21: Maritime Transport and Ruins Arc (Year 3457–3458)

Chapter 726: 21-38 A Milestone

January 14th.

Jin, Reinhardt, and Elsa had formal audience at the Shouro Imperial Palace.

Their purpose was to finalize the official reports of their long expedition and settle the remaining diplomatic affairs.

The final piece of business, of course, was securing a crucial piece of recognition.

“We hereby officially recognize Lord Jin Nidou as the ‘Kunlun-kun.'”

With these words from the Empress of the Shouro Empire, every nation Jin maintained close ties with had now formally acknowledged his status.

Though the neighboring kingdoms of Celuroa and Franz had only given verbal assurances, this official declaration meant Jin could finally carry the title of Kunlun-kun openly and with absolute legitimacy.

“You have my deepest gratitude, Your Majesty.”

In return, Jin presented the Empress with a detailed copy of the map, identical to the ones he had given to the other sovereign nations.

The Empress’s eyes widened upon examining the chart before she passed it to the Prime Minister standing at her side, offering her sincere thanks to Jin.

“Kunlun-kun, we are deeply grateful for this invaluable map.”

Next came the official diplomatic briefing from Reinhardt.

“I am pleased to report that every objective of this expedition has been fully realized. The finer details have been compiled in this written ledger.”

The major achievements outlined in the report were as follows:

1. Securing official trade agreements for regular maritime commerce with the Elias Kingdom.
2. Obtaining authorization to utilize the ports of the Egeria Kingdom along the primary shipping lanes.
3. Acquiring transit rights from the Egeria Kingdom to establish trade routes with the Klein Kingdom via the Naudaria River.

These milestones concluded his duties as a diplomat. Furthermore, the report detailed significant technological contributions:

1. Providing technical guidance to the Elias Kingdom on the construction of shallow-draft transport vessels, significantly elevating the prestige of the Shouro Empire.
2. Delivering identical maritime engineering guidance to the Egeria Kingdom, further strengthening imperial soft power.
3. Offering strategic counsel regarding foreign aid initiatives from the Elias Kingdom to the Klein Kingdom.
4. Submitting a comprehensive list of infrastructure improvements concerning ship-based logistics.

Naturally, these technical achievements were noted as a collaborative effort alongside Jin and Elsa.

“Reinhardt, Elsa—you have both done exemplary work.”

Receiving the Empress’s words of commendation, Jin and his companions took their leave.

The crown would review the comprehensive ledger, and any lingering points of clarification would be addressed during the following day’s session.

“Well, that wraps things up for today. We can finally take it easy.”

Since the official record stated they had been traveling non-stop by airship, the court had graciously dismissed them after a half-day’s work.

“Mm. Come to think of it, I wonder how Fritz-niisama and the others are holding up?”

The Hourai Island Air Force units should still be maintaining constant surveillance from the extreme upper atmosphere.

“Let’s head back quickly and take a look.”

As they were still walking through the inner courtyard of the imperial palace where walls had ears, Jin intentionally omitted their true destination.

“Mm, agreed.”

Elsa caught his meaning instantly and gave a slight nod.

They first boarded the airship to return to Jin’s estate in the capital.

“Welcome home, Jin-sama, Elsa-sama. And welcome, Reinhardt-sama.”

Barrow greeted them warmly at the entrance. He had settled into his role at the manor perfectly.

Jin made a mental note to ask him sometime soon whether he preferred living here or returning to Kaina Village.

Putting that aside, the trio enjoyed a quick lunch prepared by Belle before immediately transferring to Hourai Island.

“Welcome back, My Lord.”

“Laokun, let’s get right to it. What is the status of the ancient Leonard Kingdom investigation team?”

“Yes, My Lord. Currently, they are…”

Laokun provided a concise summary of the task force’s movements based on high-altitude reconnaissance.

“I see. So they discovered gold and adamandite storage vessels at a place called the Botzfa Ruins?”

“Correct. It appears they have resolved to transport those containers back with them.”

“…What do you think, Reinhardt?” Jin asked, looking for his friend’s perspective.

“Hmm. Indiscriminately hauling away artifacts sealed in a place like that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

“Mm, I feel the same way,” Elsa agreed with Reinhardt. “It is reassuring that Fritz-niisama seems energetic and Gloria-san is safe. But that ruin… it troubles me.”

“Me too. I just hope they haven’t unleashed some terrible calamity because they were blinded by the material value of those vessels.”

“My Lord, it would be wise to keep a close watch on them.”

“Yeah. Continue the surveillance, Laokun. Pay extra attention to their surroundings.”

Jin instructed Laokun to tighten their watch on the expedition group.

The morning of the 15th.

The members of the joint investigation task force finished a simple breakfast.

As they prepared to backfill the pit where the adamandite contents had been discarded, Jade-nefroi-dono voiced a sudden curiosity.

“Let us try an experiment. Why don’t we see what happens if we empty the contents of the gold containers into this same pit?”

A highly corrosive fluid and an unidentified viscous substance. Everyone was intensely curious to see how the two unknown components would interact, so no objections were raised.

“Very well, I shall test it.”

Moving a single golden vessel into the hemispherical depression, Jade-dono pierced a small aperture into the lid. Taking extreme care to avoid any splashes on his person, he trickled a minute amount of the liquid into the pit.

“Oh?!”

The terrifying liquid capable of dissolving iron was absorbed into the thick, translucent substance without the slightest resistance. Even more surprising, the viscous fluid showed absolutely no volatile reaction.

“In that case, disposing of them here shouldn’t pose any danger, correct?”

When the findings were relayed to the commanding officers, they all nodded in agreement.

“We shall preserve a single container for the academic benefit of our alchemists back home. Empty all the rest.”

Because they were handling highly hazardous material, the process was slow and meticulous, but eventually, the contents of the remaining forty-eight vessels were completely drained into the pit.

“Excellent. All that’s left is to bury the hole.”

Leaving the physical labor to Goliath, the rest of the crew began breaking down the tents when Fritz-dono suddenly bellowed a warning.

“Rock Wolves! Alert! Watch your flanks!”

In the exact same instant, a spray of crimson erupted into the air. Fritz-dono drew his greatsword from his back in a single motion, cleaving a lunging beast clean in two.

“Ahhh!”

One of the female knights, caught off guard during the pack up, screamed as a shadow loomed over her.

“Get down!”

Gloria-san intercepted the strike perfectly, her favored blade flashing as she sent another Rock Wolf flying through the air.

“Tch. We’re completely surrounded.”

A massive pack of Rock Wolves had encircled the camp. Their numbers easily approached fifty.

Aside from the two initial casualties, the beasts held their ground, baring their fangs and sizing up the human intruders.

“Draw your steel, everyone! Form a defensive circle!”

Fritz-dono’s command echoed across the clearing. Captain Bernardo-dono of the Klein Kingdom and Captain Bruno-dono of the Egeria Kingdom immediately ordered their personnel to fall into formation.

Placing the two younger female knights and Jade-dono safely in the center, the combatants formed a tight perimeter.

The circle of Rock Wolves began to edge forward, slowly closing the distance.