Even Jin couldn't conjure new magic or magic tools out of thin air through inspiration alone. He decided to take some time to organize his thoughts.
First, however, was lunch. Today’s menu was onigiri.
Back on Earth, there was a theory that only the Japanese possessed the enzymes necessary to digest nori, but in this world, everyone seemed to eat it without issue—at least, all of Jin's companions did.
"The salt... it tastes good."
It seemed Elsa preferred the simple salt-seasoned ones. In that, she and Jin were of one mind.
Almost the moment lunch concluded, Laojun made contact.
『My Lord. Reinhard, Berche, Saki, and Stearena have arrived.』
The entire group that had been in the Shouro Empire had finally gathered. Jin had everyone assemble in the command room on the first basement floor.
"Reinhard, it’s been a while."
"It certainly has. My duties as a lord have finally settled down enough for me to catch my breath..."
Reinhard looked as though he had slight dark circles under his eyes.
"Though Adberg is still working away even today," Berche added.
"My asylum in the Shouro Empire was accepted, and I’ve finally settled in," Stearena reported. "Mr. Toa is a wonderful person, too."
"Kufufu, my father seems to have taken a real liking to Stearena. I'm relieved as well," Saki said.
After chatting about their recent circumstances for a while, Jin moved on to the main topic: the artificial magi-crystals.
He began with an explanation and an apology to Reinhard.
"...And that's how it happened. I'm sorry, Reinhard."
"Gaaah! You were doing something so incredible while I was buried in paperwork!"
Reinhard shouted in mock disappointment, but after listening to Jin’s detailed explanation, he managed to compose himself.
"Well, I suppose it couldn't be helped. So, Laojun is going to give us the report now, right?"
『That is correct. Is everyone ready?』
Everyone nodded in silence.
『Then, allow me to explain. I first turned my attention to Persica juice.』
It was already known that Persica juice—especially the variety grown on Hourai Island—possessed a high concentration of free ether. It was also common knowledge that storing it in a free ether box increased that concentration further.
『While it obviously does not compare to the free ether levels found within a magi-crystal, I believed it would be useful for research purposes.』
Laojun explained that he had proceeded to systematically remove the components from the Persica juice that appeared unnecessary.
First was the sugar. A type of sugar known as fructose was separated using Craft Magic. Next, the dietary fiber was removed. At this stage, the free ether concentration reportedly jumped tenfold.
Then came the vitamins and minerals, such as potassium and iron. This left a substance that was almost entirely water. Roughly ninety percent of a Persica is water content.
『After reducing it down to only the water contained in the Persica and storing it in a free ether box for one day, the concentration increased to approximately 1,200 times its original state.』
"Wait a moment. That '1,200 times' is in comparison to the Persica at the time of harvest, right?"
Saki interrupted Laojun to clarify.
『Yes. I neglected to specify that.』
"Um, could you tell me how you measure the amount of free ether contained within it?" Saki asked further, tilting her head.
『Understood. To put it simply, we convert a set amount of the 'solution' into mana using an ether converter, and then generate magic power with a mana driver. We then compared the duration of that power generation.』
In essence, they converted it into energy and indirectly compared the quantities. In terms of batteries, it was like comparing how many hours each could keep a lightbulb of the same wattage illuminated.
"I see. That makes sense. Thank you."
『Continuing. The free ether concentration at this stage is comparable to a magi-crystal of the same weight. Therefore, I believe that if we can crystallize this 'solution,' it will effectively become a magi-crystal. These are the facts we have determined.』
The group was deeply impressed. Magi-crystals, an essential material in magi craft, might soon be synthesized artificially.
After a brief pause, Laojun resumed his explanation.
『The following is my hypothesis. I believe that in a liquid state, it is easier for free ether to permeate the gaps between molecules than it is in a solid state.』
Jin nodded. He suspected that was the case as well.
"In that case, wouldn't it be possible to just infuse normal water with free ether?"
The question Reinhard voiced was a natural one.
