The Capricorn 1 glided smoothly across the plains. For the moment, Jin and the others decided to settle in for breakfast.
"Ah, there’s nothing like a warm drink in weather like this."
Though the interior was set to a comfortable twenty-two degrees Celsius, the sight of the frozen wasteland stretching beyond the windows made the air feel colder than it actually was.
The Tsusuru Plateau spanned roughly 180 kilometers at its widest point. Traveling at only five kilometers per hour, it was impossible to say when the Capricorn 1 would finally reach Mount Giirutse.
"Hmm. It would be a waste not to take advantage of this clear weather."
Jin could easily imagine their visibility being swallowed by another blizzard within half a day.
"Land 1, I authorize you to proceed using the force generator."
"Is that acceptable, Master?"
"Yeah. This is the North—a land with a high concentration of free ether. We won't run out of gas... or rather, mana."
With that, the Capricorn 1 began to hover over the snow’s surface, propelled by the force generator. Their speed increased to fifty kilometers per hour. At this rate, they would reach Mount Giirutse in just over two hours.
"Reiko, can you tell how high the free ether concentration is?"
Having suddenly taken an interest, Jin questioned his daughter.
"Let’s see... using human settlements as a baseline, it is easily five times higher, Father."
"That much?"
In that case, Jin judged it would be perfectly safe to keep the Capricorn 1’s massive frame flying.
Outside the window, the snowy expanse was dotted with forests of rime-covered trees, jagged rock masses, and small hills.
"Hehe, I bet we're the first humans to ever set foot this far north," Saki muttered in a cheerful tone.
"Mm. I’m not as technical as Jin-nii, but just being able to see this view makes me glad I came," Elsa agreed from beside her, her eyes fixed on the landscape.
"Ah, look at that!"
Sion's surprised voice suddenly rang out.
"What is it, Sion?"
Jin moved to Sion's side and looked out the window with her. In the direction she was pointing, something was moving.
"...A dragon?"
It was a dragon with a white back and a brown belly, shaped much like a giant iguana.
"A Grandragon," Jin noted.
It was the same species that Reiko and Anne had defeated once before. Their silhouettes were unmistakable.
"So they change color like that in the winter. I didn't know that," Jin mused.
The Grandragon was known as the natural predator of the Hekatonkheir. About ten of them were lumbering in the distance.
"Let’s pass by before they notice us."
It wasn't that they couldn't fight them, but Jin had no desire to pick a fight unnecessarily. He didn't want to waste any more time.
"That’s a good idea."
"Yeah, I agree."
"Mm, that’s wise."
With everyone in agreement, they bypassed the Grandragons while watching them from the corners of their eyes. Since they were moving via the force generator, the lack of engine noise was a distinct advantage. Within five minutes, the pack had vanished from sight.
After another thirty minutes of travel, Mount Giirutse finally began to loom large on the horizon.
"I hope we can find it while the sky is still clear..."
Just as Jin muttered those words, Reiko called out.
"Father, more dragons ahead to the right!"
"What?"
Looking in that direction, he saw two pure white dragons feasting on something.
"No way..."
"Could those be... Frost Dragons?" Sion asked, her voice tight with tension.
"Those are Frost Dragons? If so, then what they’re eating must be..."
It might be the very thing they were looking for: the shed skin of the Ancient Dragon.
"Father, I will go and scout the situation using Invisible."
In this situation, the small, stealthy Reiko was far better suited for the task than the bulky Capricorn 1.
"Alright, be careful. Don't provoke them. And just in case, take a transporter gun with you."
"Yes, I understand."
Jin ordered the Capricorn 1 to move a bit further away and come to a stand still. Reiko then slipped out through the airlock.
"I hope she finds what we're looking for," Saki muttered worriedly while they waited.
Ten minutes later, Reiko returned.
"I am back."
"Oh, how was it?...Whoa, that’s intense."
The moment Reiko stepped into the cabin, frost instantly crystallized over her body. It clung to her hair, clothes, and shoes—the parts that didn't generate heat. The frost quickly melted into dew, dripping onto the floor.
"Dry."
Jin immediately used Craft Magic to dry her off.
"Thank you, Father."
"So, what did you find?"
"Since you instructed me not to provoke the Frost Dragons, this was all I could retrieve."
Reiko held out three scraps, each about ten centimeters square.
"By the time I arrived, the majority of the skin had already been eaten."
"I see. That’s a shame, but it can't be helped."
Jin gently patted Reiko’s head to reward her for her hard work.
"Land 1, resume our advance."
The Capricorn 1 began moving again in search of a more complete specimen.
"...Jin, is this really the 'strongest' material?" Saki asked, tilting her head as she examined one of the scraps Reiko had brought back. "It feels like it would tear if I just pulled on it. Besides, if those Frost Dragons are eating it, then..."
That would imply it was weaker than a Frost Dragon's teeth. Jin had considered that as well. However, he had already grasped a hint toward the answer.
"Yeah, about that. Saki, remember what you brought up yesterday?"
"Hmm? What was it?"
"The talk about the strength of metals."
A look of realization dawned on Saki's face. "Ah, right! The thing we talked about with Alectas!"
The topic had been what truly determines the strength of a material.
"To put it simply, isn't it the bonding force between atoms?" Saki said confidently.
Jin shook his head. "No... it shouldn't be that simple. If I recall, the hierarchy of bonding strength goes: covalent, then ionic, then metallic."
"So... salt, or sodium chloride, is an ionic bond?" Elsa joined the discussion. Sion, whose scientific knowledge was roughly at a primary school level, could do nothing but listen in silence.
"I believe so. Salt crystals are hard, but they're incredibly brittle. So, strength can't be defined by bonding force alone."
"Hmm, I see. Then..."
The macro-scale phenomena they saw daily and the micro-scale phenomena of atoms and molecules often followed different rules, making simple analogies difficult. Yet, they continued to speculate, trying to close in on the truth.
"In terms of hardness, carbon bonds are the sturdiest, which is why diamonds are so hard—but they are also brittle."
When discussing hardness and strength, one had to consider testing methods and units. Mohs hardness, for example, measures which material scratches another. Diamonds are a 10, while quartz is a 7.
"However, if you hit a diamond with an iron hammer—which has a much lower Mohs hardness—the diamond will shatter."
In terms of impact resistance, diamonds were surprisingly weak.
"Ugh, this is difficult," Saki groaned, cradling her head.
"That's where free ether comes in," Jin explained. "Neutral free ether can permeate any substance, fitting between molecules and atoms. What would happen if you could give that free ether a specific direction or vector?"
This was the theory Jin had been refining.
"I believe the keys to ultimate strength are the force generator and the barrier."
"Huh? J-Jin, that's way too big a leap! I can't keep up!" Saki cried out.
Elsa, however, seemed to catch his drift. "...You mean, if a barrier could be deployed in any shape you desired?"
"Exactly! That's it, Elsa."
Elsa had guessed Jin's thought perfectly.
"I-In other words," Sion said, rephrasing it into simpler terms, "you're saying the Ancient Dragon's shed skin can produce the same effect as a barrier?"
"If that's the case, it truly might be the strongest material in existence..." Saki whispered, sounding deeply impressed. "Jin, you really are incredible. You truly are the Magi Craft Meister."