"The food issue—I certainly agree that it is a major concern."
The meeting with a faction of the neutral faction, the Erosion clan, had begun.
Representing the Erosion side were the Clan Chief, Domenikos; his son and successor candidate, Raldo; a steward; and a scribe—four people in total. In addition, about five observers were listening in.
"Regarding that matter, thanks to Jin-dono's efforts, there is now a prospect for self-sufficiency," Belialus explained. "In fact, among the major clans of the moderate faction, there is a prospect of being able to harvest kuromugi—buckwheat—once more before the end of the year."
"Oh...!"
Murmurs rippled through the observers.
One of the primary motives for invading human lands—the desperate need to procure food—was crumbling.
"Does that mean you would be willing to do the same for us?" Domenikos asked, his eyes searching Jin’s face for any sign of hesitation.
"Of course. However, the conditions are that you cease all hostilities against humanity and provide a certain amount of compensation in return."
At Jin’s response, Domenikos’s expression grew slightly troubled.
"Even if you speak of compensation, we have nothing of great value to offer you."
"No, I don't believe that's the case. From what I've heard from Belialus, this region is quite rich in magi-crystals."
"Oh, I see. For a Magi Craft Meister such as yourself, their applications would be infinite."
"Precisely."
In this manner, the initial meeting concluded successfully. Furthermore, the chief promised to summon representatives from other neighboring clans the following day.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Today's meeting went well because that clan was relatively close to the moderate faction even for neutrals, but I expect things to become more difficult from here on."
Back on Hourai Island, Jin and Laojun were holding a strategy session.
"They said they would call representatives from the other nearby clans tomorrow."
It was a golden opportunity to bring them over to their side all at once, but it was also a delicate situation.
"Will you handle the negotiations, Laojun?" Jin asked. He meant, in essence, that he would leave the remote operation of the Body Double to Laojun.
"Understood. I shall humbly accept the task."
"Is there anything you’re lacking for the negotiations?"
"Let's see. Since we are dealing with the neutral faction, I anticipate situations where they may demand a show of strength. It would be ideal to have something appropriate for such an occasion."
Jin recalled how Lucas had picked a fight with him for a similar reason. Considering the meritocratic nature of demon society, he tried to think of something flashy to put on a performance.
"How about the Plasma Sword?"
"It would be impressive, certainly, but revealing too much of our hand may be unwise."
Since they didn't know the full extent of Nega-doll 001's technological capabilities, Laojun advised against showing off their more advanced weaponry.
"I see... I was also considering an airship."
"I believe it would be best to hold off on flaunting our aerial military power for now."
Istalis and Sion’s group knew about the craft, but they likely wouldn't go around spreading the word. Jin decided to look for a different approach.
"Shall we send a large detachment of golems?"
Seeing Jin lost in thought, Laojun proposed an alternative.
"Right, that sounds good. Since Land 1 is already there, let's have units 2 through 20 deployed."
"Understood."
For this occasion, they decided to persuade the clans with quantity over quality.
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes. We are currently in the process of scouting for Nega-doll 001's base. However, because we are prioritizing stealth to avoid detection, progress has been unfortunately slow."
"I see. And?"
"Nevertheless, we have managed to successfully infiltrate. According to our findings, it appears they have caught wind of My Lord's existence. We must consider the possibility that they will take direct action against us."
"Right. So, what do we need for countermeasures?"
Laojun then presented his deductions regarding the actions Nega-doll 001 might take.
"By removing the Agujha needles, My Lord has undoubtedly become a thorn in their side. If that is the case..."
Laojun asserted that they would undoubtedly target Jin’s Double.
"The most likely method would be a surprise attack via teleportation."
They would teleport in, deal a blow, and then escape instantly. This was deemed the highest probability.
While they knew that a magic barrier was effective at preventing teleportation, Jin often deactivated the barrier while staying in demon settlements, though it remained active while they were aboard the Capricorn 1.
"If they teleport a gravity bomb directly into our midst, we won't be able to defend against it," Laojun concluded.
"That's a fair point."