『Regarding that, I believe the water contained in the Hourai Island Persica is an isotope of ordinary water.』
"Ah, I see."
Mithril is an isotope of silver—one where most of the neutrons in the silver nucleus have been replaced by magi-particles.
Light silver is an isotope of titanium—one where most of the neutrons in the titanium nucleus have been replaced by magi-particles.
『I shall refer to such isotopes as 'magi-isotopes.' The hydrogen and oxygen in the water of Hourai Island Persicas are likely magi-isotopes. I suspect the soil of Hourai Island acts as a catalyst to create these magi-isotopes.』
"..."
"......"
"I think I follow, but it's still way over my head..."
Aside from Jin—and perhaps even for Jin himself—it was impossible to verify the truth of Laojun's hypothesis.
Nevertheless, they could all sense that they were standing at a major turning point in the long history of magic and magi craft.
"If we're using it as an energy source, there's no need to solidify it, right?" Jin asked after a short silence.
『Yes. If we slightly modify the ether converter to utilize the free ether from the 'solution' instead of the atmosphere, it should function perfectly.』
"...Ji-Jin, doesn't that mean we could potentially achieve an astronomical output?"
Realizing the implications, Reinhard spoke with an excited tone.
"Yeah. If we refine mana from a 'solution' with a free ether concentration orders of magnitude higher than the air... if we ignore the durability of the mana driver, I think we could get over a hundred times the output."
"......"
The group fell silent once more. They realized anew that this 'solution' was as easy to handle as petroleum on modern-day Earth, yet could provide high output comparable to nuclear fuel.
『My Lord, what should we call this 'solution'?』
Laojun's voice broke the silence.
"...Since it's a solution containing ether, how about 'Ether Water'?"
"Oh, Jin, that's completely lacking in style!" Saki immediately shot him down.
"...AW?" Elsa suggested. The 'A' from ether and the 'W' from water. It was better than Ether Water, but it still didn't feel quite right.
"How about 'Ethenol'?" Stearena proposed. "No, there's no deep meaning behind it, but it sounds like ether and has a nice ring to it..."
"That sounds good. Why not?" Reinhard nodded. Since Reinhard approved, Berche gave her consent as well. Thus, they decided to go with 'Ethenol.'
Returning to the topic at hand.
"Now we just need a way to crystallize the Ethenol."
『Yes. Since it was originally water, it will certainly become a solid if frozen. However, at room temperature, it would simply melt back into a liquid.』
Elsa, having noticed something, spoke up. "...But, natural magi-crystals were supposed to contain mana, not free ether."
"Ah."
『Indeed.』
It seemed Jin and Laojun had made the same mistake. Their previous verification experiments had concluded that mana entered the gaps in materials made of magiatoms.
the Ethenol they had created was a 'solution' where free ether occupied the gaps in a material made of magi-isotopes. They were similar, but distinct.
It was still a tremendously useful discovery, so the result was a success regardless.
『In that case, we simply need to find a way to generate mana with an ether converter and then fix that mana in place.』
"Right. I was wondering if we could learn something from the phenomenon where the color changes depending on the attribute."
Mana itself has no attributes. However, magi-crystals change color based on elements like fire, water, earth, breeze, light, and darkness.
With that as a starting point, they decided to conduct a variety of verifications under Laojun's leadership.
＊ ＊ ＊
After the technical discussion concluded.
"...The demon race again..."
Jin first told Reinhard about Androgias of Frenzy, the demon they had encountered in the Celuroa Kingdom, and then shared information about Arshel the Puppet—information Elsa already knew, but the others did not.
At the same time, he explained the gravity magic, destruction magic, and master-slave magic used by the demons.
"The magic the demon race uses has a different system and structure from ours, so it's taking time to analyze."
He explained that they were currently translating it into the formula format they used.
"So that's what canceled out Androgias's gravity magic the other day." Saki mentioned that she had completely forgotten to ask for an explanation about that later.
"Sorry."
Jin apologized and continued his briefing. While some had heard parts of it already, he wanted to ensure everyone shared the same understanding.