Jin and Lordtoss continued their discussion regarding Avalon.
"However, there haven't been any major incidents for the past hundred years or so, so I imagine the budget has been shrinking steadily."
"Where does the funding come from?"
"Ah, that’s right... The expenses are covered by the nations participating in the World Conference."
"I figured as much," Jin said, nodding in agreement.
"The World Conference is quite significant. Each nation appoints five representatives who are stationed at Avalon. They maintain contact with their home countries using improved manaphones."
"Improved?"
"Yes. They used to be as large as desks, but eventually, they shrank to about the size of a small drawer. Later, they gained the functionality to switch between different call destinations."
It seemed something akin to a telephone exchange had been developed. Or rather, it was possible that the Jin of the past had been the one to create it.
(...Maybe I really should use Trans Info to find out what I've made in the past...)
Jin fell into deep thought.
Part of him felt that knowing everything his past self had accomplished would take the joy out of his current work.
However, on further reflection, he realized that he might end up trying to develop something that already existed, or he might create something only to find it was inferior to an existing invention. That would be a complete waste of time.
"I’ll consult with Laojun the next time I return to Hourai Island."
"Jin-san?"
Lordtoss overheard the remark Jin had inadvertently let slip.
"Ah, sorry. Actually..."
Jin explained his train of thought to Lordtoss.
"I see. That is certainly a complicated dilemma," Lordtoss replied with a wry smile.
They decided to end their serious discussion for the evening and simply relax.
The bath at the Red Brick Inn was spacious and up to a standard that Jin found quite satisfying. The food was also refined, favoring quality over quantity, which further added to his contentment.
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Jin and his companions handled the paperwork to stay for one more night. They were permitted to keep their current rooms.
At 8:55 AM—five minutes before their nine o'clock appointment—the golem carriage sent by the Viscountess arrived.
"Jin-sama, Lordtoss-sama. I have come to escort you."
The butler who had greeted them at the mansion the previous day appeared and invited the two men and the two automata into the carriage. With everyone aboard, the carriage set off directly for the estate.
"This carriage has a remarkably smooth ride," Jin noted.
It appeared that not only the suspension system but the dampers as well had been meticulously tuned.
"Jin-sama, Lordtoss-sama, welcome. I am delighted you could come."
Viscountess Foale Lasca Sharned met the group at the mansion’s entrance. They were led back to the same dining room as the day before, where her daughter, Paula Frau Sharned, was already waiting.
"Welcome, Jin-sama, Lordtoss-sama."
She pinched the sides of her skirt and performed a curtsy. Her movements were still a little stiff, but they were undeniably elegant.
"Thank you for the invitation today," Jin and Lordtoss said, bowing in return.
"I would very much like to hear the continuation of yesterday’s topic," the Viscountess began as soon as they had taken their seats and enjoyed a sip of their drinks.
"Yes, of course."
"I was hoping you could tell us more about the intersection of science and magic."
"The intersection..."
The request was a bit broad, and Jin paused to consider where to begin. Paula was the one who broke the silence with a suggestion.
"Um, well, there's something I've wondered about for a long time. May I ask a question?"
"Certainly, go ahead."
Jin decided it might be easier to answer specific questions, so he prioritized Paula’s inquiry.
"When you put water over a fire, it becomes hot water, right? Steam rises from that hot water, but then it gradually disappears. Where exactly does it go?"
Jin was impressed by her sharp powers of observation.
"I see. That is a phenomenon that can be perfectly explained by science," Jin prefaced before starting his lecture. "This isn't limited to water, but everything in this world is made of tiny particles. We call them 'molecules,' and water is made of 'water molecules.'"
"Molecules...?" Paula tilted her head in a cute, puzzled gesture.
"For now, just think of them that way. These molecules are particles so small they are invisible to the naked eye. However, when a vast number of them gather together, they become visible. That is what water is."
"Um, so is it like how a single grain of sand is tiny and hard to see on its own, but when they gather, they become sand dunes or beaches that are easy to see?" the Viscountess asked.
Jin thought that was an excellent analogy.
"Using that image is perfectly fine for now. If we stick with the sand analogy, then the state of sand would be water. A solid rock, meanwhile, could be compared to ice."
"A rock is ice?" Paula asked.
"That's right. If you crush a rock, it becomes gravel, and if you crush it even finer, it becomes sand, right?"
"Yes, that's true."
"And if you crush sand until it's even finer, it becomes like dust that can dance in the air with the slightest breeze. That is steam."
Finally, Jin moved to answer the core of Paula’s question.
"If you take that dust and crush it even further into grains that can't be seen... we call that 'water vapor.' Since it's invisible to the eye at that point, it looks as though it has simply vanished."
"..."
Jin worried his explanation might have been a bit muddled by mixing the terms "molecules" and "grains," and he felt a brief moment of regret.
"Well, science is a systematic field of study. If you learn it step-by-step, it will eventually become much clearer," he added as a follow-up.
"I feel like I understand it, at least vaguely," the Viscountess said. "Now, Jin-sama, what exactly are the conditions—or rather, the cause—that makes water change into ice, or steam, or water vapor?"
"Well, that is something covered in mid-level science, so it's a bit difficult to explain in a few words..."
Lordtoss stepped in to assist.
"In Avalon, we explain it through 'energy.' Please think of energy as the 'vigor' that molecules possess."
"Vigor... energy?"
"Yes. In the case of water, when it gets cold, the molecules lose their energy—their vigor. They huddle together and stay still, like they're staying inside a room. That state is ice."
"Oh! In that case, if they get a little more vigor, they start moving around the room? And that would be water?" The Viscountess was quick to catch on.
"Exactly. When the temperature rises and they get even more vigor, they fly out of the room. That is steam. And when they get so much vigor that they go off somewhere far away to play and don't come back, that is water vapor."
"I understand perfectly now!" Paula said, bowing her head with a little hop of excitement.
"By the way, the ice state is called a solid, the water state is a liquid, and the water vapor state is a gas. Every substance can take these three states; it's simply that the temperatures at which they change vary depending on the material."
Lordtoss concluded the explanation by adding that the temperature where a solid turns into a liquid is the melting point, while the temperature where a liquid becomes a gas is the boiling point.
"Ah, I see. That means steel could also become a liquid or a gas... and even air could become a liquid or a solid?"
Jin and Lordtoss were delighted that the Viscountess had grasped the concept so thoroughly.
"Precisely. You can easily imagine metal becoming a liquid because of how castings are made. If you raise the temperature significantly higher, it will eventually become a gas. Though, I doubt there's much practical use for metal in such a state."
"I suppose not," she agreed.
The morning concluded with these enlightening exchanges. Jin and Lordtoss continued to alternate their explanations, hoping to foster a deeper understanding of the connection between magic and science.