"How are you going to upgrade Laojun more than you already have?"
To Elsa, it seemed as though every conceivable improvement had already been applied to him.
"That's just it. If there's anything left to do, it would be 'clocking him up' or enhancing his peripheral systems."
Jin explained using a computer analogy, though he wasn't particularly an expert on the subject himself.
Increasing the clock speed was a method frequently used during the formative years of personal computers. In digital processing, one primary measure of a CPU’s performance was how many operations it could calculate per second. Manufacturers of new models would compete to boast about their higher clock speeds.
Beyond that, performance gains usually came from increasing internal hard drive capacity or upgrading the OS. As far as Jin knew, that was the extent of it.
In the world of magi-craft, the attribute of a control core determines its clock frequency. Increasing this frequency means the core can process more tasks within a set unit of time.
Jin had always used hand-picked magi-crystals, but even natural crystals inevitably contained some minute impurities. This gave him an idea: he would apply Purification, Stransform, and Crystallization to the highest-quality magi-crystals available.
Since Stransform was an engineering magic of Jin’s own invention, this specific sequence of treatments was entirely unprecedented. He began with an experiment to see what the results would be.
"Purification."
Jin drew out a miniscule amount of impurities from a light-attribute magi-crystal. He followed this with Stransform and Crystallization.
This process eliminated any defects within the internal crystalline structure. The resulting crystal was perfectly colorless and transparent. The dazzling radiance characteristic of the light-attribute had been suppressed, replaced by a deep, tranquil glow.
"Analyze... What in the world is this?"
"Jin-nii, what's wrong?" Elsa asked, concerned that something might have gone wrong.
"N-No, I'm not sure how to describe it... Elsa, take a look for yourself."
"?...Analyze... Oh."
"See what I mean?"
"What is this?"
No matter how closely she examined it, she couldn't sense an attribute from the crystal at all.
"Compared to all the other attributes... I suppose we should call it 'non-attribute'?"
"Mm, that sounds right."
"If removing that tiny bit of impurity made the attribute disappear, then it must be the impurities that determine the attribute in the first place."
"It seems so."
"This is the kind of thing Saki would lose her mind over."
"Jin! What an incredible discovery!!"
When they called Saki over, she was, as expected, practically jumping for joy.
"Hmm, then what exactly is the nature of those impurities that determine the attributes?"
If they could identify them, they might be able to artificially synthesize magi-crystals of any attribute they desired.
"I don't know yet. Or rather, nothing tangible appeared even after I separated them."
"Hmm, I see..." Saki fell into deep thought. "So, if you apply the same process to magi-crystals of other attributes, do they all become non-attribute?"
"They do. I actually tested it. A fire-attribute magi-crystal turned into a non-attribute one."
Jin added that the impurities—or perhaps 'additives'—in that case were also unknown.
"Hmm, how mysterious. But it certainly seems worth researching....So, what happened when you used this 'non-attribute' crystal for a control core?"
"Oh, right. As a test, I tried replacing Edgar's control core."
"Eh? Why Edgar?"
"Well, Elsa insisted on it."
Elsa had felt bad that she hadn't performed proper maintenance on Edgar, the first automata she had ever built, in quite some time. Edgar was a tireless worker behind the scenes, but one reason for his supportive role was that his specifications were slightly lower than the golems and automata Jin had created.
When Jin mentioned upgrading Laojun, Elsa saw it as the perfect opportunity to boost Edgar's performance as well.
"So, what was the result?"
"Prepare to be amazed—his thought processing speed increased by fifty percent."
"That's incredible!"
"That's not all. When I used it to build a magi reactor, the output jumped by fifty percent as well."
"This is a monumental discovery!!"
"Yeah. I'm starting to think that the presence, type, and crystal structure of those impurities are the factors that determine the magical frequency. And..."
Normally, simply increasing speed can cause internal data transfers to lag, which can actually degrade overall performance. However, this non-attribute magi-crystal seemed completely free of such bottlenecks. Jin theorized that it was the result of eliminating all unnecessary internal resistance.
"I see, I see. That’s a very plausible theory. I’d love to study it further."
"I'll leave that side of things to you, then."
"Right. You're busy with other things now, Jin. Consider it handled."
With the research into non-attribute magi-crystals entrusted to Saki, Jin focused on reinforcing Laojun while Elsa worked on Edgar.
"How is it, Laojun?"
"Yes, My Lord. I can feel a distinct improvement in my performance."
"It's not just a ten or twenty percent gain. A fifty percent increase is quite a leap."
"Indeed. With this, I will be able to assist you even more effectively, My Lord."
"I'm counting on you."
Following that, Jin replaced the control core and magi reactor in Reiko as well. He planned to eventually refit all the other golems and automata on the island.
"How do you feel, Reiko?"
"Yes, I feel in wonderful condition. Thank you very much, Otou-sama."
Bit by bit, the forces of Hourai Island were being significantly strengthened.
Meanwhile, Elsa and Edgar were finishing up.
"...Done."
While she couldn't quite match Jin's speed, Elsa's technical skills were rapidly closing in on his. She had reviewed everything from Edgar's skeleton to his muscles and skin, bringing his performance up to the same level as the Quinta units.
"Thank you very much, Elsa-sama."
"I'm looking forward to working with you, Edgar."
"As am I."
"Good work, Elsa."
"Mm, you too, Jin-nii."
After they exchanged those words, Jin playfully began to massage Elsa's shoulders.
"J-Jin-nii?"
"...Hmm. I guess Elsa doesn't really get stiff shoulders?"
Back at the orphanage, Jin had frequently massaged the Orphanage Director's shoulders and back, so he was surprised to find Elsa’s shoulders weren't stiff at all. He suddenly recalled a bit of trivia about how "stiff shoulders" wasn't even a recognized concept in some Western languages.
"Then again, maybe people just don't notice it... Or maybe it's just because Elsa is young. Yeah, that must be it."
"Jin-nii?"
"...Haha, it's nothing."
"If you say so."
And so, the 8th of October drew to a close. In the evening, Jin took a short nap to prepare for the mission scheduled for that night.
Late at night, just as the date changed.
"Taisei, status report?"
"Yes, My Lord. Everything is proceeding as planned. Thanks to the large force generators, the rotation of the extra-large-class fragment has almost completely ceased. I will activate the large force generators for propulsion in a few minutes."
"Understood. Good."
The mission had reached its climax.