As he began the full-scale buildup of their military forces, Jin consulted with Laozi.
First, they needed to organize their intelligence on Unifilar. This would involve Laozi analyzing the magi-crystal containing the knowledge copied from the branch manager, Purcell.
The most critical matter, however, was the reinforcement of Hourai Island itself.
"There's a lot to do, but where should we start?" Jin asked.
"I believe three things are essential: intelligence, transport—or rather, mobility—and combat power," Laozi advised. "It would be best to list the means of strengthening each and then prioritize them."
Following Laozi’s suggestion, Jin fell into deep thought. He eventually proposed the following three-point plan:
- Dispatch spies to various regions to bolster intelligence gathering.
- Develop new means of transportation.
- Develop new weaponry.
"For the spies, I think expanding the current Secret Mobile Unit would be the way to go," Jin said.
"Indeed. If I may offer my opinion, My Lord: on the premise that they will not be tasked with your personal protection, they should be Automata rather than golems. We should disguise them so they can blend into human society without raising suspicion."
"Hmm, that’s a good idea. Alright, let’s do that. We’ll build a hundred units and call them the 'Quinta'."
"The 'Fifth Column.' An excellent name," Laozi agreed. Thus, the decision to form the intelligence unit known as the Quinta was finalized.
The unit would consist of forty adult male models for general versatility and thirty adult female models. For more specialized camouflage, they would include ten boy models, ten girl models, and ten even smaller Reiko-type models, totaling one hundred. Their internal mechanisms were fundamentally identical to the Hourai Island Secret Mobile Unit (SP), but they were covered in magical skin and given hair to make them appear indistinguishable from humans. Jin would construct the core components, leaving the finishing touches to Laozi.
Next, they addressed the matter of mobility.
"As a new means of transport, I want to build a VTOL or a helicopter," Jin stated.
"A vehicle capable of taking off and landing anywhere? A wise choice."
As for the final category—weaponry—they decided not to rush, as its development would depend heavily on the progress made with intelligence and transportation.
Just as they were about to begin work on the Quinta, Reiko returned.
"Father, I have finished establishing the base at the fort ruins."
"Ah, good work, Reiko."
Reiko began her report. "First, I decided to leave the fort's ruins exactly as they were."
Her reasoning was that it would give onlookers the impression that the site remained abandoned.
"The base itself was constructed by digging further into the hole in the center of the fort to a depth of fifty meters. I have already installed a manacam and a Warp Gate."
Reiko continued with the details. "For living quarters, there are bedrooms, a kitchen, and a toilet. I also installed a bath, though it is quite small."
She had clearly been thoughtful, knowing Jin's fondness for baths.
"The larder is not yet stocked, but the water supply is secure. I’ve ensured there is enough for ten people to live there for about a week."
"You've done an excellent job. We’ll use the base you built as the standard for the ones we'll establish elsewhere from now on."
With the addition of base construction, their to-do list grew. Jin felt the urgent need for a dedicated military advisor. Even with Laozi’s processing power, the golem's logic was ultimately based on Jin’s own knowledge.
"What are you working on, Goshujin-thama?"
Anne approached them. Thus far, Anne had no specific role and had been quite idle since her arrival on Hourai Island. It seemed she had spent her time asking Soleil and Luna various questions.
"Oh, Anne," Jin said, briefly explaining the situation.
"I might be able to offer a little bit of advithe," she offered.
"That's right, you served as a secretary at that fort, didn't you?"
"Yeth. Unfortunately, even after you repaired me, thome of my memorieth are gone, but I will do my betht to be of uthe, tho pleathe do not dithcard me."
"Discard you? Why would you even think that?"
Faced with Jin’s confusion, Anne spoke of her past.
"At that fort, I became an obtholete model, and my combat capability wath low. The tholdierth eventually grew tired of my body. They thtopped repairing my malfunctionth and left me to rot."
"That’s..."
Jin felt a surge of indignation at the heartless story.
"As long as you’re with me, nothing like that will ever happen. So forget those painful memories. I want you to support me."
"Yeth, thank you very much, Goshujin-thama. I will therve you with all my heart."
"Anne, let's work hard together," Reiko added, encouraging her. For some reason, Jin had never seen Reiko act jealous toward Anne. Perhaps it was because they shared the same "bloodline," both being based on the Predecessor's designs.
"Alright, let's reset. We have a lot to do, so we need to map it all out and prioritize."
Jin looked from Reiko to Anne and then to Laozi’s terminal.
"The military buildup ith primarily to deal with Unifilar, ith it not?" Anne asked, seeking confirmation.
"That’s right. But if possible, I’d like to avoid killing anyone."
Anne took his answer into account before speaking again. "In that cathe, the top priority ith gathering information on Unifilar. Knowing the opponent ith the thtrongetht weapon."
Jin nodded. "Yeah, I thought as much. That’s why we’re building the Quinta and sending them out."
"I thee. In that cathe, the next thtep thould be a thurvey of the ruinth."
"Ruins?"
