Jin spent an entire day showing Sion and Marikka around Hourai Island.
"…I feel like my entire sense of common sense has been systematically demolished," Sion remarked, her face wearing a look of sheer exhaustion.
"I-It’sh amazing, Jin-shama," Marikka added. She looked completely spent, yet her eyes shone with wonder.
"In any case, I’d like you two to join the Jin Family. What do you say?"
"Of course!" Sion replied instantly.
"I-It would be an honor," Marikka stammered.
Both accepted the invitation without a moment's hesitation.
"I see. Thank you. I look forward to working with you both from now on."
"The feeling is mutual, Jin."
"P-Pleased to… m-meet you…"
Marikka remained a bundle of nerves. Considering she was physically equivalent to a ten-year-old in human terms, her reaction was perfectly understandable.
<<So, contact has been lost?>>
<<Yes. That Live Puppet was merely a disposable unit. It likely overextended itself and was destroyed.>>
<<There is no risk of it leaking information?>>
<<None. It possessed no sensitive data regarding our operations. Furthermore, its construction was an outdated model; even if it were analyzed, it would cause us no significant trouble.>>
<<Very well. Have you taken other measures?>>
<<Naturally. I will not use the same tactic twice. I have another unit gathering information more discreetly.>>
<<And what have you found?>>
<<Yes. It seems a technician known as the Lord of Kunlun is held in high regard in that world.>>
<<'Lord of Kunlun'?>>
<<Correct. He reportedly created hot air balloons, belongs to no specific nation, and operates from a base on an island called Kunlun Island.>>
<<What else?>>
<<He has ingratiated himself with the royalty of various nations. His influence appears to be substantial.>>
<<What of his technology beyond these hot air balloons?>>
<<He possesses airships and invincible Live Puppets… though the people there call them automata.>>
<<Do you believe he needs to be eliminated?>>
<<No. He appears to lack any real ambition.>>
<<Then continue the investigation. If the need arises, attempt to make contact.>>
<<Understood.>>
"I-I am Sion of the All-Creation clan. It is a pleasure to meet you all."
"A-And I am Marikka. Pleased to meet you!"
To celebrate Sion and Marikka joining the Jin Family, an impromptu welcoming party was held on Hourai Island, bringing everyone together.
"Welcome. I look forward to working with you. Please, lend Jin your strength."
"T-Thank you!"
Reinhard had rushed over despite his hectic schedule to offer his congratulations and greetings before heading back to his duties.
In his place, Berche stayed behind to look after the newcomers, paying particular attention to Marikka.
"Here, Marikka, try some of this."
"Y-Yes… Oh, it’s delicious!"
"Fufu, take your time and eat your fill."
As the youngest child of her own family, Berche seemed to be enjoying herself, acting as though she had finally gained a younger sister.
"Look, Yuri-chan, it’s Grandma~"
"Dah!"
"Martha-san, please let me hold her too…"
"Oh, babies really are wonderful, aren't they?"
Meanwhile, the couple's daughter, Juliana, was being thoroughly doted upon by Martha, Mine, and Milowina. Little Yuri-chan was not shy in the least and had quickly become the star of the show among the women.
"…Still, even if she is a child of the demon race, she isn’t any different from us at all," Marcia murmured, watching Sion from a short distance away.
"Indeed," Rodrigo agreed solemnly beside her. "The Great Magic War was a tragedy incited by those malicious Failures who manipulated both races into conflict."
"That’s right. That’s why I hope to eventually serve as a bridge between the two peoples," Jin said. "I would like for us to be the ones to make that happen."
"Mm-hmm, that sounds just like you, Jin. When the time comes, I’ll help out with everything I’ve got!" Marcia declared brightly.
"Thank you."
"…However, there’s no telling what those people from Onogoro Island might do next," Louis Waltz Count Kuzuma added with a grimace.
"The large-scale Peeping Telescope will be finished soon. Once it is, I’ll be able to investigate Onogoro Island thoroughly," Jin replied.
Stearena Gamma’s interest was immediately piqued. "I heard a little about that. Is it true it can use X-ray Vision?"
"It’s not exactly X-ray Vision, but it can see through walls. Normally, I’d keep it sealed away since it’s a total invasion of privacy, but I’ll make an exception for this situation."
Jin quoted the old adage that knowing the enemy and knowing oneself ensured victory in a hundred battles.
"We have far too little information on our opponent. Conversely, they likely already have data on us."
It was unavoidable that his identity as the Magi Craft Meister Jin Nidou—or the Lord of Kunlun—was known to them.
"Even so, they likely believe our base of operations is Kunlun Island. That gives us an opening to exploit."
"I see. That’s a very good point," the count agreed. Since Kunlun Island was outfitted with various dummy facilities, it would serve as an excellent decoy.
"So, when will this Peeper be ready?"
"Very soon. The hardest part was the installation. I set the ten-meter main body into the bedrock a hundred meters below Hourai Island, so accessibility for the work was quite poor."
Jin explained that he wanted to maximize the size of the unit while eliminating any potential distortion to ensure the highest possible precision.
"The foundation is hyper-adamantite. The main body is a composite material made of magi-adamantite, 64 light silver, and Invar."
He further explained that placing it deep underground, where temperature fluctuations were minimal, was crucial to preventing deformation and distortion.
『My Lord, the installation is complete. Commencing the test phase.』
Laojun’s report arrived just as Jin finished his explanation. A magi-screen set into the wall of the great dining hall flickered to life.
"Oh! Is that—?!"
『It is Mr. Reinhard’s Rankenhaus. We have contacted Mr. Reinhard via manacam, and he is assisting us.』
True to Laojun’s word, Reinhard’s voice soon echoed through the room.
『Jin, Berche, can you hear me? It’s a pity I can’t be there in person to see the test of the new magic tool, but I’m glad I could at least help out this way.』
Reinhard waved at the camera. Since Hourai Island and the Rankenhaus were separated by approximately eighty degrees of longitude, the linear distance between them was roughly 1,600 kilometers.
"Excellent. There’s almost no blurring. It’s a success!"
"Dear, it’s so clear! Jin-sama’s craftsmanship is truly magnificent!"
『Is that so? I’m glad to hear it.』
Reinhard could only hear their voices, but he sounded satisfied to have received the report from his beloved wife, Berche.
『Now then, we shall proceed to begin the survey of Onogoro Island.』
"Right. Do it."
The magi-screen went pitch black for a moment before transitioning to a view of the vast blue sea.
『Since Onogoro Island is located directly on the opposite side of the planet from Hourai Island, the local time there is currently 6:00 AM.』
The image showed a top-down perspective from the sky.
『The orientation of the Peeper can be adjusted freely,』 Laojun explained.
Because the device could project a virtual camera at any desired point, the perspective could be shifted at will. Currently, it was set to a high-altitude bird's-eye view.
Then, a solitary island appeared in the middle of the vast ocean. It was an isolated landmass surrounded by a crescent-shaped reef—Onogoro Island.
Finally, the time had come to peel back its veil of secrets.