On Hourai Island.
Laojun was busy categorizing and summarizing the various items and information they had gathered during their recent expedition. Jin was right there with him.
『First and foremost...』
"The soba," Jin interjected, his face lighting up with joy. Whatever Laojun had intended to say remained unknown.
『...Yes, the buckwheat. I intend to sow the seeds immediately.』
Buckwheat preferred cooler climates. Although Hourai Island was located in a subtropical zone, the mid-slopes of Mount Hourai, a 3,000-meter peak, provided the perfect environment.
『I shall establish buckwheat fields at an elevation of approximately 2,000 meters.』
At that altitude, it was possible to harvest buckwheat all year round.
『I plan to prepare three separate fields. By rotating them so that one lies fallow while the other two are in use, we can maintain the land.』
This would prevent soil depletion and crop failure from repeated cultivation.
『Please look forward to our first harvest in two months.』
"Yeah, I will."
Jin considered trying to cultivate it in Kaina Village next year as well. To do that, however, they first had to increase their seed stock. The seeds they had received from the All-Creation clan were limited; for now, they had only enough for planting. Eating the noodles would have to wait until after the harvest.
『Next, and quite significantly, are the Grandragon scales and hide.』
"I agree."
『Both possess extraordinary resistance to magic.』
Their resistance was so high that mid-level attack magic couldn't leave a single scratch. Even Gravity Magic was notably less effective against them.
『The scales from the head and the hide from the chest are particularly remarkable.』
"Did you figure out how they work?" Jin asked.
『Yes, the analysis is ongoing, but I have grasped the general principle.』
"Oh, that's impressive. Well?"
『It is a combination of a natural magic barrier and a Magi-Jammer.』
"Meaning...? I can sort of guess, but go on."
『Certainly. The material acts much like a catalyst, constantly converting the surrounding mana into free ether. Along with providing physical defense, it converts the opponent's mana into ether, allowing the creature to recycle that energy for its own use.』
Since magic used mana as its energy source, converting that mana into ether effectively decomposed the spell. And because the creature could then convert that ether back into mana for its own consumption, it was quite literally killing two birds with one stone.
"That's incredible."
If they could master this principle, it would serve as a massive defensive wall against magic. In a sense, it was a physical form of Magic Cancel.
『At the very least, any protective gear fashioned from these scales or hides will possess exceptional anti-magic properties.』
"Understood. Keep up the research."
『Thirdly, there is that mystery metal.』
They had sent back a sample—a fragment from when the door had been cut away.
"Right. That was a metal I've never seen on Earth."
In this world, perhaps because free ether acted as a nucleon, there were substances Jin didn't recognize. While the Predecessor Magi Craft Meister, Adriana Barbora Tsetse, had known most of them, some unknown materials still existed.
"It was likely abundant on Hale, the planet where the ancestors of humans and the demon race reportedly originated."
Its mechanical properties were similar to iron, but its melting point was abnormally high—roughly 5,000 degrees Celsius. It was no wonder it had been used for spacecraft.
"I can't think of many immediate uses for it, though."
『Fourth is the illusion barrier.』
"Right."
It was a system that used mana lines to create three-dimensional stereoscopic projections. One of its key features was that it didn't just fool the eyes; it could also deceive hearing by manipulating sound reflections.
『Research is ongoing, but I believe we will be able to reproduce it soon.』
"Please do."
『Fifth would be the furs.』
"Ah, yes."
They had acquired a large number of Snow Tiger and Rock Ice Rabbit pelts. Both were nearly pure white; Jin suspected they would be a massive hit with the women if made into coats. He found himself imagining that Elsa, in particular, would wear one quite gracefully.
As for the artifacts corresponding to cameras and watches that Sion had mentioned before the expedition, they hadn't had time to analyze them yet. Jin intended to examine them thoroughly during his next visit.
"Finally, there's the Teleportation Magic."
『Indeed. While it is limited to visible locations or places marked with a marker, it is quite effective.』
Even the transporters required precise destination coordinates. In short, if a solid object occupied the destination point, the teleportation would fail. Experiments had shown that the object being teleported would be bounced back to its origin. Since they had only used stone for these tests, they weren't sure what would happen to living organisms. They were still researching why gases allowed for successful transport while liquids and solids did not.
『If we prepare a magi-crystal dedicated to Teleportation Magic and establish a specialized return point, I believe we can ensure success. Anything beyond that is still beyond our reach.』
"Even so, it'll be invaluable for emergency escapes. Work toward making it practical."
『Understood.』
"One more thing regarding the Grandragon materials—could we use them to neutralize or weaken gravity bombs?"
『How so?』
"Maybe by covering the bombs with a sheet made of the scales or hide, or placing them in a container made of the same."
His thought was that if they could weaken the effect, they could minimize the potential damage.
『That is a possibility. We shall investigate it.』
Finally, there was the analysis of the "drug that thins one's will and compels obedience." Regarding this, they were at a complete loss.
『I offer my deepest apologies.』
Even for someone as capable as Laojun, Jin—the source of his knowledge—was unfamiliar with chemistry and pharmacology. Analyzing unknown chemical substances was simply beyond them. It was regrettable, but they had to accept that it was a drug they didn't yet understand.
Having finished the review, Jin took a breather. All that remained was the report concerning the Negadoll.
"I'm going to grab lunch before we continue."
Jin stepped out from the underground command room. The late summer sun beat down on Hourai Island. Standing under the clear blue sky, Jin stretched his limbs.
"Jin-nii."
"Jin."
Hearing voices from behind, Jin turned around and blinked.
"Oh!"
There stood Elsa and Saki, both dressed in yukatas.
"I've taken a liking to this style. It's quite cool," Saki said. Her navy blue yukata featured a refreshing bamboo pattern, tied with a yellow obi.
"...How do I look?" Elsa asked. Her navy blue yukata had a bellflower pattern, paired with an orange obi. "...I made it myself."
She had used the one Jin had given her as a reference to sew her own.
"You both look wonderful in them."
"...I'm glad."
"Kufufu, you think so?"
It was a simple compliment, but both women beamed with happiness.
"...Today, we have hiyamugi noodles."
"Oh?"
Jin had nearly given up on Japanese-style noodles since they hadn't found soy sauce yet. Elsa's words made him wide-eyed with surprise.
"...Perido Leader apparently extracted something similar from the miso and adjusted it."
Miso and soy sauce were practically siblings. During a company trip Jin had taken back on Earth, he had visited Takayama. Takayama was famous for its Hoba Miso and its morning markets. At those markets, families sold their own "home-style miso," and some of them had a flavor remarkably similar to soy sauce. Jin had always been fond of that particular variety.
"I'm looking forward to this."
He walked back toward the Mansion with the two women. Waiting for them there was Perido Leader, who, for some reason, was dressed in a Japanese-style maid outfit—a kimono with an apron and her sleeves tied back with tasuki cords.
"It is still a prototype, but I managed to produce a small amount of soy sauce, so I used it to make a dipping sauce. The dashi is made from niboshi."
"Wow, I can't wait."
Served on bamboo mats were piles of thin, snow-white noodles. Pieces of ice were nestled among them to keep them chilled.
"Let's eat."
The three sat in the tatami room and began their meal. Although Elsa and Saki had been practicing diligently with chopsticks, they still struggled slightly with the thin, slippery hiyamugi.
"Yeah, this is great."
It wasn't exactly the taste Jin remembered from home, but it was more than delicious enough.
A wind chime hanging from the eaves gave a light, clear ring. Late summer on Hourai Island was truly peaceful.