The four men were incensed that Elena’s shortsword had destroyed their simple Warp Gate.
"Damn it! We just finished putting it together!"
"You monstrous doll!"
"If you're a doll, you should have just stayed a pretty decoration!"
Elena paid no heed to those who mocked her as a doll, even though they clearly knew her true nature.
"Sleep," she commanded.
She unleashed a Stun spell upon them.
"Gah!"
With brief cries, the four men collapsed. Silence returned to the tunnel.
"……Is it over?"
A human might have sighed in relief in such a moment, but Elena remained vigilant, surveying the area.
"It seems there are no more ambushes or stragglers."
Since she couldn't carry all four of them back herself, Elena bound their hands and feet with nearby rope. Then, after recovering the shortsword embedded in the simple Warp Gate, she returned to the tunnel entrance where the others were waiting.
Thus, the operation to reclaim Kashimnole Base ended in success.
＊ ＊ ＊
『……That is all. There were injuries, but no fatalities on either side.』
"I see. Elena and the others did well."
On Hourai Island, Laojun was delivering its report to Jin.
『With this, all that remains is reclaiming the headquarters on Electra Island.』
"Right.……But what about those who have embedded themselves into the heart of various nations?"
『Most of them are brainwashed, so we should be able to handle them by sequentially removing the influence. However, the Kingdom of Elias might not be so simple.』
The Kingdom of Elias was the Magic Federation’s home ground. It was assumed they held considerable influence within its central leadership.
"Still, an organization like that is brittle once it loses its head."
『Precisely as you say.』
In other words, once Guillermo Marukitasu and the executives were gone, the organization would likely collapse on its own. Jin had no desire to keep track of what happened to every low-level member; that was the role of Nostalgia.
"If I can just restore the world's situation—the one Golbart Marukitasu threw into chaos—just a little bit, that's enough for me."
Those were Jin's true feelings.
"Also, did any of them manage to contact headquarters?"
『That was handled. I was jamming all communications.』
"Then it's fine."
The reclamation of Kashimnole Base would be discovered eventually, but the later, the better.
『Even so, it remains a mystery why we cannot find Guillermo Marukitasu,』 Laojun remarked.
Jin nodded. "Yeah. Since we haven't found any 'unscannable areas' either, I can only assume he isn't on Ars."
『Logically, that is the only conclusion.』
"Is he in satellite orbit on a spaceship, or even further out in space? Or, though it seems unlikely, could he be in an extra-dimensional space?"
『Extra-dimensional space…… you say?』
Jin had been researching the concept for 400 years, but it was not yet complete.
"According to the 'Hanna theory,' if one can travel between two Warp Gates in a micro-time interval, they should effectively vanish from this world during that duration, right?"
『Yes. However, we have not yet been able to achieve such micro-time intervals.』
The switching between 'departure' and 'arrival,' or 'sending' and 'receiving,' was called the 'polarity reversal' of the Warp Gate. Currently, this process inevitably took about one second. The gist of the Hanna theory was that if this switching could be performed in units of tens of thousands of a second, an 'extra-dimensional space room' could be realized.
However, such rapid switching remained beyond their current technical capabilities. That aside, Jin thought of a new possibility.
"Assuming he isn't on Ars, what about the possibility of him being 'underground'?"
『Underground……? That would mean extremely deep, wouldn't it?』
"Right. Even you, Laojun, haven't scanned as deep as ten thousand meters, have you?"
『Indeed, you are correct. Even accounting for errors, I typically only scan to a depth of about fifty meters.』
"That might be it. Try searching much deeper."
『Understood.』
Jin left that matter to Laojun. Naturally, results weren't expected in just a few minutes.
Jin turned his attention elsewhere. "Now then, Reiko."
"Yes, Father."
"I think I'll go clear up a few things that have been on my mind."
"Yes, I shall assist you."
"Good."
With that, he took Reiko and headed for Uni on the Moon, with Hope piloting Pegasus 2. During the flight, Jin explained his intentions.
"I want to restart the spaceships and check if there are any malfunctions."
The spaceships Jin had built 400 years ago included the flagship Adriana (a 300-meter spherical ship), the 100-meter construction ship Vulcan, and the 10-meter prototype spaceships Icarus 2, Hercules, Achilles, Perseus, Theseus, Castor, Pollux, Prometheus, Endymion, Daedalus, and Cepheus. In addition, there were the guard ships built by Jack at Uni: Sirius, Procyon, and Betelgeuse. It appeared that the Jin of the past had not built any others.
"For the redevelopment of Hale, it looks like we'll need more powerful spaceships."
It was essential to build a spaceship capable of traveling to the orbit of Zipart, the second planet of Star Celane, and back. To secure resources, they needed to bring back one of Zipart's satellites. This was something even the Progenitors had been unable to achieve.
Therefore, Jin intended to use the arsenal at Uni to build a new type of spaceship. He chose not to build it on Hourai Island because construction of large structures was more efficient in low gravity, and he didn't want to add any more work to Laojun, who was already stretched thin. Building a spaceship was not something that would be finished in a day or two, so he had to get started in advance.
＊ ＊ ＊
《Welcome, Jin-sama.》
Jack, the management magi-brain of Uni, greeted Jin upon his arrival.
"I've come today with a request."
《What might that be?》
"One is to confirm if the spaceships being kept here still function properly. The other is to request the construction of a new spaceship."
《Understood, you may leave both to me.……As for the spaceships in my care, I perform periodic maintenance, so they are in good condition. I conducted flight tests for the entire fleet as recently as two years ago.》
"That's a huge help. Now then, about the new ship we're building……"
Jin began his consultation with Jack.
"Engine output should be roughly triple, and it needs to be equipped with an Aegis. The hull should have a free ether shield structure……"
Jin listed his ideas as they came to him. Since Jack was capable of building spaceships on his own, he evaluated Jin's ideas and worked on a concrete design.
《What shall we do for the size?》
"That's the thing. The influence of Celane's gravity will likely be quite significant, so for durability's sake, I'm thinking smaller might be better."
《I see. Shall we make it one hundred meters in diameter, the same as the Vulcan?》
"I suppose that's the best option."
《In terms of structure, I would like to move away from the current semi-monocoque design. I intend to ensure strength through the structural frame alone, and then further increase it with the panels of the outer hull.》
"Is that to prepare for potential damage?"
《Yes. To put it in extreme terms, I want to ensure safety by designing it so that it can still fly even if only the central bridge remains.》
"Is that based on the past failures of the Progenitors?"
《Precisely. I still have some data from the Heavenly Ships of that era.》
"That's reassuring."
Thus, Jin continued his deliberations on the new spaceship with Jack.