At noon on September 10th, Jin prepared to head for the westernmost tip of the Lashier Continent, accompanied by Lordtoss.
There were two reasons for Lordtoss’s inclusion in the journey. One was the affection of his great-grandmother (or perhaps his great-great-great-grandmother?), Sion, who wished for him to gain the experience necessary to one day lead as Clan Chief. The other was the practical need for a guide familiar with the current era.
Naturally, Lordtoss’s automata, Hanako, joined them as well. She would share escort duties with Jin’s Hope.
Their new wings, Pegasus 2, boasted eight seats, providing more than enough room for the group.
"I’m counting on you to look after Jin, Ro."
"Ro" was apparently the nickname for Lordtoss. He gave a bashful little nod.
"We’re off then, Great-grandmother."
"Jin-sama, please be careful," Marikka added, looking genuinely concerned.
"I will. Thanks. We’re heading out."
"Have a safe trip, Brother!"
Lordtoss’s younger sister, Vita, had also come to see them off.
"Yeah, see you later."
With that, they boarded the craft.
Under the watchful eyes of those staying behind, Pegasus 2 rose silently into the air. Once it reached a sufficient altitude, it accelerated all at once, vanishing from their sight in a heartbeat.
"And there he goes, Sion-sama."
"Yes... May his path be a peaceful one."
Sion couldn't help but pray, even though she had heard the story of his journey home from Jin himself four hundred years ago. It was a fate that supposedly could not be altered, yet she found herself offering a silent plea anyway.
Aboard Pegasus 2, Jin and his companions flew straight toward the east.
The All-Creation clan territory was located at approximately 40 degrees west longitude. Their destination sat at roughly 280 degrees west longitude. Traveling west would mean a distance of 240 degrees, but since a full rotation is 360 degrees, heading east meant they only had to cover 120 degrees.
As a side note, this coordinate system existed because when Jin had originally mapped Ars, he had set Hourai Island as the 0-degree prime meridian and placed it at the eastern edge of the world. Consequently, it had become more practical to express all longitudes in terms of "west."
A 120-degree difference in longitude translated to an eight-hour time difference. In terms of physical distance, it was roughly 2,500 kilometers.
Pegasus 2 was currently cruising at 2,500 kilometers per hour—supersonic speed.
"It’s... it’s so fast," Lordtoss stammered, looking stunned.
"This isn't even its full potential," Jin replied.
If he used the force generator and switched to spaceship mode, he could probably hit ten kilometers per second. Jin had no intention of pushing it that far, however. At their current pace, the trip would take about an hour. They would arrive at roughly 5:00 AM local time.
"To think the Jin-san from four hundred years ago built this..."
"So it seems. Though from my perspective, I’m the one who’s going to build it in the future."
"Even so, it’s incredible."
Outside the window lay the stratosphere. A cloudless sky stretched out before them—not quite blue, but a deep, dark navy. Below them, a vast sea of clouds blanketed the world. As they flew, the Sun Celane behind them rapidly dipped below the horizon. It felt as though they were watching time itself move in fast-forward.
At 5:00 AM local time, Jin and his party arrived at the western edge of the Lashier Continent exactly as scheduled.
"Now then, Reiko should be around here somewhere."
Following standard protocol, Jin started by checking the magi-radar built into Pegasus 2.
"I’ve got something... but it’s not Reiko."
Reiko and the other automata and golems Jin had built naturally shared a magic pattern identical to his own. However, the signals he was detecting now were nothing like his—and there were a lot of them.
"...Golems?"
Jin lowered their altitude, and his eyes fell upon a swarm of golems scattered across the wasteland. Now that he was here, he could truly feel the recovery of the free ether that No. 700672 had mentioned.
"The mana concentration in this area is about the same as the old Allied Kingdoms' average."
For an ether converter of Jin’s design, this was more than enough density. It wouldn't be surprising if other magi engineers existed in such an environment.
"What do you think they're doing?" Lordtoss asked, peering down with suspicion.
"Searching for something, maybe?"
Jin realized there was only one thing that "something" could be.
"Are they looking for Reiko?"
Were these mysterious golems also hunting for her? Jin tilted his head, wondering what their motive could be.
"Thinking about it won't give me the answer. Which means there’s only one thing to do."
Jin enveloped Pegasus 2 in an Invisible barrier and dropped their altitude even further.
"Let’s see, which one should I pick... Oh, let’s go with that one."
Jin targeted a single unit that had strayed quite a distance from the rest of the pack. Using the force generator, Pegasus 2 moved silently into position.
"Wake up ether eliminator. Wake up Magic Canceller. Wake up magi-jammer. Wake up Magi-Jammer."
Unsure which—if any—would be effective, Jin activated every anti-golem weapon in his arsenal at once. The target golem seized up instantly and toppled over.
"Perfect."
Next, he used a Force Rod to hoist the golem up. Pegasus 2 then moved about ten kilometers away to an area clear of any other hostiles.
"All right, let's analyze this thing."
"Jin-sama, please let me assist you."
"Hm? 'Jin-sama'?"
Lordtoss, who had been calling him "Jin-san" until now, had suddenly switched to the formal "Jin-sama," prompting Jin to look at him with a perplexed expression.
"Well, my great-grandmother aside, even Marikka-sama calls you 'Jin-sama.' Between the magi-craft skills I’ve seen on this trip, the trust the 'servant' has in you, and your mastery over these Magi Machines..."
"Ah... I’d really prefer it if you just kept things the way they were."
Jin didn't want to build a wall between himself and one of the few people close to his age he had met in this era.
"Are you sure?"
"I’m insisting on it."
"...I understand. Jin-san, please let me help."
"That's better."
Jin descended to the ground and began his analysis of the captured golem outside Pegasus 2. Hanako stood guard over the perimeter while Hope watched the captive golem. Meanwhile, Jin and Lordtoss set to work on the decomposition.
"Separation. Forming."
The chest plates came apart, revealing the control core. Jin removed it with practiced ease; the golem would never move again.
"Decompile."
Jin began reading the information directly from the control core. Magi Language and magi-formulas glowed faintly in the air, scrolling through space.
"Yeah... as I thought. These things are searching for Reiko."
It was exactly as he had suspected, but soon their true purpose became clear as well. Jin’s expression darkened.
"And their final objective... is to find and destroy her."