Let us rewind time just a little.
Once Hanna gave him her blessing, Jin returned to Hourai Island in high spirits to begin his travel preparations.
"All right, first thing’s first—the carriage."
The carriage he’d built back in the Kingdom of Egerea still existed, but its Warp Gate had been stripped for other projects. Restoring it to working order would be a hassle. Laojun had already constructed an identical model, but Jin decided he might as well build a brand-new version for the occasion.
He kept the exterior similar to the original, but the internal specs were another matter entirely. Naturally, it featured an onboard Warp Gate. It also boasted four-wheel independent suspension, an active golem suspension system, full climate control, and powerful searchlights.
And, of course, the horses were golem horses.
While he followed those basic principles, his next addition was truly absurd.
"I should make it so it can drive itself, even without the horses."
His plan was to install golem engines so the carriage could be self-propelled.
"I can’t fit an engine so large that it stands out, so the bare minimum should be fine."
Jin remained blissfully unaware that his idea of a "bare minimum" was what most people would consider absolute overkill.
"Father, I have prepared the materials."
Reiko brought him 64 light silver, an alloy even more durable than standard light silver.
"Good. Let’s get to work."
Wielding his Craft Magic with total abandon, Jin processed the materials while Reiko provided support. Laojun had also been thoughtful enough to dispatch two smith golems to assist.
The carriage took shape in no time. For the tires, Jin used Sea Dragon leather. Thanks to the scale-like texture, they had incredible grip even on jagged stone—though, in all likelihood, the tires would simply grind the rocks to dust.
"I knew it. The speed is lacking with golem engines this small," Jin grumbled during a test drive.
The engines were small because he had mounted one near the axle of each wheel. To a casual observer, they looked like nothing more than slightly thick wheels. Because he didn't want them to stand out, he couldn't make them any larger, which resulted in a noticeable lack of torque. Their estimated speed was roughly forty kilometers per hour.
Since his golem horses could easily pull the carriage at a hundred kilometers per hour when running at full tilt, he found the self-propelled speed frustrating. He didn't seem to realize that the maximum speed of a conventional horse-drawn carriage was fifteen kilometers per hour at best. His internal yardstick for "normal" was completely broken.
As for the golem horses, he repurposed the ones he’d built previously. However, he replaced their light silver frames with 64 light silver and reinforced their magical muscles, effectively doubling their output.
"It’s a nice touch that they can be ridden, too."
He added saddles, stirrups, and even "handles," allowing them to function as individual mounts.
"I’ll make the seats even more comfortable... well, if push comes to shove, I can always just take the Warp Gate back here to sleep."
There was no one present to point out that it could hardly be called a "journey" if he just warped home every night. Regardless, Super Carriage No. 2 was completed in about two hours.
"My Lord, I have a suggestion," Laojun’s voice echoed.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I recommend taking along a golem that appears to be of low quality."
Jin immediately grasped the intent behind the suggestion.
"I see. A 'low-quality' appearance, you mean?"
In short, for his personal needs and chores, he should bring a golem that actually looked like a machine.
"I could have him act as the coachman most of the time."
Jin set to work immediately. Despite everything else he had to do, he truly loved creating golems and automata.
"The basic Butler design should work."
He used 18-12 stainless steel for the frame. At a glance, it looked like ordinary iron, making it easy to disguise. He intentionally gave the exterior a rugged, unpolished look, modeling it after the combat golems used by Unifilar—though he made sure it wasn't quite as crude, as he didn't want people getting the wrong idea.
Its power was slightly higher than a standard Butler, and its dexterity approached that of a smith golem. It would be more than capable of handling any odd jobs.
"I’ll have to instruct him to act slow and heavy under normal circumstances."
Thus, the attendant golem was finished.
"Your name is... Steward."
"Yes, Master," the golem replied.
With that, the bulk of his preparations were complete.
"I should get some rest. Reiko, Laojun, I’m leaving the rest to you."
"Yes, Father."
"Please, leave it to us."
Genuinely exhausted, Jin entrusted the finer details of the travel arrangements to his daughter and his tactical brain before heading to bed.
"Well then, I’m off."
Jin had come to Kaina Village to say his goodbyes.
"Jin-nii, have a safe trip! Give my regards to Rai-nii!" Elsa called out.
"Jin-sama, please take care," Mine added.
Martha smiled warmly. "Be safe, Jin. And make sure you come back to visit every once in a while!"
