reinhardt all exclaimed in surprise.

“However, it will be a small-scale mission at first. I’m considering about ten people in total, including an ambassador, a deputy ambassador, and bodyguards.”

The Empress clarified.

“I see…”

Jin felt a surge of happiness. If the Empress was serious about opening diplomatic relations with the other races—the Mitsuho tribe—there would surely be mutual benefits.

“For the ambassador, how about Lord Reinhardt Randall?”

She proposed.

“Eh?”

Once again, Jin and the others were taken aback.

“Since Reinhardt has diplomatic experience and is also an excellent magic engineer, I think he would be a suitable choice.”

She explained.

“…”

Reinhardt couldn’t respond immediately.

“If that doesn’t work, there’s also the option to choose someone else as the ambassador and have Elsa Randall as the deputy ambassador.”

She added.

“!!”

“Since we’ll be visiting another race, I can’t insist on it. Please take some time to think it over,” she said gently.

“Understood.”

Reinhardt replied.

“I… understand.”

Elsa echoed, both of them looking down slightly as they responded.

“Now, there’s one more proposal I’d like to discuss.”

The Empress continued, advancing the conversation.

“I would like you to go to the Elias Kingdom as ambassadors of the Shouro Empire.”

The Empress stated.

“The Elias Kingdom, you say?”

“Yes. All three of you have been to the Elias Kingdom before, right? The Bernstein is currently on its way there and is expected to arrive in Potlock on the 23rd or 24th.”

Jin and the others had an approximate idea of the timeline.

“In relation to that, I’d like to discuss future shipping routes.”

The Empress continued, taking a brief pause and alternating her gaze between Reinhardt and Elsa. Setting trade routes was also crucial in this context.

“It would be preferable if you accepted this proposal. In that case, I would send another person to meet with the other races. What do you think?”

“Well…”

Jin, not being a citizen of the Shouro Empire (though an honorary citizen), wouldn’t formally accompany them as an envoy. Therefore, he wasn’t directly addressed, but he thought it would be interesting to go in either direction.

However, at this moment, he was more interested in Potlock. He was curious about the ship he had worked on, the Bernstein, as well as about Rodrigo and Marcia, the father and daughter.

Reinhardt seemed to share the same sentiment, as he responded.

“If that’s the case, I would like to go to Potlock.”