"Hmm, so it’s only the mithril we can't restock?" Saki said, her expression clouded with thought. "Mithril was a magi-isotope of silver, wasn't it?"
A magi-isotope is an element where the neutrons in the atomic nucleus have been replaced by magi-particles, making the substance highly compatible with free ether. Mithril, in particular, is the most magi-conductive material in existence—surpassing all other metals and materials.
Capitalizing on this trait, it is used for components like magi-nerves and mana conduction lines. Furthermore, adding it in small quantities to other metals to create an alloy can significantly increase their reactivity to magi.
Magi-adamantite is the most prominent example of this. It is an alloy created by adding 1.5 percent mithril by volume to adamantite. When the metal is Reinforce-ed with magi, it achieves five times the strength of standard adamantite.
"I have the funds, so I could just buy some," Jin noted. "But if I buy too much at once, I'll cause the market price to skyrocket."
"That’s true," Saki agreed.
"Besides, a single kilogram would vanish after making just a few golems."
One of the reasons the golems and automata Jin built performed so well was his liberal use of such rare materials. Of course, that was only possible because he possessed the skill to utilize them to their full potential.
"Right now, I’ve dispatched the Adriana to the long-period planet that's moving away—Modenu—to see if there's any there."
"Ah, I see."
Mining there wouldn't cause trouble for anyone else. Assuming, of course, that they actually found some.
"Once preparations are finished, I intend to head for Hale."
Jin went on to explain the mission profile: the ship would navigate unmanned until it drew close to the planet; upon arrival, he would deploy a Doppel to scout the area; and once safety was confirmed, he would travel there personally via Warp Gate.
"If that’s the plan, I’d love to go," Goose said.
"Me too," Vivienne added.
"Me as well," Saki chimed in.
"I want to go too!" Hanna cried.
Jin gave them a level look. "Only once I know it's safe."
Because Ars and Hale sit on exactly opposite sides of Star Celane, the distance between the two planets is twice the orbital radius of Ars—roughly 300 million kilometers. In practice, the journey would be even longer, as the ship would have to plot a course around the star.
"Even at 300 kilometers per second, the trip would take about twelve days."
It was far more efficient to send the ship ahead and teleport over once it arrived than to spend nearly two weeks in transit.
"Kufu. Only you would come up with a travel method like that, Jin," Saki said with a chuckle.
"Well, I won't be leaving until the escort ships are finished, so it’s still quite a way off."
"...And in the meantime, you want to finish the tele-observation device and the energy transfer system?" Elsa asked, having remained quiet until then.
Jin nodded. "Exactly. That's the hope."
"That tele-observation device is for looking at things far away, right?" Stearena asked. "And you say it can see incredibly far... It sounds like a magic eye."
"A magic eye, huh..."
The term reminded Jin of Princess Lieschen.
"Lies had the Far-vision Magic Eye, if I recall."
However, her ability apparently only had the magnification of a standard telescope, so it wouldn't be much of a technical reference.
"Both of those are technologies concerning Space, aren't they?" Vivienne remarked.
"I suppose so. Though when it comes to Space, I only really know about Warp Gate technology," Jin admitted.
"Wait, what?" Milowina asked, her voice tinged with confusion. "Jin-kun, surely you know about teleportation magic circles as well?"
"Oh, I know them. But they’re slow to wake up, and they consume a surprising amount of magi."
"Oh? I knew they were slow to activate, but I hadn't heard that."
When a teleportation magic circle is activated by a flow of magi, the power begins to circulate through the circular magi-circuit. During this cycle, it absorbs free ether from the environment to amplify its own power. Once it exceeds the necessary threshold, the teleportation triggers.
Because a user only needs to provide an initial spark of magi to start the process, it is often assumed that the consumption is low. However, Jin’s research had proven otherwise.
"Warp Gates consume a fair amount of power because they’re kept active constantly for operational reasons, but teleportation magic circles are different," Jin explained.
In essence, a Warp Gate consumes more magi because the connection is permanent, providing a near-instant response. A magic circle only connects when used, resulting in lower overall consumption but a sluggish response time. However, Jin’s conclusion was that if you isolated only the act of teleportation itself, the magi required was roughly the same for both.
"We provide the free ether for the Warp Gates, whereas the magic circles harvest it themselves. In terms of sheer convenience, the teleportation magic circle might actually be easier to set up."
"Ah, I see your point," Milowina said, nodding in understanding.
"In the end, the magi consumed during the actual teleportation doesn't seem to differ much between a Warp Gate and a magic circle."
The group fell into a thoughtful silence at Jin's conclusion.
"Still, there might be other differences in their effects, don't you think?" Saki suggested.
Jin nodded in agreement. "True. I haven't done a side-by-side comparison yet."
"Then why don't we try it? I'll help you out," Stearena offered, raising her hand.
"Kufu. That sounds like fun." Saki was equally enthusiastic. She was well-versed in comparative experiments and Jin felt she would likely provide excellent insights.
"You look like you're having fun, Onii-chan," Hanna said, looking a little wistful. "I can't use magic, so I'm a bit jealous of Elsa-oneechan and the others."
Martha stepped in to comfort her granddaughter. "Now, Hanna, don't go wishing for things you don't have. You should focus on how to make the things you can do useful instead."
"You're right, Grandma!"
Martha then turned to Jin. "Jin, I'm worried about the house, so I'll be heading back now. I'm leaving Hanna in your hands."
"Of course, I'll look after her."
"Hanna, make sure you don't get in Jin's way."
"I won't, Grandma."
With that, Martha departed for the village.
"Well, it's getting late here on Hourai Island. We'll start the experiments tomorrow."
Jin realized it was already past 11:00 PM. Since it was only around 9:30 PM in Kaina Village, Hanna was starting to look quite drowsy.
"Auntie Mine, can I sleep with you?"
"Of course you can, dear."
It was decided that Hanna would sleep with Mine. Jin and Elsa stayed at their own house, while the others retired to the guest rooms in the laboratory.
"Good night, Hanna."
"Good night, Onii-chan."
High above Hourai Island, the round moon, Uni, hung silently in the sky.