"Onii-chan... have a safe trip..." Hanna whispered.
With Elsa, Mine, Martha, and Hanna seeing him off, Jin began walking toward the shelter. He could have easily used the Warp Gate in the basement of his workshop, but he felt that wouldn't have felt like a proper departure, so he made the trek to the distant shelter instead.
Waiting in front of the shelter was the village’s defense force: Land Squad units A through Z.
"Master, we are the Land Squad. We have been overseeing the protection of Kaina Village since the 1st," the lead unit reported.
"Ah, thanks for the hard work. I’ll be counting on you while I’m away. I’m heading out for a bit."
"Understood, Master. We shall fulfill our duties. We wish you a safe journey."
With that, Jin disappeared into the shelter.
In the Celuroa Kingdom, north of the regional city of Bororon, lay a vast, uninhabited wasteland known as the Bororon Wilderness. It was a landscape of endless stone, where massive monoliths jutted over fifty meters into the air. It looked like a miniature version of the American Southwest.
At the base of one particularly massive rock formation, a large cave sat like a yawning mouth.
"So, this is the Bororon Wilderness."
"Yes. This is likely the location where I was transported during my eighth accident," Reiko said softly.
She was referring to the time she had warped herself across the world repeatedly, desperate to find Jin after he had vanished during a Warp Gate malfunction.
"I materialized in mid-air that time. I managed to land safely, but the Warp Gate components were damaged. I was able to return to the laboratory, but that specific gate had to be scrapped."
However, the coordinates remained valid. Laojun had detected the faint magical signature left behind, dispatched Air Force golems to pinpoint the location, and installed a fresh Warp Gate. Having such hubs made traveling across the continent significantly easier. For now, only Jin and his associates would use them.
Laojun was already considering intermediate relay points for the Warp Gate network to enhance security.
"The primary candidate is the newly commissioned aircraft carrier Hotaka," Laojun had explained. "She has ample space. By using the ship as a relay station, we can ensure that even if a threat or dangerous material enters the network, it can be neutralized before it ever reaches Hourai Island."
Jin had approved the plan immediately. The system would likely be operational soon.
The new carriage, carrying Jin and Reiko, began its journey southwest across the wilderness.
"He even included a compass. Laojun really thinks of everything."
On the cleverly disguised driver’s console, a compass needle indicated their heading.
"The main road runs east to west, so if we keep going southwest, we’re bound to hit it eventually."
Jin engaged the golem horse mode and maintained a speed of about fifty kilometers per hour. He expected to reach the road within the hour.
"Father, I see it," Reiko announced.
Her superior vision had caught sight of the road stretching across the horizon. Jin immediately slowed the carriage. Even he realized that a carriage barreling down the road at fifty kilometers per hour was a bit too conspicuous.
Still, even his "slowed" pace was well over twenty kilometers per hour.
The distance between Bororon and Ganys was a mere thirty kilometers. Reinhard’s party was traveling at a leisurely pace, a sharp contrast to the previous day’s frantic movement. After all, they were only a day or so away from the border. Beyond that lay their homeland.
"Reinhard, the weather is beautiful," Mattheus remarked, riding his horse alongside the carriage.
"It is. Spring is in full bloom. Doesn't the sun make you sleepy?" Reinhard replied with a grin, leaning out of the carriage window.
"Haha, true enough. The rhythm of the horse can be quite lulling. But I am a soldier through and through; I won't be caught dozing in the saddle."
As Mattheus laughed, he made an exaggerated show of scanning the horizon. Suddenly, his expression sharpened.
"Reinhard, tell the driver to pick up the pace."
"What’s wrong?"
"There’s an unidentified carriage coming toward us from the wilderness."
Reinhard leaned out of the window to look. A bright smile immediately crossed his face.
"Mattheus, that’s my friend!"
"What?"
"I told you about him. The foreign magi craftman I met on this journey. No, he’s now the Honorary Magi Craftman of the Kingdom of Egerea—that’s Jin Nidou’s carriage!"
"Are you serious? That thing?"
"Of course! Who else could build such exquisite golem horses?"
Gleaming with a dull, silvery-gray luster in the midday sun, the light silver carriage was pulled by its mechanical steeds. A golem made of dark iron sat at the reins.
"Hey, Reinhard!"
Jin himself was leaning halfway out of the carriage window, waving enthusiastically.
"Jin! It’s been too long!"
Reinhard leaned out as far as he could, shouting back and waving with all his might.