3225 - - 85-11 Arrived in Quent Village




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"Ah, so we're finally here. ......"



 Guth lets out a deep sigh of relief as he lands on the ground.

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 This is the eastern edge of the Kingdom of Cerroa, a plain near the village of Quent.

 The latitude is about 25 degrees north, but the climate is fresh because it is on a plateau.

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 Jin's has landed in one of the plains.



 Leaving Hope as the pilot in charge of the plane, Jin and his crew head for the village of Quent.

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 Jin, Elsa, Reiko, Saki, Goose, Goh, Rubina, and Merce start walking with their luggage as if they were travelers.

 Nominally, they were on a research mission.

 Saki, one of the main players, seemed to have found something right away.

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"Hmm, the geology of this area is ......."

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 Curious, Saki picks up a handful of soil at her feet and observes it.



"...... it's bauxite, isn't it?"

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 Bauxite is a raw material for aluminum, but it is not a single mineral.

 On Earth, bauxite is distributed near the surface in a mixture of minerals such as gibbsite, baemite, and diaspore.

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 And the same is true here on Ars.

 Saki once found bauxite on the shore of Lake Tosmo.

 And here he found bauxite again.

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"It was worth coming here as soon as possible!

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 Saki quickly took a sample and put it in a bottle.



"If we report this to the Kingdom of Celuloa, will there be a mining site here?

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"That might happen."



 Jin looked at the peaceful landscape as he answered Saki's question.

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"If that's the case, this landscape might be transformed."

"Yeah. ...... I guess so."

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 Saki seemed to understand what Jin meant.

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"I think I'll hold off on reporting the fact that this is a bauxite producing area."

"Yeah ......, but there are not many uses for aluminum and alumina, so I doubt it will be mined on a large scale."

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 Here in Ars, titanium has replaced aluminum as the < in circulation.



"Then why not?"

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"Maybe it would be good if this region could be enriched a little."

That's difficult, isn't it?

"Yes."

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 Jin answered, thinking of the village of Kaina.

 The village of Kaina is Jin's second home.

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 It still stands much as it did 400 years ago.

 Despite all the conveniences that have come with it.

 This is largely due to the help of Jin.

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 Even though modernization has progressed, the appearance and the way of living have been assisted so that it does not change much. And this is something that all the residents agree on.

 Modernization does not necessarily mean happiness. .......

 (Although the standard of living in the village of Kaina is higher than in most big cities.)

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 Jin wondered vaguely how the village of Kuento was really doing.

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"Well, let's go to the village then.



 Saki said as she finished collecting the samples, and everyone started walking toward the village of Quent. The distance is about one kilometer, or about 15 minutes.

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 The ground is reddish brown and seems to have a high bauxite content.



"...... I'm no expert, but I don't think this soil is suitable for farming."

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"I guess so."



 Jin agreed with Elsa's guess.

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 If only we had a Rorona here who is an expert in agriculture. .......

 But what can you do without her?

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"Aluminum is good as long as it's stable as alumina, but it's going to do bad things when it becomes aluminum ions. ......"

"Hmm."

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 I am not a chemist by nature, so I didn't know more than that.

 In the first place, bauxite is rarely produced in Japan, so the amount of aluminum in the soil is low.

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"But I think that the strong acidity of the soil may cause aluminum to dissolve."

"That's right. ......"

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 Aluminum is weak against acid.

 There is a story that once upon a time, when dried plums were put in an aluminum lunch box, the acid caused the box to melt and make a hole in it.

 This drawback was solved by anodizing aluminum. .......

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"Kuhu, I heard the story in the village, and if there is any harm in aluminum, maybe we should talk to Mr. Lorona about it."

"Yes, the way Saki suggested might be a good idea."

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 The group approached the village of Quent with these words in mind.

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"It's so rural..."

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"But it's so relaxing."

"I think so too."

"What, don't leave me alone!"

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 The three children were very lively.


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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



 The village of Kuento was a small village with a population of about 200 and less than 50 households.

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But it's very lively.

"Hmm..."

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"Oh, there's a pump."

"Yes, there is. But there's something on it.

I think it's a filter.

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Why?

"You know, maybe the water's too hard."

"Hard water? The water?

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Water with high mineral content is called hard water, and water with low mineral content is called soft water.



 A lively group of people arrived, attracting the attention of the villagers outside.

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"Well, well, well, are you a traveler? I am the village headman, Kyoo Meihens.

"You are the village head? I am Goose Minakata. I am a folklore major. And this is my wife Saki. I'm majoring in materials science.

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I'm Saki, nice to meet you.



 Since this is a research group, Guth is the outward leader of the group.

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And my friend Jin, his wife Elsa, and my assistant Reiko. They helped me to get here. And the other three are, in order, Goh, Rubina, and Merce. They are students.

"Oh, so you are here for research, I take it. You are very enthusiastic about coming to such a remote place.

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 The chief smiles while saying this.


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"No, no, this is a treasure chest for us. We may be able to find some of the customs of the Kingdom of Selroa, or even the ancient country of Rebus.



 The Kingdom of Rebus is one of the small countries that were formed when the former great kingdom of Dinar was split up.

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 It was later annexed by the Kingdom of Cerroa and is now known as the .



"Well, in that case, you are welcome to stay with us.

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"No, I'm going to look for somewhere to stay. ......



 For a moment, Guth declines the chief's invitation, but then he says, "No, I'm not staying here,

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No, there is no inn in this village. Travelers stay at our house.


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 He decided to stay at his house.