"So that they aren't forgotten... is that it?"
Reiko was the first to speak up in response to the words of the automaton Baseth IX. She sounded uncharacteristically somber, as if the sentiment had struck a deep chord within her.
"They say a person only truly dies once they've been forgotten by everyone," Jin murmured, reflecting on the weight of preserving memories.
Goose resonated with the thought. "Indeed. My parents are gone, but I believe their teachings live on through me."
Saki nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I can understand that too." She, too, had lost her mother at a young age.
"My daddy and mommy, and Grandpa too... I'll never, ever forget them!" Hanna cried out, her voice thick with emotion and resolve.
"We've gotten a bit off-track," Jin said, trying to clear the heavy air. He turned back to Baseth IX. "What was your other mission?"
"Yes. After a long period of contemplation, I reached the conclusion that maintaining this facility was my purpose. I have been waiting for the arrival of someone worthy of having this place bequeathed to them. Then, you appeared."
Baseth IX had observed the automobile Jin and the others used; judging the level of technology required to build it, he had deemed Jin's skills comparable to those once held by House Tierra.
"From this moment, I shall Stand Still. Once I have, please Wake up me using your own mana. By doing so, I shall become your servant."
As soon as he finished speaking, Baseth IX cut his own power. As he began to topple forward, Reiko caught him and gently laid him on the floor.
"Father, please fulfill this automaton's 'will,'" Reiko requested. It was rare for her to advocate for another like this; she likely saw a reflection of her own existence in the machine.
"Yeah, I know."
Jin gave a short nod and performed a quick diagnostic on the prone Baseth IX before restarting him.
"Ho..." Jin let out a soft sound of admiration. He spoke loud enough for the others to hear. "He doesn't have a magi reactor, but he possesses a remarkably efficient ether converter and mana driver. That said, there are many design choices here that differ from the Hourai Island style."
This confirmed that the automaton had developed along a technological lineage distinct from that of the Predecessor.
"He seems to have been well-maintained over the years. A simple restart should suffice....'Wake up.'"
Jin intentionally used the older form of the keyword.
"...Yes, 'My Lord.'"
Like Laojun and Taihaku before him, Baseth IX addressed Jin as "My Lord."
"You've done a fine job maintaining this facility all this time. Rest easy now."
"No, it was simply my duty."
"I'm going to give you a new name....Let’s go with 'Palma.'"
The name had simply popped into Jin’s head, likely a derivation of "permanent." Bestowing a new name was the formal mark of a new master.
"Thank you, My Lord. From this day forward, I am Palma."
"Right. I’m counting on you."
The automaton formerly known as Baseth IX—now Palma—bowed deeply.
"If I may, My Lord, there is something I wish to show you."
"Hmm?"
Palma turned on his heel. "Please, follow me."
Jin signaled to the rest of the group, and they began to walk. They retraced their steps down the hallway before turning into a circular corridor. A short walk brought them to a staircase leading down. Palma descended, with Jin and Reiko leading the rest of the party close behind.
They reached a door two floors down.
"Please, enter."
Palma opened the door to reveal a wall inlaid with numerous plates.
"These are the successive generations of House Tierra."
Jin initially thought it might be a tomb, but the atmosphere felt different.
"If it is not too much trouble, could you please read them in order?"
Following Palma’s request, Jin began reading the names from the top.
"Hazars... Florail... Scareless..."
Dozens of names down, he came across names he recognized.
"...Uuvait... Lariana..."
They were Adriana's parents. The list continued.
"...Galdred... Burguism... Lambard... Crowsmus..."
Jin didn't recognize these names, but he assumed they were Adriana's older brothers.
"...Handrem... Donavaagu... Adriana."
Donavaagu was the brother just older than Adriana. Then, there was Adriana herself.
"...Nelrest... Farevals..."
A long string of unfamiliar names followed.
"...Martre."
The list finally ended there.
"Thank you. Those are the members of House Tierra."
Jin wondered if the recitation was another way to ensure they weren't forgotten, but the purpose was more practical. The back wall slowly slid open.
"My Lord, within this room are the technical records that House Tierra has protected."
It seemed that reading the entire lineage in order served as the security key. Jin thought it was an incredibly tedious system, but he kept the thought to himself as he stepped inside. Elsa and the others followed him in silence.
"I see."
The room was lined with bookshelves holding over a hundred volumes, along with several recording magi-crystals.
"Can we enter this room freely from now on? Or do I have to read the entire guest list every time I want to get in?" Jin asked Palma. If it were the latter, it would be an enormous hassle.
"No. Since you have opened it once, it will unlock automatically whenever My Lord approaches."
"That's a relief."
Jin surveyed the room again. It was essentially an archive. He surmised that the ancestors of House Tierra must have been much closer to the Origin. What they had left behind were books, recording magi-crystals, and their names.
Names aside, he was keenly interested in the information stored in the books and crystals.
"Palma, do you know what kind of information is stored in these?"
"Yes, I do. Furthermore, the contents of the books and the recording magi-crystals are identical."
"Ho..."
It was a system of text records and their backups. With Palma himself included, it was a triple-redundant system. Jin decided it would be most efficient to have Laojun read the recording magi-crystals and extract the relevant data later.
Having seen the archive, Jin decided to head back up.
"Let's break for lunch."
It was already noon, and Jin had no intention of letting Hanna go hungry. They retraced their steps toward the automobile.
"My Lord, what shall we do about the barrier surrounding this facility?" Palma asked.
"If there are no mechanical problems, keep it active as it is."
"As you wish."
The barrier appeared to block harmful radiation, such as ultraviolet rays. In a way, it was a specialized preservation field.
"They really thought of everything."
Jin felt he could learn a few things from the composition of the barrier itself.
"By the way," Goose muttered, "what happened to the original town of Naminte? Is it still there?"
"Yes," Palma replied. "The surrounding settlements are deserted, but the town of Naminte still has a small number of residents."
"Really? That's impressive."
"However..." Palma began to explain. "Approximately 300 years ago, there was a sudden and drastic decrease in the free ether in this region. This caused the majority of the residents to fall ill."
The Ether Stampede had reached even this remote corner of the world.
"The population plummeted as a result. Then, to make matters worse, an epidemic broke out 200 years ago. It was called 'magical consumption fever,' and it decimated the population further."
Compared to the era before the Ether Stampede, the population had reportedly dropped to less than five percent of its original size.
"In the end, most of the remaining survivors gathered in the town of Naminte."
The mystery of the regional population collapse was finally solved.
"I suspect the population decline in Battalf had the same primary cause," Jin murmured. Whether he was right or not was something history had likely forgotten.