The night in the town of Seki, Mitsuho, passes peacefully, and dawn breaks without incident.

The weather is light and overcast.

The town of Sequi is located a little north of the Tropic of Cancer, so it is warm even in winter.

The problem is that it is inland and the air is dry.

"...... we're fine, but I think a lot of people are going to get a throat infection," said Elsa.

Elsa said.

Jin, whose body is made of magical atoms (magiatom), and Erza, a homunculus, are free from such diseases.

"It would be better to put a humidifier in the room and wear a mask.

"It may be difficult to do all at once."

Many of them take off their masks immediately, especially if they are not used to wearing them, because they feel suffocated or depressed.

"I'll drop by the healing center when I see one."

"Hmm."

After a buffet breakfast and a smoke, we headed into town. Reiko and Hope are with us, of course.

First, let's go talk about asphalt.

"Hmm."

The time is 8:30 AM. The store opens at 8:30.

Jin walked slowly, thinking that it was just like a private store.

"This is it. ......"

"Percentage wise, it's big."

There was a sign that read "Ikeda Shoukai" (Ikeda Trading Company).

It was supposed to be a sub-branch of some sort, but it seemed to deal in various building materials and had a large area.

Glancing around, there were several drum-like structures in the back of the building.

Jin squinted at the metal corrugated plates and what looked like paint cans.

It looked more like a store than a sub-branch of a trading company.

"Let's go in anyway."

The front of the wide front door was a sliding door.

A mature man welcomed Jin and the others.

A mature man greeted Jin and the others.

"Well, could you take a look at this?

First, Jin handed them a letter of introduction given to him yesterday by the old woman ...... Akari Yuki of the Chiyogami shop.

"Oh, this is Akari-san's handwriting, isn't it?

The man who received the letter guessed that it was from Akari Yuki just by looking at the letter. He then found out that she has a very broad face.

"Hmmm...hmmm......... eh!　You are the <<3rd generation Magecraft Meister>, Jin-sama?

<

Please go to the back anyway!　And your wives and followers too!

The elderly man, who appeared to be the owner of the store, invited us to the business meeting space at the back of the store.

This was not a tatami room, but chairs and tables.

He then orders a teenage girl, who is clearly identified as a waitress, to <.

After a minute or so, the tea is served, and the owner, straightening his posture, introduces himself once again.

My name is Yahato Ikeda, and I am in charge of the Seki branch of Ikeda Shokai. The girl is my daughter, Yoriko.

I thought she was a clerk, but it turned out to be her daughter.

"Thank you very much for your kindness. <

Jin then introduced Reiko and Hope.

Yahato-Ikeda was introduced to Reiko,

"Oh, you have the same name as the automata that the second generation had with you!

He seemed to know Reiko as well.

And then,

"Is this Hope-dono? I think the wife of the second generation master had an automata with her, and she said her name was Edgar.

He even knew who Edgar was. It seems that he is quite a <.

Therefore, Jin decided to keep quiet since it might cause some trouble if Reiko told him that she was the same Reiko.

After a short chat, they started to discuss the business.

"Well, I'm here to buy some asphalt.

"Yes, I read about it in the letter from Akali-dono. How much do you need?

"The purpose is to pave the airfield. On the contrary, how much do you need?

As Jin had never paved asphalt before, he had no idea how much would be needed.

"Yes, ....... There is also a handy one called that can be poured over crushed stone pavement to create a simple pavement."

Usually, gravel and asphalt are mixed, heated to about 160 degrees Celsius, and then spread and compacted.

Because of this high temperature, construction work is frowned upon in the summer.

"I see."

Jin was listening to the lecture with great interest, as there were many things here and there that he had never heard of before.

Asphalt pavement is made of crushed stones attached with asphalt," he said. This is called a binder."

"I see."

As Jin listened to the conversation, he thought that the sidewalks of <> should be paved with simple pavement.

(It's just for people to walk on.)

(It would be easy to construct and repair.) "Well, for the time being," he said, "we'll just have to pave the sidewalks for now.

"Well, I think I'll try using for the time being."

"Oh, that would be good. How much do you need?

We have one 18-liter can, a half-size (250-liter) drum, and three 50-liter drums. There are three types of drums: one ton (18 liters), a half-size (250 liters) drum, and a drum that holds 50 liters.

"Well then, we'll need about 10 drums for now.

"Oh, that many?　...... now we have 7 drums, 5 half drums, and 20 one-quart cans.

The total of all of them would satisfy the demand, but Jin decided that it would be bad for the other customers.

"Then let's say five drums and two half-drums.

"Okay, I understand. Well, how would you like to transport them?

If it were a hundred drums, the would be the best choice, but for this kind of quantity, the would be sufficient.

"If you bring them to the airfield, we can load the rest ourselves.

"Okay. When would ...... be a good time?

If that's the case, can we do it tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.?

Jin wanted to see the town of Seki for the day.

"Yes, no problem.

"If I want a large quantity at ......, would it be better to go to the main branch of the Chamber of Commerce here instead of here?"

Yes, it would take less time. Would you like me to show you where it is?

"Yes, please.

So Jin was told where the head office was located and a letter of introduction was written.

The head office is located in a town called Kushima, south of Seki. However, since the place of production of asphalt is a closely guarded secret, Jin was not told about it either.

(I didn't go to see it 400 years ago. ......)

Jin felt a little disappointed to think that he would have been able to learn about it back then.

* * * *

"Well, let's try to find a healing center.

"Hmm."

After leaving the Ikeda Trading Company, Jin and the others wander around the town looking for a healing center.

Jin and Erza, who were not in a hurry, could not find a healing center, so they decided to ask the locals for help.

However, they pass by only tourists at such times.

Jin is annoyed,

"Well, I'm a little thirsty, so let's go into that store and ask around," he said to Erza.

and headed for the coffee shop.