The Vulcan lowered its altitude and began to orbit in what corresponded to the planet’s stratosphere.
"The atmospheric composition is virtually identical to Ars’s."
"Or perhaps," Laojun added, "it would be more accurate to say that Ars is the same as Hale."
"At present, no unnatural flows of free ether have been detected."
The reports from the Vulcan remained underwhelming.
"Laojun, about the 'ether transporter.' I wonder where the receiving end on Hale was located?"
Jin voiced the question that had been nagging at him.
"It is as My Lord says. Thus far, we have found no magi-machines that appear to serve that function."
"Continue the investigation."
"Understood."
＊ ＊ ＊
Even after a full day had passed, they found nothing of significance.
When Jin wasn't in the command room, he was busy drafting plans for the "Golem horse" he had discussed with Sion and Marikka.
"The skeleton and the exterior can be made of bronze."
The effect of 'Toughening' was substantial enough to make it viable.
"Now, the question is how to handle the muscles..."
Lately, Jin’s thoughts had been preoccupied with the concept of 'magical muscles.'
The standard on Hourai Island was to use ground spider silk. However, because it was a biological material, its degradation over time was significant without meticulous care. It wasn't truly a maintenance-free solution.
Of course, with Jin’s skills, he could increase the durability to a point where such maintenance was practically unnecessary, but he wanted a more fundamental solution.
"I wonder if I can make them out of metal..."
Back when Jin worked in modern Japan, a type of metallic artificial muscle called 'Bio-Metal Fiber' had been in development.
The specifics were far too academic for Jin to recall clearly, but he wondered if he could replicate the effect through Craft Magic.
It was the perfect problem to ponder in the gaps between Hale-related reports. Whenever he found a spare moment, Jin let his mind revolve around the theory.
"My Lord, please come to the command room."
Progress was slow, however, as it was difficult to find a solid block of time for research.
"Did you find something?" Jin asked as he entered.
"No, My Lord. On the contrary, I have called you to report that we have failed to discover any likely facilities even underground. I require your next set of instructions."
"I see... In that case, let's have the Cosmos squad descend to Hale."
"As I suspected."
"We’ll see if anything reacts once they’re actually on the surface."
Jin’s reasoning was that by having the Cosmos squad land, they might trigger a response from some hidden system that eluded mere observation from orbit.
"It’s still too early to risk landing the Vulcan."
"Yes, My Lord. Once we are certain there is no danger, I would also like to install a Warp Gate."
"Yeah, that’s the plan."
No. 700672 had expressed a desire to visit, and Jin was personally curious about the planet as well.
"Be sure to perform thorough checks for pathogens and toxins."
"I am well aware."
Thus, the exploration of Hale entered its second phase.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Hmm, what would be the most efficient way to make it contract when supplied with magi..."
Jin returned to his study of metallic magical muscles.
"Father, would utilizing 'Forming' be insufficient?"
Seeing Jin troubled, Reiko offered her perspective.
"In terms of output, 'Forming' is a bit weak for this..."
By Jin’s estimates, if he created magical muscles using that method, they would likely produce less than half the power he was aiming for.
"Why is that, Father?"
"We have the 'Form Drive' that uses 'Forming,' right? That works by 'Forming' the entire limb to move it. But in the case of muscles, they can only pull."
"I see. Is it because muscles attached to an endoskeleton exert force by contracting to bend a joint?"
"Exactly."
With a 'Form Drive,' one side contracts while the opposite side extends. In other words, two forces—'pull' and 'push'—are at work simultaneously. However, muscles attached to an endoskeleton can only move a joint by contracting.
"Furthermore, the operational efficiency of mana isn't ideal. On top of that, it limits the reaction speed."
This was because the system would essentially be casting a 'Forming' spell every single time it moved.
"It is quite a difficult problem, isn't it?"
Reiko seemed satisfied with the explanation and began to ponder the problem alongside him.
＊ ＊ ＊
While the Vulcan continued its orbital probe, Cosmos 551 through 560 donned their powered suits and descended toward Hale, carrying a variety of measuring instruments.
[Currently arriving at the target coordinates on the equator of Hale.]
Cosmos 551 was the first to set foot on the planet.
[Ambient temperature is 27 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity is 24 percent.]
The temperature was slightly high, and the air was dry.
[Free ether concentration is equivalent to the vicinity of the demon territory on Ars.]
Compared to the Allied Kingdoms, the concentration was somewhat high.
[Commencing analysis of the atmosphere and soil.]
Cosmos 555 and 556 produced their sensors. When a soil sample was placed on the instrument's tray, the 'Analyze' spell activated.
[First run... No unknown substances detected. All identified substances are harmless.]
The 'Analyze' spell was not omnipotent. It could identify things it was programmed to recognize, but anything outside those parameters would simply be labeled 'unknown.'
After more than a dozen tests, no 'unknown' substances or bacteria were detected.
[Atmospheric analysis: 79 percent nitrogen, 20 percent oxygen, 1 percent other.]
[Trace composition: Argon, helium, carbon dioxide, neon, methane, and hydrogen. Concentrations for trace components are currently undetermined.]
It was almost identical to the air on Ars or Earth.
[There are no microorganisms detected either. The environment is closer to a sterilization room.]
Jin wondered if it had always been this way or if it was the result of deliberate planetary engineering.
Conversely, it suggested that this wasn't a hospitable environment for a diverse biosphere beyond humans. Even humans relied on a symbiotic relationship with various microorganisms, such as lactic acid bacteria; a completely sterile state was not necessarily ideal. Jin turned these thoughts over in his mind as he listened to the reports.
"Regardless, it looks like it’s safe enough to visit Hale now."
Of course, that would only happen after further investigation.
"It seems we can proceed with installing a Warp Gate."
"Indeed, My Lord. That will make it significantly easier to provide support from this side."
Since everything would pass through the relay bases, they would need to implement sterilization protocols at the intermediate stops to ensure that no harmful bacteria or viruses were accidentally introduced to Ars.
"Given that the people of Ars originally migrated from Hale, the risk is likely low," Laojun noted.
"Yeah. But there's always the possibility of mutated strains."
"It would certainly be best to remain cautious."
"If we're building one, let's make it a large-class gate so we can send through things like aircraft."
"Understood, My Lord. In that case, I will have the relay base upgraded to a large-class facility as well."
"Right. I’ll leave that to you."
With that, the construction of a large-scale Warp Gate on the planet Hale was authorized.
The investigation of Hale was reaching its climax.