May 6th.
Jin and Reiko arrived in Port Rock Town, located in the southern part of the Kingdom of Elias. They had traveled there via the Warp Gate hidden within the sea cave.
Their destination was the Marcia Workshop.
"Oh, it's much larger now."
A neighboring shop had recently become vacant, and Marcia had purchased it to expand her workshop.
While there was a Warp Gate in the basement of the Marcia Workshop as well, it had been rendered partially inaccessible during the recent renovations. Since Marcia couldn't exactly go public with the fact that she had a teleportation device in her basement, she had kept quiet, and the construction had inadvertently blocked off the entrance.
Jin and Reiko's visit today was motivated by two things: celebrating the grand reopening and restoring access to the Warp Gate.
It was 8:00 AM, the hour when some of the local shops were finally beginning to open for the day.
"Good morning, Marcia."
The Marcia Workshop also opened its doors at 8:00 sharp.
"Good morning, Jin!"
Since Jin had sent word ahead of time the previous day, she wasn't particularly surprised to see him.
"It really has expanded, hasn't it?"
"Hasn't it just? Now I can handle everything from the initial build to the final finish right here without having to rent out a separate dock!"
The adjacent lot had been quite spacious to begin with, so the workshop had effectively tripled in size.
In one corner, the workshop's centerpiece was on display: the catamaran Cygnus. It was the very boat Marcia had used to win the race when she had teamed up with Jin and Reiko—the vessel that had fundamentally changed the course of her life.
"You've kept it in beautiful condition."
The ship had been polished until it gleamed and was displayed prominently on a pedestal.
"Of course. It's the boat that changed my destiny, after all," Marcia said, her eyes softening with affection as she gazed at the Cygnus.
"Ah, Jin-dono. Welcome," Marcia’s father, Rodrigo, said as he emerged from the back of the shop.
"Good morning. By the way, where are the staff... the artisans?"
"Since we had to close down for the last six months for the renovations, I had to let them go. They've all gone independent now."
"I see... In that case, I hope this gift will be even more useful."
Jin had prepared a special present to commemorate the grand reopening.
"Reiko, contact Laojun and have them sent over."
"Yes, Father."
A minute later, two golems were teleported into the center of the workshop.
"Whoa!?"
"Mm, the positional variance has certainly decreased."
The golems appeared just a hairsbreadth above the floor, a testament to the fact that the coordinate deviation during teleportation was now micro-class.
Setting technicalities aside, Jin gestured to the two inactive figures. "Marcia, these are for your grand reopening."
One was a female-type golem. Her physique was very similar to Marcia's personal golem, Arrow, though the facial sculpting was different. The other was a slender male-type. Under normal circumstances, he might have been classified as a domestic or utility golem, but as he was a creation of Jin’s, his actual specifications were likely through the roof.
"They're Arrow's new sister and brother. Please, give them names."
"Names, huh..." Marcia hummed, thinking for a moment. "Then let's go with Alco for this one and Veil for that one."
In the Kingdom of Elias, "Alco" meant bow, while "Veil" meant sail.
Jin woke up the two golems and, along with their new names, transferred ownership authority to Marcia.
"So the sisters Arrow and Alco make 'bow and arrow.' And 'Veil' provides the sail for propulsion," Jin remarked, sounding impressed.
"Exactly. Thank you, Jin!"
＊ ＊ ＊
"Wow, this is fast!"
Jin and Reiko were currently taking a trial run on the Marcia Workshop's latest model: the Egretta.
Positioned as the next generation of the Cygnus line, the vessel measured nine meters in length and five meters in beam.
"This one isn't for sale. It's strictly a hobby boat for me," Marcia said with a laugh. She admitted that she could only afford to build such a thing because the workshop had been so prosperous. "My dad and I built it at a rented dock during those six months the shop was closed."
The design was a catamaran, but the section connecting the two hulls was also shaped to make contact with the water. This increased the hull's overall volume, which in turn improved buoyancy and cargo capacity.
"For the propulsion system, we use a horizontal waterwheel—a screw—and an Aqua Thruster."
She explained that she switched between the two depending on the situation, using the Aqua Thruster for high speeds and the screw for lower speeds.
"It can't compete with your Shark, Jin, but this is my absolute masterpiece."
True to her word, the ship possessed incredible stability even as it surged past sixty kilometers per hour. To improve maneuverability, she had even installed Aqua Thruster vents on the port and starboard sides—essentially side thrusters. These allowed for much easier docking and rapid course corrections.
"The only problem is the cost." Marcia admitted she had built the boat with a complete disregard for the budget. "The hull alone was a massive undertaking, and the propulsion systems are incredibly expensive."
She laughed, adding that figuring out how to reduce those costs would be her challenge for the future.
After a full circuit around Io Island, the Egretta returned to Port Rock Town.
"Honestly, that was a lot of fun. It's been a while." Jin realized it had been quite some time since he had enjoyed himself so much on a craft he hadn't built personally. "Once Yuu and Mio get a bit older, I'd love to bring them here so we can all swim together."
"Oh, I love that idea! Hmm, I guess they'd need to be at least three years old first, though?"
"Most likely..." Jin agreed. A shallow pool would be one thing, but since the sea had waves and currents, he didn't want to take any risks with the twins.
"I'll have to come visit you guys soon, too!" Marcia added.
In the basement of the workshop, there was a small Warp Gate that only Marcia, Rodrigo, and Arrow were authorized to use. Naturally, Alco and Veil would now be added to that list.
"You're always welcome. Elsa would be delighted to see you." Jin felt a twinge of guilt, thinking that Elsa would have probably loved a ride on the Egretta.
Once they were back in Port Rock Town, they docked the Egretta in its private berth and went ashore. They returned to the workshop for what Marcia called a "post-flight debrief."
"Jin, did you notice anything while we were out on the water today?" Marcia asked as they sat down for tea.
"Hmm, let's see... The seat comfort could definitely be improved."
"Hahaha, I thought you'd say that. I feel the same way."
"Actually," Jin began, "Saki is currently developing new cushioning materials for exactly that purpose. She's finally reached a point where it looks promising. I should be able to let you know more soon, so stay tuned."
"Really? If Saki-san is on the job, I have high hopes! I'll be waiting." Marcia finished her tea with a bright smile, happy to have picked up such a good lead.
Before the sun set, Jin and Reiko set to work restoring the basement room containing the Warp Gate. They cleared the earth blocking the entrance and re-applied the camouflage.
The entrance had originally been located in the back of a storage room, but since the warehouse had been expanded during the renovations, they built an additional wall and installed a proper door. They designated the inner room as a "high-value material storage."
Once they performed a final diagnostic check on the Warp Gate, their work was done.
"Well then, we'll see you later."
"Yeah, thanks for everything today, Jin!"
"Jin-dono, my thanks to you as well."
Using the newly restored Warp Gate, Jin and Reiko returned home to Hourai Island.