Discussions between the Principality of Mimaka and the friendship delegation were cordial from start to finish.

At 11:30 a.m., they took a break for lunch.

Then, Jin said,

"Your Majesty, for lunch, I would like to prepare and serve two dishes with the ingredients I brought this time.

Jin proposed, "Your majesty, I would like to prepare and serve two dishes with the ingredients I brought this time.

"Oh, I didn't know you would say so, Jin-dono. Very well, go ahead and cook them.

With permission, Jin gave instructions to Manon and Reiko.

"Manon, Reiko, I want you to make that dish with the ingredients you brought this time.

"Yes, I'll do it."

"Yes, Father."

Manon and Reiko borrow a part of the kitchen and start cooking.

* * * * * *

Half an hour later, lunch is brought to the dining room.

"Oh, here they are!

Gaspar de Mimaka, the eleven-year-old king, exclaimed happily.

The menu consisted of bread, topopo butter, vegetable salad, and corn soup.

In a country where vegetable production is scarce, vegetables are a feast.

Then Manon and Reiko brought which Jin had instructed them to bring.

"Well, what is this?"

The King, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Internal Affairs look at them with interest.

"What Manon brought is called a baked sweet potato.

It is a sweet potato heated slowly at a low temperature.

Reiko brought buckwheat noodles.

The last time Gaju Tsuga and his group had visited, they had reported on the types of crops they had grown, but it was not itopo (sweet potato) or buckwheat.

So, the Jin men brought some Itopo sweet potatoes and buckwheat seeds, as well as some for tasting.

"Oh, this is sweet and delicious!

"This one has a different flavor, but it's quite good.

The Prime Minister and the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications seemed to like the baked sweet potato and the buckwheat noodles.

And then...

"Wow, this is delicious!"

the Prince exclaimed in a voice befitting his age. Then he suddenly noticed and blushed a little.

But everyone pretended not to notice.

Even Jin,

"This Itopo is suitable for cultivation in warm regions. It also grows well in rough terrain and areas with little rainfall, so I think it would be good to grow it.

He explained to divert the conversation.

Buckwheat is also a hardy grain that can be grown in rough terrain. It goes well with soy sauce as a seasoning. <, it should be easy to import it.

Prime Minister Moiz Myas Lodi was overjoyed at these explanations.

"Oh, that's wonderful. The land itself is fertile, but it rains very little, so I am glad to know that we can grow ...... even with little precipitation."

And Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Ryuji F. Katzki,

"Soba-gaki, is it? The taste of soy sauce is wonderful. ......I wonder if this kind of seasoning is used in Mitsuho?"

He seemed to be surprised.

"That's right, Mr. Katsuki."

The person who answered the Minister's question was Mitsuho's representative, Thein Miyabe.

"Your ancestors must have tasted Mitsuho before.

"I see, so that's why I felt nostalgic even though I had never tasted it before. ......"

"...... Jin-dono, thank you for this wonderful gift."

Seeing his retainer, the king thanked Jin for the gift.

* * * *

Apparently, Itopo and buckwheat were the deciding factors, and the discussion resumed at 1:30 p.m. The conclusion was quickly reached that a treaty of friendship should be signed.

"I am glad to hear that."

Ambassador Theobald Theodoric von Grainne's face broke into a smile.

By the way, this is not a formal treaty but a provisional agreement. This time, by the way, it is not a formal treaty, but a provisional agreement, since it will be slightly different depending on the outcome of the talks with the two remaining principalities.

This will allow us to invite the important people to the <.

Ideally, we would like to have four duchies in the World Conference at the same time, but since that is quite difficult, we are targeting three duchies first.

We would make an agreement with the three principalities and invite them to the at a later date and conclude a treaty with them on the spot.

After a year, if there are no problems, the three principalities will be admitted to the .

In other words, they will be able to send their representatives to the .

Then we can trade without tariffs or at the lowest level of tariffs, and we can exchange technologies.

In times of famine, they would receive food aid, and in times of disaster, the <> would be dispatched.

In return, the government will be obliged to pay a certain amount of money for the operation of <>, depending on the economic condition of the country.

Since the amount of payment is calculated by a certain method, it is not possible to pay a large amount of money to get more benefits.

Moreover, since <> earns its own operating funds, it does not need to accept interference from other countries.

............ as long as it is functioning properly.

Well, now that <> is backed by <>, it will not go astray.

* * * *

The discussion then moved on to a round-table meeting.

Fruits brought by the delegation were served. In a country where the only way to store fruit is in the refrigerator, it must be eaten as soon as possible or it will spoil, so the fruit served was mainly persica, which does not keep for long.

The pile of persica was getting smaller and smaller.

"Wow!　This is delicious!

The king is smiling broadly as he tucks into the deer peeled by his lady-in-waiting.

The Prime Minister and the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications are not so hungry, but they eat at a fast pace.

"If we can solve the water problem, we can grow more and more of these fruit trees.

Gaju Tugga says to the minister,

You are absolutely right. I wonder if you have any good ideas?

The Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications was also troubled by this.

At this point, Jin asked a question in a casual tone.

"...... doesn't it rain a lot on the east side of Yato Lake?"

"You know it well, don't you?　Yes, that's right.

The Prime Minister replies.

"After all, ......"

He says, "As I thought," but he has already done the research and knows.

In fact, it was because the old man had looked up where the water in Lake Yato and Lake Kotshi came from during a recent discussion of the .

The old man said, "But the land there is much thinner than here.

"Yes. So much so that crops cannot grow."

This information is also known to Jin.

Most of the land in that area is so rich in that no plants can grow there.

The old man said,

< who created fertile land on the west side of the lake may have dumped the unwanted tailings here.

He speculated that the tailings were dumped here.

Whether he is right or not, the abundant water in the two lakes seems to be the result of westerly winds hitting the mountain range on the east side, creating clouds and bringing rain.

"It would be nice if we could use the water from the lakes effectively," said the Prime Minister.

said the prime minister.

"If you become a member of the Council of State, you will be able to receive assistance for such construction work.

Jin told the Prime Minister.