At the moment, the only way to neutralize a gravity bomb was to counter it with opposing gravity magic of equal force to cancel it out.
"Otherwise, we could use a transporter to send it elsewhere, but..."
Transporters were far too large to be considered portable.
"Wait, if the destination is fixed, it might work," Jin said, hit by an idea.
The reason transporters were so massive was that the majority of their circuitry was dedicated to calculating and locking onto varying destinations.
"I see. As expected of My Lord."
"The real challenge is whether we can build an ultra-compact transporter that can react instantaneously."
Information about the destination wasn't the only requirement for transport. The device had to precisely identify the object to be moved. Otherwise, there was a risk of accidentally teleporting parts of the surrounding environment with it.
"It's impossible with human reaction speeds. But Reiko could do it."
The automata and golems Jin had crafted possessed reaction speeds dozens of times faster than any human.
"It would be excellent if we could finalize the design in the shape of a gun."
"Yeah."
Along those lines, Jin and Laojun decided to begin development on a simplified transporter gun as a countermeasure. Since it seemed applicable for neutralizing threats beyond just gravity bombs, they made it a top priority.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Jin, are you there?"
After dinner, while Jin was sketching out concepts in his workshop, Saki arrived. She was alone this time, without Toa.
"Hm? What’s up?"
"Hey. Well, I had a little thought, and I wanted to get your opinion on it."
"What is it?"
Jin was at a bit of a standstill with his own work, so he decided to listen to Saki, thinking it would be a good change of pace.
"Thanks. So, I've been considering various things about mana lines recently, and I'd like your opinion on a few hypotheses I've formed."
Jin remembered that he had been thinking about something similar earlier in the day regarding the interference of teleportation magic.
"Sure, go ahead. I'd love to hear your theory, Saki."
"Heh, being told that makes me a bit embarrassed....Well, first of all..."
The concepts Saki began to describe were remarkably similar to Jin’s own thoughts.
"Mana lines are waves. Therefore, they have a frequency, a wavelength, and a waveform....That's the basic premise."
"Yeah, I completely agree with that."
"Hehe, I'm glad to hear it....So, my idea is that magical attributes might be determined by their frequency."
"What?"
Saki began to explain.
Of the four primary attributes—Earth, Water, Breeze, and Fire—she proposed that the earth attribute had the lowest frequency, while Fire had the highest.
"For example, among the water-attribute, those with low frequencies would manifest as the ice-attribute."
Ice was a solid. Therefore, Saki reasoned it was closer to the earth attribute.
"Hmm, that’s interesting."
"Isn't it? Following that, water-attribute spells with higher frequencies would be those that handle steam."
"Yeah, I follow. But by that logic, what about Breeze and Fire?"
"Hehehe, that's where the knowledge you shared with me comes in. Solids, liquids, and gases. Earth is a solid. Water is ice when it's solid, liquid normally, and a gas when heated. Then, what about Fire?"
There were several interpretations of what fire actually was, but one could see it as a state where heated gas emits light. Saki explained this to Jin with a grin.
"Hmm... That's incredible, Saki."
"Thanks! And there’s more. Breeze is a gas. Fire is also a gas. But what if you heat it even more?"
The answer was plasma.
"I think it might be called lightning in magical terms, but I wanted to hear your opinion on that."
Plasma was ionized gas, and lightning was indeed a type of plasma phenomenon, so Jin nodded in agreement.
"I see! In that case, above that would be Light, and then... would it be Darkness...?"
Saki's voice trailed off. She seemed to have lost her confidence at the end. However, Jin’s response made her face brighten instantly.
"As a phenomenon, it might not be a matter of frequency alone, but I certainly agree with that theory."
"Really! Man, I'm glad I consulted you!...But the idea of Darkness being 'above' Light—well, that would certainly overturn common sense."
Most people believed that the light-attribute stood at the peak of everything, given the image of light dispelling darkness.
"Hmm, but even light cannot escape a black hole, and that is indeed 'darkness.' Even so, frequency bands, huh..."
At that moment, a new idea flashed through Jin's mind.