"But, Elsa, you really are amazing."
"Eh?"
"You developed the Ether Analyzer, didn't you?"
"That's not true. Jin-nii is much, much more amazing."
"Hmm, I wonder about that..."
Jin saw himself not as a researcher or an inventor, but as a technician.
He believed he was only who he was today because of the knowledge he inherited from the Predecessor and the scientific knowledge he had acquired in modern Japan. Almost everything he had built so far was a mere combination of those two sources.
If he had to name something created purely from his own flashes of inspiration, he couldn't think of anything off the top of his head.
"That might be true. But I think everyone is like that," Elsa said, offering both affirmation and a gentle critique of Jin’s self-assessment.
"No one can create something from nothing. I think everyone makes things by referencing what exists, learning from others, and combining various elements. At most, a person adds a tiny bit of their own ingenuity to the mix."
"I suppose that’s one way to look at it."
"I believe it is. But I think it's wonderful that you aren't arrogant about it, Jin-nii."
Jin gave a wry, embarrassed smile at her words.
"Thanks. But don't flatter me too much."
While exchanging these thoughts, Jin and Elsa continued their work on the new Ether Analyzer.
Their first goal was Prototype 2, which would be powerful enough to cover the entirety of Hourai Island. If that succeeded, they planned to create a version capable of scanning all of Ars.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hmm, I can see it very clearly with this."
"Mm."
Jin and Elsa discussed the results while looking at the screen of Prototype 2.
The flow of free ether within Hourai Island was now visualized on the display. While the current movement was shown on a two-dimensional plane, Jin kept a future possibility in mind.
"My Lord, if it is I, I believe I could handle three-dimensional data as well," Laojun had noted. Jin intended to eventually leave the operation of a 3D Ether Analyzer to him.
"But really, Hourai Island truly is a singularity, isn't it?"
On the screen, free ether appeared to be welling up from near the summit of Mount Hourai. A small amount was also surfacing from the ground of the island itself.
"That's exactly why we have ground spiders and Ground Caterpillars here."
Those two types of magical beasts lived solely on free ether. They were gentle by nature, and the silk they produced had become a rare material found only on Hourai Island.
"The abundance of underground resources is likely due to this as well."
"Most likely."
Building on this success, Jin and the others finally set out to construct a large-scale Ether Analyzer.
＊ ＊ ＊
November 4th. This was the day they would test the large-scale Ether Analyzer, which had taken a full day to install beneath Hourai Island.
"With a unit of this scale, I believe we can grasp the state of all Ars and even as far out as the moon, Uni."
"Alright."
That was exactly what Jin wanted to know—the distribution of free ether across Ars and its surrounding space. This would also allow them to investigate what was happening at Onogoro Island.
"Jin-nii, the check on this circuit is finished."
"Father, the magi reactor has been started."
"My Lord, the link is established. No problems. Activating the Ether Analyzer."
"Good. Begin the scan of the area around Ars."
One minute passed.
"Measurement complete. From this point forward, I can display the results in real-time."
Under Laojun's control, the results were projected as a simulated three-dimensional display, making the data easy for Jin and the others to interpret. Before Jin, Elsa, and Reiko, the movement of free ether in the space around Ars came to life.
"I see..."
They could see free ether converging from all over Ars and its surroundings, flowing toward the space directly above Onogoro Island.
"So it flows like that. It certainly explains why free ether is becoming scarce on the surface."
Visually, it was reminiscent of high and low-pressure weather systems—perhaps similar to an overlay of rain clouds and precipitation levels on a map.
It showed that Onogoro Island was an ultra-massive high-pressure system. Furthermore, there were two other similar systems visible. Or perhaps a visualization of geomagnetism would be a closer comparison.
"With this, we can tell exactly where the facilities collecting free ether are located."
Helente from Onogoro Island had tried to keep it hidden, but this made it obvious. However, there was a specific flow that caught Jin's eye even more.
"What is this...?"
At the South Pole, where there should have been nothing, there was a slight fluctuation.
"Helente said there was nothing there, but it seems that wasn't necessarily the truth."
Ars had no continents at its North or South Poles; both regions were oceanic. Deep beneath the surface of the Antarctic Ocean, they could see a fluctuation in the free ether suggesting the presence of something.
"But according to the Mermaid unit's investigation, there wasn't anything on the seabed."
"My Lord, based on this flow, it is undoubtedly below the surface of the sea, but it does not appear to be on the seabed itself."
"Hmm..."
"As another possibility, it may possess something like underwater Invisible technology."
"I see...!"
Jin had ordered a search of the seabed previously. Since the sea at the pole was difficult for the Watcher observation satellite to monitor clearly, Laojun speculated that if something was positioned several dozen meters below the surface, they might have simply overlooked it.
"That makes sense."
Jin agreed with the logic.
"She said they wouldn't install things in unstable or uncertain locations, but..."
"It might have been a bluff," Elsa added.
Her guess was based on the fact that they were currently installing their own measuring equipment beneath the ground of Hourai Island.
"Jin-nii, or maybe instead of the seabed, what if it's even deeper? Below the ground of the ocean floor..."
"Of course! That would be consistent with everything else."
"It may be exactly as Elsa-sama suggests," Laojun agreed.
"We'll know as soon as we check."
"Yes."
Free ether was not affected by normal matter; it passed through rock as if it were nothing.
"...A concentration of free ether has been detected approximately 50 meters beneath the Antarctic seabed."
"Just as I thought. Elsa, you're amazing!"
"...It was just a lucky guess."
Praised by Jin, Elsa blushed and looked down.
"But if that's the case... I believe the depth of the Antarctic Ocean was about 2,000 meters?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"Then we would have to use the submarine Shachi, but even then, we can't exactly dive into the ground beneath the seabed..."
As Jin fell into thought, Elsa asked a question.
"Jin-nii, is there a possibility that an entrance exists somewhere?"
"Well... it’s more likely they enter and exit via teleportation. In the worst-case scenario, if the facility was just left there after installation, there might be no way in at all."
"My Lord, is it truly necessary to force an investigation?"
"Well... you have a point."
Jin considered Laojun's advice. It was true that even if they reached the device at the South Pole, it wasn't as if they had a specific plan for it.
"It's not like we're going to destroy it..."
Just then, Elsa gave a small cry while staring at the screen.
"Jin-nii, look at this."