"Hypothetically speaking..." Elsa began.
"Hmm?"
"If it were up to you, Jin-nii, what kind of approach would you take?"
"If it were me? You mean... if I were trying to build something without using any bio-derived materials?"
"Yes."
"Let's see..."
Jin fell into a brief silence, lost in thought. Elsa kept quiet so as not to disturb his concentration, reflecting on the problem herself.
"I suppose it would have to be Form Drive," Jin finally said.
"I thought so, too."
Since the use of magic was a fundamental prerequisite, that was the most logical conclusion.
"But Jin-nii, there's one thing that's been bothering me."
"What is it?"
"It's about Form Drive. If I remember correctly, wasn't that the name you gave to the system used to power the enemy golems back in the demon territory?"
"Yeah, that’s right."
"But according to the records, the Predecessor said she was going to name a system 'Form Drive' while she was staying with the All-Creation clan."
"Ah."
Indeed, the Predecessor had discovered a Form Drive system a thousand years ago during her time with the All-Creation clan.
"It was certainly written that way in her logs..."
"But is it possible that the system you named Form Drive isn't necessarily the same as hers?" Elsa asked.
"I see your point..."
Even though the First Generation and the Second Generation had both settled on the name "Form Drive" with a thousand-year gap between them, the actual mechanics weren't guaranteed to be identical. That was Elsa's suggestion.
"That’s very possible..."
Jin considered the facts. The golems mining for resources underground didn't use what Jin referred to as Form Drive; instead, they operated on an extension of the Craft Magic known as Forming. They were maintenance-free and would continue to function as long as there was free ether in the environment.
On the other hand, the Form Drive Jin had named was a piece of magi-engineering that, while based on Forming, was specialized specifically for high-performance movement.
"...Ah, I get it now."
Jin suddenly had a breakthrough.
"The system the Predecessor named Form Drive is the same one used by the golems working underground."
Presumably, the Predecessor had used that technology to create those mining golems in the first place.
"And the system Stearena uses for her crystal golems would also be the Form Drive named by the Predecessor."
"In that case...?"
"It means that the system I named is similar to the Predecessor's, but fundamentally different."
Everything clicked into place once he looked at it from that perspective. Jin felt a surge of conviction; this was likely the closest he would get to the truth.
"...Mmh, I understand."
Elsa seemed satisfied with that explanation.
"But Jin-nii, you still haven't answered my first question."
"Ah, right."
The question was whether he could push Form Drive to its limits and produce results that surpassed those of biological materials. Jin pondered the matter once more.
"...First, let's clarify the concepts to keep our terminology organized."
Out of respect for the Predecessor, he decided that the term Form Drive would henceforth refer to the system powering the mining golems on Hourai Island and Stearena's crystal golems.
"Then what should we call the system Gorg used?"
"...Hmm. I think 'Fluid Form Drive' works."
"Fluid Form Drive?"
"Yeah. It seems like that system performs Forming after turning the metal into a virtual liquid state rather than keeping it solid. I thought that name fit best."
With this realization as a catalyst, Jin found himself becoming deeply interested in the possibilities of Fluid Form Drive.
In the town of Hohodo, located in the south-central region of the Kingdom of Egerea.
It was a small settlement with the Raaho Mine to the north and Blue Land to the east. Because of its proximity to the mines, it was reasonably busy, but it had never managed to achieve significant growth.
This stagnation was largely the fault of Count Guarana, who managed the mining district. To put it bluntly, his heavy exploitation of the local population meant that no one had any wealth to spare. As a result, the town's atmosphere was quite rough, filled with unsavory characters and even the occasional criminal hiding in the shadows.
However, since the security guard dispatched by Nostalgia had begun patrolling the streets, public order had improved significantly.
That said, not every member of the security guard belonged to the Nostalgia faction. Their numbers were limited, so most squads were composed of at least one Nostalgia member acting as a leader, with the rest being hired locals.
In Hohodo, the security chief was a member of Nostalgia, while his six subordinates were men hired from a different town. They also had three general-purpose golems at their disposal for security duties.
"We received a report this morning. In the towns of Midatona, Jidazo, and Lubu, there's been a string of attacks on thugs. Apparently, they've all been left with serious injuries. The culprit is unknown. Stay sharp."
During the early morning briefing, the chief addressed his men.
"Given the locations of these towns, we have to assume the perpetrator is moving closer to us."
"Understood."
The squad members were former soldiers or men with combat experience, and they were reasonably capable. After the meeting, they split into their assigned units and headed into town. They operated on a three-shift rotation, patrolling in pairs accompanied by a single security golem. This was their standard operating procedure.
"If the victims are just thugs, I don't see much reason to worry," one guard remarked.
"Tell me about it. But since we don't know the motive, the chief probably figured we can't afford to be careless."
The guards continued their patrol, chatting as they walked. Morning passed into afternoon, and the town of Hohodo remained peaceful.
Then, night fell. The night shift was scheduled from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM.
"Well, we're off."
"Yeah, see you later."
The night was supposed to pass just like any other... or so it seemed.
At midnight, the Moon, Uni, reached its zenith in the southern sky.
"Hmm?"
Two shadows stood at the entrance of the town, blocking the path of the guards. One was clearly human, but the other was unmistakably a golem.
"...Can we help you with something?"
The two guards grew wary, remembering the warning from the morning meeting.
"I have no business with humans," the man replied. "My business is with that golem behind you."
"What? What's that supposed to mean?"
The guard asked for clarification, but the response was entirely unexpected.
"It means this... Get them!"
Suddenly, the golem accompanying the man lunged forward.
"What?!...Gwah!"
"Oof!"
The golem punched the two guards aside with ease and immediately moved to strike the security golem.
"Wha... what are you doing...?"
Although they had been struck, the attacker hadn't used his full strength, and both guards appeared to be alive. However, the shock of the blow had been substantial. Though they were conscious, neither could stand up, leaving them to watch helplessly as their security golem engaged the mysterious intruder.
Having recognized that its masters had been harmed, the security golem identified the opponent as a hostile threat and prepared to fight back.
The mysterious golem stood approximately 1.8 meters tall and was clad in heavy armor, resembling a soldier. In contrast, the security golem stood two meters tall. Even though it was a general-purpose model, it was built on a Unifilar base, giving it more than five times the strength of an average human.
But then...
"...No way!"
An astounding sight unfolded before their eyes.