Aided by a tailwind, the flight to Telurus—the eastern gateway to the Celuroa Kingdom’s capital—was smooth and uneventful.
"Ah, look at all the balloons and airships..."
A vast number of flying objects dotted the skies over the Celuroa Kingdom. Seeing them, Jin felt a literal sense of how much the world had changed.
"I believe there are standing orders for balloons and airships to maintain different altitudes," Lordtoss explained.
"I see. That makes sense to prevent accidents, given their different speeds."
As Jin watched, he occasionally spotted Blow Floaters similar to the one they were currently riding. It was a moment that truly brought home the reality of the four hundred years that had passed.
Ten massive airships patrolled the skies above the capital, Esaia. Each was 200 meters long—they were, in a word, gargantuan.
That said, back in Jin’s original era on Earth, there had once been a gargantuan airship called the Hindenburg, which measured 245 meters in length. It had been powered by four Daimler-Benz V16 diesel engines and reportedly reached a top speed of 135 kilometers per hour. By comparison, the airships of the Celuroa Kingdom supposedly had a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
Jin also noticed a monorail system in Esaia. It appeared to be a loop line, circling through the city. However, since he hadn't seen such a thing in any other city, he assumed it hadn't seen widespread adoption, which he found a bit disappointing.
But he pushed those thoughts aside.
Just after 2:00 PM local time, Jin and Lordtoss landed at the Telurus airport. An official was there to meet them and take charge of their craft, issuing a certificate in exchange.
"With this, you are free to enter and leave the town of Telurus."
They also had to put down 1000 Toll as a deposit. The system was set up so the money would be returned when they handed back the certificate upon their departure.
"Please don't lose it," the official said before straightening his posture. "Welcome to the town of Telurus!"
He gave a salute, touching the back of his right hand to his forehead.
"The place has changed quite a bit."
"Is that so?"
The town felt remarkably different from when Jin had visited with Reinhard and the others. The cityscape was more cluttered now, a jumble of the old and the new. In a way, it was the kind of atmosphere Jin quite liked.
"There are more people, too."
The town had been busy before, but now the crowds were dense enough to truly be called a throng. Jin estimated it was roughly as crowded as the area in front of the Yaesu exit at Tokyo Station—though he wasn't sure if that was a particularly helpful comparison.
"We should find an inn."
Lordtoss walked ahead with a steady gait, seemingly familiar with the layout of the town. As before, Hanako and Hope stayed behind to guard the Blow Floater.
Because the population had grown, the number of inns had increased as well, and they secured a room without any trouble. They ended up in a twenty-story hotel, which qualified as a high-rise in this world.
Jin remembered that the hotel he’d stayed at last time was only ten stories tall. With that memory in mind, he boarded the elevator—or "lift," as it was called in this country.
"I wonder if this uses a Golem Engine..."
He recalled how, during his previous visit, a golem had literally carried him up to the sixth floor.
Their room was on the fifteenth floor. It should have had a commanding view, but the surrounding high-rises blocked most of it.
"I wonder if these have earthquake-resistant structures?" Jin murmured to himself, his professional curiosity getting the better of him.
"Oh, they're quite safe," Lordtoss said, having overheard him. "The law requires all high-rise buildings to undergo a 'Toughening' treatment."
"Toughening?...I see."
It was a magi-craft spell that increased the binding force between molecules, making brittle materials more resistant to fracturing. The difference between it and Hardening was that Toughening maintained the material's elasticity and toughness.
"Then I suppose there’s no need to worry."
Still, the effectiveness of the spell depended entirely on the caster's skill. If Jin were to get serious and stack the spell ten times, he could achieve a 1000 percent increase—meaning the material became eleven times stronger than its original state. That was roughly the limit for reinforcement.
At an average level, however, the boost ranged anywhere from 5 to 200 percent, though an average caster could stack the spell thirty or forty times to reach that point.
(For a building like this... a 50 percent increase, I'd wager. That's plenty.)
Jin discreetly used Analyze and confirmed that the strength and toughness of the entire structure had indeed been boosted by 50 percent.
"It's still early. Would you like to see the town?"
It was only 3:30 PM, and dinner wasn't until 6:00 PM. Jin decided to take Lordtoss up on the suggestion.
"Let's go down to the riverbank."
"The riverbank?"
Though he looked puzzled by the request, Lordtoss led the way.
"Ah, the view from here hasn't changed much."
Jin stood on the embankment, looking out over the Torres River.
(This was where I found Mother-in-law Mine when she was on the verge of death...)
Feeling the river breeze on his face, Jin lost himself in memories for a moment. Across the water sat the town of Ritsu, and beyond that, the walls of Esaia were visible through the haze. Huge airships drifted in the sky above.
"Come to think of it, aircraft technology hasn't really advanced much, has it?"
Jin mused that after four hundred years, it wouldn't have been unusual to see aircraft with fixed wings.
"I'm not particularly well-versed in the subject, but..." Lordtoss began, offering an explanation. "As I understand it, there was a consensus that it would be unwise to repeat the mistakes of the past through excessive scientific development. Because of that, even Avalon supposedly only teaches basic science now."
"What...?"
So, scientific progress is seen as a potential spark for conflict? Jin wondered. He also wondered if the decision to avoid "following in the same footsteps as Earth" had been made by himself or one of his associates.
(I don't think I would have made that choice, though...)
However, if those who came after him had reached that conclusion, perhaps it was something he should respect.
(Either way, it’s not a problem I can do anything about right now...)
It wasn't that he was giving up, but this era was not the place for him to exert his influence.
"Essentially, they chose to focus on the development of pure magic instead."
"I suppose... that might be it. I couldn't say for certain."
"Well, it's not something we need to settle right now."
Jin decided to drop the unproductive speculation. Whether that choice was the right one was for the people of the distant future to decide.
"...I imagine Great-grandmother would be able to give you a much more satisfying answer to questions like that."
"I see."
Jin became even more convinced that he needed to meet Sion. Of all the ties to his past that remained in this era, she was the strongest.
(The fact that the Quinta haven't shown themselves even though I've come to the Celuroa Kingdom suggests that something really did happen on Hourai Island.)
He felt that if he could just meet Sion, he might finally get some answers.
"Alright, let's keep moving and see the rest of the town."
Jin thought that, just like with the golem he’d encountered recently, he might find something new. Even though it was uncertain if he would ever be able to take that knowledge back to his own time, he felt compelled to look.