"Yeth. Jutht like the ruinth where I wath, there thould thtill be facilitieth from that era thcattered around. It ith vital that we do not let Unifilar obtain even a thingle piece of the patht'th thuper-knowledge."
"I see. So there might be other weapons like the Gigas out there."
"Yeth. The Gigath wath a prototype for math-produthtion, and I recall ten unitth being produthed. Three were dethtroyed in the war back then. One wath dethtroyed the other day, which meanth there are likely thix unitth remaining."
The meeting with Anne proved surprisingly fruitful.
While Laozi had access to the same data, Anne’s thought processes weren't designed by Jin, allowing her to point out things he might have overlooked.
They decided that creating and dispatching the Quinta to gather intel on Unifilar and the ruins was the absolute priority. Developing the VTOL would follow.
Further policies would be determined based on the information gathered while the VTOL was being built.
In terms of specific tasks, once the VTOL prototype was finished, Laozi would oversee its mass production while Jin completed the Quinta.
They estimated that the VTOL and the Quinta would be finished at roughly the same time. Once they were ready, the VTOL would be used to transport the Quinta to their various destinations.
Anne vouched for this as the most efficient sequence, even if it slightly altered Jin's initial order.
With the plan set, Jin began conceptualizing the VTOL.
"The biggest weakness of a VTOL is its fuel efficiency. Specifically, jet engines can't intake enough air when stationary, so fuel consumption spikes during vertical takeoff, landing, and hovering."
Jin recalled an article from a magazine he’d read long ago. However, those rules didn't necessarily apply to a Magi Jet Engine.
"And I think helicopters have an issue where things go bad if the rotor speed exceeds the speed of sound..."
Again, his memory of the article was a bit fuzzy.
"I’ll stick with the VTOL approach."
Once the direction was decided, the rest happened quickly. Considering speed, stability, and weight capacity, he calculated the number of Magi Jet Engines needed and how they should be mounted.
This part was primarily a collaboration with Laozi, whose simulation capabilities were invaluable.
The final design featured two large Magi Jet Engines at the wingtips, which would point downward for takeoff and landing. Aside from those, two slightly smaller Magi Jet Engines would provide propulsion. Finally, four small Magi Jet Engines would be installed facing different directions to handle stabilization and adjustments.
This configuration allowed the craft to hover and remain stationary like a hovercraft, providing omnidirectional movement at low speeds. For high-speed flight, the wingtip Magi Jet Engines would rotate to face forward. During low-speed maneuvers or when carrying heavy loads, they could be tilted downward to provide extra lift.
By placing the hovering engines at the center of gravity, Jin intended to minimize any shifts in the craft's posture.
"Alright, let's start with a small-scale prototype."
Jin grew more animated as they moved into production.
Laozi procured the materials, Reiko transported them, and Jin processed them. This was their usual routine, but now with Anne checking the finer details, the reliability of the work increased significantly.
After some trial and error, the first VTOL prototype was completed shortly after noon.
"Okay, let's begin the test flight."
They moved to the airfield in front of the laboratory. Once again, Reiko served as the test pilot.
"Reiko, it's in your hands."
"Yes, Father."
After that brief exchange, Reiko climbed into the VTOL prototype and started the engines.
The whirring of the Magi Jet Engines began. As the pitch climbed, the prototype lifted off the ground.
"It’s airborne!"
Jin watched the craft's movements with bated breath.
The stability seemed a bit shaky at first, but Reiko’s reaction speed—dozens of times faster than a human's—corrected for the wobbles. She successfully brought the craft to a stationary hover two meters above the ground.
"We did it! Reiko, now try moving forward at a low speed and turning!"
Jin gave the instructions through the manacam. Reiko expertly manipulated the controls.
The craft moved forward slower than a person walks. After advancing ten meters, she backed it up.
"Yes, excellent. Perfect."
Returning to her starting position, she performed a 180-degree turn on the spot.
She moved it sideways and then in a slow circle, meticulously testing the maneuverability and behavior of the craft at low speeds.
"Good work, Reiko. Now for the flight test. Try flying normally."
Satisfied with the initial results, Jin ordered the next phase: testing it as a conventional aircraft.
Reiko gave a light wave of her right hand in acknowledgment and then began a vertical ascent. Five meters, ten, twenty...
Once she reached an altitude of fifty meters, the propulsion Magi Jet Engines roared to life. The prototype shot forward as if launched from a catapult.
It was impressively fast. Reiko continued to climb, and at about five hundred meters, she began rotating the wingtip engines toward the front.
This was the difficult part. As the lift decreased, the forward thrust increased, and the handling changed subtly. It was a feat that might have been impossible without Reiko’s inhuman reflexes.
However, Reiko handled the prototype with ease, all while recording flight data into the auxiliary magi-crystal.
This magi-crystal, which functioned similarly to a support computer, would eventually make piloting the VTOL vastly simpler for others.
"It's a success!"
While minor adjustments would surely be needed, a new set of wings had been born on Hourai Island that day.
That night, a message arrived from Reinhard. He had crossed the Torres River without incident, and he reported that everything was proceeding normally.