Jin decided to leave the interrogation of the bandit—who seemed to have become somewhat cooperative—to Jumi and Fritz, opting to handle Lance himself.
"...Who are you?"
Lance, who had been observing Jin closely, spoke in a voice tinged with surprise. "To think you could dismantle it so effortlessly..."
"Father is the Magi Craft Meister," Reiko answered on his behalf.
"The Magi Craft Meister?"
"Have you not heard of him?"
"I have not....Hm? You... are you an automata as well?"
"Yes. I am an automata created by my Father and Mother."
"'Father' and 'Mother,' is it? So you can call them that," Lance said, a touch of melancholy in his voice.
"What of your father?"
"The person who created me... is no longer in this world."
"What?"
"His life was taken... by those bandits over there."
"Is that so?"
Surprisingly, a smooth dialogue had been established between Lance and Reiko. Jin wondered if it was a matter of their wavelengths as fellow automata being in sync. He decided to remain a silent observer for the moment.
"Who are these bandits?"
"One of them claimed to be the son of my creator's spouse's younger brother."
A nephew with no blood relation, then? Jin pondered.
"They stole Sword and Glar—who were still incomplete—and one more golem that had not even been named yet."
"I see."
Lance confided in Reiko with an honesty that made Fritz and the others' previous struggles seem almost in vain.
"Where was the place of your birth?"
"In a facility beneath a high mountain south of a lake, located to the northeast of here."
"What is the name of that lake?"
"I do not know. We simply referred to it as the Lake."
As Jin listened, he visualized a map of the Shouro Empire. There was indeed a lake near the border with the Kingdom of Franz. The river flowing out of it was supposed to run north. To its south towered the high mountains that served as the border between the Shouro Empire, the Kingdom of Franz, and the Celuroa Kingdom.
"It wouldn't be surprising if there were a faction that shut themselves away there to continue their research," Jin remarked.
If they’ve been there since before the Great Magic War, they might be the ultimate shut-ins, he thought privately.
"Who is there now?"
"There is only the son of the one who created me, and several golems to look after him."
"I see..."
The background was becoming quite clear. Identifying the culprit and reclaiming the stolen golems—the situation was simple when put that way. However, Jin was still intrigued by the creator's level of technology.
"Could you guide us to that place?"
"...If that is what you wish."
"Then we shall ask it of you in due time. But first, we must repair your body."
At Reiko's suggestion, Lance shook his head. "Hmph....I do not believe the technicians of this country are capable of such a feat."
"We shall see. To perform the repairs, we must entrust you to my Father. Is that acceptable?"
Jin expected some form of protest or refusal, but Lance’s response was unexpected.
"If you say so, I shall comply."
Jin moved Lance and his various parts into the Konron 3. The airship was equipped with workshop facilities that rivaled or exceeded any typical studio.
Elsa, meanwhile, had ignored Jin's suggestion that she rest at her family home and was now watching the process by his side.
"What is the keyword to put you in standby?"
"..." Lance glanced at Reiko.
"Please, tell us," she prompted.
"...It is 'Are'."
"And to wake you?"
"It is 'Levetoa'."
"Understood....'Are'."
The keyword was genuine; Lance immediately stood still.
"He certainly has attitude problems, but he's quite honest with Reiko," Jin muttered to himself as he began his diagnosis.
"Oh...?"
"?"
It was only natural for Jin to let out a small sound of surprise. The structure was almost entirely different from the golems he had analyzed moments before.
"I thought there would be more commonalities if they shared a creator..."
"There are none?"
"No. I wonder why that is."
Even as he spoke, Jin’s hands moved without rest, his eyes glowing with the light of a man who could see through every minute detail.
"But the materials share a common origin. There's no doubt they were manufactured in the same place."
Jin pointed out the internal skeleton to Elsa, who was watching with deep interest. "It's hard to tell by sight alone, but you should examine the crystal structure."
"Mm....'Analyze'... What is this?"
In ordinary metal, there is a crystal lattice—a regular arrangement of atoms based on the metallic element.
"It's not crystallized?"
"Correct. This is likely 'amorphous'."
"Amorphous?"
"Yes. It's a metal that lacks a crystal structure. It should be incredibly difficult to produce, but I suppose they managed it with magic."
Jin asked himself how he would replicate it.
"I suppose I would use Absolute Zero..."
Amorphous alloys are made by rapidly cooling metal from a molten state. By denying the atoms the time to arrange themselves, the metallic structure becomes amorphous. This provides toughness, corrosion resistance, and soft magnetism. Because of the extreme manufacturing costs, large-scale items are rarely made on modern Earth, but magi-engineering allowed for such applications.
"Presumably, free ether is introduced between the metal atoms to further increase its strength."
Jin had never seen or heard of such a technique being used this way. "I'm becoming very interested in this creator's roots," he whispered, before shaking off the distraction.
"Repairs first....The muscle tissue is biological material." Jin continued his commentary as he disassembled the broken arm. "This... looks like material derived from the Sham Dragon family."
The Sham Dragon was a species at the bottom of the dragon hierarchy, but its combat and defensive capabilities were quite high. Its hide was thick and elastic, the wing membranes thin and tough, and its fangs were durable and resistant to impact. Conversely, its meat was tough and tasted awful. While other dragon species had declined due to magi outbursts, the Sham Dragon population had actually increased slightly, making them a viable source of material.
When Reiko had been reconstructed during her first reinforcement, Jin had used these same wing membranes to create her skin. In other words, it was a high-grade material.
"Fascinating. This will serve as an excellent reference."
Muttering to himself, Jin proceeded with the repairs.