"Hmm, I suppose our mithril stocks are looking a bit thin."
Jin was on Hourai Island, listening to a report from Laojun regarding their current material inventory.
"Yes, My Lord. Our other materials—gold, silver, copper, steel, tin, zinc, lead, nickel, chromium, manganese, cobalt, vanadium, beryllium, molybdenum, 64 light silver, and adamantite—have recovered to nearly the same levels as before the fragment crisis. However, we have been unable to replenish our supply of mithril."
"Hmm..."
They had been using the fragments as a resource to replace the materials consumed by the spaceships, large force generators, and transporter cannons. For some reason, however, mithril was the only substance they couldn't find among the debris.
"Even though we managed to obtain various magi-crystals and Univasium..."
"Does that mean mithril itself is just a rare metal with very low reserves?" Jin asked.
"I am forced to conclude that is the case."
"That's a shame."
"The only remaining area left uninvestigated is the long-period planet—that is to say, Modenu."
"I see. What does its orbit look like?"
"It is currently traveling 'diagonally upward' at an angle of about forty degrees relative to the orbital plane of the Celane System. Even with Celane's gravitational pull, it appears it will eventually vanish into the far reaches of space."
"Then I'd like to check it out one last time."
"Understood."
"Shall we send the Adriana?"
"I believe that would be appropriate. I shall dispatch it immediately."
"Right. I’m counting on you."
And so, the Adriana launched back into space, once again on the hunt for mithril.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Now, as for the next issue..."
Jin turned his thoughts back to Onogoro Island.
"It’s unsettling to think that our world, Ars, is being managed by some unknown entity."
"I agree," Laojun replied.
Helente, the representative golem, had been anything but friendly. She certainly didn't seem like a being dedicated to protecting the humans living on Ars.
"Besides, we still don't even know what they’re doing by gathering all that ether."
"Could they still be connected to the planet Hale?"
"Possibly. If so, what do you think the implications are?"
"The most likely scenario, as No. 700672 suggested, is that they are siphoning ether from here to Hale."
"But why?"
"There is too little information to draw a conclusion."
"I suppose. But if they need ether that badly, wouldn't it be easier to get it somewhere else rather than going to the trouble of sending it from Ars?"
"It may not be coming solely from Ars, My Lord."
"...Ah, right. Good point."
It wouldn't be surprising if there were other facilities like the one on Onogoro Island.
"But if that's the case, the question is how they're actually transporting the ether."
"Indeed."
Jin didn't possess any technology capable of sending ether across the vacuum of space.
"I'd love to research that."
If he could master that technology, he could create golems and magi-machines that could operate in areas with low ether concentrations without needing mana bombes.
"Maybe it's related to Warp Gates?"
"We haven't researched them extensively, but there are also teleportation magic circles," Laojun pointed out.
"True."
Jin suspected that, regardless of the specific method, it was likely some application of teleportation technology. That would be another project for the future.
"Jin-nii, if you're looking to replenish our stocks, why don't you try the Material Extractor?"
Elsa, who had apparently been preparing a meal, poked her head into the command room and offered her suggestion.
"Ah, I'd forgotten about that."
The Material Extractor was a magic tool Adriana Barbora Tsetse had created in her youth to extract resources from seawater during emergencies. Since it was usually more efficient to mine resources from underground ore, Jin had never felt the need to use it.
"You're right. I've never used it myself, but this seems like a good time to try making one."
Jin set to work crafting a Material Extractor. This was a device made by the predecessor Magi Craft Meister in her younger days; as an engineer, Jin was more than a little curious about it.
Of course, he wasn't about to build it exactly as she had. He began adding his own modifications.
"I'll adjust this part here, and..."
"Jin-nii, why are you doing it that way?"
"Oh, this section is originally a magi-circuit that stores data on the target substance, but it doesn't seem very flexible. So..."
"Mmh, I see... Oh, but it's almost time for lunch."
"Ah, is it? Alright."
Elsa had originally come to tell him that the meal was ready, but seeing Jin working on something unusual, she had been drawn into the project. It was a classic scene of a wife slowly growing to resemble her husband.
"Father, the Smiths should be able to finish this part for you," Reiko noted.
"Then let's leave it to them."
After giving instructions to the Smiths, Jin headed to the dining room with Elsa and Reiko to eat.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...So, continuing from where we left off."
"Right. Let's see... it was the magi-circuit that stores the target substance's data. I’ve improved it by replacing it with a magi-circuit capable of comparison and judgment. Now, it will extract whatever substance matches the sample provided."
"So you mean... if you put gold in, it extracts gold, and if you put adamantite in, it extracts adamantite?"
"Exactly."
"Amazing. As expected of Jin-nii."
"Father is wonderful!"
The original version created by Adriana Barbora Tsetse was quite tedious to calibrate for specific materials, but the selling point of this improved model was its ease of use.
"We can even leave the operation to the golems."
Jin thought it might be highly effective to have the Mermaid unit deploy them in the deep sea.
"Let's start by making ten units for a trial run."
Three would be tested to the west, east, and north of Hourai Island. The south was home to Tatsumi Bay, and Jin wanted to ensure that, in the slimmest of chances, there would be no negative impact on the fish in the preserves.
The construction went smoothly, and all ten units were finished within an hour. Amez 20, 21, and 22 of the Five-Colored Golem Maids were tasked with installing them around the island. They would also be responsible for their management.
These first three units were set to extract mithril.
Of the remaining seven units, four were set to mithril and three to adamantite, to be tested in the deep sea by the Mermaid unit.
"There, that should do it."
As dusk fell over Hourai Island, Jin basked in the satisfaction of a job well done.
"Now then, tomorrow is Marcia's birthday party."
"Mmh. Since it was postponed."
Because several members of the Jin Family held important local positions, they had been caught up in the aftermath of the fragment crisis, and it had taken several days for things to settle.
"But I think it will be a good change of pace for everyone."
"I agree."
Jin felt the same. Having spent every day grinding through post-disaster management, the chance to spend time with friends was a welcome treat.
"I'm looking forward to it."
"Mmh."
Gazing up at the sunset, Jin and Elsa shared a smile.