"My Lord, I have an interesting report to share."
Laojun spoke to Jin one day after he had returned to Hourai Island.
"Oh? What is it?"
"It seems John Dini has discovered some valuable records in Tosa."
"In Tosa?"
"Yes. They appear to have been compiled by the Magus."
The records had reportedly been stored inside the pedestal of a monument on the outskirts of Tosa. During the annual airing out of the archives, John happened to be there to re-apply Toughening to the documents. While performing the maintenance, he transferred the contents to Laojun.
The documents served as a summary of the deeds performed by the Magus—Shuuki Tsetse—in the land of Mitsuho.
"That Shuuki was certainly a meticulous man..."
Jin settled in to listen to Laojun's report.
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"In the year 2271, the Magus left New El, which had served as his base of operations until then, and set out on a journey."
Even after the passing of his beloved wife, Adriana, Shuuki had remained in New El to educate the next generation. Although he could not use magic himself, he possessed a profound understanding of magi-formulas, which meant teaching them presented no significant hurdle.
For forty years, Shuuki had lived with House Tierra, training magi and developing various magic tools, including automata and golems. However, as the generations of House Tierra shifted and he began to feel like a relic of the past, he decided the time had come to see more of the world.
"In appearance, the Magus hardly seemed to age at all, which served to further mystify his presence."
This was a result of his physical form being replaced by magiatoms.
When he departed, eight disciples who idolized him left New El to accompany him. Their first destination was the west. Compared to New El, the region was culturally underdeveloped.
"The Magus lived there for roughly thirty-three years, sharing his knowledge of magic and magic tools with the locals."
The eight disciples who followed him also chose to live out their days there, dedicating themselves to the cultural development of the region. However, they were unable to fully transmit the art of magi-craft.
Magi-craft, which had been systematized by the genius Adriana, was a discipline far too complex for ordinary magi to master. Furthermore, that land possessed very few individuals with a natural talent for magic.
Nevertheless, they provided significant assistance in developing nameless settlements into villages and eventually towns. Most of those locations were named by Shuuki himself. It was also due to the achievements of Shuuki Tsetse that the various towns eventually united into a single nation known as Fusou.
The settlement where he stayed the longest was Nade. At the residents' request, he left behind a commemorative item there.
"And then, the Magus set out on yet another journey. This time he traveled south, accompanied by seven disciples he had trained in Fusou."
The people living there were at a similar stage of development as those in the old Fusou had been.
"He spent thirty-five years there, assisting in the establishment of Mitsuho."
It was during this period that his magi-engineering advanced significantly. One of the disciples he had brought along proved to be exceptionally talented, eventually developing magic capable of interfering with Space.
By combining this with the spatial interference magic Adriana had once researched, a prototype of the Warp Gate was finally completed. Though its operation remained somewhat unstable, it was nonetheless the first Warp Gate in the world.
Furthermore, drawing upon the magi-craft he had cultivated over the years, he created an educational automata. Between the automata and the Warp Gates, Shuuki constructed a system meant to ensure the people could enjoy the benefits of magi-engineering for generations to come.
In Mitsuho, drawing on his experiences in Fusou, he shifted his focus from magic tools to ordinary implements, overseeing the construction of the Factory using golems. The result of those efforts was likely the facility located on the outskirts of Miyako.
"During his time in Mitsuho, he also ventured further south until he reached the sea."
Settling in a town with abundant seafood, he named the place Tosa and taught the residents how to produce katsuobushi. He also imparted the secrets of making miso.
Additionally, he discovered Japonica rice. Through repeated selection and cultivation, he identified varieties that essentially became what we know as non-glutinous and glutinous rice. Having shared as much rice-farming knowledge as he could, Shuuki eventually looked toward the next horizon.
"In the year 2339, he departed once again. He was followed by five disciples from Mitsuho. It appears they rounded the southern tip of the Harihari Desert and headed east."
The records found in Tosa ended there.
＊ ＊ ＊
"I see... So we finally have a clear picture of the Magus's movements in Mitsuho and Fusou. But..."
Having finished the report, Jin felt the descriptions were remarkably clinical. The memoirs he had read in the laboratory basement had been far more vivid and full of life.
"...I suppose without Adriana there... that's just how it was."
"There is one detail that caught my attention—a symbolic number."
"Hmm?"
Jin had no idea what symbolic number Laojun was referring to.
"The year 2339. Do you realize how long ago that was?"
"Yeah. That was 1,119 years ago."
Jin had done the math by subtracting 2339 from the current year, 3458.
"Suppose the Predecessor was ninety years old when she passed away."
"Huh? Let's see... Ah, I get it."
Reiko had spent 1,024 years searching for Jin. The year Jin was summoned (3456) minus the search time (1024) minus a lifespan of 90 years equals 2342.
That would place the Predecessor's birth around that very time.
"If that's the case, was the Predecessor from the Shouro Empire? No, the empire wouldn't have existed yet. Maybe a country or town that stood in its place?"
"It would be wonderful if records from that era were to surface," Laojun said regretfully. Jin shared the sentiment.
Still, it was a stroke of luck to have traced the roots of the Predecessor—and by extension, the roots of magi-craft—this far.
"If the opportunity arises, I wouldn't mind conducting another investigation like this."
"Understood, My Lord. I shall relay this information to the Quinta and have them search discreetly as well."
"Right, that sounds like a plan."
With this, the questions regarding the Magus and the foreign tribes were largely resolved. However, the mysteries surrounding Jin's predecessor, Adriana Barbora Tsetse, remained hidden behind the veil of the past.
The gap between the past and the present. The lost magi-engineering. The record that would serve as the "missing link" was still nowhere to be found.
"Given that there is no mention of Trans Info, it seems the technology was still under research at that time," Laojun noted.
"I agree. And Send Info... that might have been something only Adriana Tierra could use."
Jin had gained many things from his visit to the land of the foreign tribes, but the most important was a renewed understanding of his own place in the world. He was Jin Nidou the Etranger, and he was also Jin Nidou the man who brought the technology of the past into the present.
How should he use his knowledge and power? How should he pass them on? He still didn't have a clear answer, but he had been shown a precedent to compare and reflect upon.
"Education, huh? 'Knowledge is power,' indeed."
The exact method was something he was still exploring.
"A technologically advanced society isn't necessarily a happy one."
When he considered what human happiness truly was, the answer wasn't simple.
"But if I can at least help reduce the amount of sadness in the world... I think that would be enough."
Reiko reacted to his soft murmur.
"Yes, Father. Mother once said something very similar."
"Did she?"
Jin didn't think he could possess a conviction as unshakeable as the Predecessor or the Magus just yet. Nevertheless, he vowed once again to live in this world in his own way.