They used a Warp Gate to travel to the shipyard.
They emerged in a corner of one of the docks.
"Wow, it’s huge."
Since this was Elsa’s first time visiting the facility, she was struck by its sheer scale.
"Well, yeah. It’s large enough to construct a 250-meter battleship, after all."
At this size, the dock could accommodate the construction of one 250-meter-class battleship or aircraft carrier, or two 100-meter-class cruisers simultaneously.
"…I see."
Having finished their launching ceremonies and outfitting, the two ships were scheduled for trial runs later that day.
"Jin-nii, I want to try boarding one."
"Eh?…I suppose we could."
Jin was a bit taken aback by Elsa’s sudden request, but realizing it was a perfectly natural desire, he nodded.
"Laojun, is that all right?"
『Yes, My Lord. There is no problem.』
He checked with Laojun via the manacam on his bracelet and received an immediate reply.
"Alright, then. Let's go."
"Mm."
Elsa quickly took the right arm Jin offered her. Together, they walked up the gangway onto the Azuma. Reiko followed close behind.
"It’s like a fleet review."
Jin thought to himself that it wasn't quite the same. While they were certainly "reviewing" a "ship," the term "fleet review" usually referred to a ceremonial parade of warships.
The Azuma and the Edo were not currently serving as cruisers, nor was there any parade.
"Wow."
Elsa let out another exclamation of wonder.
Excluding their spaceships, this was the first time she had stepped onto such a massive structure, so her reaction was understandable.
To a newcomer, the deck—measuring 100 meters in length and 10 meters in beam—looked incredibly vast. Furthermore, since the main and secondary batteries had been removed, the foredeck was wide and open. Naturally, there wasn't a swimming pool, though.
"The breeze feels wonderful."
The doors at the front of the dock were open, allowing a wind to blow through. From their vantage point, the Blue Marine was visible; it felt as though that was where the ship truly belonged.
"Let’s head to the bridge."
Because of the planet's curvature, the "horizon" created a limit to visibility. To see as far as possible, one had to climb as high as possible. Consequently, bridges were always built at a high elevation.
However, in the case of Hourai Island's vessels, they could receive data from aerial units and satellites. Thus, they avoided making the bridge excessively high, which would have compromised structural strength or stability.
"I’ve left some armaments on board, just in case."
These included medium-caliber laser cannons and 10-centimeter magi-cannons. When they eventually went on their honeymoon, cruisers would accompany them anyway, so there was no need for concern.
"Next, let’s look at the living quarters."
"Mm."
Jin had provided the general requirements, but he had left the finer details to Laojun and the Smiths, so this was his first time seeing the finished interior as well.
They headed down the stairs to the lower deck.
The living quarters were located on the same level as the main deck. Since the ship was originally a cruiser, it wasn't as spacious as a dedicated passenger liner. However, with the extensions, the section—roughly 20 meters long and 7 meters wide—was divided into several blocks, containing a lounge, bedrooms, and other amenities.
"Hmm."
"It looks quite comfortable."
The corridors were paneled with teak, an oily and water-resistant wood that took on a beautiful luster when polished. The rooms were covered in carpets made of magisilk. If the pile was too long, it would make for unstable footing when the ship swayed, so they were kept relatively thin.
The bedrooms featured beds, but they were equipped with safety belts to secure the occupants in case of an emergency.
"What about the dining hall?"
"Yeah, let’s check it out."
The dining hall naturally came with an attached galley, but it was also equipped with two small Warp Gates. This allowed them to have ingredients or fully prepared meals sent directly from Hourai Island.
"There's a refrigerator and an ether stocker, too."
He opened them, but they were still empty; they would be stocked later.
"And the water?"
"The plan is to load fresh water in the ship's voids to serve as ballast, and we’ll carry ten water purifiers and ten distillers each.…Actually, it looks like they’re already installed."
"That’s a relief."
In addition, there were at least three redundant systems for communication and life-saving equipment, with as many as ten for the most critical components. This was only possible because they were using Magi Machines and magic tools rather than bulky mechanical systems, keeping the weight and volume down.
"The design originally called for five magi reactors, but I increased it to twenty, and we’ve prepared ether condensers as well."
An ether condenser was a device that gathered free ether from the surrounding space to increase its concentration; it was even more effective when used alongside a magi reactor.
"We’ve even loaded enough spare magi-crystals to circle Ars three times."
"Then I guess we're safe."
"I can't afford to let you be exposed to any danger, Elsa."
"…Thank you."
Elsa’s cheeks flushed at Jin’s words.
The two of them continued down to the next level.
"I'm told there’s a nearly identical facility one level further down."
It was a reserve section. Usually, it remained sealed, intended to be opened only if the upper section became unusable due to an unforeseen accident.
"Very reassuring."
"As for the engine room and the rest… we don't really need to see those, right?"
"Mm."
Afterward, they took a look at the Edo, but it was virtually identical. This was only natural, as they were sister ships of the same class.
If they spent too much time wandering around, it would disrupt the trial run schedule, so Jin and Elsa decided to wrap up their inspection.
"Father, it is almost time for lunch."
Reiko, who had been following them silently until now, informed them that noon was approaching.
"I see, that's perfect. Let's head back to the laboratory."
Using the Warp Gate in the dock, Jin and the others returned to the laboratory.
"That was fun."
"It was, wasn't it?"
On Hourai Island, it was evening, but for Jin and Elsa, they were sitting down to zaru soba for lunch. The wasabi they had received from Saki the other day was already proving its worth.
"As I thought, real wasabi has such a better aroma than the 'copy' stuff."
The plants they had used until now were closer to "pungent daikon," so while they provided heat, the fragrance was somewhat lacking.
They added chopped mountain leek as a substitute for scallions and finished it off with a sprinkle of shredded nori to complete the dish.
Jin personally preferred mori soba, but Elsa favored zaru soba for the added fragrance of the nori. Of course, for Jin, part of the reason he had preferred mori soba back in modern Japan was simply that the price was lower without the nori.
"The sobayu is delicious, too."
Elsa also enjoyed diluting the leftover dipping sauce with the water used to boil the noodles and drinking it. Jin made sure she didn't drink too much, though, to keep her salt intake in check.
"We should probably head back soon."
"Mm. Her Majesty will surely notice if we're gone too long."
"Probably."
The Empress had sharp intuition; if they met her face-to-face, she might sense that Jin and Elsa had swapped with their Doppel body doubles.
"Actually, I'd like to visit Rai-nii's place, but..."
She likely wanted to see the baby that had been born recently. However, that was out of the question for the moment.
"Officially, we’re supposed to be staying at the Royal Palace."
"Mm."
Reinhard had not come to the banquet this time. It had only been a week since Berche gave birth, and it seemed the Empress had been considerate of their situation.
"Let’s try to go on the interval day, the day after tomorrow."
"Mm, that sounds good."
Since they were technically in Loizart, they would be able to visit him openly then.
With that plan decided, Jin and Elsa returned to their mansion in Loizart.