That same evening, after being officially granted the title of Magi Craft Meister in the Shouro Empire, Jin returned to Hourai Island for a brief stay.
There, he set about reviewing his long-standing plans with his inner circle: Laojun, the magi-brain who managed the island; Reiko, his masterpiece automata; and Anne, an automata dating back to the era of the Great Magic War.
『I agree. I believe that is an excellent idea, My Lord.』
"Reiko, what do you think?" Jin asked, seeking the opinion of the one who had also served his predecessor.
"Yes, Father. I believe it is a very good idea."
"And you, Anne?"
"Yes, Master. I believe your plan is sound."
"I see..."
Jin’s plan was to establish a "holy land for magi craft" and open it to the public, transcending the boundaries of nations.
The predecessor Magi Craft Meister, Adriana Barbora Tsetse, had harbored a dream of transforming Hourai Island into a holy land for magi craft. However, that dream never came to fruition, and Adriana had passed away in disappointment. Having become the second generation after a thousand years, Jin had resolved in his heart to one day carry out his predecessor's final wishes.
However, unlike in the predecessor's time, the Hourai Island where Jin now resided had risen due to crustal deformation and expanded in size. Furthermore, with the addition of Jin’s knowledge, it had come to possess world-class military power. Opening such a place to the general public would be fraught with danger.
To that end, Jin was consulting the others about whether he should officially open Kunlun Island—which had been prepared as a decoy for Hourai Island—to the public instead.
"However, regarding the use of Kunlun Island—might I suggest otherwise?"
"Eh?"
Anne raised an unexpected objection.
"Based on what I have heard, even Kunlun Island far exceeds the standards of the current world."
"Well, that’s true."
"Once opened to the public, there is no telling what sort of people would come and go. Such a high level of technology would only breed envy and potentially spark conflict."
"I see..."
No matter the era, there would always be individuals, organizations, or nations with a bottomless desire for possession. The technology and materials present on Hourai and Kunlun Islands would be coveted by every country. If that happened, it wouldn't be surprising for nations to prioritize their own interests above all else.
"I believe the idea of creating a holy land for magi craft is wonderful in itself," Anne began, providing a preamble before stating her thoughts. "Because of the Great Magic War, the world's culture and civilization have regressed compared to three hundred years ago. Returning it to the pre-war level was the pretext used by that Unifilar group. However, not everything about the world three hundred years ago was necessarily wonderful. Therefore, you should leave looking back at the past to the Unifilar—or rather, the current Nostalgia. You, Master, should look toward the future."
"The future, huh..."
Jin understood what Anne was trying to say. He didn't necessarily have to do the exact same thing as his predecessor. The historical context was different now.
"In that case, what should we do...?"
『My Lord, if that is the case, we should use a place where no territorial claims can ever be made.』
What Laojun said made sense. The problem was whether such a place existed.
『One option is the bottom of the sea.』
"What?"
Laojun’s suggestion was so sudden that it caught Jin off guard. However, there was the example of Shinkai, the Warp Gate intermediate base. It wasn't a completely absurd idea. If it were on the ocean floor, no country would go out of its way to claim it as their territory. In the first place, they wouldn't have the means to utilize it.
『The other is in the air.』
"Huh?"
Jin was truly surprised this time. Could they float something that large in the air...? But as expected, he quickly overcame his shock and grasped what Laojun was getting at.
"I see. Analysis of Gravity Magic has progressed, hasn't it?"
『Yes, My Lord. Given the concept of a 'space station' found in your knowledge, building such a structure in space would ensure that no country could claim it as their territory.』
"That may be so, but..."
Jin felt that was perhaps going a bit too far, and he had doubts about suddenly launching a space station.
"Is the top of a large ship not an option?"
Reiko offered her opinion, but Laojun rejected it.
『Reiko-san, unfortunately, a ship will inevitably sway, making it unsuitable for research and the like.』
"Ah, that's true..."
If the platform swayed, precision research would be impossible. Thus, the ship proposal was discarded.
『If I may, there is also the option of the far north.』
The "far north" Laojun spoke of was, in essence, the land of the demon race. While it certainly didn't belong to any human nation, it wasn't a realistic choice.
『And there is one more.』
The keyword "land of the demon race" seemed to have sparked a new candidate in Laojun's mind.
"Where?"
『The former Leonard Kingdom.』
"Ah, that place..."
This was a fact they had learned some time ago while pursuing the demon race mage Laldus the Jest, who had been with the Klein Kingdom noble Earl Walter. The Leonard Kingdom that was supposed to exist there had perished long ago.
『If it is a fallen nation, it currently belongs to no country. How about it?』
"Hmm, I see... but before that, why did the Leonard Kingdom fall?"
He had sent the Quinta to investigate, but had they found anything? For not just a country to fall, but for its people to disappear entirely, was no ordinary matter. War, plague, massacre... several things could be considered, but none of them would lead to such a thorough destruction.
『Yes, according to the investigation results so far, it does not seem that they died.』
"What?"
『The conclusion drawn from the Quinta's investigation is that in the case of disease or massacre, it would be impossible to make corpses, bones, and ashes vanish so cleanly.』
Laojun explained that the way they disappeared was as if they had migrated somewhere en masse.
『There were no signs of destruction found in the remaining buildings either.』
"Could you not hear anything from the people who were left?"
『It seems they were not the original citizens of the kingdom. They appeared to be immigrants from other countries and knew nothing.』
The investigation into the cause of the Leonard Kingdom's fall had reached a dead end.
"Until the cause is known, we should avoid stepping into the former Leonard Kingdom recklessly."
『That would likely be for the best.』
That being the case, there weren't many good candidates left.
"Please show me a map for a moment."
At Anne's request, Laojun projected the current map onto the magi-screen on the wall. After staring at it intently, Anne pointed to a single spot.
"How about here?"
Small islands were scattered across the sea east of the Leonard Kingdom. Anne was pointing to one of those islands. It was in a position that could clearly be judged as being within the former Leonard Kingdom’s territory, and its size was about the same as Kunlun Island—manageable.
『Indeed, that is an uninhabited island. There are no dangerous large animals, and resources are reasonably abundant.』
Hourai Island and Kunlun Island were roughly on the Tropic of Cancer, and this island was also located nearly on the same line, meaning the climate could be considered similar.
"Hmm, would developing that place into the 'Holy Land' be the best option?"
『Yes, I also believe that after considering various merits and demerits, it would be the most suitable.』
Laojun eventually gave his approval.
"Alright. Then we’ll leave Hourai Island as it is, accessible only to my 'family.' Kunlun Island will be treated as a villa. And that island... let's call it 'Fusou.'"
Fusou was also the name of a legendary island where immortals were said to dwell.
『Understood. Then, shall we build a facility on Fusou Island on the same scale as the original laboratory on Hourai Island?』
"Yeah, make sure the site is large from the start so we can expand later. Also, consider the location carefully so that we can build ships and such."
『Understood. May I proceed with the development within Fusou Island as appropriate?』
"Yeah, go ahead. Also, let's prepare some dedicated golems."
『Yes, leave it to me.』
Jin decided on the general policy and left the details to Laojun and Anne.
Because of this, a new era of magi-engineering would soon arrive.
Looking out the laboratory window at the colors of the spreading dawn, Jin smiled to himself, knowing he was about to get very busy once again.