"Pleased to meet you all."
The Library Golem bowed.
"Your name shall be... Biblio."
"Yes. My name is Biblio. It is a pleasure to be of service."
Jin introduced Head Librarian Ede and Chief Hiro to her and assigned them command authority.
"Biblio, from this point forward, you will support the operations of this library."
"Yes, I understand."
After configuring the command hierarchy, Jin provided Hiro and the others with a more detailed explanation of her capabilities.
"Please utilize her for all library business. She is capable of copying and repairing books."
"Jin-sama, thank you! This will allow us to make great strides in preserving our precious records!"
Jin suggested they display copies of the rarer books while keeping the originals safely in storage. Hiro, Mii, and Ede all listened with solemn, attentive faces.
"Once she reads a book, she will have its contents memorized. Her capacity is roughly ten thousand volumes, assuming a hundred pages per book."
"T-Ten thousand...?"
Ede was stunned into silence. Hiro and Mii were equally unable to mask their shock. Even by generous estimates, the library held only about two thousand books.
"One last thing—maintenance for Biblio can be performed by the maintenance golems at the Factory."
"Oh, truly? That is a tremendous help!"
In truth, since her motive power sections were made of magi-resin, she was essentially maintenance-free and wouldn't require attention unless she suffered a major malfunction.
"Perhaps we should have Biblio wear this."
Jin decided to dress her in the library staff uniform. A random bystander might be alarmed to see a golem suddenly roaming about, but a uniform would help ease that shock.
"Oh, it actually suits her quite well."
"Thank you very much."
Accompanied by the now-clothed Biblio, Jin's group toured the library.
"I see, the air conditioning is well-regulated."
He could feel that the temperature and humidity were being held constant. He checked the backup storage area and found it air-conditioned as well. With a little fine-tuning, it would be perfect for long-term preservation. Jin spent about ten minutes recalibrating the air-conditioning magic tools.
"Jin-sama, thank you for everything!"
"Don't mention it. I gave you my word, after all."
Now that he had fulfilled his promises, Jin felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He didn't, however, mention that every book Biblio memorized was being transmitted to Laojun.
We'll be keeping our own backups of the important and precious texts, Jin thought to himself, bowing his head slightly as an internal apology.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at leisure. They sat down for tea and idle conversation, joined by Mii. Mii spoke of Mitsuho and the neighboring towns. Saki described the Shouro Empire. Hanna shared stories about Kaina Village. Elsa occasionally chimed in or provided additional context for Saki’s tales. Jin was content to remain the listener.
"Saki-san, you're so incredibly knowledgeable!"
"D-Do you really think so?"
"Yes! And the fact that you don't brag about it is so charming!"
"Ch-Charming...?"
Jin felt there was a certain nuance to the conversation he’d prefer not to analyze too deeply. It was a pleasant afternoon, and they lost track of time as they enjoyed each other's company.
＊ ＊ ＊
The day of their departure, April 14th, arrived. The area in front of the Guest House was packed with people who had come to see them off. Word of their departure had leaked, and the sheer number of well-wishers had turned the area into a chaotic scene. Amidst the bustle, Chief Hiro arrived as promised, bringing samples of mercury and alum, as well as taps, dies, and soap.
"...That’s quite a lot."
There were about ten liters each of mercury and alum in large containers. The taps and dies came in two sets for every size from 2 millimeters to 10 millimeters in 1-millimeter steps. There were also ten boxes of soap, ten kilograms each.
That was fine, but then came the provisions.
"Is this all for us?"
Five bags of rice, totaling roughly a hundred kilograms. Ten kilograms of binpei—their local miso. Two kilograms each of dried meat and fish. And five ten-liter containers of water.
"Well, we can load it."
They could stack items on the roof; as long as they covered the cargo with waterproof leather to protect it from the rain, it wouldn't be an issue. There was also storage space under the floorboards, which Jin used for the samples and tools. By stuffing things between the seats, he managed to fit everything in. Thanks to the golem arm suspension, the automobile didn't even sag under the load.
"It might be a little cramped, so please bear with it for a bit."
"Hehe, it can't be helped."
Finally, they were ready to depart. As Jin and the others climbed into the vehicle, a chorus of voices rose from the crowd.
"All hail the 'Magi Craft Meister'!"
"Jin-sama, thank you for everything!"
"Jin-sama, please come back and see us!"
"Jin-sama, you have my deepest respect!"
"Elsa-san, Saki-san, we'll miss you...!"
Accompanied by a wave of voices, the automobile began to move slowly. It followed the highway as it curved around Lake Sayama. Even after the vehicle had disappeared from sight, the crowd of well-wishers remained where they were for a long while.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...That was fun, wasn't it?"
"...Mm."
"Yes!"
"...It was."
The few days spent in the town of Miyako had become an unforgettable memory for everyone. At the same time, Jin had been reminded that even advanced technology would be lost to time if there were no successors to carry it forward.
The automobile sped down the highway. Since they had sent the excess cargo to Hourai Island along the way, the interior was now much more comfortable. They passed through Kure and stopped for the night in Inno. Even at a leisurely pace, they arrived in the early afternoon. It seemed word of their coming had traveled ahead of them from Miyako, as the local residents turned out in droves to welcome them.
"Onii-chan, you're so popular!"
"Well, Father is the Magi Craft Meister, after all!"
At the inn in Inno, Reiko spent her time playing with Hanna. Jin let the sound of their chatter fade into the background as he looked ahead to the rest of the journey.
"Starting tomorrow, it's the roadless wilds. But since they say there used to be a highway through there, some remnants must still exist. The route 'Watcher' spotted from orbit should be the right one."
"Mm. I agree."
"Jin, how does the map we received look?"
Elsa and Saki were equally curious about what lay ahead. While the journey wouldn't be without its risks, it was hard to imagine anything that could truly threaten them now.
"Yeah, essentially we'll be skirting around the base of the mountains to the northwest."
Jin added that the route appeared to have very little change in elevation.
"In any case, we start tomorrow."
Jin felt a sense of excitement. Since arriving in this world, he had mostly visited places that Quinta or the SP units had already scouted, traveling via Warp Gate, transporter, or airplane. This time, while there had been some preliminary research, it was on an entirely different level. Jin was genuinely looking forward to the travel for travel's sake.
Once we get back from this trip, things are going to get busy again...
The days would come when he would have to focus entirely on spaceship development and the World Conference. He didn't mind the work, but there was no denying that these days of freedom were the most enjoyable of all. Without letting those thoughts show, Jin looked toward the horizon, anticipating the journey that awaited them.