Learning that his descendants bore him no ill will put Jin’s mind at ease, but at the same time, he found himself curious about how they were living.
“...Indeed. My Lord, I should clarify beforehand that they aren’t exactly recluses.”
“Eh?”
“Since they have Warp Gates, they occasionally travel to places like the Shouro Empire.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. In fact, since the lineage has continued for over ten generations, some have married into the outside world. Likewise, they have welcomed wives from outside as well.”
“I see...”
Jin felt a wave of relief wash over him.
“My apologies.”
“No, it’s fine. I was the one who intentionally avoided asking.” Jin gave a slightly weary laugh. “So then, what is their lifestyle like...?”
“Yes, My Lord. To use an analogy, it is as if they live on Kunlun Island and occasionally head out to other countries for leisure.”
“I see...”
When he tried to imagine it, it sounded like quite a relaxed existence. The term “hidden village” came to Jin’s mind.
When he mentioned this to Laojun, it replied, “Yes, I believe that image is quite accurate.”
“Well then, how do they earn a living?”
“Most of them can use magi-craft, so...”
“Ah, I see.”
They likely earned money by selling the items they crafted. It seemed Jin’s descendants were living quite resiliently.
“So, how many people are living on Onogoro Island now?”
“There are 248 people.”
“There are that many...?”
“No, considering how many have married away or left to live in the outside world, there would originally have been far more.”
“That makes sense.”
If roughly four hundred years had passed, that meant about twenty generations. If the population doubled with each generation, even starting from just two people, that would be 2 to the 20th power, Jin calculated in his head.
“...Wait, that’s ridiculous.”
Jin immediately corrected his own train of thought.
Of course it was. 2 to the 10th power was 1,024. 2 to the 20th power was 1,048,576.
“There’s no way it would exceed a million...” Jin smiled wryly at himself. “Well, life doesn't always go according to calculations.”
There were bound to be people who didn't have children or never married. And even for those who did, the number of children could range from one to many.
“Would you like to see the family tree?”
“No, that’s all right.”
He was a little curious, but seeing the names of descendants he had never even met probably wouldn’t mean much to him.
“Rather than that, I’ll go meet them in person sometime soon.”
“Yes, that may be for the best.”
Finally, Laojun spoke as if to underscore a point.
“A long time has passed since they first took refuge on Onogoro Island. Should the current descendants be taken hostage, it has become difficult for me to judge the appropriate course of action.”
“...I understand that.”
As the generations passed, Jin’s bloodline would have thinned. By now, they were likely at a level not much different from an average person.
A child was half. A grandchild, a quarter. A great-grandchild, an eighth.
By the time you reached a great-great-grandchild like Lordtoss, it was a sixteenth. If it became one in tens of thousands, then...
Furthermore, since Jin himself was back, their priority in Laojun's hierarchy would naturally drop.
“And I heard no 'Magi Craft Meister' ever appeared among them, either,” Jin said, sounding a little disappointed.
“Yes. Though many have become 'Magi Engineer Maestros' or 'Reichsarzt'.”
“Reichsarzt... That’s Elsa’s bloodline.”
Jin fondly recalled the face of his former beloved wife.
“Yes. Even now, there are several experts in healing magic.”
“I see....I'd like to meet them soon.”
With that, he decided to conclude that topic for now.
“The next thing is the Hale Migration Plan. If that goes through, the descendants might want to live there too.”
“Yes, there will likely be many who desire that. Particularly the younger generations.”
“Yeah.”
Jin figured that, as was always the case, young people would naturally yearn for a new environment.
“I think I'll go check in with No. 700672 and see what kind of progress he's made on the plan.”
It was currently 5:00 PM. However, since there was a time difference of about two and a half hours with No. 700672’s base, it was only about 2:30 PM over there. Jin judged that a visit wouldn't be an imposition.
Carrying Persica juice as a gift and accompanied by Reiko, Jin teleported.
“Oh, Jin-dono, you have come. Regarding the migration plan, I presume?”
“Yes. My apologies for leaving the work entirely to you.”
However, No. 700672 laughed and waved a hand.
“Not at all. Drafting such a plan is a joy. Think nothing of it.”
With that, No. 700672 began to outline the concept.
“First, securing a route for travel is of the utmost importance.”
“Ah, you’re right.”
“I believe we should establish a 'Warp Gate Route'.”
“A 'Warp Gate Route'?”
“Indeed. I hear there are relay bases along the orbital path. We should simply incorporate them.”
“That makes sense.” Jin nodded.
Transporting materials and the movement of personnel. They would establish the logistics for that first.
“After that comes environmental preparation. Success there will depend on whether we can successfully bring in those asteroid resources.”
“Yes, we’ll have to put in some serious effort there.”
“You seem quite busy, do you not?” No. 700672 looked at Jin with a smirk.
“Yes, truly. It’s as if one body isn’t enough... though I hear I’ve technically become two now.”
“Hahaha, it seems you still have room for humor.” No. 700672 laughed, a rare occurrence. “In any case, we have plenty of time. Let us proceed cautiously so as not to stumble.”
Given it was a grand undertaking, failure was not an option.
“You’re right, let's take it steady.”
“Umu.”
After finalizing a few more details with No. 700672, Jin returned to Hourai Island.
“Ah, Jin-sama.”
“Lordtoss, are you finished settling into your room?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
“I see. Well then, let’s have dinner.”
The long and eventful day was finally drawing to a close. The sky over Hourai Island was painted in the vibrant hues of the sunset.