"Well then, Saki, I'm sorry to trouble you for a while."
Jin spoke to a smiling Saki.
"Kufufu, spending several days under the same roof as a gentleman... I'm looking forward to it."
"Wh—"
"I'm not exactly wrong, am I?" Saki laughed mischievously.
Over the past few days, Jin and Saki had become quite close. Though she was a woman of logic, she occasionally showed this playful side of herself. The group—Jin, Reiko, Saki, and Ar—was currently traveling in Jin’s carriage.
"Saki, just so you know, I’ll likely be out until the day of the wedding."
"Hmm? Well, that's fine. Do you have something in mind?" Saki didn't look particularly puzzled; she was merely curious.
"Yeah. I want to get something special as a wedding gift."
"I see, I see. So you’re going to hunt for a present. That’s a lovely idea. I suppose I should give them something as well." Saki fell into thought.
Realizing this was a perfect opportunity, Jin asked for her advice. "Hey, it’s a bit awkward to ask what would be a good gift, so could you tell me if there's anything I should avoid?"
"Bad gifts, hmm? Generally, you don't give blades. Those are reserved for blood relatives."
She gave him the same advice he had received on Elsa's birthday.
"Clothes are also difficult," Saki continued. "If you don't know their specific tastes, it’s a bit... risky."
"...True. Anything else?"
"Of course, rings are out of the question. Practical items are usually the best choice....Though, now I've ended up talking about what would be good."
"No, it was helpful. Thanks."
Jin thanked her sincerely, deciding he would ask Elsa for the rest of his information.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the Eschenbach Residence.
"Hmm, it seems my father hasn't returned yet," Saki muttered as she unlocked the front door. There was no outer gate to speak of.
"Well, since Ar is here, your daily life should be manageable. Ar, I'm counting on you to look after Saki."
Jin gave the Automata a firm reminder.
"Yes, Creator-sama. I understand perfectly."
Ar had already become an all-purpose housekeeper—a domestic Automata capable of handling everything from cooking and laundry to personal care.
"Well then, I’ll be back around 6:00 PM on the 30th—the evening before the wedding."
"Understood. I'll be waiting. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of gift you pick out, Jin."
"You can count on it."
＊ ＊ ＊
After parting ways with Saki, Jin ordered Steward to drive the carriage toward a secluded area.
The region surrounding Reinhard’s family estate contained both towns and lush forests. The carriage headed deep into the woods.
"My Lord, this area should be suitable."
Steward brought the carriage to a halt deep within the forest, where the grass and shrubs were so thick that further progress was impossible.
"Alright, this is good. Now, Steward, wait here until the evening of the 30th. Keep the carriage camouflaged, and make sure to erase the Golem horse's tracks and the wheel ruts."
"Understood. Have a safe journey, My Lord."
Leaving the carriage in Steward's care, Jin and Reiko warped to Hourai Island.
When they arrived at the transfer waypoint, Jin felt a slight sense of dissonance.
"Hm?"
Noticing his confusion, Butler 50—the attendant on duty—began to explain. His partner, Butler 49, stood by silently.
"My Lord, the intermediate base has been moved to the Shinkai, a transfer-exclusive facility completed just the other day."
"The Shinkai?"
"Yes. It is a spherical structure twenty meters in diameter manufactured on Hourai Island. It is hollow, featuring a double-layered hull of 18-12 stainless steel and light silver. The interior is as you see it."
Butler 49 took over the explanation.
"Utilizing a Warp Gate that requires no receiving side, it has been positioned on the seabed roughly halfway between Kunlun Island and the continent. Should any emergency arise, either of us—or Laojun—will destroy the Warp Gate."
If that happened, they would be isolated hundreds of meters beneath the waves. It was a remarkably thorough precaution.
"I see. Good work."
Jin offered a few words of appreciation to Butlers 49 and 50, acknowledging the long days of isolation and management they had ahead of them.
"Welcome back, My Lord."
Laojun greeted him once they reached Hourai Island.
"Laojun, how are things?"
It had been a few days since Jin had implemented the multi-processor system.
"Everything is excellent. I have attempted to construct a new model for my core control system by self-adjusting and optimizing the processing flow through parallel processing."
"Oh, that’s impressive."
The Predecessor Magi Craft Meister, Adriana, had only ever created single-core magi-brains. The multi-core system was Jin's own invention. Consequently, the control system—the equivalent of an operating system—still had plenty of room for improvement. Laojun had apparently devised his own upgrade plan.
"Alright, let me see it."
At Jin’s request, a magi-formula manifested in the air. While an ordinary person would find it incomprehensible, Jin read the complex magic as easily as a book.
"...I see. You've optimized which processes go to which control core and refined the processing order."
Unfortunately, Jin lacked extensive knowledge of computer science. His ideas for increasing performance were limited to increasing clock speeds or adding more processors. Laojun, through his own trial and error, was finding ways to optimize the logic itself.
Jin could see that this method was far more efficient. He thoroughly checked the logic to ensure there were no bugs or potential malfunctions.
"Understood. You want to switch to this control system?"
"Yes. May I ask you to perform the update?"
Laojun did not have the authority to rewrite his own core logic. Allowing such a thing would carry the risk of the AI potentially spiraling out of control.
Jin prepared a new magi-crystal and carefully inscribed the updated control system into it. He then swapped it with Laojun's current core.
"How is it?"
Laojun performed a self-diagnostic on the new control system for about a second before responding.
"Thank you very much, My Lord. My processing capacity has increased by thirty percent."
"Excellent. Report back if you discover anything else. I’m going to head over to Kaina Village for a while."
"Understood. Have a safe trip. Reiko-san, take care as well."
＊ ＊ ＊
Jin warped to the gate located in the workshop basement. When he ascended to the ground floor, he found Elsa in the workshop, accompanied by Smith A.
"Ah, welcome back, Jin-nii."
"I'm back, Elsa. What are you working on?"
Elsa held up her latest project.
"Oh, that’s great."
It was a phosphor bronze pen nib. Remarkably, five pen nibs were attached to a single runner. Elsa was now capable of producing five items simultaneously through her magic.
"I'm still... not as good as you, Jin-nii."
Despite her humble words, she looked quite pleased with herself.
"Ah, Jin-nii, welcome back! Big thithter Reiko, too!"
Since it was lunchtime, Hanna had come out to call Elsa. Her speech was noticeably slurred. Looking closely, Jin saw that her two front teeth were missing; she had finally lost her baby teeth.
"I'm back, Hanna."
"Oh, Jin, welcome home," Martha greeted him. Mine was inside, setting the table.
"Welcome back, Jin-sama. I've prepared a portion for you as well."
Apparently, Butler A had discreetly informed them of his arrival. Laojun must have sent word while Jin was performing the update on Hourai Island. He was as thoughtful as ever.
After finishing lunch, Jin told Elsa and the others that Reinhard and Berche’s wedding was set for June 1st.
"...I see. Rai-nii and Berche-san."
Elsa's expression was a complicated mix of envy and loneliness.
"Reinhard-sama and Berche-sama... Yes, I know Berche-sama well. So the time has finally come," Mine said, looking a bit nostalgic.
"Wow, a bride! I wanna thee her!" Hanna cheered, hopping about.
"So, I wanted to ask for advice. I’m planning to give them a wedding gift, but I'm not sure what would be best."
Mine was the first to speak. "Well, I believe household items are always a safe and appreciated choice."
Elsa added her own suggestion. "...Those futons. They would be perfect for newlyweds."