September 4.
The Capricorn 1 had departed the eastern reaches of the Gondoa Continent, home to the demon race, and was now striking out toward the west.
Jin had been visiting the demon lands for half a month now, primarily through the use of his Body Double.
Starting with the Gospel clan, he had already liberated the All-Creation and Puppet clans from the control of Negadoll 001 and its Agujha.
Since then, he had freed forty members of the Deep clan, thirty-five of the Eternity clan, twenty-eight of the Toying clan, thirty-five of the Unchanging clan, and thirty-one of the Twilight clan, establishing friendly ties with the core groups of the moderate faction.
“...That was a lot of work,” Jin muttered in the command room on Hourai Island.
Because the Agujha still held sway over the Deep, Eternity, Toying, and Unchanging clans, he had been forced to immobilize their members with Paralyze first before racing to extract the needles. The Twilight clan, much like the All-Creation clan, had already managed to slip the bonds of control on their own.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Nurse 1 and Nurse 2, each clan was liberated within half a day. The people were so grateful they practically worshiped the Magi Craft Meister.
Jin had left fifteen Agrii—the agricultural golems he could now assemble with his eyes closed—with each clan, along with barrier generators to ward off frost damage.
With these large and influential clans—which represented roughly half of the one thousand demons in the moderate faction—now counted as allies, it was safe to say the eastern reaches of the Gondoa Continent were effectively unified under the moderate banner.
The time had finally come to head to the western side of the continent to persuade the neutral faction.
The current breakdown was roughly three hundred moderates, three hundred neutrals, and four hundred radicals. If he could pull the neutrals to his side, his hand in negotiations with the radicals would be significantly strengthened.
The expedition party consisted of the Double, Reiko, Anne, and Land 1. They were accompanied by Belialus of the Puppet clan, who had volunteered to aid the demon race’s cause.
His primary role was that of a guide. While Jin and his team understood the geography, they had no way of knowing exactly where each clan’s settlement was located. Belialus, being relatively well-versed in the continent's layout, had stepped forward to help.
“To be perfectly honest, I am also worried about the missing Arshel,” Belialus admitted with surprising candor.
Arshel, who controlled the giant earwigs known as Gigantoavrum and had previously attacked Gloria’s group in the Klein Kingdom, was Belialus’s much younger sister.
“While most of the Puppet clan have gray hair and yellow eyes, she was born with black hair and red eyes. She looks more like a member of the Frenzy clan. She began to believe she didn't truly belong with us and eventually fled our home.”
He worried that the radicals might have preyed upon her feelings of isolation. “Even though she can tame Gigantoavrum and use Teleportation Magic, she is still only forty-three—a mere child.”
For context, the average lifespan of a demon was roughly five times that of a human. At forty-three, she was the equivalent of an eight-year-old human child. While their physical growth didn't map perfectly to human metrics, it was said that demons rarely achieved mental maturity until they reached eighty, despite their high intelligence.
“If possible, I want to find her and bring her back.”
Jin could sympathize with his plight; he understood the protective instincts of an older brother.
The Capricorn 1 maintained its steady westward course toward the Erosion clan, a neutral faction.
“They are one of the neutral clans most sympathetic to the moderates,” Belialus explained. “They are the perfect choice for our first contact.”
Guided by Belialus, they turned inland.
“Do you see those small hills? They live right at the foot of them.”
The “hills” were more like gentle swells in the earth, and nestled at their base was the home of the Erosion clan—a small group of about thirty people.
The Capricorn 1 came to a halt about two kilometers away at two o'clock in the afternoon.
“Now then, how shall we approach this?” the Double asked.
“I’ll head in first,” Belialus offered.
“Understood. Anne, go with him.”
“Yes, Master,” Anne replied.
Since Jin was currently controlling the Double directly, both Reiko and Anne addressed it as “Father” or “Master” as if he were physically present.
“Apologies.”
Belialus and Anne stepped off the Capricorn 1 and began running toward the settlement.
“Well, how will they react?”
As they ran, Jin’s thoughts drifted back to the latest intelligence from Laojun. Laojun had been using the upgraded Laozi to track the movements of Negadoll 001.
According to the report, there were two other sites besides the one Reiko had found. Both lay far to the west in the ice-covered regions.
“One is quite large and likely serves as their headquarters. The other is positioned near the radical demon settlements, making it a likely frontline base.”
“I see. That seems highly likely.”
Jin had confirmed the locations on the map.
“It claims to be ‘001,’ but we haven’t seen any others.”
“Indeed. No. 700672 believed they had all been Erased. Even if a few survived, there are probably only one or two at most.”
While their low numbers were an advantage, the existence of two bases meant the enemy could simply teleport away if Jin launched a direct assault. He needed a way to block their movements. He couldn't simply destroy all the markers since their locations were unknown—though he had at least cleared the one at No. 700672’s location.
“The Heavenly Ship... a truly priceless ancient relic. I’d love to take a proper look at it once this is all over,” Jin muttered to himself before returning to the problem at hand.
“Teleportation requires the user to sense the destination through mana. If I can mask those signals, I can stop them from jumping. That means I need a Jammer...”
Jin knew that mana—or mana lines—shared wave properties with electromagnetic radiation. They possessed frequency, wavelength, and waveform. Magic patterns were essentially unique signatures created by the combination of those three factors.
As he spiraled deeper into these technical calculations, a new development occurred in the demon territory.
“I’ve heard back from Anne,” the Double said. “It seems the Agujha in the Erosion clan are also dormant.”
“Excellent. Land 1, move the Capricorn 1 forward slowly.”
“Roger.”
The vehicle crawled forward at fifteen kilometers per hour, stopping five hundred meters from the settlement.
“We’ll walk the rest of the way,” Jin decided, thinking it best not to appear too aggressive. “We’ll bring fifty kilograms of wheat as a gift. Reiko, if you would.”
“Yes, Father.”
The Double, Reiko, and the two Nurses stepped off the vehicle and began the trek toward the village.
The Double wore a dull brown, hooded coat. While it wasn't much to look at, it was crafted from Grandragon hide—a prototype from Hourai Island designed for high magic resistance. It was only fitting that the Double, being on the front lines, should wear it.
They reached the entrance in ten minutes, where Anne and Belialus were already waiting with several members of the Erosion clan.
“Welcome, Magi Craft Meister Jin-dono. I am Domenikos, the Clan Chief of the Erosion clan.”
Domenikos was a diminutive elderly man with thinning golden hair and eyes that had lost much of their luster.
“The voices and the pain that once ruled us suddenly vanished the other day,” Domenikos said, taking Jin’s hand. “I am told it was your doing. I can never thank you enough.”
He then introduced a middle-aged couple.
“This is my son and his wife. My son is set to succeed me soon.”
“I am Raldo,” the man said.
“And I am Yeminiena,” the woman added.
Both were small for their race; it seemed to be a characteristic of their clan.
“Please, come to my mansion.”
Domenikos invited them in and led the way, followed by the Double, Reiko, Anne, Belialus, and the Nurses, with Raldo and Yeminiena bringing up the rear.
The mansion was a three-story stone building in the center of the village, standing out amongst the mostly single-story dwellings.
Once inside, the party noted that the temperature and humidity were kept noticeably higher than outside.
“Please, make yourselves comfortable.”
They were shown into a simple but tastefully decorated reception room. The first step of the negotiations with the neutral faction was officially underway.