"Ho ho, so such a thing occurred. Truly fascinating."
Jin had left Sion’s residence and was visiting No. 700672.
"Neither time teleportation nor space teleportation are matters our wisdom can fathom, it seems."
Even No. 700672 was unable to offer an explanation for what had transpired.
"And yet, it has turned into a rather convenient situation in some ways... though it remains possible that 'spiritual lifeform' or whatever it was might have manipulated things slightly."
No. 700672 hinted that there might have been some form of outside interference.
"Though it can be neither proven nor verified."
"I suppose not," Jin agreed.
It was hard for Jin to believe that an entity existing across such an eternity wouldn't have planned some form of recovery should an error occur. The method itself was simply beyond his imagination, leaving him with nothing to say. He was here now, and that was all that mattered.
When he told this to No. 700672, the response was:
"Perhaps that, too, is a form of philosophy."
"So, Jin-dono, what do you intend to do now?"
"Well... to be honest, I have so much to do that I’m finding it difficult to prioritize."
"Understandable."
No. 700672 nodded once, thought for a moment, and then spoke again.
"It is likely that you still lack sufficient information, Jin-dono. Perhaps you should prioritize learning about this era for a little while longer?"
"Ah, I see..."
Jin understood the logic. He had indeed been feeling a bit of a rush.
"Thank you. That clears things up a bit."
"It was nothing. I did receive quite a bit of Persica juice today, after all."
The advice seemed to spark an idea in Jin’s mind.
"I’ll also need to investigate the state of Kunlun Island."
"Umu. Once you establish a single goal, the necessary steps will surely present themselves one after another."
"You're right."
Jin wanted to return his descendants to their normal lives as quickly as possible. On the other hand, he felt a deep hesitation about meeting them face-to-face. He was afraid they might blame him.
(If someone looks me in the eye and says, "It’s your fault we had to go through all this!"...I don't think I'd ever recover.)
Still not fully grasping the concept of having blood relatives, Jin was being uncharacteristically timid.
(The version of me who went back 400 years is probably looking at his children’s faces right now,) he thought.
"To repeat myself, there is one more thing... Jin-dono, what do you intend to do in this current world?"
"What do you mean by that?"
No. 700672 smiled.
"Precisely what I said. You are a person who, by all rights, should not exist in this era. In other words, there will be many complications if you show your face in public."
"That is certainly true."
"You would be accepted at the homes of Sion-dono or Marikka-sama, but..."
At this point, Jin decided to share what was on his mind.
"Ultimately, I’m thinking of moving to Hale."
"Ho, to Hale?"
As No. 700672 was a direct creation of the Progenitors, Jin felt it was something he would have to mention eventually.
"Do you intend to live a life of seclusion there?"
"No, that wouldn’t work for me."
Jin knew his own nature well enough to know he couldn't just sit still.
"I’ll move my base of operations there, but I’ll come back here in secret and live while blending in with the common people."
"I see. That sounds quite interesting." No. 700672 considered this for a moment. "Might I join you in that plan?"
"Eh?"
"I have no memories of Hale, but it is the homeworld of the Masters, my creators."
If they went there, he explained, he wouldn't have to stay confined to a room like this anymore.
"Besides, there is nothing left for me to do or that I must do here on Ars."
"It would be a dream come true to have your help, No. 700672."
"Then it is settled." No. 700672 broke into a wide smile.
"But I won't be able to do it right away, you know?"
"I am aware. My lifespan is effectively non-existent. I can easily wait a hundred years or so."
"I don't intend for it to take that long!" Jin retorted with an earnest look.
For the next thirty minutes, Jin and No. 700672 discussed the migration plan. After all, No. 700672 was effectively a senior when it came to migration across the stars. Though he hadn't experienced it personally, he possessed a wealth of records from that time.
"Movement shouldn't be a fundamental problem since we have Warp Gates."
"Yes. My concern is how much of the laboratory I should relocate."
"Umu, I can understand that dilemma."
"And then there's the current resource issue on Hale."
It was the very problem of resource depletion that had driven the Progenitors to Ars in the first place.
"I have a few suggestions regarding that," No. 700672 offered reliably. "The second planet... Zipart, is even richer in mineral resources than Ars."
According to No. 700672, Zipart had five satellites, one of which was particularly resource-rich.
"But there is a problem."
I thought so, Jin mused. If the resources were easy to get, the Progenitors would never have left.
"Because it is closer to the Star Celane—or rather, even more so than that—the free ether concentration is abnormally high."
"...Higher than the Free Ether Cloud?"
The Free Ether Cloud was the concentration of free ether at Hale's Lagrange point L5. It had been sent from Ars by the Progenitors for their kin remaining on Hale, but due to a failure in the receiving equipment, it had simply accumulated in space.
When free ether concentrations became too high, standard magi-devices would cease to function properly. Currently, that cloud was virtually gone, as Laojun had consumed almost all of it to send Jin 400 years into the past.
"Indeed. And there is one more issue. That sector of space is flooded with 'noise' from ether waves, making it impossible to block out with any barrier."
"Then how do you know it's so rich in resources?" Jin asked, voicing the most obvious question.
"A fair question. They say this information was a fluke, brought back by only one of over two hundred investigation teams that were dispatched."
The other teams had never returned.
"...Do you think it would be possible for you, Jin-dono?"
"Let me see..."
Among the technologies Jin possessed that the Progenitors had lacked, one stood out as potentially useful.
"...I suppose I’ll just have to use sub-ether waves."